With the offseason here, Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported on Monday that there could be a few intriguing trade candidates around Major League Baseball.
Among the options that he spoke about, he surprisingly named Fernando Tatis Jr. of the San Diego Padres as an option.
I'd be rather surprised to see Tatis get traded, but considering the position that the Padres are in, we can never count them out. It's obvious that the Padres might need to eventually save money sooner rather than later, but with the moves they made at the trade deadline a year ago, it still feels like they're all in.
Ultimately, the Padres will have to answer that question, but if the Tatis thing is real and he’s actually available, there might not be many better teams around the league than the Philadelphia Phillies to go after him.
Fansided’s Christopher Kline recently named the Phillies as the top suitor for Tatis, suggesting they could use help in the outfield.
“So, the Philadelphia Phillies need help in the outfield. Harrison Bader is a free agent, Nick Castellanos is an increasingly popular trade candidate, and Justin Crawford can only guarantee so much as a rookie. The Phillies need slugging, especially with Kyle Schwarber and JT Realmuto both, also, free agents.
“If Schwarber leaves in particular, that puts immense pressure on Dave Dombrowski to deliver another impact bat. And Tatis' contract, while exorbitant in length, is rather light on annual value at the moment — certainly within Philadelphia's price range. As such, the Phillies are worth keeping tabs on here. Big Dave is overdue for a big swing,” he wrote.
Everything that Kline said is totally fair and real, as if there's one area for the Phillies to improve on, it continues to be in the outfield.
Not only can Tatis man the outfield at an above-average level, but he also has the ability to play the infield when needed.
I like the idea of bringing in above-average players who can offer flexibility to the Phillies on both sides of the baseball.
With one of the best farm systems in baseball, I think it's possible that he could be acquired for the right price. The Phillies would likely have to gut their farm system, but if they're really all in to win a World Series, it might be well worth it.