Discussion

Austinfan 2018-09-25 13:24:25 UTC #41

Well, if Crawford was the player I was told he was going to be (we don't need Galvis), we wouldn't be talking about defense, same if Quinn could stay healthy.

Put a developed Crawford at SS, Quinn in CF and we suddenly have a league average or better defense.

If you have 2 to 3 plus defenders down the middle, you can carry a couple subpar guys at the OF corners, 3B and 1B - not all four spots, but a couple.

With Rollins, Utley and Victorino, Burrell and Howard couldn't sink the defense.
With Bowa and Maddox, the same.

bigegypt0417 2018-09-25 15:04:50 UTC #42

I think going in to 2019 you should think about the following...

1B-Hoskins
2B-Kingery
SS-Crawford
3B-Machado

If you can make Machado happen you can trade Santana to the AL and pat a chunk of his salary...unless he's willing to come off the bench.

I really have no idea what we do in the OF.

Philsmania 2018-09-25 15:16:36 UTC #43

If the contract is just right, is it possible that Machado won't care if he plays SS or 3B?

Austinfan 2018-09-25 16:17:38 UTC #44

Machado is going to get paid wherever he goes, the contract won't make a lick of difference.
He'll go where he gets what he wants, whether a commitment to SS, the LA beaches, the Manhattan night life.

zambonir 2018-09-25 16:19:16 UTC #45

This is why Crawford is still a potentially important player. Dansby Swanson hit .239 with a .700 OPS. Ender Inciarte, .713. And they were both higher WAR players than Franco, Williams and Hoskins (to say nothing of Herrera and Kingery).

EDmuch 2018-09-25 16:31:29 UTC #46

I think one of the real lost opportunities of this past season was the opportunity to sort out our future infield. Hard to figure out what happened to Hernandez with his foot injury. Crawford's season was also pretty much lost to injury. Kingery, well, whatever. Franco seemed to improve but now he has been lost to injury for most of September. I am not sure it is a good idea to sign Machado and then go with both Crawford and Kingery, two potential 8th place hitters. But I would not be surprised if they do move Hernandez, or Franco or Santana or more than one of them in the off season.

California_Dreamin 2018-09-25 16:34:45 UTC #47

Machado will not come to Philadelphia to play 3b. He wants to play SS and has said this, oh, about 100 times. I don't think he is coming anyhow but where he plays will be a deal sealer or deal breaker. BTW, he is now batting cleanup for a Dodger team that is easily the best hitting team in the NL.

EDmuch 2018-09-25 16:47:16 UTC #48

Yeah, CD, but we still have Sixto playing Arizona Fall League ball !!!!! ;-(

gmwannabe 2018-09-25 17:01:40 UTC #49

i don't think machado will come here either. and it won't be money. can you imagine having one of the best hitters in baseball on your team and your manager coming up to you before the game and saying, "i see you are 0 fo 8 against this pitcher and _____ is 2 for 5. i'm going to play him today since the numbers look better for him to play". Ha ha. no way.
gm

bigegypt0417 2018-09-25 17:20:07 UTC #50

Where is Machado going?

EDmuch 2018-09-25 17:30:37 UTC #51

Yeah CD, I also kind of wondered about why you think Machado will not come here.

EDmuch 2018-09-25 17:31:57 UTC #52

I also don't think Kapler would ever say something like that to Machado. He certainly did not treat Hoskins like that. Kapler did learn from his first week on the job.

andyb 2018-09-25 17:37:16 UTC #53

Not starting Herrera on opening day was just odd and helped ruin the goodwill that he might have enjoyed early in the year. And I don't think it was even against a LHP if I recall correctly.

zambonir 2018-09-25 17:39:23 UTC #54

CD is out there in California still bummed we didn't trade for him in July, following the Dodgers more closely than the Phillies. That's not to say they aren't the frontrunners but we don't know if they'll make the highest bid, or if he'll take a lower bid from them, or if he even likes the West Coast. For sure, he's the shortstop next year if the Phillies get him. Would be hard not to promise that during negotiations. But that won't be forever, and after he's in uniform if they need him to play some 3B he won't say no. Already did it for LA too.

EDmuch 2018-09-25 17:41:11 UTC #55

I do not put Herrera in the category of Machado or Harper.

Philsmania 2018-09-25 17:43:44 UTC #56

Interesting to how I've often compared Kapler to Tito, I read this recollection of the 2000 season recently. Tito similarly sat Abreu on Opening Day that season because he would have had to have faced Randy Johnson.

zambonir 2018-09-25 18:03:37 UTC #57

It was never just about Herrera, Gabe really did start the season acting like he was going to push-button manage. They had scripted who would start in the OF for each of the first three games and decided they'd rather have Herrera in the line-up for the other two games. But didn't consider the symbolism. And they'd also scripted not letting Nola face the two lefties the third time through the order. Obviously they got away from that and learned to make more situational judgments quickly.

California_Dreamin 2018-09-25 18:21:04 UTC #58

zambonir..where did I say the Dodgers are the frontrunners for Machado? What I have said is why would a player leave a team that A] is great and will be World Series contenders every year, B] allows him to play SS, C] he knows and is obviously comfortable with for a team that A] seems to be spiraling downward at an alarming pace, B] wants him to play 3b, C] just saw the guy that MM was quite comfortable with [Jordan] leave the organization with a year to go on his contract and D] in a city and team he doesn't know.

I don't think he would and it has nothing to do with my living in SoCal, though that sure makes it easier to watch him in action and hear his comments. And he is smart enough to see that the Phillies are TRYING to become what the Dodgers already are. Not to mention the Phils seem to be managed by a gentlemen who view players as no more than chess pieces on a chess board.

EastFallowfield 2018-09-25 18:27:09 UTC #59

Is there any support to the idea that the Phils want Machado at 3rd, or is that just another thing we made up that we'll all believe if it starts getting posted enough?

andyb 2018-09-25 18:58:03 UTC #60

We are all just speculating. The conventional wisdom a year ago was that Crawford was going to be safely installed as our SS and Franco was the weak link. Now both look weak so I think they would let Machado play where he wants though I am sure any long term deal would have discussions about what would happen in 5+ years.

If Machado continued to grade poorly at SS and good at 3B I am sure he would be fine with going back to 3B. He had no problem shifting for the Dodgers this season. He is a good kid that wants to win even if he thinks personally that he can be a good SS, which he has every right to do now.