The Phillies remain interested in adding to their rotation before the season starts, though they’re not going to make any lengthy commitments, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com writes. Both general manager Matt Klentak and president Andy MacPhail (via Matt Breen of Philly.com) have indicated this week that the Phillies aren’t going to splurge on a long-term starter, in large part because they aren’t quite ready to push for a playoff spot, Zolecki notes. The team would be willing to pay more on a shorter contract, Zolecki relays, and Klentak revealed that doing so “is something we talk about frequently.” But if the Phillies aren’t able to land another starter in the coming weeks, Klentak insists they’ll be content to turn to in-house options.
- Reliever Pat Neshek returned to the Phillies in free agency over the winter, agreeing to a two-year, $16.25MM pact. It turns out that the 37-year-old could have made more money elsewhere. “We didn’t really wait for other teams,” Neshek said this week (via Zolecki). “I probably left a little bit more on the table from other teams. Well, I know I did because a team called me after I agreed [with the Phillies]. Their first offer was better, but it was a comfort thing. I was really happy with the offer. I didn’t want to wait and see anything else.” Neshek was only in Philadelphia for a few months last year before the team traded him to the Rockies in July, but it’s clear both he and the Phillies enjoyed their first go-round.
- Although left-hander Jarlin Garcia led Marlins relievers with 68 appearances as a rookie in 2017, the club plans to deploy him as a starter this season, manager Don Mattingly told Joe Frisaro of MLB.com and other reporters. “Jarlin will be a starter this year,” said Mattingly, who believes that moving the 25-year-old to the rotation is “probably the best for his development.” Assuming Miami sticks to that plan, Garcia will be part of a rotation that currently features just two locks (Dan Straily and Jose Urena).
- Straily is one of the best players left on a rebuilding Miami team that has jettisoned several household names (Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcell Ozuna and Dee Gordon) since last season and could still deal catcher J.T. Realmuto. But unlike Realmuto, who’d prefer to play elsewhere, Straily’s fine with the franchise’s direction. Straily said this week that he’s “glad” certain players who didn’t want to continue as Marlins are gone, likely referring to Stanton and Yelich, per Frisaro. Regarding the Marlins’ high-profile trades, Straily added: “I really, I guess, kind of agree with what happened. All the moves they’ve made. I really feel the pieces they’ve brought in, this might flip around a little quicker.”
This is the problem. Teams should be trying to compete for their fans every year. I understand rebuilding, but the Phillies are in a large market and have 80+ million dollars to spend. The Yankees rebuilt their entire team and stayed above .500 every year. They weren’t the best, but definitely were in the races until the last weeks.
The phillies have the money to spend and they have a top 10 farm system. I think next year is when they go big. Machado I believe will land with the phillies and not the yankees. Maybe they trade prospects for Archer.
I don’t see Archer going anywhere unless it blows the Rays away. His contract is so team friendly even for the money strapped Ray’s.
Also, I disagree with Machado only because he wants to play SS and doesn’t J.P. Crawford play there?
Crawford has played 3B in the Majors, and he could move there
Machado wants 26 year old 30 HR SS money. If you give him that money he’ll play anywhere you want him to other than catcher.
Bryce Harper’s Phillies uniform is already clean, pressed and on the hanger for him.
The Phillies payroll commitment for next year is around $85 million. What’s the number before the taxes? That’s how much they have to pay Harper and Machado. Those two are spoken for. Consider them off the market.
Yeah, Crawford could play 3B or lead a trade for a pitcher.
$112,205,400 under the CBT
docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/e/2PACX-1vRghSG2xRO…
I think Machado is a safe bet to sign with the Phillies but not Harper. I would say Harper signs with either the Cubs, Giants, or Yankees if he doesn’t stay with the Nationals
Nope.
Yankees, Dodgers, Cubs (especially the Cubs) Giants and Red Sox are all out on Machado and Harper. They’ve used up their money.
The only way for those five teams to get in on these two generational free agents
is for John Middleton to try to low ball them. If the price comes down enough then those five above teams could offer a really long contract like say 15 years to get the AAV low enough to make them fit.
No team is going over that second tax tier in the CBA and living there. That tier destroys your farm system and all loopholes there have been closed with the nuking of the Atlanta front office.
