Philadelphia Phillies get Wilson Ramos at trade deadline

Phillies fans were looking for big additions before the deadline…and they got them!

The Philadelphia Phillies traded for infielder Asdrubal Cabrera on Friday, July 27, shortly before the New York Mets game time in Pittsburgh. A week earlier, Phillies GM Matt Klentak had said, “If we make additions, fantastic, but if not, this is all we need. We’re in first place for a reason.” It’s hard to tell whether the first or second part of that first sentence was what he really meant, or whether jamming those parts together was a strategy to lower the Mets’ price for Cabrera – or another team’s player he didn’t get before the 27^th.

In any event, charging toward the July 31 trade deadline, the Phillies added Cabrera just after the first game of their four-game series against the Cincinnati Reds. Let’s recap briefly that series with an eye towards the Phillies offense, which after all, is the reason Cabrera was added. Would the NL East-leading Fightin’s flex their muscles against the NL Central’s last-place team?

The answer was “YES!” For one night.

While Cabrera was unaware he’d soon be packing up his life up, Philadelphia pounded out seven home runs and buried the Reds, 9-4 on the 26^th. Rhys Hoskins, Maikel Franco, and Nick Williams each had two home runs apiece; Carlos Santana had one. This was promising and suggested the Phillies might well have all they need for a stretch run. Plus Cabrera.

But…

…as Philly.com’s Matt Breen tweeted out late July 29, the Phillies “had nine runs and 18 hits on Thursday but combined for just six runs and 19 hits in the final three games of the [Reds] series.” Cabrera suited up for the final two games and went 0-for-8.

Among other unpleasant realities in three straight losses to the Reds were these Phillies nuggets:

Utilityman Jesmuel Valentin came to bat in the top of the ninth on July 27 and popped up a change-up to the first baseman with two on and one out. His average flashed on the TV screen after the first pitch; it was .167. At that point, the Phillies trailed by three runs. They lost the game by two.
The following night semi-tragic mystery pitcher Matt Harvey threw three perfect innings against the Phils en route to an eventual 6-2 win by Cincy.
At the end of that game, the team’s leading batting average (50 ABs minimum) belonged to…drumroll, please…Asdrubal Cabrera, who had lined out to right to end his hitless evening and the game. His .274 average had obviously been largely compiled in a Mets uniform. The Phillies’ next leading hitter after play that night was Odubel Herrera at .273.
On July 29, Philly went down 4-0. They left 18 men on base.

After Thursday the only offensive positives were Hoskins’ 21^st home run and 70^th RBI.

Then the team took off for Boston, where they’d start a two-game series against a team 450 games over .500 for the season. Everyone was sure Cabrera would eventually get a hit in red pinstripes.

Klentak’s Problem

After Sunday afternoon’s loss to the Reds, Phillies GM Klentak had almost exactly 48 hours to figure out whether adding Cabrera could reasonably be seen as “enough” offensively to hold onto first place in the East for the rest of the season. Did the GM worry about the potential PR problem if the Phillies started to stumble in August after no further acquisitions, or was his “all we need” remark before adding Cabrera a firm matter in his mind?

The first game in Boston, July 30, suggested this problem could be quite real. The Phillies wasted eight sterling innings by pitcher Aaron Nola, falling to the Red Sox in 13 innings, 2-1. The right-hander pushed his ERA down to 2.35, allowing only four hits and one earned run, and probably shouldn’t have been charged with that earned run because Herrera misplayed a fifth-inning line drive hit at him into an RBI triple. Nola’s effort came against a lineup featuring five regulars with OPS figures over .800 after the game.

Boston’s fearsome first three hitters, Mookie Betts, Andrew Benintendi and J.D. Martinez had gone 0-for-11 against Nola and 0-for-14 for the entire game.

On another positive note, Cabrera did start to hit balls where fielders weren’t, gathering two hits, including a line-drive double. (He also left three on base.)

At the game’s conclusion, Matt Klentak had about 17 hours until the trade deadline at 4 p.m. the following day. The second game in the Boston series would begin about three hours after that.

During their four-game losing streak since their win July 26, the Phillies had scored seven runs.

In under the Wire

At daybreak on July 31 the Phillies were connected to rumors about deals for Zack Wheeler, Jose Bautista and Andrew McCutchen. DallasNews.com reported the Indians and Phillies were the “most aggressive in inquiring” about Joey Gallo. Of course, fussy people might note that an aggressive inquiry seems an oxymoron. A clearly non-fussy person, Philly.com’s Scott Lauber reported the Phillies had “cast a wide net for help [for both offense and pitching], making inquiries with several teams about dozens of players.”

It wasn’t clear whether the list of 2018 MLB team payrolls in the print Philadelphia Inquirer July 28 included Cabrera’s transferred salary, but the Phillies were dead last at roughly $64.5 million. (Cabrera’s transferred salary is under $2.9 million.) Philadelphia trailed the most expensive team, Boston, by approximately $159.5 million, a figure just above the team cost of the World Champion Astros.

More from Call to the Pen

At right about 2:00 p.m. Jim Salisbury tweeted confirmation of a Jeff Passan report the Phillies were having “serious talks” with Tampa Bay about catcher Wilson Ramos. Holy cow! Ramos was hitting .297 and had driven in 53 runs through July 30.

At 2:50 p.m., MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand tweeted that the Phillies acquisition of Ramos was “a done deal.” At 3:02 p.m. the Phillies posted the announcement on their website. They would give up a player named later or cash.

When push came to shove, GM Klentak apparently didn’t feel the Phillies were good enough. He may have saved a divisional pennant at least. Ramos is not only a dangerous hitter, but he should greatly reduce Phillies problems with passed balls/wild pitches. In 2018, Ramos has 29 passed balls and wild pitches. The current Phillies tandem of Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp has a combined 70 in those two categories. The only downside apparent here is the minor fact Ramos is currently on the ten-day DL with a hamstring strain.

Next. Trade Deadline Guide. dark

Jake Arrieta would face the Red Sox in a few hours, throwing to a no doubt somewhat depressed current teammate. Neither Alfaro nor Knapp should be expected to complain too much, however. One of them will soon be learning from a two-time All-Star. Both may be.

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