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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/phillies-news-philadelphia-adds-ex-brewers-pitcher-1-year-deal');   ga('set', 'title', 'Phillies add ex-Brewers pitcher on 1-year deal');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Phillies-news-Philadelphia-adds-ex-Brewers-pitcher-on-1-year-deal.jpg"></figure><h1>Phillies add ex-Brewers pitcher on 1-year deal</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-23T13:59:53-08:00">December 23rd, 1:59pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-23T13:59:53-08:00">December 23rd, 1:59pm</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/jesus-luzardo-trade-grades-phillies-marlins">Phillies made a major addition to their rotation</a> by acquiring Jesus Luzardo in a trade with the Miami Marlins. Now, the Phillies have bolstered their overall pitching staff by stealing a page out of the Milwaukee Brewers’ playbook.</p><p>Philadelphia <a href="https://x.com/MattGelb/status/1871300654590992583" rel="noopener">has signed</a> Joe Ross to a one-year contract, via Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The financial terms of the agreement are not yet known. Ross is expected to take on a swingman role with the Phillies.</p><p>Over 25 games with the Brewers in 2024, Ross held a 3.77 ERA and a 66/29 K/BB ratio. He made 10 starts, proving he could perform admirably in the role Philadelphia assigns to him. But moreso, the 2024 season marked the first time Ross appeared in the major leagues since 2021. After battling a litany of injuries, he left no doubts that he still belongs in MLB.</p><p>When he officially joins the Phillies, it seems likely that Ross will begin his tenure in the bullpen. Philadelphia <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-news-philadelphia-acquires-jesus-luzardo-trade-marlins">added Luzardo to a rotation that already includes</a> Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Christopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez. If one were to go down, Ross would likely get the first call. But he seems unlikely to beat any out for a rotation spot.</p><p>Still, he nor the Phillies will complain. The bullpen was a clear area of need for Philadelphia in 2024, finishing the regular season ranked 14 with a 3.94 ERA. Ross doesn’t seem poised to earn a late inning role. But he can provide some stability if the Phillies’ pitching plan gets out of whack.</p><p>It’s clear that Philadelphia is looking to get over the hump and make a run to the World Series. Their addition of Ross may be overshadowed by Luzardo and other offseason moves. However, he makes for a key addition to their pitching staff. His versatility allows Philadelphia to be a bit more flexible in how they handle all nine innings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Phillies add ex-Brewers pitcher on 1-year deal

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/jesus-luzardo-trade-grades-phillies-marlins');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jesus Luzardo trade grades for Phillies, Marlins');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jesus-Luzardo-trade-grades-for-Phillies-Marlins.jpg"></figure><h1>Jesus Luzardo trade grades for Phillies, Marlins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T12:22:13-08:00">December 22nd, 12:22pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T12:22:13-08:00">December 22nd, 12:22pm</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Marlins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia Phillies and Miami Marlins are on two completely different trajectories heading into the 2025 campaign. Their <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-news-philadelphia-acquires-jesus-luzardo-trade-marlins">Jesus Luzardo trade further demonstrated</a> exactly what both franchises value most.</p><p>The Phillies acquired Luzardo and catcher Paul McIntosh in exchange for prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd. Luzardo will now slot into the middle of Philadelphia’s rotation, while Miami acquired key prospect capital.</p><p>It’s rare to see a player of Luzardo’s status <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/43109069/source-phillies-acquire-jesus-luzardo-trade-marlins" rel="noopener">traded between two teams within the same division</a>. However, the Phillies are trying to make a push for the World Series. The Marlins, on the other hand, are in the midst of an aggressive rebuild and are looking to add as much future talent as possible.</p><p>In terms of 2025 alone, Philadelphia comes out on top simply because Luzardo is a major league player; let alone his stats. However, this trade will shape both franchises well beyond just 2025.</p><h2><b>Phillies’ Jesus Luzardo trade grade </b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Jesus-Luzardo-.jpg"><figcaption>David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Phillies ended their 2024 regular season ranked 11th in the league with their 3.85 ERA. They had the eighth-most strikeouts (1,433) and ranked 12th in batting average against (.243). Philadelphia is led by a litany of talented starting pitchers such as Zack Wheeler, Christopher Sanchez, Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez.</p><p>However, the Phillies were in need of a fifth. Taijuan Walker and Andrew Painter were internal options, but they both come with question marks. Walker struggled mightily during the 2024 season while Painter is a top prospect, but working his way back from serious injury. Philadelphia’s Luzardo acquisition provides and answer to the questions and adds a bit more certainty to the rotation.</p><p>The lefty had a down year in 2024, struggling to a 5.00 ERA while injuries held him to just 12 starts. However, in 2023, Luzardo proved the the Phillies and MLB what he can be.</p><p>Over a career-high 32 starts, Luzardo held a 3.58 ERA and a 208/55 K/BB ratio. Through his 105 career appearances, the left-hander has recorded a 4.29 ERA and a 559/180 K/BB ratio. Alongside his work on the diamond, the Phillies will have Luzardo through the 2027 at arbitration prices.</p><p>With the four initial starters already on the roster, Philadelphia had one of the scariest rotations in the league. With Luzardo in tow – assuming he is healthy – there may be no better staff than the Phillies’ entering 2025.