Phillies Will Be Tempted to Cheap Out on One Particular Slugger

The Philadelphia Phillies absolutely need to add some offense this winter, and they will almost surely bring in a couple of bats.

The problem is that the Phillies are monitoring their payroll very closely thanks to the inordinate of amount of expensive deals they are already have on tap.

That could result in Philadelphia trying to go bargain hunting his offseason, much like last year when it signed Adolis Garcia to a one-year contract in a futile attempt to solve its outfield issues.

Taking that into consideration, one name that will likely tempt the Phillies in free agency is second baseman Gleyber Torres, especially with Luis Arraez hitting the open market.

Torres will be one of the top bats available at his position, and historically, he's been a decent hitter, owning a lifetime .263/.340/.427 slash line.

However, a good chunk of that positive production came over the first two seasons of his career with the New York Yankees in 2018 and 2019.

Since then, he has achieved an OPS of .800 just once, when he hit .800 on the nose in 2023. Additionally, that marks the only season since his first two where he has eclipsed his career OPS of .767.

Over the last three years, Torres has posted OPSes of .709, .745 and .727, respectively.

That wouldn't be so bad if the 29-year-old excelled in one particular area, but he doesn't, and his bad defense makes things even worse.

Yes, Torres' walk rate has seen a significant jump over the last couple of years, as it improved to over 13 percent in 2025 and 2026. That's impressive. But his .103 ISO this season was a major concern, as was the fact that he hit .260 with a .314 BABIP.

Torres could probably be had on an affordable short-term deal, much like when the Detroit Tigers signed him on a one-year, $15 million pact heading into 2025. They then brought him back on a $22 million qualifying offer for 2026, which was definitely a mistake on their part.

There is zero chance that Torres gets anything close to $22 million in AAV this winter, which is what could make him an appealing candidate for the Phillies.

But if Philadelphia wants to be taken seriously, it should avoid the Torres possibility altogether and focus on either re-signing Arraez or landing Brandon Lowe.

Now, if the Phillies add a big-time bat elsewhere, then signing Torres wouldn't be so bad ... even if he is a nightmare in the field.

However, if Philadelphia plans on bringing in Torres and not doing much else, the fanbase should be furious.