Phillies’ Winter Meetings Agenda: Schwarber, Bullpen, and Trade Rumors

When the Winter Meetings begin next week in Orlando, the Philadelphia Phillies should be one of the more active teams.

The Kyle Schwarber X-Factor

While they are looking to make some changes, much of what they can and will do hinges on Kyle Schwarber and where he ends up.

Outside of the Schwarber decision, the team has plenty of work to do.

The Winter Meetings bring together all 30 MLB front offices and are generally the kickoff to the offseason, which has been pretty quiet thus far.  However, the winter meetings can really start to heat things up.

The Winter Meetings Kickoff: What the Phillies Must Address

Key contributors like Schwarber and J.T. Realmuto are currently free agents, but they have opportunities to improve some other areas of the roster; they need to improve their bullpen and find a right-handed bat to better balance their lineup.

And they have good, young players that need opportunities to play with Andrew Painter, Justin Crawford, and maybe even Aidan Miller leading the way. While I don't see Miller making the team out of Spring Training, he could be an option at some point during the summer. I do, however, expect Painter and Crawford to be in Philadelphia when the season begins on March 26.

In reading through pieces by ESPN’s Jeff Passan and Kiley McDaniel, a group of players has emerged as potential trade candidates this winter.

Morosi says the common refrain in Philly has been not having enough bullpen. Some of the names to keep an eye on include Edwin Diaz, Kenley Jansen, Robert Suarez, Pete Fairbanks, Luke Weaver, Shawn Armstrong, Kyle Finnigen, and Tyler Rogers.

"If you were the Philadelphia Phillies, wouldn't you love to sign away Edwin Diaz from your rival Mets?," Morosi asked.

He went on to mention that the Mets could have interest in Phillies starter Ranger Suarez.

It could all start to heat up next week, so keep it locked to the Sports Bash for updates.