Phillies sign two stars, still need to fix two real problems

All right, then, now that the Philadelphia Phillies have ended several months of lowering expectations about a pair of star players they just re-signed, raising hopes of another third-place finish in their division, how can they actually do better than that?

This is surely on new team president Dave Dombrowski’s mind.

He certainly knows his starting rotation and bullpen are not quite there yet, even though his team will be, again, one of the more expensive teams in MLB. There are other concerns, like who will play second base and center field for the most part, but there are at least competent players under contract for those positions.

What is it that the Phillies now need? More pitching.

The back end of the rotation, and a couple more bullpen pieces – these are Dombrowski’s concerns. Presumably, new GM Sam Fuld is also thinking about these matters.

Let’s consider who is still available and deserves consideration.

First and foremost, left-handed reliever Jose Alvarez deserves at least a phone call. Most will recall Alvarez as one of the few competent relievers the Phillies have used recently. His career has not been lengthy thus far, but he remains unsigned and ranked 86th by ESPN among those who entered the off-season unsigned.

Last Aug. 20 the pitcher was hit in the groin by a 105.3 mph line drive in a contest against the Blue Jays. He threw the batter out, but then fell to the ground, and did not pitch again in the first COVID season. His ERA was 1.42 at the time.

One phone call, Sam (and/or Dave)? Reports about Alvarez have been non-existent since October.

Who else would help the Phillies compete in the NL East, now regularly referred to as “loaded”?

Alex Colome, ranked 37th by ESPN, is likewise unsigned. At the beginning of January, Colome supposedly was drawing interest from the Twins, Nationals, Red Sox, White Sox, and Astros, and yet he’s still available.

Something is clearly holding up signing a guy who has posted a 2.62 ERA in the last three years, including a 0.81 figure in 2020. The question at this point, with pitchers and catchers packing their bags for spring training, is whether this situation is a matter of Colome’s inflated expectations, analytics discovering something undercutting a guy who just posted a 0.940 WHIP, or…what? Is he a bad teammate?

Sam and Dave need to figure it out. If this is just general stinginess of the market, or, say, a language or personal hygiene problem, maybe the Phillies could soon be singing, “I got everything I need, because I got you.”

The matter of the starting pitchers at the back end of the Phillies rotation are something writers can’t solve. They may have opinions. The Phillies and no other team in the same boat care; they have the thinkers they want, and the computers, and the video. They will or won’t find someone else for the coming season’s rotation.

It says here, however, the Phillies need some kind of new starter in the fourth slot. Is that Matt Moore, a recently signed journeyman? Big maybe, huh?

James Paxton is still available.