Phillies Notes: Rumor roundup from the GM Meetings

The MLB offseason officially started this week, and we’re all waiting to see what the Philadelphia Phillies will do to try and get them over the top after making the playoffs for the second straight season.

The annual GM meetings got underway this week in Arizona, which means plenty of rumors are starting to emerge across the league.

So let's take a look at some of the stuff that has emerged from this week's GM meetings.

Nick Castellanos on the trade block?

On Thursday it was reported that the Phillies by Mark Feinsand of MLB.com that the Phillies would be open to the idea of moving Nick Castellanos this offseason, perhaps as a way to cut down on strikeouts, which was a big problem for Castellanos in the playoffs.

According to a source, the Phillies are open to the idea of trading Nick Castellanos, whose streaky ways and disappointing performance in the NLCS could result in an offseason change.

Feinsand mentioned Jorge Soler and Teoscar Hernández as possible options on the free-agent market this season.

However, on Friday, ESPN's Buster Olney put a stop to those rumors. Olney reports that the Phillies are not interested in moving Castellanos and consider him an important part of the team and value his production.

My take here is that both reports are accurate.

I think the Phillies floated to Feinsand that Castellanos was available, didn't get any interest, and then went to Olney to say they did have any intention to trade him.

Moving Castellanos is pretty much the only player on the roster who makes any sense. However, he is owed $20 million per season over the next three seasons, making him a tough sell to most teams in the league.

While he was a productive player, he is not a player who is a franchise-changing addition, so the Phillies seem to be stuck with him.

It's not that Castellanos is a bad player, but the Phillies need someone with more consistency.  However, with Rhys Hoksins likely gone, Castellanos is an important part of the lineup, as the one bat with power from the right side.

Sonny Gray someone to watch

MLB Network's Jon Heyman said this week, "The Phillies are a team that will sign a top pitcher".

Will that top pitcher be Cy Young Award finalist Sonny Gray? The team has been rumored to be connected to the 34-year-old Twins pitcher, who had his best season as a pro in 2023.

Gray logged 184 innings, going 8-8 with a 2.79 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 32 games this season for the Twins.

If Aaron Nola walks, Gray would likely be a prime target for the Phillies at the top of the rotation behind Zack Wheeler.

One other name to keep an eye on if Nola walks? According to USA MLB writer Bob Nightengale, Padres lefty Blake Snell.

"GMs believe that the Phillies will let Nola walk," Nightengale writes. "And will turn their attention to Blake Snell, who’s about to win his second Cy Young award."

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