Dave Dombrowski’s Garrett Crochet comments dump cold water on Kyle Tucker dream

Most Philadelphia Phillies fans began the offseason with some level of optimism. The playoffs did not go to plan, but Dave Dombrowski and John Middleton have a long track record of tackling free agency with fervor.

Several big names were connected to Philadelphia in the rumor mill. Alex Bregman, Garrett Crochet, even Juan Soto. Folks were excited about the possibilities.

Flash forward to the third day of Winter Meetings, however, and the Phillies have already whiffed on Soto and Crochet. The latter especially hurts. Replacing Taijuan Walker is a top priority this winter and Crochet has been connected to Philly since the trade deadline. He's an ideal fit on paper — a 25-year-old southpaw ace who can anchor the rotation for another decade, if all breaks right.

Instead, Crochet heads a few states over to the Boston Red Sox. Meanwhile, the Braves are healthier and the Mets just added Soto, so the NL East is rapidly closing the gap. If anything, the Phillies are fighting uphill right now. Factor in the ever-present Dodgers, and the path to World Series glory hasn'y been this murky in ages.

Philadelphia fans were extended a lifeline — a light at the end of the tunnel — when Kyle Tucker's name started popping up in trade rumors.

The Houston Astros superstar is the dream Juan Soto alternative, especially for a Phillies team in need of outfield pop. Moreover, the Astros are said to want MLB-ready corner infielders or young pitchers. Alec Bohm and Ranger Suarez, you are Houstonians. That is the attitude of most fans, at least.

Unfortunately, Dave Dombrowski and the front office appear a bit more reluctant to sell the farm.

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Dave Dombrowski's explanation for Phillies' Garrett Crochet whiff extends to Kyle Tucker

Dombrowski was asked about the Phillies' Garrett Crochet pursuit at Winter Meetings. He was frank with reporters, noting the significant haul Chicago received in exchange for its All-Star ace. The Red Sox gave up a top prospect. Chicago reportedly wanted Andrew Painter, Philadelphia's No. 1 pitching prospect, which Dombrowski was unwilling to oblige.

"To give up that type of talent [was too much]," Dombrowski said (h/t NBC Sports). "We really rode out the development of our farm system over the last few years and we're just getting to the point of having the impact of those guys. It's not quite here but we're on the verge of having some really good young, homegrown players. And there's two years of service. You could sign the player long-term but there's only two years. I've done that before so I'm not knocking it, I just don't think it's the right time for us to do that."

Dombrowski was sure to note the solid four-man gauntlet of Zack Wheeler, Aaron Nola, Cristopher Sanchez, and Ranger Suarez in the starting rotation, while also expressing confidence in Painter's ability to graduate to the MLB sooner than later. The Phillies would, essentially, prefer to build sustainably through the farm system, rather than gambling the future on a pitcher with only two years of team control.

So, we can probably cross Kyle Tucker off the Phillies' wishlist. He is a different caliber of star, of course, but Tucker has just one year of team control. He's a free agent after the 2025 season. Factor in the exploding marketplace, and the idea that Tucker might get $400 or $500 million on his next deal, and it's hard to imagine this version of the Phillies front office — this prospect-hugging, overly cautious iteration of Dombrowski — coughing up the prospect package necessary to pry Tucker out of Houston.