</p><p><b>Phillies Trade Grade: A-</b></p><h2><b>Marlins’ Luzardo trade grade </b></h2><p>After making the playoffs in 2023, the Marlins decided to make a swift 180. They gutted their front office and brought in new management with a focus on rebuilding. They’ve traded away some of their biggest stars from Jazz Chisholm to Luis Arraez and more recently Jake Burger. Luzardo has now become the latest in what seems like a never-ending line of players dealt out of Miami.</p><p>In return, the Marlins received a pair of prospects in Caba and Boyd. Caba is well-regarded around the industry and already<a href="https://www.mlb.com/milb/prospects/marlins/" rel="noopener"> ranks as the No. 3 prospect</a> in the organization, via MLB Pipeline. Furthermore, he is the 81 best prospect in all of baseball.</p><p>Only 19-years-old, Caba spent the 2024 season between Rookie and Single-A ball. He hit .228 with two home runs, 26 RBI and 50 stolen bases. While he’ll need to get more consistent at the plate, there’s no doubting his speed. Furthermore, he’s still getting acclimated to professional pitching.</p><p>If Caba pans out how the Marlins are hoping, he has a chance to be Miami’s shortstop of the future. But that future is in a much further distance. He needs much more seasoning in the minors. And while <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-cubs-pushing-for-jesus-luzardo-trade-with-marlins">it seemed inevitable that Luzardo would be traded</a>, the fact that a 19-year-old was the headliner shows that Miami knows their time to compete isn’t coming anytime soon.</p><p>The Marlins did a solid job of landing a prospect to build around in the infield. But eventually, they’ll need to go from dealing away talent to winning games on the diamond.</p><p><b>Marlins Trade Grade: B+</b></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jesus Luzardo trade grades for Phillies, Marlins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/phillies-news-philadelphia-acquires-jesus-luzardo-trade-marlins');   ga('set', 'title', 'Phillies acquire Jesus Luzardo in trade with Marlins');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Phillies-news-Philadelphia-acquires-Jesus-Luzardo-in-trade-with-Marlins.jpg"></figure><h1>Phillies acquire Jesus Luzardo in trade with Marlins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-22T06:54:17-08:00">December 22nd, 6:54am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-22T07:28:04-08:00">December 22nd, 7:28am</time><address><a>Jason Patt</a>Jason Patt started as an editor at ClutchPoints in 2018 and became the head of the editorial team in 2022. He also co-hosts Cash Considerations: A Chicago Bulls Podcast for the Blue Wire Network.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Miami Marlins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired Miami Marlins lefty Jesus Luzardo <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6011962/2024/12/22/jesus-luzardo-trade-phillies-marlins/" rel="noopener">in a trade</a> that involves prospects Starlyn Caba and Emaarion Boyd going to the Marlins, according to Matt Gelb of The Athletic. The Phillies will also acquire minor league catcher Paul McIntosh in the trade.</p><p>Philadelphia already boasts one of the best rotations in MLB and will only get stronger if Luzardo returns to his form from a couple years ago. Luzardo is set to slot in as the No. 5 starter in Philly behind Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Christopher Sanchez and Ranger Suarez.</p><p>Luzardo struggled to start his career with the Oakland Athletics but then blossomed into an ace in Miami. The lefty’s initial breakout came in 2022 when he struck out 120 batters in 100 1/3 innings while boasting a 3.32 ERA. Then in 2023, he struck out 208 hitters in 178 2/3 innings with a 3.58 ERA.</p><p>Unfortunately, Luzardo took a major step back in 2024 as he dealt with injury problems. The 27-year-old only pitched 66 2/3 innings and had an ERA of 5.00. His strikeout rate also took a major dip with just 58 punchouts.</p><p>The Marlins held trade negotiations on Luzardo with the Chicago Cubs, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-cubs-jesus-luzardo-trade-talks-with-marlins-are-dead">but those fell apart</a>. Now, the Phillies are betting on Luzardo returning to that form of 2022 and 2023. The 19-year-old Caba was the <a href="https://x.com/Feinsand/status/1870843552844124176" rel="noopener">No. 4 prospect in the organization</a>, according to MLB Pipeline, so Miami is getting a prized young player in this trade. Meanwhile, Boyd was at No. 23 on the list.</p><h2>What’s next for Phillies?</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/Bryce-Harper-with-Philadelphia-Phillies.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Jesus Luzardo has two years left of club control and is set to make about $6 million in 2025 through salary arbitration. With Luzardo in the fold, will Philadelphia look to trade any pitching to help bolster a lineup that struggled in the NLDS loss to the New York Mets?</p><p>Gelb notes the Phillies could look to trade Ranger Suarez for a hitter ahead of his free agency, but he also says that likely won’t happen and the franchise will “lean into run prevention.” Philadelphia’s starters <a href="https://www.mlb.com/stats/team/pitching?split=sp&amp;sortState=asc" rel="noopener">ranked No. 8 in ERA</a> in 2024.</p><p>When it comes to the lineup, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-news-max-kepler-agrees-1-year-10-million-contract">Phillies did just sign Max Kepler</a> to a one-year deal. There have been trade rumors surrounding Alec Bohm and Nick Castellanos, but nothing has come to fruition yet. There’s still plenty of hitting talent in place with Bryce Harper leading the way, but the way Philadelphia struggled in that playoff series has had them seeking changes.</p><p>Whatever else happens, the Phillies are set to have one of the most expensive rosters in baseball as they enter 2025 with World Series expectations.