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MLB: Five teams still stuck in no man’s land this offseason

By Travis Koch

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 03: J.T. Realmuto #10 and Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies react after both scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on September 3, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 03: J.T. Realmuto #10 and Bryce Harper #3 of the Philadelphia Phillies react after both scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning against the Washington Nationals at Citizens Bank Park on September 3, 2020 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /

Philadelphia Phillies

Payroll

$139,665,962 – (9th highest in MLB)

Contracts

Bryce Harper: 13 years, $330 million – signed February 2019

Zack Wheeler: 5 years, $118 million – signed December 2019

Andrew McCutchen: 3 years, $50 million – $15 million club option in 2022

Dilemma: The Phillies want to make the most of Bryce Harper’s prime, but their product is consistently inferior to that of top division rivals.

In 2020, Philadelphia had the top catcher in baseball and received tremendous contributions from Bryce Harper, Didi Gregorius, Rhys Hoskins, Aaron Nola, and Zack Wheeler. Yet, they finished third in the NL East with a 28-32 record. Despite a myriad of stellar performances, they could not overcome their league-worst bullpen and imbalanced starting rotation.

They have addressed their bullpen this offseason through several under-the-radar acquisitions, as well as a notable one in which they gained LHP Jose Alvarado from the Tampa Bay Rays. Per reports, the Phils are in the process of signing right-handed reliever Archie Bradley, also.

Philadelphia continues to pursue relief help, though their pursuits will be for not if they fail to re-sign J.T. Realmuto and bring in a reliable starting pitcher. (The Phillies have reportedly offered Realmuto five years worth at least $100 million.)

The question is, even if the Phillies accomplish those tasks, will they be good enough to win their division?

The Braves are legitimate World Series threats, the Mets and Nationals are on the verge, and the Marlins are no longer a team to overlook. The Phillies’ pursuit of the division crown will be far from easy, but what choice do they have other than to try and compete?

They’re not going to entertain any degree of a rebuild with Bryce Harper on their roster, and there’s no reason to stand pat as a major-market club with decent financial flexibility. The Philadelphia Phillies must start down the path to winning NOW.

Perhaps the new front office tandem of Dave Dombrowski (President of Baseball Operations) and Sam Fuld (General Manager) will steer them right.

How can the Phils flee no man’s land? Re-sign Realmuto; trade for or sign a #3 starter; add one more quality reliever; sign the most affordable shortstop out of Marcus Semien, Andrelton Simmons, and Didi Gregorius.

It might not be possible to do all of the above before April, but they can start from the top and explore from there.

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