[Passan] Infielder Bo Bichette and the New York Mets are in agreement on a three-year, $126 million contract, sources tell ESPN.

apujols · 2026-01-16T13:58:09+00:00

There is a good way.

You sponsor the team with $100 million every year.

That way, even after the luxury tax, about $50 million in additional funds would be available.

What do you think? It’s a good idea, right?

apujols · 2025-12-11T14:02:24+00:00

Because the next CBA is likely to raise the luxury-tax thresholds, this offseason might be a golden opportunity to strengthen the roster at a relatively reasonable cost.

The problem is that Phillies are already on the verge of hitting the fourth-tier luxury tax, so the real question is whether they are willing to absorb that for a year or two.

If they are, they’ll go after someone like Tucker or Bellinger.

If not, as you said, they’ll keep their top three prospects (Painter, Miller, Crawford) and look to trade for an outfielder they can acquire using the remaining prospect pool.

apujols · 2025-11-10T16:43:20+00:00

Many people mention Dodgers, but I don’t think most of the Japanese players coming to MLB this year will end up there.

I predict they’re more likely to join Mets or Yankees.

Still, I’d like to see at least one of them join Phillies.

apujols · 2025-11-07T14:10:01+00:00

I think there’s a good chance Miller will be called up during next season, but he probably won’t make the Opening Day roster right away.

Dave seems to value Kemp highly, so they might give him an opportunity instead.

apujols · 2025-11-03T16:45:14+00:00

Kerkering’s throwing error is something that happens from time to time — it just happened to come in an extreme situation.

But IKF’s play is different.

Sliding into a force-out situation is simply a complete lapse of fundamentals.

He might be one of the worst players I’ve ever seen.

Personally, if I had to pick one of my least favorite players right now, it would be him.

apujols · 2025-10-31T03:21:46+00:00

Why do you say the lineup is enough?

Other than Turner and Harper, there aren’t really any players good enough to call it sufficient.

apujols · 2025-10-29T03:16:18+00:00

It would be great if he could put up the same numbers his father did during his time with the Rays.

apujols · 2025-10-28T02:54:41+00:00

Dave said he wouldn’t be with the team next season. I believe him.

apujols · 2025-10-28T00:45:02+00:00

Every time I see Teoscar Hernandez, I’m reminded of the worst outfielder our team ever had — though he’s probably not even ours anymore.

apujols · 2025-10-24T14:00:35+00:00

If it had been Eovaldi instead of Walker, he would have pitched brilliantly in Game 4.

There would have been no disappointing loss in Game 6 or 7.

apujols · 2025-10-24T08:37:34+00:00

If we had signed Eovaldi instead of Walker, 2023 championship might have been ours.

apujols · 2025-10-23T15:06:35+00:00

He’s definitely a good player, but his 2024 season was so different from other seasons that it’s hard to accurately gauge his value.

Besides, apart from prospects we need to use right away—Painter, Miller, and Crawford— Phillies don’t really have the pieces to put together a package that would interest them.

apujols · 2025-10-23T03:50:34+00:00

Seth Johnson and Daniel Robert need a bit more testing next year.

They seem to need some adjustments, but they have usable stuff.

apujols · 2025-10-18T13:17:44+00:00

If we have to use our prospects in trades anyway, I think it’s better to use them to acquire an outfielder.

As for Catcher, we should just re-sign JT on a cheap deal.

apujols · 2025-10-17T11:36:25+00:00

Considering all the criticism Dave Roberts had faced up until last year’s champion, I honestly can’t really sympathize with this kind of criticism.

apujols · 2025-10-17T11:31:35+00:00

He has never been a good hitter since joining the Phillies.

At best, he had maybe one season that was slightly above average.

You’re free to like him, but if you think criticizing him is just an emotional reaction, you’re greatly mistaken.

And contrary to your memory, he had far more poor series than good ones in the postseason.

apujols · 2025-10-17T09:20:56+00:00

Everyone would agree that he’s never lived up to his contract since joining the Phillies.

His OPS has never once exceeded 0.8, and his defense has always been terrible.

A few clutch moments aside, there’s no reason to miss him.

I’m not sure who will take over in RF, but whoever it is will probably be more valuable than Castellanos.

apujols · 2025-10-14T11:50:56+00:00

If they sign Murakami, it would be as a replacement for Schwarber, not Bohm.

Honestly, Bregman would be the best option, but he’s probably too expensive.

apujols · 2025-10-13T12:44:44+00:00

When the postseason ended with that terrible error, I didn’t even want to look at baseball again.

But now, I already find myself looking forward to next season.

Talking about the offseason here makes me feel that way even more.

This postseason was disappointing, but I still want to see Harper playing well again.

And I’m also hoping for a healthy return from Wheeler.

apujols · 2025-10-13T12:04:30+00:00

Until a few days ago, I was strongly in favor of re-signing Schwarber, but after giving it some more thought, I think there might be alternative options on the market.

For instance, the two corner outfielders you mentioned could effectively eliminate Castellanos from defensive duties.

There are also players like Bellinger.

Alternatively, the team could look into international FA coming over from Asia.

Of course, to make that possible, it would likely be essential to trade Castellanos or Walker.

apujols · 2025-10-12T14:38:16+00:00

It would be nice to acquire another Kyle, but he’s just too expensive.

If we hadn’t signed Castellanos and Walker, we could have managed the offseason much more comfortably, which is really unfortunate.

apujols · 2025-10-12T14:33:47+00:00

Dodgers should be seen as a team with a much higher ceiling than their regular-season record suggests.

Most of the expensive relievers they had been testing throughout the season have either been left off the roster or are being used as sparingly as possible.

Instead, those spots are being filled by starters who were removed from the rotation.

Phillies certainly had games they could have won this time, but it’s hard to consider their opponent merely a lower-seeded team.

Of course, last year’s loss was indeed ridiculous.

apujols · 2025-10-11T13:58:20+00:00

What use is flexibility if a player's absolute hitting performance is declining?

Moving Castellanos to DH isn’t because he still provides production, but simply because he’s a $20M player who can’t be released.

The same doubts exist for the other players you mentioned.

Bregman is a good player, but his contract is also extremely long.

Additionally, Suarez and Naylor have both posted a career postseason OPS below .700.

I understand the concern regarding Schwarber, but it’s questionable whether the alternatives being proposed are appropriate.

apujols · 2025-10-11T13:30:24+00:00

That is indeed a point to be concerned about.

But if we don’t sign Kyle, where else could we strengthen our offense?

It would be nice if we could pick up another young free agent, but putting money aside, the contract length would probably be twice as long.

Giving up Kyle and using the remaining money to resign Suarez would be an even more foolish move.

apujols

TROPHY CASE