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Phillies acquire Jesus Luzardo in trade with Marlins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/phillies-news-phillies-havent-been-invited-meet-roki-sasaki');   ga('set', 'title', 'Phillies haven’t been ‘invited’ to meet with Roki Sasaki');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Phillies-news-Philadelphia-hasnt-been-invited-to-meet-with-Roki-Sasaki.jpg"></figure><h1>Phillies haven’t been ‘invited’ to meet with Roki Sasaki</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-20T15:41:04-08:00">December 20th, 3:41pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-20T15:42:00-08:00">December 20th, 3:42pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. A die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic, Brayden further channels his baseball enthusiasm through his podcast, where he delves into the latest in sports with engaging commentary. He also serves as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School. His commitment to sports journalism is evident in his diverse experiences with ContraCosta.news and his dedication to delivering compelling and insightful content.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-phillies-roki-sasaki-pursuit">Philadelphia Phillies’ pursuit of Japanese pitching sensation Roki Sasaki</a> appears to have stalled. Despite their strong interest in the 23-year-old phenom, the Phillies have <a href="https://x.com/Paul_CasellaMLB/status/1870242284471759201" rel="noopener">not been included among the teams</a> granted a meeting with Sasaki.</p><p>“We have not been invited to talk to him at this point,” Phillies President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski revealed to reporters. “We sent in our original info, they know we would very much like to have a presentation, but we haven’t been invited to the table,” he added, as quoted by Paul Casella on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-mariners-set-to-include-ichiro-suzuki-as-part-of-roki-sasaki-recruiting-pitch">Sasaki has sparked a frenzy among MLB teams since officially getting posted</a> by the Chiba Lotte Marines on December 11. With his blazing fastball that regularly touches 100 mph and his dominance in domestic leagues and the World Baseball Classic, Sasaki is considered the most coveted pitcher on the free-agent market. The young star, who threw a 19-strikeout perfect game in 2022, ended last season with a 2.35 ERA and 129 strikeouts over 111 innings.</p><h2><b>Could the Phillies miss out on Roki Sasaki before they get to talk to him?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Roki-Sasaki_a11e45.jpg"><figcaption>Sam Navarro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Phillies’ inability to secure a meeting may signal their diminishing chances of landing the highly sought-after right-hander. Several other teams, including the New York Yankees and New York Mets, have already met with Sasaki and his representatives in Southern California. The Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Dodgers, and San Diego Padres are also heavily in the mix. Both the Dodgers and Padres are considered frontrunners.</p><p>Sasaki’s situation is unique due to MLB’s international spending rules. Because he is only 23 and lacks the experience required for unrestricted free agency, his signing bonus is capped within teams’ international spending pools, limiting his financial options to the league minimum salary and a bonus between $5 million and $7 million. This arrangement levels the financial playing field and places greater emphasis on a team’s fit and ability to help Sasaki transition to MLB.</p><p>The Phillies’ exclusion could reflect Sasaki’s preferences or a competitive strategy by his agent, Joel Wolfe, who confirmed that Sasaki will meet teams in person before returning to Japan for the holidays. Sasaki might also revisit finalist cities after the holidays, according to Wolfe.</p><p>For the Phillies, the missed opportunity represents a disappointing turn during an offseason where they’ve already tempered expectations for “impactful” signings. Philadelphia’s hope of bolstering their rotation with Sasaki’s elite talent now hangs in limbo as the team awaits further developments in the phenom’s decision-making process. Whether Sasaki’s representatives revisit the Phillies or maintain their current course, Philadelphia’s road to securing his signature has become significantly steeper.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Phillies haven’t been ‘invited’ to meet with Roki Sasaki

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/phillies-news-max-kepler-agrees-1-year-10-million-contract');   ga('set', 'title', 'Phillies, Max Kepler agree to 1-year, $10 million contract');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Philadelphia-on-verge-of-signing-Max-Kepler.jpg"></figure><h1>Phillies, Max Kepler agree to 1-year, $10 million contract</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-19T18:11:45-08:00">December 19th, 6:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-19T18:12:07-08:00">December 19th, 6:12pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Philadelphia Phillies have yet to make a true statement this offseason, but they are <a href="https://x.com/ToddZolecki/status/1869911022066381225" rel="noopener">joining the free agency festivities</a> all the same. President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has secured the services of outfielder Max Kepler on a one-year contract worth $10 million, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.</p><p>Phillie Phanatics will argue that the organization has more pressing needs than signing a right fielder who struggles to stay healthy, but the move could hint at future plans. Nick Castellanos has already been <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-1-caveat-holding-back-phillies-nick-castellanos-trade-talks">mentioned in trade rumors</a>, and the addition of Kepler could make Dombrowski more amenable to such a deal. In any case, Philadelphia is clearly keen on making <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/phillies-news-jordan-romano-agrees-philly-deal-blue-jays-exit">low-cost, short-term investments</a> in players who have produced in the recent past.</p><p>A little more than a week after agreeing to a one-year contract with two-time All-Star closer Jordan Romano, the Phillies are acquiring a talent who has impacted both phases of the game. Kepler exceeded 20 home runs in a season three times in his 10-year run with the Minnesota Twins and belted a career-high 36 in 2019. He has also reached double-digits in outs above average multiple times, exhibiting visible defensive prowess in right. His stock took a dive in 2024, however.