Who Should be on the Phillies’ Offseason Wish List?
Okay, guys. It’s past Halloween. It’s now Christmas time! Who has to wait for after Thanksgiving, right?
Okay fine, maybe not. When the World Series wraps up, though, it is Christmas time around baseball. Some of us like to call it Hot Stove Season. Teams start to make their wish lists and hope that Santa brings them what they want for Christmas in the form of premier free agents and blockbuster trades. For the rebuilding Phillies, the positions on their wish list could easily be filled with home grown talent. At the same time, there is no guarantee that these young players will come through or be ready to take on these roles by Opening Day 2017, so it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go ahead and spend some of the money that Matt Klentak and company have kept a hold of for a few years now. After all, the Phillies aren’t far removed from being in at least the top 4 in Opening Day payroll every year from 2010-2014. The Phils entered 2016 with the 9th highest payroll in the league, but with the likes of Ryan Howard and Carlos Ruiz off the books and Jeremy Hellickson in qualifying offer limbo, the Phillies could be left with a whole lot of money to blow. Therefore, it might be time to spend that money on some big name free agents. The Phillies should have a wish list of certain positions that they could fill with some of these free agents, and it might look a little something like this:
- Closer/Set-Up Man
- Left-Handed Reliever(s)
- Right-Handed Long Reliever
- Outfield Depth
- Power Bat
As you can see, this list is very bullpen heavy. We all saw the implosion of the Phillies’ bullpen in September. Jeanmar Gomez proved that although capable of being a very good arm in the bullpen, his long-term success isn’t in the closer role. Hector Neris is a big factor in terms of a need for a closer or a set-up guy. It all depends on what role Pete Mackanin and his staff feel would be best for him going into 2017. If they decide he can be the closer of the future, the Phils can look to sign a guy who can lock down the 8th. If they feel he is better suited for the role that he excelled in most of the 2016 season as a set-up man, they can grab a guy who has some 9th inning experience and give that newcomer the closer role.
A left-handed reliever who can consistently come in and shut down left-handed hitters would be a nice addition to this bullpen as well. The combination of Brett Oberholtzer, Adam Morgan, Elvis Araujo, and other unproven lefties who saw a half second on the mound out of the Phils’ bullpen in 2016 just won’t cut it for a team on the rise. It’s time to grab somebody who can be called upon late in the game and fool the big lefties that have killed the Phillies’ bullpen in years past.
An innings eater wouldn’t be a bad investment, either. The Phils have a proven innings eater in the starting rotation in Jerad Eickhoff, and if they Jeremy Hellickson finds himself back in the rotation as well, those are two guys who can be inning eaters of their own. Neither of them is perfect though, so they will need some relief every once in a while. With the rest of the rotation consisting of young arms that will be closely monitored and likely limited in terms of innings pitched through a whole 162 game season, this team needs some relievers who can be called upon in the 4th, 5th, and 6th innings to eat some innings and make sure the rest of the bullpen and the young guys in the rotation stay fresh. The Phillies had trouble finding someone who could do this in 2016, sending out guys like Andrew Bailey and Colton Murray in the earlier innings of the game that just couldn’t keep their team in it. It’s time to find a guy or two that can get the Phils through those tough innings when the starters just don’t have it, or if someone such as a recovering Aaron Nola or Vince Velazquez is given an innings limit, forcing Pete to throw in a guy who can bridge the gap to the late game arms.
Outfield depth was also an obvious weakness for the 2016 Phillies. It wasn’t surprising, though, as the Phillies went into the seaosn with a starting outfield consisting of Tyler Goeddel, Odubel Herrera, and Petet Bourjos. Sure, Aaron Altherr’s injury didn’t help, and there were some guys down on the farm like Roman Quinn and Nick Williams who just needed a little more work. With that said, if the Phillies want success right out of the gate in 2017, they will sure up that outfield sooner than later. In fact, why not do it with a guy who can smash some balls into the seats at CBP, while also holding down one of those corner outfield spots? The Phillies can find a guy to fill both voids with some of the power hitting outfielders on the free agent market.
So with that, let’s dive into some names that can be the reason Matt Klentak smiles when he reaches his hand into that Christmas stocking and pulls out one of these impact players this December. In no particular order, here are some realistic solutions to these problems:
Ian Desmond OF- Ian Desmond was once a young, up-and-coming shortstop that the Phillies saw a lot of during his time with the Washington Nationals. Always a smooth hitter, he wasn’t always so smooth with the glove. When the Texas Rangers allowed him to move into the outfield in 2016, his potential took off. Desmond registered career highs in almost every offensive category, and he proved that he was more than capable of playing any outfield position. He will be looking for the long term deal that eluded him going into last offseason due to his bad season prior, but now this guy is primed to be a cornerstone for some lucky team, so why not the Phillies? He would be a great fit as a guy who can bat anywhere from 2 to 5 in the order and play solid defense next to Odubel Herrera on either side of the outfield.
