Philadelphia Phillies: Will Kris Bryant rumors jolt Dombrowski into action?

It’s time for the Philadelphia Phillies offseason to begin.

The New York Mets aren’t messing around this offseason, that much has become obvious. Following contracts for free agents Trevor May and James McCann, this new-look Mets organization has also swung a blockbuster trade for Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco. With New York, Atlanta, and Washington all surging up in the power rankings, the Philadelphia Phillies are in danger of being left behind.

Specifically looking at the Mets, it appears they’re not done adding either. Led by new owner Ned Cohen (richest owner in baseball history), the Mets reportedly have their sights set on at least one more addition. George Springer has long been the rumored target, but now it’s being reported that New York has had preliminary discussions with Chicago regarding Kris Bryant‘s availability.

This is significant when it comes to the Phillies, more significant than the moves for Lindor, May, or McCann. Bryant is a childhood friend of Bryce Harper‘s, one that he still has an extremely close relationship with. It’s been long reported that Harper and Bryant have envisioned playing together at some point in their careers, and the Phillies were deemed a likely spot for that to take place in following Harper’s decision to sign there. At the time, everyone’s perception of Philadelphia was that it was an organization set to do “whatever it takes” to surround Harper with elite talent.

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Thus far, owner John Middleton and company have failed to live up to that promise.

Obviously, the Phillies switched up their front office dynamic this offseason. They hired future Hall of Famer Dave Dombrowski, and promoted Sam Fuld to the position of general manager. Many people felt the Dombrowski hiring was a sign of the organization looking to “win now”, however, we’ve seen little from the team that signals as such.

Ultimately speaking, I find it impossible that Harper has been pleased with the direction of the Phillies this offseason. J.T. Realmuto was allowed to hit the open market, Francisco Lindor is now a Met, and Kris Bryant could be heading to New York as well. For a player who was promised a championship upon arriving to Philadelphia, him and his team look pretty far away from that goal.

However, the recent Bryant rumors could also be the thing to finally push Middleton and Dombrowski into action. Whether the Mets land Bryant or not, they’ve still positioned themselves ahead of the Phillies at this moment in time. The Braves are set to defend their division title, the Nats got better with their Josh Bell addition, and the Marlins are coming off a playoff series win. The Philadelphia Phillies have a ton of work to do if they want to compete in the NL East this season, and they’re running out of time to do it.

With that said, there are still a TON of free agents out there worth signing (see above). The Phillies could completely change the vibe to their offseason with a few signings, and it doesn’t even have to be at a ridiculous price. Bringing back J.T., adding a bullpen piece or two, and maybe even getting in on this Kris Bryant stuff would be a great place to start.