CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury looks at some issues facing the Philadelphia Phillies.
Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com provides a glutton of information pertaining to the Philadelphia Philles. He approaches several topics…
1. Atop Salisbury’s list is that of the climbing age of the Phillies roster. Look around their infield. Four of the five positions are occupied by players age 34 or older. The recently signed Marlon Byrd is 36, Cliff Lee is 35 and Mike Adams, who is recovering from shoulder surgery, is 34. Erik Kratz is 34 as well. Jonathan Papelbon is 33. That’s nine players at age 33 or older.
2. Another hot button topic concerns Ryan Howard and what options have been voiced: buyout, trade or platoon. Salisbury digs deep into this subject, addresses all three, and states his opinion that none of these options are viable. And I tend to agree with that. Sure, Howard appears on some levels to perhaps be “washed up”. That alone diminishes any trade value he may hold. 2014 could – and I stress, could – see a Howard revival. He must maintain his health, first and foremost.
3. Monday is the deadline for tendering contracts for the arbitration-eligible players. The Phillies have five: pitchers Kyle Kendrick and Antonio Bastardo, infielder Kevin Frandsen, and outfielders Ben Revere and John Mayberry Jr. These are approached on a player-by-player basis. Salisbury’s take: Kendrick, Bastardo, and Revere are definites. Not so sure on Mayberry even though GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. said he would be tendered. Frandsen is his big question mark due to a number of players the Phillies could have step into Frandsen’s role.
4. The Phillies have already dipped into the free agent market in signing Byrd, but there could be a trade on the horizon. As Salisbury notes (and as we’ve heard) Domonic Brown could be available if the deal is right. It does seem strange that one of the younger Phillies players (Brown’s 26) could be had in a deal especially when we started this post addressing the issue of the roster’s age. Salisbury states that according to baseball sources, RAJ has approached clubs regarding trades .