How This Delay Could Hurt the Phillies
This marks one of the saddest weeks of the 2020 season or the road to the 2020 season.
This was the week we were supposed to have Opening Day. But that’s been derailed since Major League Baseball suspended all operations on March 12th due to the coronavirus.
Right now, the target is mid-May, but that seems incredibly optimistic. And as this situation worsens, it’s looking like any baseball before July would be a miracle.
Naturally, Philadelphians turn their attention to the Phillies and how this impacts them. Last week, I looked at how this break actually benefits the team.
While there are certainly more positives than negatives to the Phils, this break does bring some concerns.
What it Means for the Players to Return
First, how much ramp-up time will the players need to get ready whenever the season can resume? There’s no doubt baseball will need a second Spring Training. But how long will it be? A month? Six weeks? Will it be as effective as of Spring Training? So far there’s been no answer.
A long ramp-up period will delay Opening Day even further, and possibly lose games off the regular season. Too short a period and the players’ risk of injury greatly increases. It would be pretty terrible to miss months of the season, only to have key guys go down when the season does startup.
Quality of Play
Then there’s the issue of quality of play. It’s bound to be poor when things startup. And while that’s certainly a problem every club is going to face, it’s a much bigger concern for the Phillies. The National League East looks like it’s going to be the toughest, most competitive division in baseball this year. Who knows how many games are going to be played this season.
That means every game is going to count, more than they ever have in previous seasons. The margin for error is almost non-existent, and the Phillies can’t afford to come out of the gate slowly. It just might cost them a chance at making the playoffs.
Construction of Roster
An interesting wrinkle is how this delay impacts the construct of their roster. A few players, like Francisco Liriano and Neil Walker, had opt-outs options last week if they weren’t added to the 40-man roster. The front office can’t do that with operations suspended.
Will that date get pushed back with Opening Day, or will the Phillies need to make some quick decisions once normal activities resume? So far there’s been no answer from Commissioner Rob Manfred.
J.T. Realmuto
But the biggest way this suspension hurts the Phillies is in their contract negotiations with catcher J.T. Realmuto. With operations suspended, so too have their extension talks with Realmuto. That hasn’t stopped the news trickling out for what he’s looking to get though.
Bigger than Joe Mauer’s contract with an AAV of $23 million. Bigger than Buster Posey’s eight-year, $159 million contracts, according to Jon Heyman.
The Phillies have to do whatever it takes to keep Realmuto. He is the best catcher in baseball, after all. But the expectation was to have this done before Opening Day.
If there are only a few weeks to get ready once the season resumes, will the focus be on getting ready for the season, or will Realmuto and his agents keep the lines of communication open?
If they can’t get it ironed out before the regular season, will they be able to do it this summer, or will Realmuto want to test the open market?
With all they gave up to get him, the Phillies can’t afford to let Realmuto walk. If this suspension causes that to happen, it would be the worst possible outcome out of the worst possible scenario.
Featured Image: @Saint_Abner
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