Phillies have major free agent issue highlighted by Tatsuya Imai's signing

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed a few free agents this winter, mainly bringing back Kyle Schwarber, signing Brad Keller, and outfielder Adolis Garcia.

All of those moves have been solid to great signings, but there's still a lot more that the Phillies need to do this offseason. But the Tatsuya Imai free agent signing, which, according to Chandler Rome of The Athletic, is for $63 million with opt-outs, is a concern.

That deal isn't concerning since the Phillies missed on Imai. It's a concern about how the team handles contract negotiations, potentially hurting their chances of being able to sign free agents in the offseason.

Phillies' contract rule is bad news for free agent odds

During an appearance on the Baseball is Dead podcast, Phillies general manager Preston Mattingly revealed a concerning stance that Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies have when it comes to free agent contracts: they don't use opt-outs in their deals.

"That's something that the Philadelphia Phillies don't do," Mattingly said. "So we're kind of up front with that with guys."

While this might not seem like a huge issue, especially since they were able to sign a few players this winter already, it likely made their odds of landing Imai small at best.

If the Phillies aren't willing to hand out any opt-outs in their contract talks with players, then anyone seeking a combination of long-term security and short-term upside won't come to Philadelphia.

Imai is the latest example. He has opt-outs after years one and two of this three-year deal. The Phillies won't give Imai such a chance, as they don't do opt-outs.

More: Phillies’ J.T. Realmuto prediction shows how bad things would be if Philadelphia doesn’t re-sign him

Instead, they would try to bump up the AAV for a short-term deal or shrink it over a long-term contract. But if Imai, or any free agent, is seeking an opt-out in their deal, the Phillies are essentially out of that player's market.

This is a concerning issue for the Phillies, as they could now be missing out on top free agents thanks to this contract wrinkle that Dombrowski and Mattingly ascribe to for the Phillies.

While they've made some good moves this winter, and can continue to do so while following this contract rule, the Phillies are limiting their scope by not allowing for opt-outs in their contract talks.

As the rest of the offseason progresses, and even into the future with the current organization, this issue could significantly impact the Phillies' chances at top free agents.

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