Dave Dombrowski Sets the Table for Phillies Free Agency

Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski met with the media during this week’s GM Meetings to set the framework for the Phillies offseason.  

The future Hall of Famer discussed roster moves, potential free agents, and the luxury tax.

Here’s what Dombrowski had to say:

Declining Jean Segura’s Option

The Phillies declined Jean Segura’s player option earlier this week opening up the potential for the club to go after a big name free agent shortstop and move Bryson Stott to second base.  Dombrowski confirmed that was the Phils’ line of thought during his media session.

““Jean did a nice job for us. We thought the option price was high. … It really gives us complete flexibility in what we want to do in the middle infield. We have a young player in Stott that we really like a lot. He can play short or second. We also have a young player in [Edmundo] Sosa that we like a lot. We feel that even if we didn’t sign Jean back and we didn’t do anything else, internally we have some answers ourselves. But it also gives us, as the winter progresses, complete flexibility to make additions as we want.”

Dave Dombrowski on Jean Segura & position flexibility

On Trea Turner and the Free Agent Shortstops

Dombrowski’s admission that the Phillies are likely going in another direction naturally led to questions about Trea Turner and the other big name free agent shortstops.  While Dombrowski didn’t mention anyone by name –that’s tampering, people!– he did hint that there’s an interest from the Phillies.

“There are four really good shortstops out there, right? I wouldn’t get into any specifics on which ones we like, but we like all of them, as I think probably every club in baseball. That’s not a revelation. We like them all.”

Dave Dombrowski on the Free Agent Shortstops

Did you expect Dombrowski to show his cards?!

Come on, people! He’s a shrewd baseball man.  That was never going to happen, especially not at the GM Meetings and likely not until one of them is sitting on the dais at Citizens Bank Park. 

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REALATED: Phillies Reportedly Linked to Free Agent Shortstops

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Will the Phillies be Handcuffed by the Luxury Tax?

The Phillies broke through the luxury tax floor for the first time last season on the way to a World Series appearance. If, as rumored and hinted at by Dombrowski, the Phillies are going to go after one of the big time free agents the club will likely have to pay the tax again in 2023.  Dombrowski threw some ice water on the idea the Phillies will be frugal in their spending during free agency.

“I would just say, I don’t think we’re looking to cut our salaries back. But I’m not really going to make a specific declaration. … We have our budget in place. We by all means have the freedom to … we had a lot of money that came off. Our owners want us to do well. They’re very aggressive in that regard.”

DaDave Dombrowski on the Luxury Tax

It certainly looks like the Phillies are pushing all the chips into the middle.  

MLB Free Agency officially begins at 5:00 PM/Eastern on Thursday, November 10.  Buckle up for a wild ride through the MLB Hot Stove season. 

_{Quotes via assembeled media including MLB’s Todd Zolecki and NBCSP’s Jim Salisbury}