The Philadelphia Phillies had a down year, and in my eyes, understandably so. If you take out the three and four hitter of any Major League baseball team, your offensive productivity is going to significantly drop and you are going to lose baseball games. While I truly thought that they would be able to tread water with the pitching staff the Phillies have assembled, I didn’t factor in Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, and Vance Worley all having stints on the DL. With those three pitching injuries, Howard, and Utley out for half the season, it turned a post season team into a bottom dweller.
Despite all that went this season, the Phils still had a chance at being an above .500 team, but then there were the ongoing issues with the bullpen. Bastardo had issues with command, Stutes never pitched, and when he did, it got ugly. Contreras, coming off an injury, is 100 years old anyway and never made it back. Dontrell Willis (I’ll be honest I was hoping he would make the team, but didn’t though) and the plethora of minor league pitchers they brought up, who showed a little bit of talent at times. Lastly, let’s not forget about Chad Qualls; he was absolutely horrendous. All in all the bullpen that was assembled lost 27 games and posted a 3.94 ERA. That was down significantly considering on July 8th their ERA was 4.91.
The Phillies bullpen in 2011 was on the hook for only 18 losses, that’s a 9 game difference difference between being in the postseason and finishing at .500 this year. Now, the bullpen did pitch much better after the break, which is encouraging, but some pieces need to be added to get this team back to a contender and in the post season.
This is an important offseason for the Phillies, and for GM Ruben Amaro, much like last season was, but for real this time. While bringing in Jonathan Papelbon and Juan Pierre definitely benefitted the team; guys like Dontrell, Ty Wigginton, Lance Nix, and Chad Qualls were definitely more of a plight to the team. I understand Nix will be here again because of his contract, and I’m fine with him just pinch hitting, but the Phils should seriously consider bringing back Juan Pierre as well. Pierre had a great season for the Phillies and still looks like he has something left in the gas tank. The emergence of Darin Ruf has a lot of Phillies fans excited, and while it was only a very small sample against big league pitching, he showed some prospect in being able to play at the pro level. I am excited to see if the kid can provide a little pop to this lineup from the right side of the plate, something it has needed since Jayson Werth left.
They need more help than just a minor league prospect; we have had a few of them the last couple years that I am still waiting to “pan” out i.e. John Mayberry and possibly Dominic Brown (still undecided on him). There are some outfield free agents available that could definitely help this team out. I think the Phils should make a push for B.J. Upton. His batting average have been steadily decreasing since 2007 when it was .320, but he can play centerfield and can steal some bases. He has some power and he is another right handed bat. He would also be cheaper than say a Michael Bourn, who could be asking for $15 million a year to start. Nick Swisher is another name being thrown around and while he can swing the bat from both sides, he is a mediocre right fielder and by acquiring Swisher, you still need someone to play centerfield.
Lastly and let me preference this is the number one move I say the Philies should do, but just may not be financially feasible: Josh Hamilton. I wouldn’t care that he is another left handed bat; Hamilton is a legitimate power hitter and instantly makes an impact to your lineup. He can play centerfield and brings your team at least 40 homeruns and 120 RBI. The problems with Hamilton, is what is he going to cost. Second, you have to worry about him succumbing to his internal demons (drugs and alcohol), and lastly he does get hurt kind of regularly. All that said, he is the biggest free agent on the market, he is a beast, and well worth whatever he wants.
So the outfield has been addressed, now let’s look at the hot corner. The Phillies are in desperate need of a third baseman that can play everyday and provide some ability to hit. The combination of Polanco, Wiggington, and Frandsen cannot happen again in the 2013 season. The Phillies are limited in their options because the free agent market is a little weak. Actual true free agents, there isn’t a single guy the Phils should even approach, but David Wright and Kevin Youkilis both have a chance to opt out and test the market. Wright more than likely won’t, and as much as I would love to see him in a Phillies uniform, it probably won’t happen. Youkilis is another guy I personally love and think he would be an awesome fit in Philadelphia. I also like the versatility that Youkilis brings; he can play third and in a pinch can play first base or leftfield. The only other move is trying to trade for Chase Headley out in San Diego, but that’s not even a sure thing.
Lastly, Ruben needs to address the bullpen. While they had a lot of young arms come out of the pen this year, I’m not sold on most of them. While I think there is definitely some serious potential in the young bullpen, they need a little more development, specifically in command of the zone. There are some solid relievers to be had. The Phillies should make a push at Jonathon Broxton and Ryan Madson. Both are on the market, and with Madson coming off of Tommy John’s surgery, he could fill your eighth inning role for very cheap. I’m also a huge fan of Broxton who could do the seventh or the eighth depending if Madson needed a night off, but either way they are both big right handed arms that can lock down that bridge to Papelbon. One last bullpen piece I would look at would be George Sherrill. He could be a decent left handed situational guy to go along with the Bastardo. These pieces could definitely help the bullpen and allow some of the young arms to still be a part of the pen. Either way, these pieces are needed in order to shore up the bullpen and get to Papelbon.
Most of these moves are feasible and depending on the structure of the deals, keep the Phillies under the luxury tax realm. The only thing I will say about that is, if you need to go into the luxury tax this year, then do it; make one last push with this team. Utley and Halladay both come off the books after next season, so depending on how much you go over the cap this season, you may be fine for the following. No matter what, Ruben Amaro needs to get another outfielder and at least one bullpen piece. I can live without the move for a third baseman because there isn’t much on the market. The Phillies still have the pitching and enough pop left in their lineup to be a contender and make a World Series run, just a few tweaks.
-Brett DeFalco
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