The man who was all over the Phillies' pursuit of Bryce Harper last offseason, USA Today's Bob Nightengale, is now reporting the Phillies plan to go "all-in" and pursue third baseman Anthony Rendon, unafraid to go over the MLB luxury tax. Nightengale reports third baseman Josh Donaldson is the "potential fall-back plan."
Rendon, 29, was an all-star last season and is the top position player on the free-agent market. Rendon, who finished third in the NL MVP voting after hitting .319 with 34 homers and 126 RBIs last season, will likely receive around $35 million per season.
Donaldson, who turns 34, will come slightly cheaper. Signing either of the two aforementioned third basemen would force Philadelphia to pay a 20-percent luxury tax on their payroll above $208 million.
Earlier this week, the Phillies reportedly signed right-handed starter Zack Wheeler for five years, $118 million. Jon Heyman reports the Phillies are interested in free-agent star pitchers Gerrit Cole and Stephen Strasburg, especially Strasburg, hoping to bolster their rotation even more. Philadelphia has also been linked to shortstop Didi Gregorius, a former player of Joe Girardi's.
Needless to say, John Middleton is willing to spend money once again.
"I'm not going to go over the luxury tax so we have a better chance of being the second wild-card team," Middleton said in October. "That's not going to happen. I think you go over the luxury tax when you're fighting for the World Series."
