The Phillies narrowed their focus on Andrelton Simmons before signing with the Twins this afternoon, writes Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Didi Gregorius still at stake to return, but may not be as interested in another one-year contract. Regardless, the Phillies prefer not to move Jean Segura back to the short, notes Lauber. Even with Gregorius more or less being the only remaining initial shortstop on the market, Segura’s presence, as well as Scott Kingery, it means that they don’t have to panic with an overpayment. They should finally attack Gregorius, Jonathan Villar and Hanser Alberto lurk as free agents, or Phils could turn to the trade market to make a move for any Trevor Story Rocky Mountains or Javier Baez of the Cubs. Neither club seemed particularly likely to move its star from the shortstop, but Phillies’ president of baseball operations, Dave Dombrowski, may be the guy to convince them. Let’s check other internal news …
- With the intermediate inner fields flying off the shelves, Kolten Wong is seeing an increase in interest, according to Jon Morosi of the MLB Network (via Twitter) The defensive second baseman saw at least the preliminary interest of Tigers, Mariners, Rays, Cubs, Phillies and Cardinals, with whom he spent his entire career. Wong’s power disappeared in 2020, cutting .265 / .350 / .326, but he won a second consecutive gold glove award and continued to be a base presence for the Cardinals. Wong has quietly posted 3.3 bWAR for 600 plate appearances over his career, and as he enters the 30-year season, he can prove to be one of the most impactful free agents remaining on the market.
- Tigers plan to experiment Isaac Paredes on second base, writes Evan Petzold of Detroit Free Press. Paredes is touted as Tigers’ third daily base, but coach AJ Hinch basically said that there is no harm in expanding the 21-year-old’s skill set. He is in fire playing winter ball, and with Jeimer Candelario having a great season in 2020 (and Spencer Torkelson on his way to claim one of the corners of the infield), it’s certainly worth testing the limits of Paredes’s defensive skills.