Phillies: Eyeing divisional rivals
By Tal Venada
Last winter, one fan questioned the reasoning for slightly constructing a roster with the competition in mind. It didn’t matter because he only cared what the hometown nine were going to do. Did he have a point?
If, for instance, the Phillies’ middle of the order for ’18 is Odubel Herrera (3), Rhys Hoskins (4) and Nick Williams (5), an opposing manager could neutralize them with a left-handed setup man. The reliever would pitch to the two left-side hitters and walk Hoskins. Ergo, a workable strategy!
To most locals, piecing together an active 25 without considering your divisional rivals isn’t important. But a GM might ink one player over another with that consideration in mind.
"ONLY YOU: “Why would you want to stay manager and be second-guessed by me when you can come up into the front-office and be one of the second-guessers?” – George Steinbrenner"
The Miami Marlins:
On the other end of the spectrum, the Miami Marlins want to cut payroll by $60 million, but moving Giancarlo Stanton, Dee Gordon and Martin Prado will only total $49 million. Did I mention they also need pitching? So, Miami will probably settle for bargain starters and relievers.
In 2017, the Phils had an 11-8 record against the Marlins, and in the upcoming 162, Miami will not be as strong offensively. In other words, you can expect to see if their farm system has valuable prospects in the upper levels.