The Philadelphia Phillies are seeing how the Atlanta Braves and, especially, the New York Mets are running away with the division with their additions.
But there is no denying that they have made some good moves of their own: Kyle Schwarber and Corey Knebel certainly qualify.
The Phillies, however, need a bit more firepower if they are going to compete for a postseason spot.
Aided by the 12-team expanded playoffs, Philadelphia may be able to make it into October by topping one of the Braves or Mets in the NL East standings.
It’s hard to see them going through if they finish no higher than third, though.
A Phillies writer is convinced that the team should spend, and do it big, in order to keep up with the competition.
“If the Phillies are going over the Luxury Tax, they need to go WAY over. Sign Nick Castellanos, grab Kenley Jansen while you’re at it — and snag a reliable SP piece like Johnny Cueto too. This could get exciting,” Alex Carr wrote via Twitter.
If the Phillies are going over the Luxury Tax, they need to go WAY over.
Sign Nick Castellanos, grab Kenley Jansen while you’re at it — and snag a reliable SP piece like Johnny Cueto too.
This could get exciting.
— Alex Carr (@AlexCarrMLB) March 18, 2022
The Phillies Need Some Difference-Makers
Castellanos is perhaps the player the Phillies need the most: beyond Bryce Harper, Schwarber, and to a lesser extent Rhys Hoskins and J.T. Realmuto, there are no more hitters capable of truly changing the outcome of a game.
Castellanos is one of them.
Signing him comes with several caveats, though: he is very bad defensively, like Schwarber and Hoskins, so the Phillies would be once again among the league’s worst fielding teams.
He is a true difference-maker, though, and they probably don’t want to pay Carlos Correa over $300 million to play shortstop.
In any case, the Phillies are on the verge of making a big splash in the upcoming hours.
NEXT: Phillies Prepared To Spend Big And Pay The Tax
