New Phillies general manager Matt Klentak has wasted little time in doing what he emphasized he would accomplish this offseason: acquire pitching depth. Early in the Hot Stove season, Klentak has already acquired two veteran bullpen pieces by claiming RHP Dan Otero off waivers from Oakland and signing left hander James Russell. On Saturday afternoon he made his first trade as Phillies GM by acquiring veteran starter and 2011 AL Rookie of the Year Jeremy Hellickson from Arizona.
These moves are the first of what should be many more transactions this winter in order to continue the rebuild phase and structurele the roster for a more promising future.
Although there are a lot of big name free agents on the market this winter such as outfielder Jason Heyward and ace David Price, the Phillies are said to not be making any signing of that magnitude this offseason.
Who are some players on the market this winter the Phillies may take a flyer on for the upcoming 2016 season? Let’s take a look by starting with the bullpen.
The list of bullpen pieces on the free agent market are not necessarily stocked with shut down, expensive arms. The best reliever on the market right now is undoubtedly Darren O’Day. O’Day spent the past three seasons with the Baltimore Orioles posting a 1.92 ERA in 273 games. There is a connection between O’Day and Klentak. Klentak was working with the Baltimore Orioles when O’Day was a waiver claim by the organization. I’m not saying the Phillies will sign O’Day because they most certainly will not. O’Day can pretty much go wherever he wants and a strong bullpen piece like himself is bound for a post season roster. What I’m saying is before O’Day was claimed by the Orioles he struggled with injuries and performance with the Rangers. This is similar to what Russell and Otero have gone through the past few seasons. Maybe the Phillies can luck out with them just as Klentak’s Orioles did with O’Day.
The Phillies may be inclined to look at 2008 World Series Champions Ryan Madson and Joe Blanton. Madson had a solid season at the back end of the Royals bullpen. Joe Blanton had a solid run as a reliever as well. Talking to a lot of fans, they don’t want a reunion. They tell me Madson is too much of an injury risk and that Blanton is just bound to fall apart. We need to move forward, not backward. Look, those things are all very true. However, the Phillies are in desperate need of arms. They need to look everywhere on the free agent market and believe me, they will take a look at Madson and Blanton.
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some other options:
RHP Burke Badenhop:
Badenhop will be 33 years old entering his eighth major league season. The veteran right hander went 2-4 with a 3.93 ERA in 68 games last season for the Reds.
LHP Tony Sipp:
Sipp, 32, spent the last two seasons on the young Houston Astros roster. The southpaw went (7-7) with a solid 2.66 ERA in his two seasons with the Astros. Sipp played an integral role in the Houston bullpen last season in helping the young club to the ALDS.
LHP Manny Parra:
Parra, who just turned 33, has spent the past three seasons with the Reds. In his stint in Cincy, the southpaw went (3-8) with a 3.91 ERA in 150 games. Before his time with the Reds, Parra spent 5 seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers with a 5.12 Era.
RHP Mark Lowe:
Lowe, 32, played for the Mariners and Blue Jays in 2015. In 34 games with Seattle Lowe was spectacular with an ERA of 1.00. After being traded to the Blue Jays, Lowe’s ERA spiked to 3.79 in 23 games. Lowe has a 3.80 career ERA in 328 major league games.
Outfield:
The Phillies projected outfield for the 2016 season is somewhat shaky. In centerfield, Odubel Herrera is the clear regular after a fantastic rookie campaign. The corner slots have some rather big question marks. Aaron Altherr figures to get plenty of time in one corner spot, but the Phillies definitely should make a splash in the the outfielde free agent market.
Heyward will warrant a contract close to $200 million, and I’m not sure that the Phillies are willing to commit that much money to any free agent at this phase of the rebuild. Now, if Heyward were a free agent this time next season and the Phillies improved upon there 2015, 99 loss campaign, I would say yes the Phillies are definitely in on him. My opinion is much different from the Phillies front office. I think The Phillies should sign Heyward. His offense hasn’t been what he was hyped up to be, but he’s only 26. Perhaps his bat is still developing and he will become the solid 3 hitter he was projected to be. While his offense hast been what people expected it would be, Heyward has undoubtedly been the games best defensive right fielder. He can also play center field at a high level. Not only does Heyward defend at a high level, he has speed as well. The Phillies will benefit from signing Heyward because of his solid defense, speed, and developing bat. Perhaps his bat will be fully developed just when the time is right.
Let’s take a look at some other potential, more affordable, pieces for the Phillies 2016 outfield.
Gerardo Parra:
The Phillies have had interest in him in the past. Parra can play all three outfield positions at a relatively high level. Parra is usually a fourth outfielder, but with the Phillies he would have the chance to play everyday. This opportunity would definitely make Philly look very attractive to Parra. I think the Phillies should take a long look at the veteran.
Chris Young:
The 10 year veteran spent the past two seasons as a fourth outfielder for the New York Yankees. Young has spent the majority of his career in the national league playing his first seven seasons with the Arizona Diamondbacks during which he hit .239 with 132 home runs. Young then played for the Mets for a year and hit 8 homers, then with A’s for a season and belted 12 dingers. Young hit 17 homers the past 2 seasons for the Yankees including 14 long balls last year. Young has always been a power threat and the Phillies could definitely use another right handed bat.
Austin Jackson:
Jackson spent his first five seasons as the Tigers center fielder hitting .277 with 46 homers. Jackson was traded to the Mariners in the David Price deal where he played for parts of 2014 & 2015 hitting .257 with 8 homers before being dealt at the deadline again to the Chicago Cubs for whom he batted .236 with a homer in 72 ABs. Jackson’s offense hasn’t been as consistent as his first few seasons with the Tigers. His average has gone up and down, but he is still a career .273 hitter. Perhaps he can resurrect his bat in Philadelphia with not a lot of pressure to perform on a rebuilding club. Jackson, who has been mostly a center fielder in his career, would have to be fine with playing a corner spot in Philadelphia with Odubel Herrera being the everyday center fielder. Jackson did play some left field last season under Joe Maddon with the Cubs. We will see if the Phillies find Jackson appealing.
Today, we took a look at some potential bullpen and outfield pieces to potentially help the 2016 phillies. Look for new Phillies GM Matt Klentak to continue adding pitching depth both in the starting rotation and the bullpen as well. Also, the Phillies need to add to there outfield depth. They need a right handed power bat to play outfield. It could be Parra, Jackson, and maybe even Heyward.
I know it’s tough to watch the Phillies struggle as they have been, but the future is very bright. I will have much more coverage throughout the hot stove season on the latest trade rumors and free agent deals.
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