Phillies: Roster-roulette players
By Tal Venada
Five-man bench:
On Phillies sites, fans posted positive messages. One wondered if the hometown nine are a .500 team, while another wanted a second free-agent starter. Yes, Alex Cobb. Those posters got a healthy dose of Philly love.
After months of bashing the Phils, the faithful bragged about the great deal pulled off by Klentak. And they compared their euphoria to some signings and performances of the four aces. Translation: winning expectations.
"WORDS OF WISDOM: “There is no medicine like hope, no incentive so great, and no tonic so powerful as expectation of something tomorrow.” – Orison Swett Marden"
Although the acquisition of Arrieta might reduce the need for an eighth reliever, it could also increase the odds for Andrew Knapp and Pedro Florimon to join Cameron Rupp, Nick Williams, and Aaron Altherr. But keep in mind, Scott Kingery could be a replacement by May’s end.
After another campaign-ending injury, outfielder Roman Quinn will probably continue increasing his value by starting at short for some games with Lehigh Valley. Moreover, his unrelated disabled-list stints don’t indicate any specific concern.
Even though Quinn needs a healthy, productive first half, he’s not out of the picture. He is a replacement waiting to happen because of an injury, poor performance, a trade or an unexpected need.