</p><h2><b>Max Kepler seeks a turnaround with Phillies</b></h2><p>The 31-year-old German posted a .253 batting average, .302 on-base percentage and .682 OPS while hitting only eight homers in 105 games. His walk rate decreased by almost four percent, making him a risky guy to trust at the dish. A seemingly diminished skill set is not what a win-now ballclub is typically interested in pursuing, but the Phillies evidently foresee a potential resurgence for Max Kepler in 2025.</p><p>Nevertheless, more reinforcements might be needed to keep pace with the other National League contenders. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/juan-soto-bold-predictions-765-million-mets-contract">New York Mets signed Juan Soto</a> and the Los Angeles Dodgers brought in Blake Snell, while the enigmatic Chicago Cubs traded for Kyle Tucker. Although Philadelphia already boasts an abundance of firepower, it is clearly lacking something.</p><p>Can Kepler help the Phillies fix some of their remaining issues? Emboldened by this prove-it deal, he will definitely try to do just that next season.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Phillies, Max Kepler agree to 1-year, $10 million contract

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-phillies-mason-miller-demand-athletics-shut-down-alec-bohm-trade-talks');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Phillies’ Mason Miller demand to Athletics shut down Alec Bohm trade talks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/0Phillies-Mason-Miller-demand-to-Athletics-shut-down-Alec-Bohm-trade-talks-0.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Phillies’ Mason Miller demand to Athletics shut down Alec Bohm trade talks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-15T11:03:26-08:00">December 15th, 11:03am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-15T11:55:40-08:00">December 15th, 11:55am</time><address><a>Dan Fappiano</a>Dan Fappiano is a Connecticut based sports journalist and a graduate of both Tunxis Community College and Central Connecticut State University. Dan has spent time covering high school and professional sports in both the print and online medium. He hopes to see his beloved Chicago Bears win a Super Bowl someday.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Athletics</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/athletics-news-acquiring-left-hander-jeffrey-springs-from-rays">Athletics have been much more aggressive</a> than many expected early in the offseason. However, they had to draw the line somewhere when the Philadelphia Phillies came calling.</p><p>The A’s are still searching for a third baseman. While the Phillies entertained the idea of trading Alec Bohm, they asked for star reliever Mason Miller in return. In turn, the Athletics <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5994597/2024/12/14/mariners-luis-castillo-trade-mlb-offseason-notes/" rel="noopener">ended trade discussions</a>, via Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.</p><p>Bohm earned the first All-Star nomination if his career in 2024, hitting .280 with 15 home runs and 97 RBI. If he had played for the A’s, the third baseman would’ve ranked second in both RBI and batting average behind Brent Rooker. Ultimately, his addition would give the Athletics’ lineup the extra thump it needs.</p><p>However, if it costs Miller, the A’s are inclined to pass. He transitioned into the full-time closer’s role, recording 28 saves. Miller also had an immaculate 2.49 ERA and 104/21 K/BB ratio on the way to his first All-Star nomination.</p><p>This isn’t the first time <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/athletics-news-rosenthal-mason-miller-trade-stance-after-deadline">Miller has seen his name in trade rumors</a>. However, the A’s will be expecting a king’s ransom should they actual deal him. Alongside his work on the diamond, Miller is under team control through 2029 and made less than $1 million in 2024. He is on arguably the most team-friendly contract in the league.</p><p>So for as good as Alec Bohm may be, it’s not like the A’s are ready to contend. They have made some strong additions in free agency, but they are far from being considered AL West favorites. Trading Miller for Bohm would be a short-sighted move for a team who should be all-in on their future.</p><p>That’s not to say that Mason Miller won’t be traded. He is the best piece the A’s have to offer and is one of the most coveted players in the league. But if the Athletics are going to sign off on a trade, it’ll cost much more than Bohm.</p><p>In turn, the Phillies may have to consider their asking price when shopping their third baseman.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Phillies’ Mason Miller demand to Athletics shut down Alec Bohm trade talks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-phillies-kyle-tucker-trade-offer-astros-rejected');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Phillies’ Kyle Tucker trade offer that Astros rejected');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Phillies-Kyle-Tucker-trade-offer-that-Astros-rejected.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Phillies’ Kyle Tucker trade offer that Astros rejected</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-13T16:00:47-08:00">December 13th, 4:00pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-13T16:00:47-08:00">December 13th, 4:00pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>One of the biggest moves of the MLB offseason went down on Friday when star <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-chicago-land-kyle-tucker-massive-astros-trade">Astros outfielder Kyle Tucker was traded to the Chicago Cubs</a> for a package including infielder Isaac Paredes, pitcher Hayden Wesneski and a prospect. The Cubs won the Tucker sweepstakes which included a number of contenders looking to beef up their lineup.</p><p>One of those teams was the Philadelphia Phillies, who are searching for another big bat to put in the middle of their lineup after a crushing loss in the NLDS against the New York Mets. The Phillies <a href="https://x.com/PhilsTailgate/status/1867589681581277242" rel="noopener">made a strong offer</a> to the Astros for Tucker that included two of their starters in 2024, according to MLB insider Jim Bowden on MLB Network Radio.