Winter meetings takeaways: Dave Dombrowski reluctant to sacrifice Phillies’ future, even for Garrett Crochet

DALLAS — After trying in July to trade for hard-throwing lefty Garrett Crochet, the Phillies rekindled talks with the White Sox last month. But Chicago didn’t back away from asking for Andrew Painter.

So, Dave Dombrowski stood down.

Imagine that. Here was Dombrowski, the future Hall of Fame executive who blew into town a few years ago with a reputation (fair or not) for trading any prospect who isn’t nailed down, suddenly protecting his prized 21-year-old right-hander like SimpliSafe Home Security.

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“Andrew Painter’s pretty good,” Dombrowski said Wednesday as the winter meetings closed with Crochet getting dealt to the Red Sox for four prospects, including two of Baseball America’s top 100. “We could get a lot of players for Andrew Painter. But I think I’ll wait it out the next few months to get him with us.”

It isn’t only Painter, though. Never mind that the Phillies’ payroll is encroaching on $290 million. Or that they fell short of returning to the World Series in back-to-back Octobers. Or that J.T. Realmuto and Kyle Schwarber will be free agents after next season — and Bryce Harper, Trea Turner, Zack Wheeler, and Aaron Nola are all on the other side of 30.

Dealer Dave was reluctant to sacrifice much of the future, not even for Crochet, a 25-year-old lefty with a projected $3 million salary in 2025 and two years of team control.

“Not sure it was the right time for us to do that right now,” Dombrowski said. “We’ve 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 we think having some really good young players.

“There are people that talk about — and this is where I disagree with people — they say, ‘The Phillies are in a position where maybe their time is [near] the end of it.’ I don’t agree with it. I always say it might be the time for this present roster because some guys are free agents and might not stay together. But we have some really good young players coming that we like.

“All of a sudden, we’ve got Painter and [infielder Aidan] Miller and [center fielder Justin] Crawford. [Shortstop Starlyn] Caba, [catcher Eduardo] Tait’s in there. But we have a lot of other players that are coming. I’m sort of anxious to get those guys in here. Not that you wouldn’t make the right trade. We’d give up anybody for the right player, but at this point, I don’t know that the timing was right for us to give up that type of quality and quantity.”

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And so, the Phillies left the three-day meetings at the Hilton Anatole having only signed late-inning reliever Jordan Romano to a one-year, $8.5 million contract. They’re still looking for a potential outfield upgrade and back-end starting rotation depth.

Dombrowski said Tuesday that they talked about “probably 20 different things, from small things to big things.” He said Wednesday they had a few conversations with teams that were “quite heavy” before taking a step back.

“I don’t want to force it,” said Dombrowski, who continues to signal that he’s “open-minded” to changing a roster that has remained largely static over the last two years. “I don’t think that’s smart. Because we have too good a team with too many good players, and I believe our players feel that way, too.”

A few other winter meetings takeaways:

Stop us if you’ve heard this before: The Phillies are discussing whether to go into the season with Brandon Marsh in left field and Johan Rojas in center or find an outfield upgrade.

It’s the same conversation they had a year ago.

“I think it’s very similar to the way it was last year,” manager Rob Thomson said. “I really do.”

But the Phillies ranked 15th and 20th in OPS from left field and center field, respectively. They’re trying to change the mix of the lineup, and the outfield is an obvious place to look.

» READ MORE: Where have all the great center fielders gone? ‘Obvious’ position to fill Phillies’ needs lacks obvious solutions.

One potential solution: Kyle Tucker. The Phillies and Astros have discussed trade scenarios for Tucker, major-league sources confirmed. Tucker, 27, has an .888 OPS over the last four seasons. But he’s eligible for free agency a year from now and appears intent on testing the market.

Dombrowski said an addition is more likely to come in left field than center.

“The center-field market is not a robust market at this point,” he said. “I don’t think there’s a lot of alternatives.”

At present, the rotation consists of Wheeler, Nola, Cristopher Sánchez, Ranger Suárez, and ...

“It is wide open,” Dombrowski said.

Painter is expected to finally make his major-league debut in 2025 after missing two seasons with a torn elbow ligament that necessitated Tommy John surgery. But because his innings will be capped, he won’t likely join the rotation until midseason.

» READ MORE: Andrew Painter is healthy and pitching again. Here’s how the Phillies are planning for his return in 2025.

Dombrowski listed fifth-starter candidates who likely will compete in spring training: Tyler Phillips, Mick Abel, Seth Johnson, Jean Cabrera, Moisés Chase, Alan Rangel, and Kyle Tyler.

“Hopefully one of ‘em’s good to start the season,” Dombrowski said.

Or maybe the Phillies will turn back to Taijuan Walker. They do owe him $18 million in each of the next two seasons. The 32-year-old righty is all but untradable, so the Phillies put him on a multiphase offseason conditioning and throwing regimen at his Arizona home.

“I’m hoping that the program that Taijuan is on works, and he gains that velocity, he gains the extra stuff that he needs to miss bats and get soft contact,” Thomson said. “I know the program is a good program and it’s worked in the past. Hopefully it happens.”

Cole Hamels lives in the Dallas area, so it was unsurprising to run into him at the meetings. But he spent time in the Phillies’ suite Monday, fueling speculation that he may be taking a job with the team.

Indeed, Hamels is expected to be a guest instructor in spring training.

“It’s just learning how to communicate with the younger generation,” Hamels said after his retirement ceremony in June. “I admire Jamie Moyer for what he did for me, because he was in his 40s and I was 22, 23, and he was able to communicate with me. Now I’m in his position.”

Nothing is official, but Hamels also might work as a part-time analyst on NBC Sports Philadelphia telecasts.

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