Philadelphia Phillies: Simplifying the off-season priorities

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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.

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Simplify, Simplify, Simplify…

See, this is what is meant when people say Phillies fans are “knowledgeable” about baseball. They not only know what could happen and can put all the possibilities on a list, but they can also make those possibilities as mind-boggling as they would be for the team’s GM.

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Let’s try to simplify all this, then.

There are three basic priorities for the Phillies before Opening Day, 2020. The third of these is to assemble a decent bullpen, which will be ignored here because that is, for every team, a piecemeal matter. So, our focus can be turned to the first two priorities, which must occur in some way, shape or form.

1) The Phillies must upgrade their starting pitching. This is paramount. Moreover, in a year when Cole, Strasburg, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Bumgarner, Wheeler, and Dallas Keuchel are all available, there is literally no reason the Phillies can’t upgrade their starters behind Aaron Nola. Assuming the worst scenario here, that either Cole or Strasburg can’t be signed – Cole’s 2019 salary was $13.5 million, Strasburg’s $39.3 million, and both could top $30 million a year for multiple years – then two of the other starters listed above need to be signed. Perhaps Wade Miley can be considered there.

2) Third base must be occupied in a sensible way for a couple of years; stop the musical chairs the Phillies have been playing for a while. And once again, “in a year when” Rendon, Moustakas, and Donaldson are available, there’s no reason not to significantly upgrade over Maikel Franco or the wandering Scott Kingery.

If one ace (or two near-aces) and one of the third basemen immediately above can’t be added, frankly, the Phillies off-season should be considered a failure. Perhaps Ryu alone would suffice if Rendon were acquired. Perhaps Bohm could be handed third after a spectacular spring training effort.

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In that case, there doesn’t seem any reason three of the potential starters among the seven suggested shouldn’t be added, probably with Miley as the third.

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