Jordan Hicks mentioned for Phillies as team looks for bullpen upgrades

The Philadelphia Phillies have been rather quiet after bringing back Aaron Nola, in fact, they haven't added one other player in free agency to this point.

It was reported that the team offered free-agent pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto over $300 million before he elected to join the LA Dodgers.  With Yamamoto off the table, could the Phillies still be looking for fallback options like starters Blake Snell, and Jordan Montgomery, bullpen arms Josh Hader and Jordan Hicks, or maybe a right-handed bat that can play multiple positions.

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ESPN Senior Writer David Schoenfield gave his thoughts on where he thinks each remaining free agent might land with the Phillies still in play for multiple big names like Snell, Montgomery, and Japanese pitcher, Shōta Imanaga.

My sleeper team: the Phillies. They were in on Yamamoto so they were willing to increase payroll for the right pitcher. Maybe they simply flip that money into extending Zack Wheeler before he hits free agency after 2024, but signing Montgomery feels like a Dave Dombrowski type of move.

ESPN's MLB insider Jeff Passan also mentioned the Phillies as a possible landing spot for Snell or Montgomery after missing out on Yamamoto, if Dave Dombrowski sees the opportunity for a smart deal,

The New York Mets and Philadelphia Phillies both offered $300 million-plus on Yamamoto, and while neither planned to pivot to Snell or Montgomery, both are nimble enough to seize on opportunities that markets provide.

As for the bullpen arms, Schoenfield acknowledges that you can't rule the Phillies out at this stage of the offseason.

You can't discount the Phillies here either given what happened in the NLCS with Craig Kimbrel, who has since signed with the Orioles.

The one name he thinks has the best shot of landing in Philly? Jordan Hicks.

Hicks is a power arm and the Phillies and Dombrowski has been all-in on power relievers of late

Hicks hasn't been a full-time closer, but has a power arm and has closing experience.  He would be a cheaper option, who could compete for a ninth-inning role with guys like Orion Kerkering, Jose Alvarado, Jeff Hoffman, and Seranthony Dominguez.

Pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training in about a month, the Phillies are running out of time to improve on a roster that has come up short the past two seasons.