To add insult to injury.... 

 

If they release turner and pay him off will that no longer count against the luxury tax threshold?

As I said at the time and I was alone on, the Turner and Walker signings were a disaster. Just absolute albatrosses hanging on the necks of this organization.

Their attitude is "We've spent 300m, that should be enough" but the thing is... it isn't. You put together a team that isn't good enough. And they seem to be dead set on trying to win with this group than overspending to win, which unfortunately, is their only real option since they only have one elite ML ready prospect(Painter) to bring up and make a difference.

I don't think the Phils will suck next season or anything, but I think next season, especially if they don't get off to a hot start, could be a very meh season. I don't think 95 wins in 2024 necessarily guarantees you'll be great in 2025. I got the feeling when they got bounced from the playoffs that this group has reached the end of its run and they were going to need to make major changes or things were going to start sliding downward if they keep the same group. Hope I'm wrong, but next season feels like wildcard at best.

The only thing I know for certain is they'll be better than the Mets.

Rickey Henderson passed away. Man that sucks. That dude wreaked havoc on the base paths. Only 65. Died of pneumonia. 

3 hours ago, Sack that QB said:

As I said at the time and I was alone on, the Turner and Walker signings were a disaster. Just absolute albatrosses hanging on the necks of this organization.

Their attitude is "We've spent 300m, that should be enough" but the thing is... it isn't. You put together a team that isn't good enough. And they seem to be dead set on trying to win with this group than overspending to win, which unfortunately, is their only real option since they only have one elite ML ready prospect(Painter) to bring up and make a difference.

I don't think the Phils will suck next season or anything, but I think next season, especially if they don't get off to a hot start, could be a very meh season. I don't think 95 wins in 2024 necessarily guarantees you'll be great in 2025. I got the feeling when they got bounced from the playoffs that this group has reached the end of its run and they were going to need to make major changes or things were going to start sliding downward if they keep the same group. Hope I'm wrong, but next season feels like wildcard at best.

The only thing I know for certain is they'll be better than the Mets.

There's talk that they are waiting for 2026 to do something big. Schwarber and Realmuto will be off the books. Walker and Castellanos will only have 1 more year. Maybe Crawford and or Miller will be brought up from the farm then.

I agree though, not really looking forward to the season. The organization is putting all their eggs in hoping that they are the hot team come playoff time. What a stupid strategy. Plus, Thomson is back. You know damn well he isn't gonna do anything more than what he already has. 

10 minutes ago, vsptroops said:

There's talk that they are waiting for 2026 to do something big. Schwarber and Realmuto will be off the books. Walker and Castellanos will only have 1 more year. Maybe Crawford and or Miller will be brought up from the farm then.

I agree though, not really looking forward to the season. The organization is putting all their eggs in hoping that they are the hot team come playoff time. What a stupid strategy. Plus, Thomson is back. You know damn well he isn't gonna do anything more than what he already has. 

I actually agree with giglio here. The problem is, I can see them saying we’re in a rebuild now if they have a bad year and not wanting to spend. That’s the problem. You better still be competitive this year to make sure that your core next year (harper, turner, stott, marsh, bohm and casty (for a year)) is still viable for the next window. Otherwise, you should just play the young guys and let them grow and then make splashes when they are ready

that said spending next year they have a chance to go big if vlad jr and tucker hit the market. Pitching have peralta, Helsley and Devin Williams 

 

If you disqualify the PED guys, is Mike Schmidt now the greatest living baseball player?

Only Bonds, Clemens and A Rod have higher career WARs 

1 hour ago, iladelphxx said:

If you disqualify the PED guys, is Mike Schmidt now the greatest living baseball player?

Only Bonds, Clemens and A Rod have higher career WARs 

By the time Ohtani gets done with his career might be him. I say this because if he’s able to get back to being a dominant pitcher and he hits the way he has that he is going to be up there

3 hours ago, e-a-g-l-e-s eagles! said:

By the time Ohtani gets done with his career might be him. I say this because if he’s able to get back to being a dominant pitcher and he hits the way he has that he is going to be up there

He's already had 2 elbow surgeries and he had shoulder surgery after the World Series. 

Durability is going to become an issue. 

Look at Mike Trout..... 

4 hours ago, iladelphxx said:

He's already had 2 elbow surgeries and he had shoulder surgery after the World Series. 

Durability is going to become an issue. 

