The Phillies have been connected to several players as of late with the stove heating up. They signed Archie Bradley to sure up the bullpen, but more moves could be on the way.
The signing period for IFA’s started on January 15th. So far, the Phillies have signed two prospects.
Source: #Phillies agree to $1.2 million deal with catcher Rickardo Perez, #9 on @MLBPipeline’s Top 30 Int’l Prospects list. https://t.co/mICaTNBDWa
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) January 15, 2021
Source: #Phillies agree to $1.4 million deal with outfielder Yemal Flores. @MLBPipeline
— Jesse Sanchez (@JesseSanchezMLB) January 15, 2021
Rickardo Perez is a 17-year-old catcher from Venezuela. He was the second-highest ranked catcher in MLB.com’s top 30 international prospects. The first is ranked right ahead of him at number 8.
He has plenty of tools including above-average contact and throwing arm. He’s no slouch behind the plate either.
Yemal Flores is a raw power-first prospect. He’s a 17-year-old outfielder. There’s not much more information out there other than that.
There have been two shortstops connected to the Phillies as of late. The first is a familiar name for Phillies fans.
#Phillies have interest in reuniting with Freddy Galvis https://t.co/SjGlXipvhI pic.twitter.com/YElq9f9WLZ
— MLB Trade Rumors (@mlbtraderumors) January 15, 2021
That’s right. The rosy-cheeked shortstop of the 2010s for the Phillies has a shot at a potential return. Freddy has always been a throwback to the ’70s-’80s as a glove-first shortstop.
The bridesmaid of Gold Glove Awards, Galvis was the Phillies shortstop of choice from 2012-2017. For his career, he has been a subpar hitter. He has a career OPS+ of 82 and an OBP of .292. He’d certainly be a step down from Didi Gregorius who posted an OPS+ of 119 in 2020.
The other shortstop they’ve been connected to is slightly more exciting.
According to club sources #Phillies #Reds #RedSox (2B) #Athletics have all been involved to some extent in negotiations w/free agent infielder Marcus Semien. There are probably more clubs interested due to his versatility, athleticism, & durability, Strong postseason helped him
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowdenGM) January 13, 2021
Marcus Semien had a down 2020 but was an MVP candidate in 2019. He slashed .285/.369/.522 with 33 home runs, finishing 3rd in MVP voting.
In 2020, he did mash in the postseason, posting a .891 OPS in the AL Wild Card Series and a 1.344 OPS in the AL Divisional Series.
There are 2 pitchers that have been connected to the Phillies, one reliever and one starter. The more exciting of the two is the potential closer Alex Colomé.
Now that Liam Hendriks has signed with the White Sox, Alex Colomé will be pitching elsewhere in 2021. The Padres, Phillies, Red Sox and Twins appear to be among those in the mix for Colomé, who had two outstanding seasons in Chicago.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 12, 2021
Colomé is heading into his age 32 season but has been sterling for the majority of his career. He has a career 2.95 ERA and a 2.62 ERA since 2016.
In 2020, he was one of the best closers in baseball. He had a 0.81 ERA in 22.1 IP with 12 saves. He’d potentially slide into the Phillies’ closer role if he were to come to Philadelphia.
The other is a long-time veteran that the Phillies have seen a bunch of over the years.
The #Phillies are interested in one free agent starting pitcher with longstanding connections to Dave Dombrowski and Joe Girardi. Details here: https://t.co/cQ3BdoQA2U @MLBNetwork @MLB
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 11, 2021
Pitching with the Marlins and Nationals, Anibal Sanchez isn’t a stranger to the NL East. He struggled in 2020 to the tune of a 6.62 ERA. In 2019, he had an ERA under 4 while starting 30 games. In 2018, he posted a 2.83 ERA.
He’d be a veteran presence to help secure the back end of the rotation. He wouldn’t be the most exciting signing, but he’d be a welcome addition.
As I pointed out in the past, Dave Dombrowski loves acquiring players from his past teams. Andrew Benintendi could be one of those players.
Just heard the Phillies have talked to the Red Sox about Andrew Benintendi for CF Mickey Moniak and a Triple-A arm.
— Gabrielle (@gfstarr1) January 12, 2021
This would be very interesting since it's Bloom & Dombrowski.
22 y/o Moniak made his debut in 2020, going 3-for-14 with 6K & 3 runs scored in 8 games.
It’s hard to say what the legitimacy of this rumor is but it isn’t ridiculous. The AAA arm could be Adonis Medina who made his debut for the Phillies in 2020. He made just one start, giving up 2 ER in 4 IP with 4 K. It would make sense with how thirsty the Red Sox are for starting pitching.
Rumors do indicate that Benintendi is on the trade block.
Rival executive familiar with Red Sox thinking said he would be “shocked” if Andrew Benintendi wasn’t traded before the end of the weekend.
— Mark Feinsand (@Feinsand) January 13, 2021
Benintendi is a career .271 hitter with a 107 OPS+. He’d be an improvement defensively over Andrew McCutchen. He struggled hard in 2020, hitting just .103. He was a key to the Red Sox World Series win in 2018, hitting .333 in 5 games.
He’d be under team control through 2022.
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