Philadelphia Phillies: Who should stay and who should go?
Today is the beginning of what will hopefully shape into one of the best off-seasons in recent memory for the Philadelphia Phillies. The free agent class is stacked with elite talent, and the trade market looks like it could be busier than ever. The Phillies will be entering the offseason coming off their best season since 2009 after losing the World Series to the Astros in 6 games.
The focus is no longer building a team that can make a playoff push but instead building a team that can bring home a championship.
For the Phillies, building their roster will start with some tough decisions are they try and figure out who to bring back from their 2022 squad and who they should let walk. We will be diving into their upcoming free agents and doing our best to determine whether or not they can help the Phillies achieve their goal of winning a World Series or if it’s time to move on.
The Philadelphia Phillies will be faced with some tough free-agent decisions, begining with Jean Segura.
The first name we will be looking at is the most interesting Phillies’ free agent, Jean Segura. Segura has been an essential part of the Phillies organization since joining it in 2019 and was a leader on the field and in the clubhouse during this year’s playoff run. The Phillies declined Segura’s $17 million option, and now the question is will the Phillies bring him back on a more team-friendly contract?
Segura has been a solid player for the Phillies, too. in 2022, he hit .277/.336/.387 with 10 HRs and an OPS+ of 104, despite playing in only 98 games. His best season with the Phillies was 2021, where he hit .290/.348/.436 with 14 HRs and an OPS+ of 111.
The biggest question mark with Segura is whether or not the Phillies sign a big-name SS and move Stott to 2nd base. In this scenario, there would be no room for Segura- But what if the Phillies decided to prioritize the rotation and bullpen?
It’s a complex scenario with Segura, but ultimately it’s in the team’s best interest to be aggressive in the SS market and move Stott to 2nd base, unfortunately leaving no room for Segura.