December 13, 2018
UPDATE [3:25 p.m.] — Per NBC Sports Philadelphia's Jim Salisbury, the Phillies have turned their attention to lefty free-agent reliever Andrew Miller over others like Zach Britton.
They could make a play for a starter such as Arizona’s Robbie Ray or they could land a free-agent reliever like Andrew Miller. There were indications on Wednesday night and again on Thursday that the Phillies had become increasingly aggressive in their pursuit of Miller. One of the Phils’ offseason goals was to add a high-profile lefty to the bullpen and Miller, who can close or get high-leverage outs at other points late in the game, certainly fits that bill. The Phils have also had interest in lefty reliever Zach Britton, but Miller now appears to be the focus. He’d be an excellent pickup. [nbcsports.com]
Stay tuned for more now that the Winter Meetings have wrapped up.
UPDATE [2:05 p.m.] — According to Jim Bowden of The Athletic, the Phillies and the White Sox are the two teams showing the most interest in Harper, at least in terms of the amount of money they'd be willing to throw at the All-Star outfielder.
#WhiteSox #Phillies appear to be most interested in Bryce Harper in terms of breaking contract records which could mean he could end up circling back to the #Nationals at some point…. unless of course something changes dramatically with teams like the #Yankees #Dodgers #Cubs
— Jim Bowden (@JimBowdenGM) December 13, 2018
UPDATE [12:30 p.m.] — According to Scott Lauber, Manny Machado could consider moving back to third base next season ... assuming the price is right.
Longtime coach believes Manny Machado would move to third base for “the right contract.” For the #Phillies, that means bowling over Machado with John Middleton’s money. Story, via @phillysport: https://t.co/EnRGQk8YAK
— Scott Lauber (@ScottLauber) December 13, 2018
Well, we know the Phillies have stupid money...
Baseball's Winter Meeting will come to an end following Thursday's Rule 5 Draft and (surprise, surprise) the Phillies continue to be linked to nearly every big name player available in free agency or currently on the trade block.
Earlier this week, the Phillies made a somewhat surprising move by signing veteran outfielder Andrew McCutchen to a three-year deal, joining Jean Segura and others as the latest additions to a roster that's been constantly in flux for the last several years.
But the Phillies aren't done yet. They're still hunting for their biggest prize of the offseason. Their white whale. Because while all these signings and trades are great, we know what the fanbase is really hoping Matt Klentak and Co. can accomplish this winter. They want to land that big fish.
[NOTE: This has nothing to do with either the Miami Marlins OR Mike Trout, but I totally get how that might've been confusing.]
On Wednesday, Bryce Harper's agent Scott Boras took questions from the media, and was asked plenty about the Phillies. After a report emerged recently that Harper was "lukewarm" on the idea of playing in Philly, Boras shot down that notion somewhat quickly.
The #Phillies are “certainly on Bryce Harper’s list,” Scott Boras said. Boras said Harper has “great comfort” playing in Philadelphia.
— Matt Breen (@matt_breen) December 12, 2018
And when asked specifically about Matt Klentak's recent comments about not being held hostage by guys like Harper and Manny Machado, Boras offered up the following assessment:
#Phillies GM Matt Klentak said the other day that they won’t be held hostage this offseason by one or two players (i.e. Harper and Machado). Asked if he thinks that is simply good business for a team, or posturing to put pressure on them, Scott Boras replied: pic.twitter.com/F7RJ0XOTe7
— Todd Zolecki (@ToddZolecki) December 12, 2018
The Phillies hardly expect to leave the Winter Meetings with one of those two free agents under contract, as their courting will likely last for several more weeks, but so far it seems like they're very much in contention.
In the meantime, you can follow the latest news and rumors surrounding the Phillies in today's live updates post:
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