Philadelphia Phillies: Will they acquire needed pieces?

1 of 3

Because he’s a catcher, Rupp is a decent trade chip. Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images. /

Beginning on Dec. 10, the Phillies will negotiate with other franchises and representatives of free agents, and general manager Matt Klentak will weigh the pros and cons of offers received to address the team’s shortcomings.

Sign or trade:

While rumors are swirling around during the first three days of the Winter Meetings, the Philadelphia Phillies‘ movements will mostly coincide with their objectives. Basically, the value of each regular in their lineup will determine their availability and asking price on a singular basis and/or for a multi-player package.

IN OTHER WORDS: “You have to deeply understand the essence of a product in order to be able to get rid of the parts that are not essential.” – Jonathan Ive

Since the campaign ended, Klentak made calls to and received them from other GMs. And those conversations revealed what stars are not available on the Phils or other organizations, while other players interest both clubs.

When Klentak enters the Winter Meetings in Orlando, he will continue haggling with other teams. And he will sacrifice a lot of sleep during his schedule of going from one powwow to another, all for one or two deals.

In some cases, one party will not be ready because of other considerations: A free agent’s decision could determine another’s availability. For instance, a starter Klentak has interest in will only be on the market because his organization will have to drop some salary after signing an expensive rotation piece. Ergo, no swap now.

In one of his late September interviews, Klentak stated the red pinstripes are taking the next step toward contention. And he also claimed no interest in one-year acquisitions for his 2018 roster. He wants keepers!

Around the infield, the hometown nine have Rhys Hoskins, Cesar Hernandez, Freddy Galvis and Maikel Franco. As for J.P. Crawford, he hasn’t proven he’s ready for 500 at-bats after his .214 average in September. And, lastly, they have Jorge Alfaro behind the plate.

Along the warning track, the red and white have Nick Williams, Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr. In other words, Klentak has eight regulars.

Aside from those nine players, Klentak has Andrew Knapp, Cameron Rupp, and Tommy Joseph. However, the majors have no shortage of first basemen with 20 homers or more on their resumes. Knapp has value as a switch-hitter to rest right-handed Alfaro, which leaves Rupp as the odd man out.

Unless the Phils received a three-slot starter for Hernandez by himself or as part of a package, he will be their second baseman on Opening Day. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images. /

Needs and possibilities:

Offensively, the Phillies prefer a left-handed bat with power. So, who is in his mid-20s, can blast 30-35 home runs, and can hit .280 or higher now or in 2019? Bryce Harper. Translation They’ll wait.

In the bullpen, the idea of inking a pricey closer isn’t a priority because other shortcomings are more in line with their current strategy. Presently, the alignment of their relief corps features three late-inning flamethrowers, two southpaws, one long man and four hurlers for the remaining spot.

If one or two veteran relievers are available, Klentak could sign a setup arm or pick up a salary dump to bolster the pen: his only exception for a one-season commitment. And this addition would cover the exec whether the red pinstripes make a run at a Wild Card berth or trade the pitcher for Single-A talent near July 31.

Regarding the five-man staff, the hometown nine have Aaron Nola, two fireballers and five finesse hurlers including Leiter. However, inking an expensive moundsman to a long-term contract after a bidding war is doubtful.

On the internet in September, many posters on other sites suggested moving Hernandez, Galvis, Rupp and/or Joseph with the expected return of a decent starter. Well, other franchises have many options for second basemen and first sackers with some pop. On the other hand, they just wanted to dump Herrera for the implied best offer due primarily to his antics.

Fans, even if Hernandez could bring a rotation piece, he’s also the leadoff man, who will probably add a running game to his repertoire. So, who bats first if you swap him and another player for a three-slot starter? Herrera, Altherr, Crawford or Galvis? Keep in mind, Kingery will most likely be with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs through May.

THE VOICE OF EXPERIENCE: “There are only two seasons–winter and Baseball. – Bill Veeck

Finding takers for a catcher will give Klentak a better chance to reach a deal, and the GM will probably favor packaging Rupp with one of the four control-dependent starters. But only one thing is going to happen regarding the Phillies’ plans during the Winter Meetings. They’ll be slightly visible.

Alfaro will get his starting shot this year. Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images. /

The Numerical Bible:

This review is not a sabermetrics article, which means no heavy statistical analysis. But because some readers rely on stats, this is only a reference: no reason to articulate the importance of these numbers.

Catchers:

Rupp, 29: 88 Gms., 331 PA, a .217 Avg., a .299 OBP, a .417 SLG, a .200 ISO, a .298 BABIP, 14 HR, 34 RBI, a .716 OPS and a 0.8 fWAR.
Knapp, 26: 56 Gms., 204 PA, a .257 Avg., a .368 OBP, a .368 SLG, a .111 ISO, a .360 BABIP, 3 HR, 13 RBI, a .736 OPS and a 0.7 fWAR.

Alfaro, almost 24.5:

Phillies: 29 Gms., 84 PA, a .318 Avg., a .360 OBP, a .514 SLG, a .196 ISO, a .420 BABIP, 5 HR, 14 RBI, an .814 OPS and a 0.6 fWAR.
AAA: 84 Gms., 350 PA, a .241 Avg., a .291 OBP, a .358 SLG, a .117 ISO, a .345 BABIP, 7 HR, 43 RBI, a .649 OPS and a 0.9 WARP.

Phillies: Acquiring needed pieces

Beginning on Dec. 10, the Phillies will negotiate with other franchises and representatives of free agents, and general manager Matt Klentak will weigh the pros and cons of offers received to address the team’s shortcomings.

Sign or trade:

Needs and possibilities:

The Numerical Bible:

More from Call to the Pen