Phillies: Money factors into 2020’s lineup too

Because the Phillies need four pitchers, some dollars must come via addition by subtraction, and general manager Matt Klentak realizes the organization’s financial picture has changed drastically from last offseason.

Reconfiguring the offense:   

Beginning with the hot stove league, the Philadelphia Phillies brain trust has some thought-provoking decisions, and overspending isn’t a consideration. In fact, buying a pennant mostly fails, and paying top dollar for talent cannot plug every hole. No, committing $488 million more before 2019 didn’t cover the rotation.

IN OTHER WORDS: “I wish I’d said it first, and I don’t even know who did: The only problems that money can solve are money problems.” – Mignon McLaughlin

If you had expected three .300 hitters like one local radio personality or had believed overhyped predictions, you probably questioned your hopes for the Fightins. Unfortunately, some needed one scapegoat or more to blame, but did it really help?

Looking at ’19 as a whole with a .500 record, you miss the segments within the entire 162. To illustrate, Andrew McCutchen‘s days ended with a painful injury, but how did the club do up till then? And after Charlie Manuel became the hitting coach, how did they do under his tutelage? Combine both?

When you consider it, some fans dream over the winter of capturing the National League flag because the campaign usually disappoints them. But the picture here is studying Klentak’s options to figure out what’s coming. For instance, he’ll probably move some dollars from the offense to the entire pitching staff.

Basically, he could cut one player and swap two others from 2019’s Opening Day nine. And he has the in-house personnel to replace them already and lower payroll, plus the GM would still have a left-right-lineup balance as well. However, two trade-chip regulars will likely be part of a package deal or two.

Counting on the offense to average seven runs a game isn’t realistic because most hitters are streaky, and the red pinstripes need two starters and two solid firemen for the seventh, eighth and/or ninth innings. Concerning the rotation, though, the minimum requirement is a two-slot hurler.

In the batting order, the good guys have three hitters with less than three seasons under their belts. And those are the developmental years before a player makes an impact: the rule, not the exception. Aside from potential superstars, a youngster reaches that level in or after his third major league summer.

Leadoff to cleanup:     

Fatefully, McCutchen’s 162 ended after 58 games, and his contribution is a distorted memory for Phillies fans. But when he went down, the Fightins were 33-26 and he had a .256 mark with a .378 OBP. For a full year, though, his 10 homers, 29 RBIs and 45 runs project to 28 bombs, 80 RBIs and 124 runs. Clearer now?

After batting .300 or more for three straight campaigns, Jean Segura hit .280 due to, perhaps, switching leagues and facing unfamiliar pitchers.  Also, he has three prime seasons remaining, so rebounding is a reasonable possibility.

The local media forgot how a younger Bryce Harper had suffered injuries with his Chase Utley-like abandon before considering his future. Now, he takes the extra base, dives for game-saving catches, and plays the way he always wanted to. You can count me among the few who knew this part of him.

As for Harper’s stats, he batted .260 with a .372 OBP, 35 four-baggers, 114 RBIs and 98 runs. But if you had expected 40-45 round-trippers, consider that his home runs and RBIs were career highs, plus he didn’t take an inning off. And he’s entering his prime ages of 27 through 32.

For the crew of the Starship Enterprise who want to trade Rhys Hoskins for an established starter after a down second half, he has played big league ball for 2.3 summers. Translation: He’s in his third campaign at near MLB minimum pay with four years of franchise control and at the threshold of really making an impact.

The man is going to start a family and is working to earn a lifetime’s income. Yeah, he’ll come into ’20 on a mission, plus the execs won’t move a roughly $0.6 million contract for a $15 million pact. They can sign a free agent for that and avoid the haunting Hoskins could unleash like launching his 20 first-half bombs in 2019.

Middle to bottom:   

For J.T. Realmuto, his busy first half was due to learning the Phillies pitching staff. And although he not surprisingly averaged in the .270s, his overall production was higher. Projection: Using his post-midpoint performance, his first-half numbers would be 21 homers and 58 RBIs for a total of 36 long balls and 99 RBIs.

Realmuto’s Phillies statistics for 2019:

• First half: 85 Gms., 10 HR and 42 RBIs.
• Second half: 60 Gms., 15 HR and 41 RBIs.

As for Buster Posey money, is Realmuto negotiating for $197 million total, $18.55 million per 162, or nine seasons? But could Klentak offer $17 million each for seven summers ($119 million), or will $20 million each for five years ($100 million) be workable? The $17 million proposal is lower by $3 million AAV (average annual value).

As a left side bat, Brad Miller, who earned $1 million in ’19, would likely be in the six hole to break up the right-handed hitters. Realistically, Maikel Franco is not a bench player, and Klentak will non-tender him due to his $5.2 million salary with a potential arbitration increase to $6.5 million.

Miller will be a stopgap until Alec Bohm is, hopefully, ready in July, and the veteran would then join Jay Bruce on the pine. At the keystone, Scott Kingery would replace Cesar Hernandez, whom the Phils would include in a winter package deal. The .280 hitter is making $7.75 million and could receive $10 million for his final arbitration.

In 2018, Kingery had averaged .226, and he raised it to .258 for 2019 with 19 round-trippers and 55 RBIs. So, he could hit .280 with 25 home runs in his third campaign to provide Hernandez-like production. But keep in mind, he’ll either improve like above or fashion his impact in ’20. Will he make his mark in 2020 or 2021?

Without Odubel Herrera around, Adam Haseley proved he can handle MLB pitching with a .266 mark like a fourth-year reserve outfielder. But he had played only 18 Triple-A games due to a Phils’ injury, yet he capitalized on this opportunity. Well, replacing Herrera’s $6.1 million salary with the MLB minimum is cost-effective.