Phillies to Make Big Roster Moves Before Setting 40-man Roster
Phillies general manager, Matt Klentak and his aides have been meeting with executives and player agents from outside of the organization, evaluating young talent that is already in the system, as they search for upgrades.
However, time is of the essence, as they try to determine who should be shielded from next month’s Rule 5 draft.
In just six days, on Nov. 18, the deadline for all teams to set their 40-man rosters will arrive. This deadline prevents players on the 40-man roster from being selected by other clubs in the Rule 5 draft.
The Phillies currently have eight open spots on their 40-man roster, which proved to be more than enough room in the past to add prospects worth protecting.
However, the Phillies’ farm system has greatly improved in the last 18 months, and the team likely has more than eight prospects that are worthy of being added to the 40-man roster, leaving the Phillies with many tough decisions to be made before next Friday.
Last month, at the end of the regular season, Klentak trimmed the 40-man roster. On Tuesday, at the GM meetings, he admitted that he will most likely be forced to make more cuts, to ensure the protection of as many players as he can, before the Rule 5 draft.
“We’re at 32 right now and we’ll probably [need] more [spots] than the eight we have open right now,” he said.
Klentak said he has a good idea as to which players he wants to protect, but will wait until the last available moment to make his final decisions, in the event the team adds a player in the coming days.
“I have a pretty good idea of what we would do if we had to make the decision today,” Klentak said. “But if we make a trade or sign a free agent and that creates depth or lack of depth in a certain area, that could change things for certain [prospects] who are on the bubble. I’m not projecting that we’re going to make a ton of transactions between now and the 18th, but I’m going to wait until the 18th so I know exactly what we’re operating with before I have to make those decisions.”
The Phillies have a handful of players worth talking about protecting. Pitchers, Ben Lively, Mark Appel and Nick Pivetta, outfielders, Dylan Cozens and Nick Williams, as well as catcher, Andrew Knapp appear to be slam dunks. Pitchers, Ricardo Pinto, Elniery Garcia, Hoby Milner, Miguel Nunez and Alberto Tirado are all worthy of serious consideration, as are second baseman, Jesmuel Valentin and outfielders, Andrew Pullin and Carlos Tocci. These are just a few of the many players worth being talked about.
“It’s a pretty positive sign for the organization,” Klentak said. “Not only do we have players that are worthy of being protected, but they are pretty close to reaching the big leagues.”
In addition, having so many young players on the 40-man roster could impact the Phillies’ ability to select the contract of a veteran who was signed as Triple A depth, especially when a need arises in the majors, during the regular season.
“There will come a point in the very near future where our first line of defense, our depth at the Triple A level, is going to be young prospects,” Klentak said. “That actually poses some challenges, in some respects. You might be in a position where you have to promote a young player to the big leagues sooner than you’d like just because of roster limitations.
“But it’s also pretty exciting. Phillies fans are going to start to see more young players being called up in 2017.”
A compact 40-man roster could very well impact the Phillies in adding a player in next month’s Rule 5 draft. Not only would they need an available roster spot to make a pick that day, they would also need to carry that player all season to keep him in the system. In 2016, the Phillies were able to do that with reserve outfielder, Tyler Goeddel. However, doing this with a similar player in 2017 may be more difficult.
“The Phillies have a strong history in the Rule 5 draft and I am keenly aware of that,” Klentak said. “We’ve done a good job with that over the years. But there’s only 40 roster spots and they’re precious. It’s hard to carry a Rule 5 player for six months without being able to option that player (to the minors.)
“These are decisions that we talk about frequently. We are prepared to react when we need to react. If we don’t take a Rule 5 player this year, it doesn’t mean we won’t take one the following year. We may take two the following year.”
Over the years, in the Rule 5 draft, the Phillies have landed players such as Dave Hollins, Shane Victorino, as well as Odubel Herrera. Whether or not the Phillies add another big-name veteran, and a player who will go down in Phillies history remains to be seen.
Keep an eye out for big roster moves between now and next Friday.
Photo: Arturo Pardavila (via: Flickr)
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Categorized:Phillies