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As the MLB Winter Meetings begin, most teams continue waiting for the team who wins the Juan Soto sweepstakes, which have started running hot as Soto has begun eliminating teams from his list. After all the drama, his new contract should set the market for high-profile free agents and set into motion trades for other teams looking to shake up their roster. At this point, one of those teams is the Philadelphia Phillies, on the hunt for an outfielder and a right-handed reliever, and they've checked in on several relievers already, including ex-Yankees Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle.
Per reports, the “Phillies have checked in on numerous relievers, either as free agents or trade targets, including two former Yankees relievers, Clay Holmes and Tommy Kahnle,” according to Phillies reporter Matt Gelb for The Athletic.
MLB offseason: Phillies go shopping
In the same MLB offseason report, it also emerged that the Phillies had never met with Soto, whose new contract will likely command $600 million. Instead, they chose to look elsewhere for the players they needed.
Still, after losing to the Mets in the NLDS last season, the Phillies want to continue winning without sacrificing too many assets for 2026 in case they flounder in the playoffs again.
Likewise, in the process, the team is willing to pay one of the league's highest payrolls again for next season; for now, they have the second-highest payroll in the league.
While they have moved on from Juan Soto, the Phillies have dangled Alec Bohm and Ranger Suarez for potential deals to land another big-league player. Moreover, the Phillies have made Nick Castellanos available, as well, but they would have to “pay down much of the remaining $40 million on his contract,” per Gelb.
So far, the Phillies also have three reliable leverage relievers in Orion Kerkering, Matt Strahm, and Jose Alvarado, but president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski has expressed a desire to complement his lineup.
Back in November, Dombrowski said, “One more for sure. I don't think we'd have to have five. We like (Tanner) Banks. We think he can step up and pitch more innings for us. And sometimes those answers came internally, too. We have some arms that we like.”
More options
While the Phillies don't expect to re-sign both Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez, they're still interested in a potential reunion with the former. His agency has also pushed him as a starter, but he also found a lot of satisfaction playing late innings for the Phillies last season.
Meanwhile, a possible wrinkle in their pursuit of Holmes is that he has received interest from other teams as a potential starter, thereby screwing with his possible fit on the Phillies.
Still, they can give him a competitive offer along with the chance to play for another contender, considering Holmes had led the Yankees to a Game 4 victory against the Dodgers in the last World Series, though New York ultimately lost in five games.
