:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62401166/usa_today_11293835.0.jpg)
Say what you want about the Philadelphia Phillies, but they are at least looking to make this offseason very interesting.
The Phillies had a disappointing end to the 2018 season. They were in contention for the NL East crown for a while before a dreadful final two months or so of the season sent them from playoff contenders to third place in the division in a hurry.
However, the organization does not appear to be wallowing in sadness as they have been connected to virtually every big name free agent and trade target out there with varying degrees of seriousness including Bryce Harper, Patrick Corbin, Manny Machado, J.T. Realmuto, and many others. They haven’t been able to pull the trigger on anything yet, but no one can accuse the Phillies of not kicking the tires on anyone.
Now it appears that the Phillies were in real talks to potentially acquire Paul Goldschmidt from the Diamondbacks.
You can add the #Phillies to the list of teams that spoke with the #Diamondbacks about Paul Goldschmidt.
— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) November 26, 2018
A source says the teams discussed a package that would have included Zach Eflin & several young players. But the deal fell apart when the Phillies tried to add Carlos Santana
While Goldschmidt would instantly become the best player in the Phillies lineup if such a deal were to happen, the fit is a curious one. The Phillies are an ideal trade partner for the Diamondbacks as the Phillies have lots of payroll space and Arizona is looking to unload some money from their books.
However, Philly already has too many guys that should probably be playing first base on their roster. If you take a look at the defensive metrics of Rhys Hoskins, Maikel Franco, and...well, pretty much the whole team, the results were less than kind. The potential of moving Hoskins over to first base and potentially send Carlos Santana to a different team seemed to be an easy way to get some more defensive value on the team, but it appears that the Phillies are looking a bunch of options.
For now, it doesn’t look like any deal is particularly close as the Phillies insistence in including Santana seems to be a dealbreaker for an Arizona team that is looking to unload payroll and start rebuilding rather than take on a vet like Santana.