Feb 16, 2025; Clearwater, FL, USA; Philadelphia Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski (left) and manager Rob Thomson (59) (right) watch buppben sessions spring training workouts at BayCare Ballpark. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images
ORLANDO, Fla. — The Phillies reportedly committed $150 million over the next five years to bring back Kyle Schwarber. If they are successful in their quest to retain J.T. Realmuto, there likely won't be a ton of financial flexibility to pursue other big-money free agents this offseason.
However, the Phillies made a strong pursuit of Yoshinobu Yamamoto two offseasons ago before he ultimately decided to accept a 12-year/$325 million contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
The $300+ million that the Phillies seemingly were prepared to give Yamamoto wasn't immediately reinvested in another player (though the Phillies have continued to be among the top spenders in baseball). So as the Phillies try to break into the Japanese market, is there, for lack of a better term, a rainy day fund that could be tapped into if an opportunity to achieve that big-picture goal presents itself this offseason?
"Not necessarily, no," president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said Tuesday. "I think we have to weigh those individuals in for us like we would any players and compare them to the talent that we have and the finances we have."
Dombrowski continued, though.
"When I say that, we have a very accommodating owner in John Middleton and his group," Dombrowski said. "So I can never tell when John Middleton may wake up and say, 'I want to do something.' And when I say that, he works with me. He doesn't force things on it.
"So sometimes he takes extra steps, but you never count on that, and never think i's going to happen. And he's about as accommodating as you can be. You know our payroll is one of the highest in baseball, and it's going to continue to be that way."
The Phillies hoped to meet last winter with Roki Sasaki, but he ultimately declined their invitation and joined Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani on a Dodgers team that ended up repeating as World Series Champions. In addition to having a great team, the Dodgers have a geographic advantage when pursuing players from Japan or South Korea and a track record of having helped stars from Asian countries assimilate dating back to Hideo Nomo.
West Coast teams like the Dodgers, Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres are typically going to be favored for Asian players over the Phillies, who have never had a player from Japan or South Korea debut with them, and aren't in a city with a major Japanese or South South Korea population.
The Phillies, though, have made it an organizational priority in recent years to try to break into the market, with Dombrowski pointing to the "very thorough scouting staff" in Japan that assistant general manager Jorge Velandia oversees.
If Middleton becomes willing to write an additional check, this offseason could present an interesting chance to break that glass ceiling. The Dodgers, after reportedly signing Edwin Díaz, look to be close to a perfect team, meaning they may not be as active on the Japanese stars as they have been in recent offseasons. Maybe that opens up a lane for the Phillies.
Last month, Japanese outlet Nikkan Sports said via translation that the Phillies were "particularly keen" on the 25-year-old Japanese slugger Munetaka Murakami. That seems less likely if the Phillies do indeed re-sign Schwarber, particularly since Murakami might be more of a first baseman or DH in the majors than a third baseman.
Still, two other Japanese stars are currently available through the posting system.
The first is righty Tatsuya Imai, who went 10-5 with a 1.92 ERA over 163 2/3 innings pitched last year for the Seibu Lions. The 5-foot-11 Imai is only listed at 154 pounds, but the 27-year-old posted a 3.15 ERA across eight seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, Japan's top league.
Rob Thomson was asked about Imai during his meeting with the media Tuesday afternoon, but kept his response fairly boilerplate.
"I just know that all the guys that are being posted from Japan are really good players," Thomson said. "Imai is really a really good pitcher. I think he would be good in almost any rotation in baseball."
Imai has until 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 2 to reach a deal with an MLB team after being posted by the Lions. Over on Bleacher Report, I ranked Imai as the No. 11 free agent entering the offseason, and projected he would land a five-year/$80 million deal with a player opt out available after the third season of the pact.
The Phillies made the front page of a Japanese newspaper. https://t.co/iwqajPa5it pic.twitter.com/r0BbJCHDXQ
Elsewhere, 29-year-old corner infielder Kazuma Okamoto, a right-handed hitter, was posted by the Yomiuri Giants on Nov. 20, meaning he has until 5 p.m. ET on Jan. 4, 2026 to reach a deal with an MLB club. His fit with the Phillies would likely be dependent upon whether they believe Okamoto could be an everyday third baseman, and also if the Phillies could find a suitable trade for Alec Bohm, a player that Dombrowski predicted Monday would be healthier and more productive in 2026. Across 11 seasons in NPB, Okamoto has hit .277 with 248 home runs and an .822 OPS.
Dombrowski declined to say Monday whether or not the Phillies plan to meet with any of the trio of Japanese stars, but did say Tuesday — without getting into anyone specifically — that the Phillies are well aware of the players coming over and did discuss some of Japan's top talents during their organizational meetings at the outset of the offseason.
"I mean, there's some good players," Dombrowski said. "We have interest to some extent on them. I'm not going to say much more than that because I don't want to tip them, but there's some good players coming over. There's no question about it."
