After some time has passed, prospects acquired in swaps will determine if the Philadelphia Phillies received solid value for their aging stars, but how long is an appropriate time frame for the added talent to succeed?
In Retrospect:
A decision can come back to haunt you, or you can look back fondly on a particular choice.
After a full campaign with their new organizations, the seven players in the deal headlined by Cole Hamels have recorded their 2016 stats. But when a franchise moves their number-one, they want to receive starters and a catcher. In other words, three rotation arms from the high minors (Double-A and Triple-A) should produce one hurler for an MLB five-man staff, and catching is always at a premium: A young regular is a major piece.
Double D, a poster from another site, had this question. How did Hamels, Jake Diekman and our acquisitions do? Well, Hamels had 32 starts and Diekman had only one blown hold. Judge for yourself.
- Hamels: 15-5, a 3.32 ERA, a 3.0 fWAR and a 1.31 WHIP.
- Diekman: a 3.40 ERA, 4 Saves, 26 Holds, a 0.7 fWAR and a 1.17 WHIP.
According to Jerad Eickhoff during a TV interview, he spoke with Aaron Nola who claimed he was completely healthy. Friends? And even though both pitchers will most likely be the new one-two punch fronting the rotation in the immediate future, they probably discussed developing their readiness to be co-leaders of the staff after the departures of Jeremy Hellickson and Clay Buchholz. Remember, these young hurlers were the first two to secure rotation slots in 2015. And you can imagine the call was a bit longer and contained personal matters as well. Some details probably involved living arrangements in Clearwater. Roommates?