Colby Rasmus/Josh Reddick OF- I put these two players together because they are very similar. Their only big difference between them would be their defense. Rasmus is a solid outfielder, but Reddick has become one of the elite defenders in right field over the last few seasons. Their bats, though, are eerily similar. Both are pretty dreadful against lefties, but both excel against righties. Pairing one of these guys with someone like Aaron Altherr as a possible platoon of some sort would work wonders for the Phillies. I’d personally lean more towards Rasmus, as he would likely be more of a bargain coming off of a not so stellar year statistically.
Sean Rodriguez UTIL- This is just a personal man crush for me here. I absolutely LOVE the utility man in baseball. I think there isn’t much more value as a player than being able to play multiple positions and being just as strong at one of those as the other. Sean Rodriguez has turned into one of the most intriguing utility men in baseball. His 18 HR’s and 56 RBI with the Pirates were a career best for him, and he saw time at every single position except for catcher and pitcher. The Pirates had a first baseman dilemma the whole season, leading to S-Rod seeing plenty of time at first base, but being that he was a good defender at 7 different positions while bashing 18 home runs, this guy did it all for Pittsburgh in 2016. I feel like it wouldn’t hurt any team to have this guy around. He could spell any starter at any position. If the Phillies chose to spend more money elsewhere and just brought in Rodriguez to split time with maybe Cody Asche or Roman Quinn in LF, while playing wherever else Pete Mackanin told him to play, I wouldn’t be mad one bit.
Greg Holland RHP- Who? That Greg Holland? Yes, that Greg Holland. He’s the guy that helped lead the champion-to-be Royals to the postseason in 2015, only to be supplanted in the closer’s role by Wade Davis come playoff time. That led to Holland leaving the Royals and not finding a job in 2016. Holland is back and looking for a job in someone’s bullpen, and he would be a much cheaper alternative to your Chapmans, Jensens, and Melancons of the world in terms of free agent closers on the market. Why not have the Phillies take a flyer on him to see if he can solidify their 8th or 9th inning and form a nice 1-2 punch with Hector Neris?
Boone Logan/ Mike Dunn/Brett Cecil LHP- Andrew Miller isn’t available. Sorry, guys. As a consolation prize for the rest of the league, guys such as Boone Logan, Mike Dunn, and Brett Cecil are out on the open market. Each of these guys are known for being able to come into a game and shut down the big lefties of the league when called upon. Facing the likes of Bryce Harper, Daniel Murphy, Freddie Freeman, Jay Bruce, Lucas Duda, and more in the lefty-heavy NL East would be a lot easier with someone like Logan, Dunn, or Cecil coming in to stop that rally against these big name bashers. If I had to pick one, I would go with Logan, due to his success in both leagues throughout his career.
Travis Wood LHP- I separated Travis Wood from the aforementioned left-handed pitchers for a reason. As Wood proved for the World Champion Cubs, he is a guy who can come in late in a game and shut down lefties as good as anyone. He also proved throughout his career that he is one of the most versatile pitchers in the game. He can start, he can come into the game in the 4th and take you into the 6th or 7th, and heck, he can even pinch hit for you. This guy would be a solid piece for any bullpen, and with the Phillies in need of guys who can eat innings and/or shut you down late in the game, the Phillies could give Wood any role they choose, and he would likely flourish either way.
Daniel Hudson RHP- This would be a guy who would fit perfectly into my right-handed long reliever role. Hudson has had an interesting career, once being a highly touted prospect out of the White Sox organization, but now he sits as a guy who would be lucky to make a club out of Spring Training. Hudson has seen time as a starter in his career, but more recently has been coming out of the bullpen for the D-Backs over the last two seasons. He enjoyed a much better 2015 than 2016, posting a 3.86 ERA in 67.2 innings in 2015, compared to his not-so-appealing 5.22 ERA in 60.1 innings in 2016. This guy would be a low risk high reward signing for the Phillies, which seems to be right up Matt Klentak’s alley judging by last offseason.
Jhoulys Chacin RHP- Coming off an injury-plagued 2015 with the Diamondbacks after 5 years in Colorado, Jhoulys Chacin started 2016 with the Atlanta Braves as a low risk high reward guy for their rebuilding process. Chacin found himself being traded to the Angels in the beginning of May, and from there he was in and out of the Angels rotation, spending some time in the bullpen for them as well. He ended up pitching in 29 games for them, 17 being starts, and posting a 5-6 record with a 4.68 ERA in 117.1 innings. Doesn’t look like much on paper, but again, this guy ate innings. In his 12 relief appearances, he threw 4 innings five different times, with the Angels winning 2 of those games. Innings, innings, innings. That’s what the Phillies need out of their bullpen and/or their rotation, and this guy could fill either role.
So, there you have it. I hope Matt Klentak wakes up Christmas morning with some of these guys under the tree, and some of them stuffed in his stocking. Enough sitting around playing with the money we could be spending. Let’s take advantage of this big market and this big fan base and bring in some players that can help the Phils get back on top. Happy spending!
Photo: UCinternational (via: Wikimedia Commons)
Discover more from Philadelphia Sports Nation
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Categorized:Phillies