Cody Bellinger rumors: Ranking 5 suitors as offseason slows to a crawl

4) It feels unlikely that the Phillies will splurge on another massive contract

The Philadelphia Phillies made one of the biggest moves of the offseason early on by re-signing Aaron Nola, but have done nothing of note since. They've watched Rhys Hoskins and Craig Kimbrel sign elsewhere, and have done nothing to improve their roster that just lost to the 84-win Diamondbacks in upset fashion in the NLCS.

Expecting the Phillies to be in on a guy like Bellinger especially after they gave Aaron Nola a massive nine-figure deal would probably be too much to ask for, yet Bob Nightengale of USA Today recently connected the two sides together, saying that "several executives think the Philadelphia Phillies could be a sleeper for one of the remaining marquee free agents in starter Jordan Montgomery or center fielder Cody Bellinger."

If the Phillies were to sign a position player, an outfielder would make sense. They're set with Nick Castellanos in right field, but center fielder Johan Rojas really struggled in the postseason offensively and left fielder Brandon Marsh just underwent arthroscopic knee surgery. Marsh is expected to be ready by Opening Day, but things can change.

Adding Bellinger to play center field and push the defensive-minded Rojas to a fourth outfielder role would make the Phillies just that much scarier. Can you imagine Bellinger in this Phillies lineup? As fun as that is to picture, it just feels unlikely.

The Phillies are paying eight different players $18 million or more in 2024 and have a Zack Wheeler extension to take care of. Adding another monster contract to the mix would be fun, and the fit makes sense, but it's just hard to see happening.