Stay or go? | Sports Daily Newsletter

The sting from Saturday night’s loss in Game 6 of the World Series has hardly abated, but the Phillies are making moves.

The team picked up Aaron Nola’s option and declined Jean Segura’s, making him a free agent. These likely are the first of several transactions the Phillies will make this offseason as they build a roster that will try to become the second team to win consecutive NL pennants since 2010.

Here’s where you come in. Click through interactive cards for each player from 2022 and determine whether they should return for 2023. Can’t decide? Click on the question mark below each card for our expert take.

— Maria McIlwain, Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.

❓ What is the Phillies’ greatest area of need and how would you like to see it filled? Email us back for a chance to be featured in the newsletter.

Does it mean what it looks like it means?

That’s the big question the Phillies left us to wrestle with on Monday when they exercised the opt-out in Jean Segura’s contract. Barely 48 hours removed from their season-ending loss in Game 6 of the World Series, Dave Dombrowski and John Middleton made the one move they needed to make in order to make a play for one of the four elite shortstops available on this year’s free-agent market. Trea Turner. Xander Bogaerts. Dansby Swanson. Carlos Correa. The names are tantalizing. The need is glaring. But is that really what the Phillies are planning?

A Philly native and former Villanova star, Mikal Bridges has few ties to Philly sports nowadays. He shed his love for the Sixers after they traded him to the Phoenix Suns. He aligned himself with the Los Angeles Rams because of his love for the St. Louis Rams, Kurt Warner, and the “Greatest Show on Turf.”

But Bridges hasn’t let go of his Phillies, whom he holds dear because of frequent trips to Citizens Bank Park with his grandfather. So when the Phillies made a surprise World Series run, he was all in. The Suns star spoke to The Inquirer’s Gina Mizell about his experience following the team, shedding light on his decision to wear Phillies jerseys to press conferences and share his visceral reactions in live-tweet sessions.

Next: The Sixers take the court at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the first game of a home-and-home series against the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena (NBCSP+).

It’s good to be 8-0, and while DeVonta Smith isn’t necessarily the first receiving option in this year’s offense, he’s having a lot of fun seeing the football spread around. A.J. Brown and Dallas Goedert have been among the leading receivers in recent weeks, and Smith’s receiving stats have been down of late. But as he told Eagles beat writer Josh Tolentino on Tuesday, “I’m always happy for the other guys, I’m always happy to see somebody else get theirs. That’s what makes it fun, when everybody has a chance to have their fun, everybody has their chance to have their big game.” Check out more of Tolentino’s conversation with Smith.

Being 8-0 also means you’re everything that is not the Commanders and Colts — the Eagles’ two upcoming opponents who are experiencing turmoil that’s all to do with embarrassing ownership.

In March, the Flyers committed $25.5 million over the next five seasons to bruising defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.

At the time, the move was met with raised eyebrows, both because of Ristolainen’s uneven play during his first season with the Flyers and the long-term direction of the organization. Eight months later, those eyebrows raised even higher after Ristolainen was a healthy scratch on Saturday.

Do the Flyers have a major issue on their hands? Coach John Tortorella said he’s not “chucking Risto away yet,” but Ristolainen’s play so far is somewhat troubling.

Ristolainen did take a step in the right direction Tuesday night as he went plus-two as the Flyers won their second straight game, 5-1, with a commanding display against the St. Louis Blues.

Next: John Tortorella makes his return to Columbus, Ohio, on Thursday as the Flyers visit the Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. (NBCSP).

The good news is that more than 1 in 4 television sets in the greater Philadelphia area were tuned to the end of the MLS Cup championship.

Those thousands likely got to see and enjoy sights like the one above, when the Union scored during the wild 3-3 game.

The bad news, of course, was the gut-punch penalty-kick loss that followed. If nothing else, though, the glum faces around town the next day made for commiserating conversations between soccer and baseball fans alike.

Which 76ers coach has won the most games all-time?

Answer: A: Billy Cunningham won 454 games as Sixers coach. Neil G. was first with the correct answer.

We asked you: Will the Joel Embiid-James Harden combination be a success? Among your responses:

I didn’t like what I saw of James Harden in the games he did play. He often took up much of the 24 allotted seconds of a possession dribbling East and West while the baskets are North and South. It appeared that his mind told him he could do something, but his 33-year-old body refused to do it. I believe that the Harden-Simmons trade will end up being fool’s gold for both teams. — Milton T.

All the Sixers’ forced pairs have not worked .They need to have Maxey play. — Anna T.

I hated this acquisition from the beginning. Harden’s one-on-one style does not improve championship aspirations. I don’t care that he is “in shape” and accepted less money. At his age he can no longer get by elite defenders and referees are not as accommodating to his foul hunting. I do not know what the answer is. We are suffering from a series of missed opportunities that continues to haunt this franchise. Markelle Fultz over Jason Tatum, Zhaire Smith for Mikal Bridges, Ben Simmons over Jimmy Butler. — Daniel W.

James Harden and Joel will not get them a championship. — John E.

We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Scott Lauber, David Murphy, Gina Mizell, Josh Tolentino, Mike Sielski, Giana Han, Olivia Reiner, Jonathan Tannenwald, Mike Jensen, and Matt Ryan.