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">Jim Bowden said on MLB Network Radio this morning that the Phillies offered the Astros Nick Castellanos &amp; Alec Bohm for Kyle Tucker. </p><p>The Astros declined. <a href="https://t.co/Bv4MoMbVou">pic.twitter.com/Bv4MoMbVou</a></p><p>— Phillies Tailgate (@PhilsTailgate) <a href="https://twitter.com/PhilsTailgate/status/1867589681581277242?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“[The Phillies] offered [Nick] Castellanos and [Alec] Bohm for Tucker, two-for-one, and was turned down,” Bowden said. “The Astros don’t like Bohm defensively. I know Rob Thompson told us at the winter meetings that he thinks he’s a good defender and gotten better. … The Astros’ evaluation is different. They don’t view him there as a third baseman. And Castellanos is a guy that chases out of the zone, he’s older, he gets some big hits.”</p><p>Instead, Tucker will be suiting up for one of the Phillies’ National League rivals next season after the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/cubs-news-mlb-world-shambles-after-astros-cubs-kyle-tucker-trade">Cubs were able to swing what the Astros thought</a> was a better deal.</p><h2><b>What’s next for the Phillies?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Phillies.jpg"><figcaption>Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Arguably the biggest need for the Phillies coming into this season was another bat to add some juice into their batting g lineup. Bryce Harper is obviously still an elite hitter, Nick Castellanos has a lot of power and Kyle Schwarber is still a very dangerous leadoff man, but the Phillies lacked any pop outside of those three spots.</p><p>Now, as the winter meetings rage on, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-phillies-juan-soto-contender-catch">Phillies have missed out on both Juan Soto</a> as a free agent and Kyle Tucker in a trade, and they are still searching for that missing piece.</p><p>Former Blue Jays and Dodgers outfielder Teoscar Hernandez could be a strong addition for the Phillies as a power-hitting outfielder, though a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-teoscar-hernandez-still-expected-sign-dodgers-despite-reports">reunion in Los Angeles still feels like the most likely outcome</a> there. Hernandez would also fill a big hole for the Phillies in left field, which is a spot that they are weaker at heading into next season.</p><p>The Phillies could also opt to use a similar trade package centered around Bohm and Castellanos, or Bohm and another player or a collection prospects, to bring in the type of big bat that they need in the middle of the lineup. If they can somehow swing that while giving up just Bohm and keeping Castellanos, this could be a very powerful group in 2025.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Phillies’ Kyle Tucker trade offer that Astros rejected

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-yankees-phillies-were-among-garrett-crochet-finalists-prior-to-red-sox-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Yankees, Phillies were among Garrett Crochet finalists prior to Red Sox trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/MLB-rumors-Yankees-Phillies-were-among-Garrett-Crochet-finalists-prior-to-Red-Sox-trade.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Yankees, Phillies were among Garrett Crochet finalists prior to Red Sox trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-12T06:02:26-08:00">December 12th, 6:02am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-12T06:02:26-08:00">December 12th, 6:02am</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Boston Red Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On Wednesday, the Boston Red Sox commenced step one of their grand offseason roster remodeling plan by pulling off a blockbuster trade with the Chicago White Sox for All-Star left-handed starting pitcher Garrett Crochet. It may have been Crochet’s first full season in the starting rotation, but his elite production in 2024 buoyed by an elite strikeout rate made him the best starter available on the trade market — with the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/garrett-crochet-trade-grades-for-red-sox-white-sox">Red Sox paying a hefty price</a> in terms of prospect capital.</p><p>Given Crochet’s quality, age, and remaining years of team control (he has two years of arbitration left before hitting free agency), getting the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/white-sox-news-gm-explains-process-garrett-crochet-red-sox-trade">White Sox to trade him away</a> was always going to be difficult. But he was worth trying to trade for, with there being four other teams in the mix for the 25-year-old southpaw.</p><p>According to Bob Nightengale of USA Today, the New York Yankees and Philadelphia Phillies were among Crochet’s chief suitors, joining the Atlanta Braves and Cincinnati Reds as the ballclubs that <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1867179359536099700" rel="noopener">lost out</a> to the Red Sox.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/yankees-news-max-fried-ny-agree-8-year-218-million-deal-free-agency">Yankees’ need</a> for an elite left-handed starter wasn’t quite as pressing as it was following the signing of Max Fried; however, following the departure of Juan Soto, they too have grandiose roster retooling plans to build off of their World Series run in 2024. But they were always going to be outmuscled on the prospect front, especially when the Red Sox put both Kyle Teel and Braden Montgomery, two top 100 prospects, on the table.</p><p>Meanwhile, the Phillies’ need for an elite starting pitcher isn’t quite as pronounced as the other teams’. They have four top-tier starters fronting the rotation, although in an ideal world, Philadelphia would have a lefty in that quartet. But the Red Sox were the ones that stepped up to the plate and gave it their all — perhaps seeing Crochet as the next Chris Sale.</p><h2><b>Will Garrett Crochet meet expectations for the Red Sox in 2025?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/11-22-24-crochet-image.jpeg"><figcaption>© Rhona Wise-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Garrett Crochet’s talent cannot be questioned. He has Cy Young Award-caliber stuff, and at just 25 years of age, his arm is fresh which means that the best may be yet to come for him. However, the question marks surrounding his durability are valid, and the Red Sox will be hoping that he can be more of a workhorse moving forward.</p><p>Crochet did not pitch more than four innings in any start since July 6; for a Red Sox team that needs him to front the rotation, he will have to be ready to shoulder a heavier workload.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Yankees, Phillies were among Garrett Crochet finalists prior to Red Sox trade

