Fabulous: Phillies to add an All-Star, Renowned Batter to Boost their Competitiveness

Could a former Miami Marlins slugger be the answer for the Philadelphia Phillies this winter?

The Philadelphia Phillies will almost certainly look for a power hitter this winter. The absence of Rhys Hoskins has created a power void in the lineup, which the Phillies had to manage with in 2023 but will most certainly seek to remedy ahead of the 2024 MLB season.

Jorge Soler, the former Miami Marlins slugger, has been mentioned as a possible candidate by Philly Sports Network.

Soler, who is 32 years old, can play outfield but has mostly been employed as a designated hitter. Last season, he blasted 36 home runs for the Miami Marlins and 48 for the Kansas City Royals.

There is no dispute about the man’s might.

He does, however, suit the profile of many of the guys the Phillies already have on their roster. Outfielders with a lot of power but no defensive ability.

The addition of Soler to the roster will almost certainly result in a form of platoon in the corner outfields with Soler, Kyle Schwarber, and Nick Castellanos.

According to Spotrac, Soler might be in line for a four-year, $55 million salary. When you consider the home run potential and what other outfielders in this thin class are expected to command, it’s a pretty affordable price.

Unless the Phillies want to chase a top-tier name like Cody Bellinger, adding Soler, who has been a constant threat to the Phillies, may be the best choice.

When something works for you, such as a powerful roster, you just have to lean into it.

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Phillies rumors and news 11/23: Shta Imanaga is set to be released this weekend; will the Phillies be interested?

Aaron Nola’s seven-year contract with the Phillies likely eliminated the club from serious consideration for the top free-agent starting pitchers on the market. According to reports, the Phillies are still interested in Yoshinobu Yamamoto, but it’s difficult to imagine them beating over what appears to be a long list of more desperate suitors for the three-time Sawamura Award winner.

Even though Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski claims the team’s starting rotation for 2024 is set, it’s not difficult to imagine the Phillies being in the hunt for starters who don’t earn nine figures.

This Thanksgiving weekend, the pool of those pitchers is expected to grow by one.

Shta Imanaga, the 30-year-old lefty who began Japan’s World Baseball Classic-winning finale, is scheduled to be released by the Yokohama DeNA BayStars before Monday, according to MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. If that happens, Imanaga will enter a 45-day window in which he can negotiate with MLB clubs.

Yamamoto is expected to make $240 million over eight years, while Imanaga is expected to receive $80 million over five years, according to Tim Kelly of Phillies Nation and Just Baseball. According to MLB Trade Rumors, the team that contracts Imanaga will also pay the BayStars a release fee of 20% of the first $25 million, 17.5% of the following $25 million, and 15% of the rest.

The predicted contract gap is due in part to the obvious — Yamamoto is a lot more well regarded pitcher — but also to Imanaga’s age of five years. Nonetheless, he’s an enticing candidate in his own right: He has a lifetime 3.18 ERA in the Nippon Professional Baseball Organization after pitching over 1,000 innings. This season’s figure was 2.80, up from 2.26 the previous year.

Imanaga had a 3.00 ERA in the World Baseball Classic and started the championship game, working two innings and surrendering one run on four hits while striking out two. (Trea Turner hit his seventh World Baseball Classic home run, and J.T. Realmuto singled in the second.)

If Imanaga gets posted on Thanksgiving, his 45-day window won’t close until January 6 – two days after Yamamoto’s. Even if the Phillies are interested in Yamamoto, if the right-hander deals elsewhere before Imanaga, the Phillies will have time to turn to the less expensive southpaw.

At this moment, it’s all supposition; there hasn’t been much linking the Phillies to Imanaga. But, like with Yamamoto, it’s worth completing their homework. Perhaps the price is cheap enough that the Nola commitment does not exclude them. And it’s difficult to imagine Dombrowski passing on a low-cost opportunity to bolster the rotation even further.