3 Phillies backup plans Dave Dombrowski has to move quickly on after losing Garrett Crochet

The Boston Red Sox did the thing, trading for Garrett Crochet on the third day of Winter Meetings. The former Chicago White Sox ace will change more than the color of his socks. He will also transition from the worst situation in baseball to a far more optimistic outlook in Boston, with a front office that finally appears ready and willing to spend to contend.

Crochet, a 25-year-old ace with multiple years of team control left on his contract, was naturally able to drum up quite the trade market. Contenders nationwide were interested, few more prominently than the Philadelphia Phillies. We heard about the Phillies as a potential Crochet destination all the way back at the trade deadline.

Alas, it was not meant to be. There has been a general assumption that Dave Dombrowski will operate aggressively in pursuit of upgrades this winter, but the Phillies never made a serious run at Juan Soto and now, their most popular pitching target is off the board. Philadelphia already has one of the best rotations in baseball, but replacing Taijuan Walker in that fifth slot with a genuine needle-mover could be what pushes the Phillies over the top.

Dombrowski isn't going to shell out $250 million-plus for Corbin Burnes, but there are some reasonably affordable (or tradable) options out there. Here are a few that stand out.

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3. Phillies should go all-in for Roki Sasaki

The Phillies can't actually go all-in financially for Roki Sasaki, who will sign as an amateur international prospect and thus be limited to around $7 million annually out of the gate. What the Phillies can do, however, is commit resources toward the pitch. This is going to be a competitive race, with pretty much every team making a case to the 23-year-old from Japan.

One has to think the Phillies can stand out from the crowd, though. For one, we've seen Philadelphia develop pitching talent in-house, from current up-and-comer Andrew Painter to established vets, such as Aaron Nola and Ranger Suarez. The Phillies are equipped with one of the best staffs in baseball, in large part due to their ability to grow from within.

It's also a great situation for Sasaki on paper. He might start his career on an innings limit to avoid complicating past elbow issues. Philadelphia has the depth to insulate Sasaki, as well as the offensive firepower necessary to provide run support and win games when he does take the mound. Learning from Zack Wheeler, Nola, and others isn't a bad setup for a rookie either.

Sasaki is good enough to pitch like an ace next season. He's a special, special player. Factor in his affordable contract and long-term upside, however, and he should be a top priority for a Phillies team that is getting older and more expensive by the year.

2. Phillies should hit up their cross-state rivals for a Jared Jones trade

The Pittsburgh Pirates may or may not be thinking straight, but apparently, Jared Jones is up for grabs. That is not to say the Pirates want to or will trade Jones, but the 23-year-old is at least "very available," per Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

That is an utterly baffling report and a real condemnation of Bob Nutting, Ben Cherington, and the folks steering the ship in Pittsburgh. Jones posted a 4.14 ERA and 1.19 WHIP across 22 starts as a rookie. Again, he is 23. There were warts in his performance, of course, but Jones also spent stretches of last season looking like one of the best arms in the National League.

He should be a cornerstone of what the Pirates are building. He's under team control through 2027. But, if the Pirates are for some reason willing to part ways, that should be music to Dombrowski's ears. Fine, he doesn't want to break the bank and drive up the Phillies' luxury tax bill — whatever. Jones comes dirt cheap financially. All it would require is a couple high-level offensive prospects, such as Justin Crawford, or perhaps an established MLB bat, such as Alec Bohm.

The Phillies probably won't have the very best package if Jones bidding gets competitive — which, why wouldn't it? — but it's worth a shot. The Phillies should be willing to cough up quite a lot for a potential rotation cornerstone to develop behind Wheeler and Nola.

1. Phillies should talk to the Padres about the whole Dylan Cease thing

The San Diego Padres took one look at the pitching market and thought, hm, maybe we should listen to Dylan Cease offers. It's pretty clear San Diego won't pay Cease in free agency next winter and there's a ferocious appetite for top-line aces right now. San Diego can absolutely get a haul in return, which can then be repurposed in a different pitching trade, or used to bring in pitching prospects for in-house development.

Cease was electric in his first (and perhaps only) season with the Padres, posting a 3.47 ERA and 1.07 WHIP while racking up 224 strikeouts across 33 starts. At 28 years old, there is plenty of potential longevity there, assuming the team that trades for Cease is comfortable hammering out an extension or bidding high in free agency.

The Phillies, in theory, have the wherewithal to trade for and pay Cease, especially if somebody like Alec Bohm or Nick Castellanos is tossed into a deal. Philadelphia can also build a compelling offer around young pitching talent, with names like Andrew Painter and Mick Abel kicking around the farm system.

Cease, who finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting this past season, is one of the MLB's very best arms when he's right. There have been bumps in the road production-wise, but he now has two top-four Cy Young finishes in four full seasons. Also of note, Cease is extremely durable. He has started at least 32 games and pitched at least 165 innings in four straight years. It's hard to draw up a better Taijuan Walker replacement for the Phillies.