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/phillies-news-rob-thompson-squashes-alec-bohm-trade-rumors');   ga('set', 'title', 'Phillies’ Rob Thompson squashes Alec Bohm trade rumors');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Phillies-news-Rob-Thompson-squashes-Alec-Bohm-trade-rumors.jpg"></figure><h1>Phillies’ Rob Thompson squashes Alec Bohm trade rumors</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-10T22:30:22-08:00">December 10th, 10:30pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-10T22:30:22-08:00">December 10th, 10:30pm</time><address><a href="https://letterboxd.com/splooshpuhrty/films/by/your-rating/">Jedd Pagaduan</a>Jedd Pagaduan is a certified Clippers and Gunners fan, which means he's a very sports-traumatized individual. He now writes about sports instead as a form of therapy.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Wholesale changes may be <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-insider-predicts-phillies-trade-for-garrett-crochet">coming for a Philadelphia Phillies team</a> that, despite coming off a 95-win season and the NL East crown, flamed out of the postseason in the NLDS in 2024 — their worst playoff finish of the past three seasons. The Phillies have been prominently linked with Chicago White Sox ace Garrett Crochet, with everyday third baseman Alec Bohm being among the team’s biggest trade assets according to reports.</p><p>Bohm made the All-Star team in 2024 but his performance petered out as the season went on, slowing down considerably to finish with a .780 OPS despite his torrid start to the campaign. But Bohm’s merits remain very much apparent. He is a solid defender at the hot corner and a significant run producer at the heart of the Phillies’ lineup, and to top it all off, he remains under team control until 2026.</p><p>This makes Bohm an appealing trade target. But Phillies manager Rob Thomson is <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1866605691235860874" rel="noopener">trying to squash all speculation</a> regarding a potential trade involving the 28-year-old third baseman.</p><p>“He’s really improved so much. I know the rumors are flying all over the place — we’re not shopping him. People are approaching us on him so you got to listen. But this guy has improved so much, not just physically but mentally, over the course of the three, four years he’s been in the big leagues,” Thomson said in an appearance on MLB Network.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">"I know the rumors are flying all over the place — we're not shopping [Alec Bohm]."</p><p>Phillies manager Rob Thomson shuts down the speculation on his All-Star 3B 👀<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/MLBTonight?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#MLBTonight</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/SageUSAmerica?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SageUSAmerica</a> <a href="https://t.co/WJA4hDr6Zu">pic.twitter.com/WJA4hDr6Zu</a></p><p>— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLBNetwork/status/1866605691235860874?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 10, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>It’s important to note that Thomson did not exactly say that the Phillies weren’t open to trading Bohm at all. They’re doing their due diligence amid interest from other teams, although that doesn’t mean that they are shopping the 28-year-old third baseman.</p><p>Expect the Phillies to hold on to Bohm <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-phillies-alec-bohm-trade-mariners">unless a trade offer</a> blows them away.</p><h2><b>Phillies manager Rob Thomson praises Alec Bohm for his development</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/Alec-Bohm.jpg"><figcaption>Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption></figure><p>Taken third overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, Alec Bohm didn’t exactly put it together for the Phillies from his first day in the big leagues. He was a negative on defense, and his on-base skills left a lot to be desired. But Rob Thomson gave Bohm credit for working tirelessly and fleshing out the issues in his game — all while being one of the most consistent run producers in the game.</p><p>“He’s a really good hitter because he does the things I’ve been talking about like not chasing. He does get good pitches to hit, he uses the entire field, he makes contact. That’s why he’s so good hitting behind [Bryce] Harper ‘coz he’s going to put the ball in play with runners in scoring position. He’s not going to strikeout. You can basically book an RBI if Alec is at the plate with less than two outs and a runner in scoring position,” Thomson added.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Phillies’ Rob Thompson squashes Alec Bohm trade rumors

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-insider-predicts-phillies-trade-for-garrett-crochet');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Insider predicts Phillies trade for Garrett Crochet');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Insider-predicts-Phillies-trade-for-Garrett-Crochet.jpg"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Insider predicts Phillies trade for Garrett Crochet</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-09T12:21:22-08:00">December 9th, 12:21pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-09T13:13:57-08:00">December 9th, 1:13pm</time><address><a>Russell Steinberg</a>Russell Steinberg covers Major League Baseball and the New York Liberty for ClutchPoints. A baseball and basketball lifer, he has written for Boardroom, SLAM, SB Nation, The Next, and more. He graduated from NYU in 2012 and still returns to serve as PA announcer and occasional broadcaster for the school’s basketball and volleyball teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Chicago White Sox are widely expected to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-white-soxs-garrett-crochet-trade-talks-get-update-as-winter-meetings-arrive">trade ace pitcher Garrett Crochet</a> sometime this winter, and while it’s anyone’s guess where he ends up, one insider thinks the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-the-garrett-crochet-trade-phillies-are-pitching-white-sox">Philadelphia Phillies make the most sense</a>.