Philadelphia Phillies manager Gabe Kapler is on the hot seat after his team failed to reach the postseason after acquiring Bryce Harper, so is he going to be fired?
The Philadelphia Phillies were arguably favorites to reach the postseason before the season, and justifiably so. They signed Bryce Harper to a 13-year deal and built around him with a lot of good pieces including Jean Segura and J.T. Realmuto.
But, as the season went on it wasn’t the case.
Andrew McCutchen, who was also signed in the offseason, was sidelined for the remainder of the season after getting hurt in a rundown against the Padres.
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Many would say that was the end of the Phillies season.
Now, I know that the bullpen was very banged up this year, as newly acquired David Robertson pitched in just 7 games in 2019, but Phillies fans are not going to allow that to be an excuse.
And the blame should fall on Gabe Kapler.
Kapler was brought in by GM Matt Klentak but they haven’t reached the postseason and you could make a case for Kapler to be let go, especially with the veteran managers available at season’s end.
I believe whether Kapler gets fired or not is dependant on whether or not the Cubs let go of Joe Maddon. Maddon would most likely have an interest in managing the Phillies, as he has grew up 2 hours away from Citizens Bank Park.
If Maddon doesn’t become available Klental could give Kapler a little more leash, and see what his manager can do with a fully healthy bullpen and rotation next season.
If all goes well, then Kapler could be there for the rest of next season but if things get off to a bumpy start then Klentak would probably want to go in another direction.
The Philadelphia Phillies had another disappointing season, so there could be changes in the manager’s seat come next season.