Look at Mike Trout..... 

i think the difference is trout even after his injuries continued to play the outfield. Trout has been a DH for 81 games which is ridiculous considering he’s been injury prone to begin with. whereas Ohtani is going to be a DH except on days he’s pitching. Frankly if he has to have TJ for a 3rd time then he’s probably not pitching anymore and he still would be arguably the best hitter in baseball. Heck he won an MVP this past year after having TJ at the end of the 2023 season. I’d add Ohtani last 4 years has played 155, 157, 135 and 159 games. He played just 135 as he needed the surgery and could’ve finished the season but the angels didn’t have anything to play for in September.

he's never going to be the fielder that Schmidt was. Then again if his arm holds up to pitch, he has a chance be one of the few players in mlb history with multiple MVPs (3 in 7 years) and potentially a cy young. 

 

Garbage

Career ERA over 4. Great move 

19 minutes ago, Joe Shades 73 said:

Career ERA over 4. Great move 

trading a top 100 prospect for a guy who was bad last year and coming off an injury. This is a lot for a guy at this point that you have to hope stays healthy and regains his form. Two years ago this trade looks a lot better but we didn’t make it in 2023. It was made today in 2024 going into 2025. luzardo after 2024 wasn’t worth caba as 2 of the last 3 years he’s not started 20 or more games. Add on last year dealt with an elbow injury early and then a stress fracture of his back so you are just banking on him staying healthy which has been an issue in his career.  But fits with the rest of the moves. banking on guys returning to 2023 or prior form.

don’t worry we also got a catcher in the deal 

 

Don’t hate the move. Caba is largely blocked by Miller, Turner and Stott. Luzardo had nice 2023 and 2022 seasons. He also has two years of control left. This provides flexibility if they want to put Ranger in the pen or outright trade him.

Who is this catcher they got…..just like I assumed. More garbage

48 minutes ago, Joe Shades 73 said:

Who is this catcher they got…..just like I assumed. More garbage

27 year old double AA guy. I don’t think he’s anything more than upper organization filler/emergency call up material. 

Lot of things to be annoyed about but not complaining about this move.  Major upgrade to the rotation.

 

 

 

 

 

Basically what i said when they won’t bring him up til June or July 

 

What are we doing with Bohm?  Alex Bregman is available.

I think I want Bregman because I like it when we spend too much money and get much older.

Company shill Amaro on the Phillies show podcast mocking people for supposedly saying the Phillies are cheap. I do not recall anyone saying that, what people say is the Philleis don't spend money wisely

And by the way I said if you want see an up and coming team, watch the flyers, nevermind, you are better off watching a test pattern on your tv

9 hours ago, Joe Shades 73 said:

Company shill Amaro on the Phillies show podcast mocking people for supposedly saying the Phillies are cheap. I do not recall anyone saying that, what people say is the Philleis don't spend money wisely

And by the way I said if you want see an up and coming team, watch the flyers, nevermind, you are better off watching a test pattern on your tv

The issue I have is that they came out with we will go into the next threshold like it wasn’t a problem for them. Realistically it was and they trying their best to avoid it or going that much over it. what they’ve done this off-season was try to stay as close to being under as possible and taking gambles for a team who’s window is right now and who knows how much longer. They will be a slightly over or under but it’s because they’re taking chances on 3 guys who were injured last year (one who’s been injured 2 of last 3 years), had down years and just hoping they bounce back to what they were in 2023.

Luzardo might be able to do it because he’s 27 years old and working with cotham. The other two guys are 32. You’re asking two guys at 32 to replicate what they did two years ago coming off injuries. They might just be declining and who knows if they stay healthy as they get older into their 30s. So gambling on 3 acquisition who all were hurt and not good last year on a roster that wasn’t good enough last year and in a championship window.

id bet one of two things happens next off-season. Either the Phillies regress and then we see Dombrowski say we’re in a rebuild phase now and we are going to just let the young guys play and not spend big money. Or they’re gonna go out and spend on big-time players because they have more money to spend next off-season. One of those two things is coming.

The offseason isn't over and there are still guys unsigned/traded.

I'm holding off on giving my opinion until late Feb/March.

The Luzardo trade was a really good move - especially when you compare it to what Boston gave up Crochet.  I wish we would have made this deal earlier so we could have traded Ranger Suarez in a package similar to what the Yankees gave up for Devin Williams.  However, if Romano can bounce back, that could be a wash without giving up any prospects.   I still have a sneaking suspicion we could bring back Hoffman or Estevez. 

Tucker would have been nice, but is it worth the risk of giving up Crawford, MIller and Bohm for a guy on a 1 year deal?  

The only Free Agent I would have been willing to break the bank for this offseason was Soto - and I wouldn't have matched what the Mets paid for him.

Alex Bregman, Teoscar Hernandez and Anthony Santander are still unsigned and could be a fit, so who knows?