</p><p>USA Today’s Bob Nightengale appeared on Foul Territory TV on Monday where he said the Phillies were most aggressive in pursuing Crochet at the trade deadline and that’s <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1866204494989811871" rel="noopener">where he expects</a> the lefty All-Star to land.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">.<a href="https://twitter.com/BNightengale?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@BNightengale</a> predicts Garrett Crochet to the <a href="https://twitter.com/Phillies?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Phillies</a> 👀 <a href="https://t.co/PFy6XbFyum">pic.twitter.com/PFy6XbFyum</a></p><p>— Foul Territory (@FoulTerritoryTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoulTerritoryTV/status/1866204494989811871?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 9, 2024</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“They like him a lot. Love him. You want <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-phillies-alec-bohm-trade-mariners">[Alec] Bohm</a>? You want Carl Crawford’s son [Justin Crawford]? It’s gonna take more than that,” Nightengale said. “They need to win too. That window’s closing for them. Guys are about to leave in free agency, [Kyle] Schwarber’s a free agent, [JT] Realmuto’s a free agent.</p><p>Nightengale was referring to the end of next season when Schwarber and Realmuto hit the open market.</p><p>The Phillies took a significant step forward in 2024, winning the National League East for the first time since 2011. The New York Mets ended their season prematurely, however, beating Philadelphia in four games in the National League Division Series.</p><p>The Phillies boasted a strong rotation in 2024, led by Cy Young runner-up Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola and Cristopher Sánchez. Adding Crochet would also give them one of the deepest rotations in the game.</p><h2><b>The Phillies aren’t the only team in the running for Garrett Crochet</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Garrett-Crochet-White-Sox.jpg"><figcaption>Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Just because Nightengale thinks Crochet eventually lands in Philadelphia, that doesn’t mean there aren’t multiple other possibilities. The reporter listed a few that the White Sox have had their eye on and where they stand.</p><p>“They would love to get the Baltimore Orioles involved but so far the Orioles really have not done it,” he said. “They were hoping to get the Dodgers involved but now the Dodgers got their starter already in Snell so they don’t really need Crochet.”</p><p>The Orioles are currently working out how far they’re willing to go to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/perfect-contract-orioles-must-offer-re-sign-corbin-burnes">bring back their own ace, Corbin Burnes</a>. If Burnes is going to return to Baltimore, he will want assurance that the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/orioles-news-corbin-burnes-reveals-free-agency-research-he-must-complete">team is set up to win beyond 2025</a>. Crochet would certainly help, as long as the Orioles don’t have to completely mortgage their future to get him. Baltimore has the <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/farm-system-rankings-2024-in-season" rel="noopener">third-best farm system</a> in baseball, per MLB.com, so they do have some trade chips to offer.</p><p>“Crochet is gonna bring back the best package of prospects of anybody out there right now,” Nightengale warned.</p><p>Crochet is still under team control for two more seasons. He may stay relatively affordable during his arbitration years but there’s no guarantee beyond that.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

MLB rumors: Insider predicts Phillies trade for Garrett Crochet

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/phillies-news-jordan-romano-agrees-philly-deal-blue-jays-exit');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jordan Romano agrees to Phillies deal after Blue Jays exit');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Phillies-news-Jordan-Romano-agrees-to-Philly-deal-after-Blue-Jays-exit.jpg"></figure><h1>Jordan Romano agrees to Phillies deal after Blue Jays exit</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-09T10:47:17-08:00">December 9th, 10:47am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-09T11:02:15-08:00">December 9th, 11:02am</time><address><a>Owen Crisafulli</a>Owen Crisafulli is a Senior Editor and NFL Lead at ClutchPoints. He recently received his Masters in Business Administration from Nichols College. Previously, he obtained his Bachelor's degree in Sport Management and for a while ran his own sports website. Sports are his passion, and he thoroughly enjoys writing about thoughts and opinions that are related to the game. He has been a lifelong fan of the major professional teams in Boston and loves discussing all topics surrounding those teams.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">MLB</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>MLB free agency is beginning to heat up in the wake of Juan Soto’s massive deal with the New York Mets. The Philadelphia Phillies were not one of the final teams in the running for Soto’s services, but that doesn’t mean they have been standing pat, as they made a move to shore up their bullpen on Monday afternoon by signing former Toronto Blue Jays <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blue-jays-news-jordan-romano-devastating-injury">closer Jordan Romano</a>.</p><p>After enjoying a pair of All-Star campaigns in 2022 and 2023, Romano posted a hideous 6.59 earned run average over 15 appearances before he was <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/blue-jays-news-jordan-romano-injury-update">shut down for the season due an injury</a> in his throwing elbow. The Blue Jays nontendered Romano, making him a free agent, and with several of Philadelphia’s key relievers likely to depart in free agency, they swooped in to scoop up Romano on a <a href="https://x.com/JeffPassan/status/1866187304886231441" rel="noopener">one-year deal.