Phillies rumors: Free agent OFs too pricey

The Philadelphia Phillies continue to pursue outfielders this offseason, but general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told Jon Heyman of CBS Sports that the asking of free agent options is higher than their targeted range at this point:

phillies gm amaro on top free agent OFs: "we feel like the demands are north of where we want to be.'' eying trades too

— Jon Heyman (@JonHeymanCBS) December 20, 2012

Regarding the remaining top free agent outfielders, Amaro told Heyman "we feel like the demands are north of where we want to be." Heyman adds that the Phillies are also pursuing outfielders through trade.

So far this offseason the Phillies have been tied to several corner outfield options, including Nick Swisher, Cody Ross, Josh Hamilton, Alfonso Soriano and Vernon Wells. Philadelphia acquired center fielder Ben Revere from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for starters Vance Worley and Trevor May.

Beyond Revere, who is currently slated to be the Phillies’ Opening Day center fielder, the club also has in-house outfield options of Domonic Brown, John Mayberry Jr. and Darin Ruf. While all three have shown flashes of talent, none are proven producers.

The Phillies have most recently been tied to Ross and Wells, though it remains unclear what direction they’ll go in this winter.