Finally, a Signing

The Phillies finally made some news this off-season, signing utility guy Josh Harrison to a minor-league deal with an invitation to spring training.

Harrison was a 2-time All-Star as a member of the Pirates and plays second base, third base, and the corner outfield spots. He can also play shortstop in a pinch. He was injured for most of last season and if they're looking for a bat off the bench, Harrison isn't the guy. His career pinch-hitting numbers are craptacular-19 hits in 114 at-bats.  He'll probably be the 26th guy on the roster.

Still no news on the starting pitching front, though. Maybe things will pick up after the holiday weekend.

Didi on the Radar?

I saw some reports yesterday that the Phillies are showing interest in former Yankees shortstop Didi Gregorius. I'm really not sure why though.

Didi has only played more than 150 games twice in his 8-year career. Gregorius, current Phillies shortstop Jean Segura, and Cesar Hernandez all have an OPS within 10 points of each other. Didi has a little more power than both Segura and Hernandez and he doesn't strike out too much. He doesn't walk much either. Is he an elite defender? He averages about 10 errors per season and has never won a Gold Glove.

Is it the Yankee Mystique? Maybe Joe Girardi loved him when he managed him in New York. And if the Phils sign him, who gets moved? Does Hernandez got non-tendered? Does Segura get traded? What about the talk of signing free agent third baseman Mike Moustakas? Who plays where?

If you sign Didi and Moose, I guess Kingery goes to second base. If it's only Didi, Kingery goes to third and Segura moves to second.

I'm waiting to hear from Yankee experts to tell me why the Phillies should sign Didi. Because from just looking at the stats, I don't get it.

Lots of Meetings, No Action

Major League Baseball's general managers held their annual get-together last week. This week, the team owners are meeting in Texas. The only thing that hasn't been met are fans' expectations. The Phillies have signed exactly (checks notes) zero free agents so far. This offseason has had all the drama of a lengthy rain delay.

Maybe something will happen at the Winter Meetings in San Diego starting Dec. 8. Or something will happen between now and Dec. 2, when teams have to decide whether or not to offer contracts to players under club control on non-guaranteed deals.

The Phils have 2 serious non-tender candidates in Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco. Hernandez could get as much as $11 million in arbitration. There's no way the Phils will give him that much when they're looking to add quality payroll this winter. Maybe they can swing a trade for him and get something of some value in return. I wouldn't count on getting anything at all for Franco.

And we're also waiting for a contract extension for Gold Glove/Silver Slugger catcher JT Realmuto. The Phils will probably wait on that until after they're done wheeling and dealing so they know how much to invest in him. Realmuto isn't going anywhere. He's the best catcher in baseball and by all indications, he's very happy in Philadelphia. I expect JT to get a 1-year contract in arbitration and then sign a longer deal sometime in spring training after all the other moves have been made.

So we sit around and wait for something to happen. It's about as exciting as a rain delay.

Bring Cole Home

I've been campaigning for this for months. Now the man himself is talking about it. Cole Hamels wants to come back to Philadelphia. Now all the Phillies need to do is make it happen.

The last time we saw Cole Hamels in a Phillies uniform, he pitched a no-hitter against the Cubs. Since then, he was traded to Texas, who then traded him to the Cubs. Since leaving the Phils in 2015, he's thrown more than 750 innings with a 3.74 ERA and he has struck out nearly a batter per inning. He's not the 200-plus inning workhorse he was as a Phillie, but he'd be a perfect No. 4 starter here.

He's the freaking MVP of the 2008 World Series and wants to finish his career here. "If I fit on their roster and their plans, I'd love the opportunity to come back," he told MLB.com.

Are you listening, Matt Klentak? Who would you rather have starting games for you-Cole Hamels or Vince Velasquez/Nick Pivetta? This is an absolute no-brainer. 

Free Agent Frenzy

Here's the latest on the Phillies free agent signings this offseason.

Stay tuned for updates from your number one source for Phillies news.

Buyer's Market

The free agency shopping season has begun and the Phillies figure to be active. Everybody and their mother will want to sign starting pitcher Gerrit Cole. He's going to command huge dollars and a huge commitment. I'm thinking something like an average of $35 million a year for 8 years.

That's an awfully long time for a starting pitcher. The Phils are averse to longer deals for pitchers. Maybe they could structure it with most of the money in the first 4 or 5 years. But I have a feeling Cole ends up with the Angels. He's from that area and went to high school just a few miles from Angels Stadium.

The other big arm on the market is Stephen Strasburg. I'm not sure I want any part of him, given his injury history. He threw 245 innings this year, including the postseason. The only other time he reached the 200-inning mark was in 2014. Between 2015 and 2018, he averaged just 145 innings a season. I'm going to want more innings than that from a guy who will ask for more than $30 million a year. And my guess is he ends up back in DC with the Nationals or heading home to San Diego to pitch for the Padres.

My two starting pitching targets are Zach Wheeler and Cole Hamels. Wheeler's best days are ahead of him and will be much more affordable than Cole or Strasburg. And it gets him off the Mets staff, which is always a plus. And I still have a man crush on Hamels, and would love to see him finish his career here.

A rotation of Nola-Wheeler-Arrieta-Hamels and whoever sounds pretty good to me. And new pitching coach Bryan Price has gotten great years from guys who aren't superstars. I think it could work.

I'm also not big on signing Nats third baseman Anthony Rendon. The Phillies have a budding star in the minors in Alec Bohm. He tore up the Arizona Fall League and should be given a chance to win the third base job out of spring training.

About the Roster

The Phillies, like everyone else in MLB, have to announce their 40-man roster by Monday. They currently have 43 guys on the roster. So they have some moves to make.

The easiest decisions will be to decline options on relievers Pat Neshek (hurt a lot) and Jared Hughes (not very good) and starter Jason Vargas (also not good). And bad outfielder Odubel Herrera has been reinstated after serving his suspension for domestic abuse. The Phils should just release him. Herrera hasn't been good (as a player) since 2017. He has a .632 OPS over the last calendar year.

They should also probably cut ties with relievers Blake Parker and Mike Morin, both picked off the scrap heap during the season. And it's time to say goodbye to Nick Williams, who doesn't have a place to play and is also not very good. That would bring the roster down to 36. None of these guys have any real trade value, so might as well release them and let them find their own way.

A bunch of guys who were here this season have filed for free agency. So let's say goodbye to Sean Rodriguez, Tommy Hunter, Logan Morrison, Juan Nicasio, Brad Miller, Nick Vincent, Corey Dickerson, and Drew Smyly. The only ones I'd consider bringing back are Miller and Smyly, but only on minor league deals. Dickerson will want to find a starting outfield job, and there aren't any of those in Philadelphia.

Maikel Franco and Cesar Hernandez should also be on the block, either by trade or release. Franco shows small samples of promise then reverts to disappointment. Hernandez is due for a raise via arbitration. He made $7.75 million last season, which isn't bad for a guy who doesn't walk and is a terrible baserunner. He'll probably get $10 million or more in arbitration. No. Freaking. Way. The Phils should use whatever was going Cesar's way and add it to the pile of cash they'll need to sign Gerrit Cole.

We'll talk more about free agency is the coming days. I don't want to use all of my off-season topics in one post.