Phillies fans are weighing in on moves the team should make this off-season, but the priorities should be simpler than the options juggled by some of them.
A Philadelphia Phillies fan or, for that matter, any other sentient human knows he’s in trouble when he starts writing, “One of my Twitter followers…,” but here at Call to the Pen we’re all about challenges.
So –
One of my Twitter followers, a generally humorous person using the designation Phillies Curveball Machine (an oblique shot at departed manager Gabe Kapler), recently posted a poll about what the Fightin’s should do this winter in terms of acquiring players.
Unfortunately, as presented on Twitter, his poll was a little confusing although it did present a number of somewhat sensible possible options for the Phillies to consider in the next five or six months. Quickly, they were as follows:
1) Buy Gerrit Cole or Stephen Strasburg (we’re going to assume you know why all these players are available at the moment without getting into those weeds);
2) trade promising minor leaguer Alec Bohm or Rhys Hoskins for a near-ace (undefined);
3) buy Anthony Rendon;
4) buy Mike Moustakas or Josh Donaldson;
5) buy Didi Gregorius;
6) buy Madison Bumgarner or Zack Wheeler;
7) buy Cole Hamels or another starter.
And this was all further complicated by Twitter’s 280-character limit.
Then, just to add to the challenge, PCM decided to couple possibilities, reflecting the reality that the Phillies have more than one problem – e.g., do 2 + 3 + 7. Confession: After I voted I thought I had made a mistake, wanting at least Cole or Strasburg, but instead had voted for something else, which upon reflection, may have been the best choice.
Or not.