May 15, 2023; San Diego, California, USA; San Diego Padres third baseman Manny Machado (13) reacts after being hit by a pitch during the second inning against the Kansas City Royals at Petco Park. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
5 Phillies trade proposals for superstars who could move at the Winter Meetings
Who would the Phillies need to trade to acquire some of the players who may be moved during the Winter Meetings?
The Winter Meetings take place from Dec. 3-6 in Nashville, Tennessee, where many signings and trades occur. It’s not anticipated that the Philadelphia Phillies will be as active at the Winter Meetings as some teams following the re-signing of Aaron Nola earlier in November.
Over the years, the Phillies’ front office has made some significant moves at the Winter Meetings. Think back to the Pete Rose signing in 1978 or the 1974 Tug McGraw trade with the New York Mets. Current ace Zack Wheeler was signed away from the Mets during the Winter Meetings in 2019. Most recently, during the 2022 Winter Meetings, Philadelphia agreed to an 11-year, $300 million contract with free agent shortstop Trea Turner.
The Phillies are anticipated to make only minor moves for the remainder of the offseason and are unlikely to trade for any of these players if Dombrowski’s comments during the Nola re-signing are any indication.
However, could Philadelphia surprise by making a blockbuster trade and make an impact at the Winter Meetings for a second consecutive year? Let’s take a look at who the Phillies would need to trade to acquire five players who have been involved in trade rumors leading up to the Winter Meetings.
While the prospect of acquiring any of these five players is enticing for Philadelphia’s roster presently, their president of baseball operations should strongly consider how much of the organization’s top prospect pool it is willing to trade away.
Philadelphia Phillies May Look for Something “Big” at Winter Meetings
The Philadelphia Phillies are coming off of two massive offseason windows where they signed Trea Turner, Kyle Schwarber and Nick Castellanos to deals.
Last winter also saw a high-profile trade for relief pitcher Gregory Soto and a few other additions to the pitching staff such as Taijuan Walker and Craig Kimbrel.
This offseason, the Phillies made the first big splash in free agency by re-signing Aaron Nola to a seven-year, $172 million contract, effectively locking him up and making him a Phillie for life.
With the core they have and a potential Bryce Harper extension on the horizon, it would be reasonable to think the Phillies are done playing in the high-end portion of free agency this winter.
But president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski and owner John Middleton have proven over the last few winters that they are all in for another World Series.
As such, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com thinks that Philadelphia could be looking for something “big” at next week’s MLB Winter Meetings.
One should never count the Phillies, and Dombrowski in particular, out of making a massive splash if it helps the club get better and gives them anoth
er shot at winning a World Series.After two heart-breaking exits from the postseason in consecutive seasons, this very well may be the winter where the front office pushes all of their chips to the middle of the table.