The Yankees could trade Stanton next year if he has a another big season and that would free up the money necessary to sign Harper
The Phillies tried to, that’s why they held onto Hamels, Rollins, and Utley for too long. The problem was the front office they had at the time didn’t understand how to do both.
That’s a lie. John Middleton ordered that front office to lie to the the fans through 2014 until he couldn’t get them to buy tickets anymore. That ballpark was full in 2012, sold out.
The rebuild began in October of 2011.
Why should teams try and compete every year just because the Yankees could afford to do so every other team should have to follow the Yankees and spend? I don’t think so. If the Phillies rebuild and learn how to win consistently with a payroll under 100 mil then they should be allowed to do so. If the A’s and Beane create a moneyball 2.0 and only employ players who have a league minimum salary and they learn how to make the playoffs every year good for them. All I hear from these agents is you gotta spend to have a better shot at winning but then they want to impose a salary floor? So which is it? Implementing a draft lottery or a tanking tax or better yet the EPL model to play for the renevue are all way better options then a salary floor.
Why should teams try to compete every year? The fans watch for entertainment. How many fans attend games when their teams are losing or they don’t have THAT player.
Spending money and having a balanced farm system is the best way to go about winning. It’s been proven that payrolls in the bottom third of the league are not consistent winners. The Phillies are not the A’s. You can’t compare a large and small market team.
Bull crap! I follow the game as a sport, not entertainment. I will not spend mega dollars on tickets, if my team is not trying to be competitive. The Yankees wouldn’t do that and look what they got!
Plus they have the huge TV contract with Comcast. It bugs me, they’ll have the smallest payroll in baseball and the team is really not that good.
The Phillies have been the most profitable team in MLB over the past two seasons.
Teams like the Phillies ARE trying to win you BOZO! There’s this thing called a strategy and ultimately doing what’s best for the franchise long term. Now I’m not gonna claim every team is doing what’s best for their franchise (i.e. the marlins) but a team like the Phillies shouldn’t border the luxury tax threshold this offseason bc that’ll also mean they’ll be bordering the threshold for years to come and then you’ll still be complaining the team doesn’t want to win bc they’ll be locked in bad contracts with aging veterans and won’t be able to bid on big contracts down the road. By NOT signing a guy like arrieta or any top guy this offseason it will give them a chance to get one of the top guys next offseason. I hate this offseason just as much as the next guy but I can’t defend players like Jd Martinez who’ve been offered 5 years 125 million and claim they’re willing to hold out. IMO, it’s not on the owners for not signing bigger contracts, it’s on the new luxury threshold rules.
The Dodgers have won four division titles in a row and for most of the last four years have had a higher rated farm system than the Phillies..
The Phillies are run to financially enrich John Middleton and his fraud “movie producer” son in Los Angeles (see my avatar). They’ve stolen at least half a billion dollars from Phillies fans over the past six years.
Why do you think the Marlins are not doing what’s best for the franchise? Actually, it’s the total opposite! If they don’t blow it up, being in the middle is the worst place to be!
I think the Phillies are a lot closer to contention than people think; if they get a veteran starter to pair with Nola and Eickhoff (who remember was injured last season), they’d have a rotation that can compete for the Wild Card, because the Central is weak, and it’s the Dodgers and everybody else in the West.
The central is weak? Cubs, Cardinals and Brewers are all improved and are at the very least serious contenders for a wildcard spot.
The NL as a whole is much improved. Phillies, Braves are a year further along in their rebuilds. Mets giants are trying to hold on with aging rosters to make playoff pushes. Pirates aren’t tanking despite trading away two core guys, they certainly won’t be as bad as the tanking teams last year. Only the Marlins and the Reds and the Padres either have no shot or got worse, last year they were 6 or 7 teams who weren’t good and everyone knew it from the start of the season.
Cubs actually don’t look that good.
You’re delusional if you truly believe that. Someone’s a little salty Yu didn’t go back to LA….
Hmm, actually couldn’t care less about Darvish and his mediocrity. (Nor am I a Dodgers fan.)
Dumbest thing I’ve read all week, congrats.
The Pirates are in a rebuild
Reds are not that far away
NL Central is very strong !
Yeah, with that awesome lineup the Phillies have they only need three starters to win a 100 games.