Overview
- Coming off a .334/.411/.452 Triple-A line with 46 steals, Justin Crawford is the favorite in center field after Dave Dombrowski vowed to give him a real opportunity, a plan that would shift Brandon Marsh to left.
- Zack Wheeler will not be ready to start the season, placing Andrew Painter in the mix for the fifth starter role despite a 5.40 ERA at Triple-A last year.
- Reporting indicates Philadelphia has monitored free-agent starters, so a late addition could still push Painter back to Triple-A.
- Both Crawford and Painter qualify for MLB’s Prospect Promotion Incentive, offering potential draft-pick rewards if they spend a full service year on the roster and reach awards consideration.
- A roster-tracking report lists Adolis García, Brad Keller, Jonathan Bowlan, Zach Pop and Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley as additions, while an opinion piece names Pop, Johan Rojas, Garrett Stubbs and Alec Bohm as trade candidates.