MLB free agents: Phillies tea leaves are an ugly, wet mess
The Philadelphia Phillies have torn apart their disappointing bullpen. What does this mean going forward?
The first tea leaves to be read for MLB free agents are now in the bottom of the cup, and they don’t look so good. Since there were an astounding number of moves by MLB’s money-losers (read, all teams) on the last three days of October, you will have to forgive a focus here on the Philadelphia Phillies as a microcosm.
We will pull back the lens to the whole MLB situation here and there.
On Oct. 30, the Phillies finally made some important moves in addition to sending out their team President to make a sunless statement about the coming off-season. And what they did was both good and bad.
The good was that they began to tear apart their historically horrid bullpen from last season. The bad was what they did suggested bad days ahead for both established players now MLB free agents, and frankly, for fans.
Here’s what the Phillies did on that day:
They waived LHP Adam Morgan and RHP Heath Hembree. Both elected free agency, and Phillies fans wished Hembree and his 9.00 ERA in Philly good luck with that.
Morgan, who pitched well in 2019 until the last day he pitched that year, is recovering from surgery. Scott Lauber declared his re-signing with the Phillies was “conceivable” for potential use in six to nine months. Don’t bet on that, or on the Chris Cotillo idea that Hembree could return to the Red Sox because he’ll be cheap now after his 12.91 ERA for the Fightin’s. Cotillo’s evidence is hidden behind a link and is of the touchy-feely variety.
The same day the Phillies also declined options on RHPs David Robertson, Hector Neris, and David Phelps. Robertson and Phelps elected free agency.
Surprisingly, fidgety Blake Parker was also outrighted. Some fans were delighted because Parker’s weird windup annoyed them to no end, but the right-hander had actually pitched decently for the Phillies’ dreadful relief corps, with a 3-0 record, and a 2.81 ERA. Both those numbers might have been even better if it weren’t for one game in which he gave up three runs in an inning.
Before some further comment on Robertson, Neris, Phelps, and Parker, it should also be noted that MLB.com reports the total number of free agents increased by a whopping 22 on Oct. 30, including some very big names indeed. Brad Hand, Charlie Morton, Edwin Encarnacion, Corey Kluber – the whole list would fill another two or three lines.
The Money Part through the Lens of the Phillies Situation That Day
Looking at that list of four players in the last sentence, some people who hadn’t before may now “get it.” All those guys cost a lot, all of them are past 30 (Hand by just a little), and all MLB clubs lost money this year. That’s as far as we know since the books are always closed, but it seems very, very likely.
No one knows what will happen next year because, hey, the COVID vaccine promised by Election Day didn’t actually show up. Next year MLB may be faced with the same situation faced when the 2020 season was supposed to start.
Return to considering the Phillies situation:
· David Robertson had pitched in seven Phils games in two years for $23 million. No one sensible would have picked up his $12 million option, even if the pitcher is now well-rested after a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery. It cost the Phillies $2 million just to wave good-bye.
· Hector Neris has been the team’s on-again, off-again closer for several seasons. His splitter is excellent when it works. The Phillies decided it didn’t work consistently enough to exercise his $7 million option. He remains on the 40-man squad.
· David Phelps somehow managed to compile a 12.91 ERA in 7.2 innings with the Phils; his WHIP was 1.957. Sensibly, his $4.5 million option was declined.
· And despite his success, Parker was let go, but it’s unclear how much his contract was worth. Baseball Reference didn’t list it Nov. 1. It could have been anywhere from the veteran minimum of roughly half a million to his $1.8 million earned in 2019. This is the one puzzler on this list, but maybe those problematic analytics pushed Parker into free agency.
What Does It Mean?
Giving the value of Parker’s contact an even million dollars, the above means the Phillies saved themselves, potentially, $22.5 million by moving two semi-helpful and two useless pitchers. All are well past 30 except Neris who will start the season at 31 next year, assuming the season starts before June 14.
But there’s more. It’s not only the savings the Phillies seem to be eyeing. The one player the team claimed Oct. 30 was…Johan Quezada. Yes, that Johan Quezada, the same guy who once logged a whole 52.1 innings in high-A ball before the Marlins let him pitch in three games for them in the COVID season.
Quezada has a good fastball. He gave up a run an inning over three innings for the Fish. He will be 26 until next August.
To jump away from the Phillies for a second to another transaction from Oct. 30, you’re going to have to put on your Twins cap. You now have Ian Gibaut in the fold! Ian is only 26. He was waived by the Rangers after pitching in 23 games for them (24 overall in MLB), and posting a career 1-2 won-lost record, a 6.08 ERA, and a 1.575 WHIP.
Undoubtedly, his analytics are great.
So, are you a cup-half-full or cup-half-empty person? If your cup is half full you see MLB pushing iffy veterans out of the game or too much lower salary levels in favor of “exciting, young players.” If your cup’s half empty, you may well say that clubs are just slashing and burning against the 2020 losses, or that some teams aren’t even going to try next season.
In Philadelphia, if J.T. Realmuto isn’t re-signed, and if Didi Gregorius gets away, some fans are prepared, seemingly, to say they don’t even care if the rest of the guys are trying. Rooting for laundry with red stripes only goes so far.
dark. Next. Time to wake up Ned Rice
And this is all to say nothing at all of the reality that wholesale MLB cost-cutting could very well lead to a players’ work stoppage next summer, again, assuming the season starts at all.