More to Be Rendone?

When word leaked out that the Phillies had signed starter Zack Wheeler to a deal worth $118 million or so, it was widely assumed they were done spending big this winter.

Not so fast.

The #Phillies, luxury tax be damned, are going all in, and plan to pursue free-agent 3B Anthony Rendon. https://t.co/aO2XMU0JPw

— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) December 6, 2019

Whoa. Holy crap. Anthony Rendon and his career .859 OPS sure would look good smack dab in the middle of the Phillies lineup. And signing him would mean being able to use third-base uber prospect Alec Bohm as a trade chip to get some young controllable pitching back. And then there's this little nugget:

Phillies have showed interest in Strasburg and Cole, and seem especially interested in Stras. Possible that interest lessens with the Wheeler signing but Philly seems to be going big again — just low-keying it this time (no “stupid $ talk). @BNightengale links them to Rendon too

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeyman) December 6, 2019

Now that's just crazy talk. One more big signing puts the Phils in luxury tax land. Two more lands them in contract hell for the foreseeable future. But it's fun to think about. These rumors are absolutely Steinbrenner-esque and are going to make the upcoming Winter Meetings even more interesting.

It sure seems like owner John Middleton is ready to spend whatever it takes to get his damn World Series trophy back. And that makes being a fan fun again.