“We’ve already made offers on several players,” Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said from Arizona, where he is watching some of the organization’s top young talent participate in the Arizona Fall League.
Todd Knowing that there is a lack of power hitters available, Amaro is perhaps making a push to sign one, as the team needs right-handed hitters, reports Todd Zolecki of MLB.com.
Some of the names being linked to the Phillies include Nelson Cruz, Carlos Beltran and Michael Morse. Top tier free agents Jacoby Ellsbury and Shin-Soo Choo have also been mentioned, but both are expected to sign elsewhere.
Re-signing catcher Carlos Ruiz is a top priority, but Amaro won’t wait for him to stall the Phillies’ offseason plans.
“We’re fortunate now that the free-agent market has kind of opened up,” Amaro said. “There are several candidates that could be our catcher next year. We’ll see what happens. We’re in the open season.”
While the Phillies also are trying to upgrade their pitching staff, the main focus will be on upgrading what was a very disappointing offense.
Meanwhile, a team source told Mike Puma of the New York Post that the Mets have made a few phone calls. One such call was to inquire about Shin-Soo Choo, but no “parameters” were discussed.
