Phillies Cut Matt Harrison, Open Spot on 40 Man Roster
The Phillies need to acquire a bullpen piece. Check. The Phillies need a corner outfielder to make up for the horrific left field play in 2016. Check. We don’t want Ryan Howard to go, but his absence would be best for the team. Check. Matt Klentak may be able to check off another part of his offseason to-do list.
Matt Harrison, a 2012 all-star who the Phillies acquired in the Cole Hamels trade, was officially released by the team on Monday. He never threw a pitch for the organization. After having spinal fusion surgery in 2014, Harrison has been a shell of his former self in the big leagues. He struggled to stay healthy in 2015, did not pitch in 2016, and his future in baseball is looking bleak to say the least. But, why is the release of an injury-plagued pitcher significant news for the Phils? Well, Harrison was due to make $13 million in 2017, but the team knew that he was a salary dump in the Hamels deal.
As Friday’s deadline to set 40 man rosters approaches, the front office had to make a decision. Would they hold onto the highest paid player on the roster? Or would they cut their $13 million losses and give the spot to a prospect that they did not want to lost in the Rule 5 draft? Obviously the organization believes that they have enough solid, high-ceiling minor leaguers who will make contributions in the major leagues at some point in their careers. The Phillies also have one of the lowest payrolls in baseball, which gives them the flexibility to essentially “throw away” so much money.
High-profile farm players not on the 40 man roster in 2016 such as JP Crawford, Nick Williams, and Dylan Cozens (3 of the team’s top-6 prospects) will be protected by the team. However, there are many players who are on the bubble for protection, and the Phils are doing all that they can to limit the amount of “bubble” players, such as Andrew Knapp and Jose Pujols, as much as possible. The trade for Howie Kendrick not only brought a veteran corner outfielder on a team-friendly one year contract, but the deal also brought an extra roster spot. Darnell Sweeney and Darin Ruf were both on the 40 man roster and were replaced only by Kendrick.
The Rule 5 draft has been a massive success for the Phillies in recent memory. Players such as Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth, and Odubel Herrera were acquired by the team in the draft. Matt Klentak is trying his absolute hardest to stay on the positive end of the draft; it would be detrimental to the team to lose a future all-star, and all three of the aforementioned players were named to at least one all star game as a Phillie.
Within the next 48 hours, keep an eye out for some roster moves by Klentak, as he attempts to hold onto the depth of his farm system and avoid the loss of a future star.
Photo by Keith Allison (via Flickr)
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Categorized:Phillies