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While the Philadelphia Phillies brought back Kyle Schwarber and signed Brad Keller and Adolis Garcia to free agent deals, there's still plenty of room for more additions this winter.
Another starter to replace Ranger Suarez, more outfield help, an Alec Bohm replacement, a new catcher, or another upgrade elsewhere on the roster should all be up for consideration this winter for the Phillies.
However, an update from ESPN's Jeff Passan is not the one Phillies fans were hoping for. Passan reveals that the Phillies, while they could be interested in the top names, are not likely to be atop the list of teams vying for those players right now.
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"It's possible," Passan notes, "but I don't know that they'd be at the top of the list right now for teams going out and paying retail on bats."
Another way to digest this piece of news from Passan is that the Phillies, while they might be somewhat interested in acquiring one of the top remaining free agents, it's not going to happen right now.
As these top free agents seek out the best deals, the Phillies won't be involved. But if a market collapses, and a player like Bo Bichette, Alex Bregman, or Cody Bellinger drops, then the Phillies might get involved.
It's a similar cat-and-mouse game going on with J.T. Realmuto. He's seeking a big contract, which likely will be his last in his MLB career. But the Phillies aren't biting and have no plans to overpay for Realmuto.
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The Phillies will continue biding their time until a free agent market collapses. One such market could be Tatsuya Imai's market. They've been linked to him at times this winter, and with a lack of interest, the Phillies could get Imai at a discount.
But that's just what the Phillies are doing: looking for discounts. They aren't going to pay retail price for any remaining free agents this winter, but a market collapsing into a great discount could spark some Phillies interest.
Don't write off the Phillies from the top of the market just yet, but fans should also be aware that this does not bode well for their odds of getting a top free agent left on the board.
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