CARLSBAD, Calif. – Notes, quotes and observations as baseball’s annual general managers meetings come to a close and what promises to be a busy, newsy Phillies offseason heats up.
• Will Carlos Santana be traded?
• Do the Phillies have less competition for Bryce Harper than initially thought?
• The latest on trade talks involving Cesar Hernandez and Maikel Franco.
The Phillies tried to acquire closer Zach Britton from Baltimore before he went to the Yankees in July. The Phillies still have interest in Britton, who is now a free agent, according to a source, and other relievers. Willingness to take a short-term deal (one or two years, preferably) would make the reliever more attractive.
While offense (Bryce Harper or Manny Machado) and starting pitching (particularly a lefty) are priorities, Klentak is considering every possible way “we can move the needle and find an upgrade. If there’s a back-end reliever that’s a good fit for our roster and is willing to come on what we deem to be a reasonable term and contract then we’re going to explore that. I’m not committed to adding a player in any one particular area. But we’re committed to exploring everything and finding the players that make the most sense for us. So we’re going to talk to impact relievers this offseason. I don’t know if we’ll sign one, but we’re going to explore that because that might be a fit that makes sense for us.”
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