Your budget

$230 MM. Current estimated payroll: $179 MM. $51 MM. of space.

Arbitration

• Jose Alvarado: $3.2 MM.

• Rhys Hoskins: $12.6 MM.

• Seranthony Dominguez: $2 MM.

• Ranger Suarez: $3.5 MM.

• Sam Coonrod: $800,000

• Edmundo Sosa: $1 MM.

Options

• Aaron Nola: Accepted (Team)

• Jean Segura: Declined (Team)

• Zach Eflin: Declined (Player)

Predetermined.

Free Agents

• Trea Turner: 8 years, $268 MM. ($33.5 MM. AAV)

• Chris Bassitt 3 years, $60 MM. ($20 MM. AAV)

• Drew Rucinski: 2 years, $9 MM. ($4.5 MM. AAV)

• Ken Giles: 1 year, $4.5 MM.

• Will Smith: 1 year, $4 MM.

• Matt Boyd: Minor League Deal.

• Steve Chisek: Minor League Deal.

• Jose Alvarez: Minor League Deal.

Trades

Cleveland Guardians trade Eli Morgan and Cody Morris for Rhys Hoskins

Boston Red Sox trade Bryan Gonzalas for Casey Martin and Scott Kingery

The 26 man roster

SP1: Zack Wheeler

SP2: Aaron Nola

SP3: Ranger Suarez

SP4: Chris Bassitt

SP5: Andrew Painter/Drew Rucinski/Bailey Falter

RP: Seranthony Dominguez

RP: Eli Morgan

RP: Jose Alvarado

RP: Connor Brogdon

RP: Ken Giles

RP: Will Smith

RP: Sam Coonrod

RP: Andrew Bellatti

C: J.T. Realmuto

1B: Darick Hall

2B: Bryson Stott

SS: Trea Turner

3B: Alec Bohm

LF: Kyle Schwarber

CF: Brandon Marsh

RF: Bryce Harper

DH: Nick Castellanos

Bench: Edmundo Sosa

Bench: Nick Maton

Bench: Matt Vierling

Bench: Garrett Stubbs

Summary

Trea Turner’s hard working, winning personality will fit right into this tight-knit clubhouse. Turner will make the Phillies lineup both potent and versatile. Don’t be quick to gawk at the Rhys Hoskins trade as fanfare. We don’t have the financial capacity to keep Rhys on the books past next season, and with the sheer amount of offensive firepower the team will have, trading him for a young, high quality setup man in Eli Morgan is a no-brainer. Don’t look for Cody Morris to be anything other than a sweetener in a 1 for 1 swap. His ERA from last season will likely be an anomaly in his young career, as his FIP, WHIP, and K rate leave a lot to be desired. Fans are quick to forget that Darick Hall carried the Phillies 4 spot when Harper was out, and certainly can play solid defense as a beyond solid 8 or 9 hole guy.

Chris Bassitt has been a consistent high quality starting option for the past few seasons. His collapse in Queens last year will give us a discount on the high price tag he commands. $20 million is a tough pill to swallow for a fourth starter, but given Ranger Suarez’s inconsistencies and our unsure fifth spot, a cream of the crop fourth starter creates a lot of versatility, both in the playoffs and the regular season. Bassitt at his best could realistically be a second or third starter on a playoff team, so it gives us a lot of financial flexibility in the future if Caleb Cotham can get a lot out of him, which I trust him to do.

Drew Rucinski took the 50 spot on MLBTR’s top free agent list. His dominance in the KBO could translate to the MLB as a decent fifth starter, but it might not. Regardless, cheaply snagging a potential 3 WAR player at a position of need is a must for the Phillies, and at worst Rucinski will be a decent depth option. If Andrew Painter breaks into the rotation as a future ace, fantastic, but Rucinski gives him more time to develop if he can’t.

Will Smith and Ken Giles both come with big names but multiple years of struggles. Smith didn’t do jack in Atlanta. Giles hasn’t been able to move his arm for 3 years. However, both have been excellent players in the right circumstances, Giles when healthy, Smith in Houston. If one of them breaks out again the Phillies will have one of the best bullpens in the majors. If not, they will certainly still have a functional one. With Morgan and Seranthony holding down the fort, the bullpen will remove itself far beyond the memories of the 2019 and 2020 relief pitching disasters.

Boyd, Chisek, and Alvarez are all interesting depth options in their own right. Boyd has solid swing and miss stuff and could make it as a cheap reliever when someone inevitably gets injured. He could also start as a last resort. Alvarez was great for the Giants (and the Phillies and the Angels) before last year. Chisek is old as dirt but managed a solid 4ish ERA season with the Natys. All three could fill out low-leverage roles in a stacked pen.

Trading a solid prospect and Scott Kingery for a young tincan prospect seems like a decent deal to me. It allows us to stay under the Luxury Tax so we can explode past it next year with a World Series title and no penalties.