The Philadelphia Phillies were eliminated in the National League Division Series by the New York Mets, extending the club’s championship drought to 16 years. As the club comes off another disappointing postseason finish, there are already Phillies rumors weeks out from MLB free agency.
It’s not hard to spot the issues Philadelphia experienced in October. Despite finishing the season with one of the highest payrolls in MLB, the Phillies lineup was one of the worst in baseball this postseason. Despite more than $100 million invested into the lineup this season, the bats largely vanished in October.
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- Philadelphia Phillies postseason hitting stats (ESPN): .186 batting average, .295 OBP, .302 slugging, .598 OPS, 38 strikeouts in 129 at-bats, 3 home runs, 4 doubles, 16 singles, 12 runs scored
Issues existed throughout the Phillies lineup. While Nick Castellanos (.412/.412/.714) and Bryce Harper (.333/.529750) each posted a 1.000-plus OPS, the likes of Brandon Marsh (.154 OPS), Alec Bohm (.220 OPS), J.T Realmuto (.313 OPS) and Trea Turner (.494 OPS) sunk the Phillies lineup.
Theoretically, the disappointing effort in October could push the front office to make changes to the roster so the club could pursue perennial MVP candidate Juan Soto. However, another option could be in the table for Philadelphia in MLB free agency.
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MLB insider Robert Murray of Fansided wrote about the Phillies quietly pursuing Japanese starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto this past winter in free agency. After another postseason elimination, Murray writes that Japanese starter Roki Saski could be an option for the Phillies in free agency this winter.
- Roki Sasaki stats (career): 2.92 ERA, 0.88 WHIP, 6.0 H/9, 11.4 K/0, 2.0 BB/9, 5.76 K/BB
Of note, per Murray, some who have evaluated both starting pitchers believe that Sasaki is better than Yamamoto. There is also some hope that Sasaki could be posted this year and if he is, Philadelphia may pursue him to further fortify its playoff rotation.
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- Roki Sasaki stats (2024): 2,76 ERA, 1.04 WHIP, 6.7 H/9 , 10.5 K/9, 129/32 K/BB ratio in 111 innings
Sasaki, a 6-foot-2 righty, is coming off his worst season to date in Japan with the Chiba Lotte Marines. He missed time this season with an arm injury, but eventually returned to the mound and threw over 100 innings.
Because Sasaki will only be 23 years old this winter, he isn’t eligible for MLB’s age requirement to receive a standard major-league contract as Yamamoto landed for the Dodgers. He would be subject to MLB’s limits on bonus and international free agents, which means teams will have to sway him with non-financial motivations.
If Sasaki decides to stay in Japan, preferring to not come to the United States until after he turns 25 years old, there’s another star Japanese pitcher who could become an option for the Phillies rotation.
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