MLB free agency 2017: 5 best destinations for Yu Darvish

4. Philadelphia Phillies

It’s only a matter of time before the Philadelphia Phillies begin spending aggressively in the offseason. Their rebuild is nearing its logical conclusion, and this winter seems like the perfect jumping off point to get back into spending on big names. With the Sixers and Eagles playing well, the pressure is on the Phillies to get back to winning too.

The Phillies have had plenty of success graduating position players from the minors to the big leagues. They’re all set in the outfield with Odubel Herrera, Aaron Altherr and Nick Williams. Rhys Hoskins put on an epic power display after his call-up, hitting 18 home runs and driving in 48 in only 50 games. Fellow top prospects Jorge Alfaro and J.P. Crawford also made their debuts and played well at the end of the year.

It’s on the mound where the Phillies have continued to have a hard time gaining traction. Aaron Nola rebounded from an injury-plagued year in 2016 to finish 12-11 with a 3.54 ERA in 27 starts. Jerad Eickhoff and Vince Velasquez were both hurt by the end of the year. Velasquez made only 15 starts and faces a pivotal year in 2018 if he wants to remain a starter.

Spending this winter makes sense for the Phillies, as they figure to have plenty of money to spend on the epic class of free agents that will hit the market after the 2018 season. New manager Gabe Kapler comes into power at the perfect time and will benefit from the Phillies being on the upswing. Mike Trout is a free agent in three years. If you build it, he might come.