</a></p><p>“Closer Jordan Romano and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a free agent contract, pending physical, sources tell ESPN,” Jeff Passan reported on Monday afternoon. “Romano, 31, was nontendered by Toronto earlier this offseason and joins a Phillies bullpen that lost Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estevez to free agency.”</p><h2><b>Phillies add potential stud reliever in Jordan Romano</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Former-Blue-Jays-relief-pitcher-Jordan-Romano.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>There’s no beating around the bush in saying that the 2024 campaign did not go Romano’s way, but the hope is that he will be able to bounce back in 2025 now that his elbow is fixed. Again, it’s worth remembering that Romano was one of the top closers in the game prior to his struggles, as he saved 36 games in both 2022 and 2023.</p><p>Philadelphia didn’t have a true closer last year, so there’s going to be a shot for Romano to step up and snag the position for himself. Of course, he’s going to have to pitch better than he did last season when he’s healthy, but with a one-year deal, there’s not much risk associated with this move for the Phillies. With another late-inning reliever at their disposal, all eyes will be on Philly to see what their next move ends up being.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jordan Romano agrees to Phillies deal after Blue Jays exit

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb-rumors-insider-suggests-intriguing-phillies-astros-trade');   ga('set', 'title', 'MLB rumors: Insider suggests intriguing Phillies, Astros trade');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/MLB-rumors-Insider-suggests-intriguing-Phillies-Astros-trade.jpg?w=1024"></figure><h1>MLB rumors: Insider suggests intriguing Phillies, Astros trade</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2024-12-08T10:48:18-08:00">December 8th, 10:48am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2024-12-08T10:48:18-08:00">December 8th, 10:48am</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/jordan.llanes">Jordan Llanes</a>Jordan Llanes is a sports writer and reporter based in Florida. In addition to ClutchPoints, he writes for a few other publications covering the NFL, college sports and Tottenham Hotspur. When he's not writing, Jordan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, cats, family and friends, as well as catching the latest TV shows and movies, and traveling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>As hot stove season continues to heat up, there have been a number of theoretical deals that could help both teams involved in them. One such deal, proposed by USA Today’s Bob Nightengale in his Sunday column, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-astros-alex-bregman-contract-free-agency">involves the Houston Astros</a> and Philadelphia Phillies. <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/mlb/columnist/bob-nightengale/2024/12/08/mlb-rumors-juan-soto-contract-700-million-winter-meetings/76846675007/" rel="noopener">In this hypothetical deal,</a> the Phillies would send third baseman Alec Bohm to the Houston Astros, possibly for a late-inning reliever.</p><p>“The Phillies realize they can’t run it back with the same offense again in 2025,” stated Nightengale in his column. “It can be the most explosive in baseball, but as they’ve learned in the postseason, their lineup can also be awfully easy to navigate for opposing pitchers. Something has got to change, and Bohm easily has the most trade value among Nick Castellanos, Brandon Marsh and himself. If the Astros lose Alex Bregman in free agency, you can be assured that Phillies president Dave Dombrowski will be immediately on the phone offering Bohm for Astros reliever Ryan Pressly – who’s being extensively shopped.”</p><p>Improving the backend of their bullpen is a major focus of the Phillies, who could definitely use <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-astros-mulling-ryan-pressly-trade-this-offseason">an arm like Pressly.</a> However, this deal would be contingent on the Astros losing Bregman, something the team likely does not want to do. Bregman is one of the game’s best third basemen, and he’s about to be paid like it as well. If he does indeed leave, should the Astros pivot to Bohm? It could be a swap that would benefit them in a few different ways.</p><h2><b>Would trading for Alec Bohm help Astros in long term?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Phillies-3B-Alec-Bohm.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-2-players-phillies-unwilling-trade-alec-bohm-talks">Bohm has two more years</a> of club control left until he hits free agency, and the former first round pick has finally started to hit his stride in Philly. Last year, he complied a WAR of 3.0, a career high. He also drove in almost 100 runs (97 for the second straight season) and was a key part of the Phillies lineup. He is valued by the team, but he’s also a movable piece. If they can address other slots that are more pressing, they could decide to trade Bohm.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/astros-news-josh-hader-houstons-closer-ryan-pressly-2024">Pressly would add</a> another power arm to the backend of the Philadelphia bullpen, and he could be their next closer. The Phillies have dealt with relief issues for the last few seasons and is one of the big holes they must fill in order to capture another World Series trophy. The Astros could trade him because their current closer is Josh Hader, who signed a big money free agent deal with Houston last offseason.</p><p>Once again though, this is all contingent of if <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb-rumors-astros-alex-bregman-contract-free-agency">Bregman leaves the Space City</a>. He could very well price himself out of returning, as many teams are looking to improve at third base. A long-term deal is definitely in his future. Will the former LSU Tiger man third base for the foreseeable future, or will it be a player like Bohm acquired via trade?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
6	22.5	2	3	0	0

2024 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	HOLDS	SAVES
6	22.5	2	3	0	0

Alan
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Alan
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