2019-2020 Phillies Offseason News and Speculation

[bigegypt0417]

I am not really down on Seabold. It is just nobody in baseball thinks he is more than a back end of the rotation type of projection. Just trying to be realistic.

For sure...He's probably a back of the end of the rotation starter which isn't a bad thing.

[xogfog]

Travis Shaw is still unsigned, I think he'd be ideal for the Phillies, a potential bounce back candidate, who you don't have to sign long term, and would not block Bohm, and can play a few positions.

[phillychuck]

Rosenthal hedging on his $80 million number for Ryu:

At the time, two people with knowledge of the starting-pitching market predicted Ryu would receive a minimum of four years, $80 million. But two others expressed skepticism about that prediction after I published it, citing Ryu’s age (he will pitch next season at 33) and injury history (he averaged just 53 1/3 innings from 2015 to ’18, missing all of ’15 due to a shoulder injury that required surgery, before working 182 2/3 last season).

It's been very bad historically to sign pitchers after a significant spike in their IP. I want nothing to do with this guy for that reason.

[zambonir]

Royals picked Franco instead of Shaw, funnily enough. Question remains, do the Phillies even have any money for a Shaw or a Brad Miller or is it all going to pitching?

[Austinfan]

I'd rather add the bench player and go for pitching in house, given our track record, whomever we sign will end up on IR.
Just add a bunch of "Alvarez" type arms for ST, we do as well with these guys as the high priced brand.

[zambonir]

Alvarez had a track record and a decent salary and we had to trade for him, even if it was a minor trade. Two guys like him as FAs would eat up all the cash. I don’t disagree with the approach but you can say the same thing about the bench. We got Brad Miller on waivers essentially.

[zambonir]

Phillies leadership bullish on prospect Alec Bohm’s ability to play third base....

[Philsmania]

The news is three days old, but cross Betances off the bullpen list.

Top 5 relievers left after Phillies miss out on Dellin Betances

[allentown]

I don't think they so much missed out on Betances as that he would put them over the luxury threshold and they aren't going there during the off-season.

[phillychuck]

Not a fan of Betances at the current price tag coming off injury. Good miss.

[Taudawg]

Phillies To Sign Christian Bethancourt

[allentown]

A cheap ST try-out and not-sure-for-how-many-months injury backup in AAA, but, unfortunately to my way of thinking, all too much the sort of guy Klentak likes: jack of all trades, master of none, and can't hit a lick. I'm looking for more out of our 26th roster spot. He is only 26, so that's at least something. I think defensive positional flexibility and nothing else is a fad that will fade with the 26th man.

[fish]

If they can improve his pitch framing he'd be only a slight improvement over Knapp. There has got to be better options for backup catcher somewhere.

[andyb]

He is not good enough really to think of 3 catchers. Good defensively but just a zero offensively and remember that Realmuto plays enough that I think we prefer the backup to be a decent pinch hitter (which Knapp is).

I suspect our bench will be pretty traditional. If they keep Bruce I think he and Quinn are the OFs. Harrison and someone like Miller will be the infield backups with the 5th spot being a catcher.

[bkeich]

Corey Dickerson signing with the Marlins.

Marlins To Sign Corey Dickerson

No word yet on who they will trade him to at the trade deadline, but I am sure they are on the phones already trying to get prospects.

[zambonir]

haha that's a good point. I was thinking I felt a little bad for him that he has to choose between $/playing time and contending, but he'll probably get his shot. maybe twice!

[Ryles]

He'll haunt the Phils next year. Problem is that he just can't stay on field.

[julio]

Not sure how Dickerson would “haunt” the Phils; it’s not as if they “let him go” - he was a free agent. We shouldn’t fall into the trap of thinking all players WANT to stay in Philadelphia; it’s not that attractive a destination.

[zambonir]

He will only haunt the Phils if he outperforms Andrew McCutchen and Jay Bruce. For all we know Corey Dickerson badly wanted to play for us again but not for cheap and not on the bench.

[julio]

For all we know Corey Dickerson badly wanted to play for us again but not for cheap and not on the bench.

This is true. On the other hand, for all we know, Dickerson may have badly wanted to get the heck out town, and was prepared to go play for the Cebu Lions if necessary to avoid South Philadelphia.

Yeah, the specifics are not likely, but the point is that we cannot assume that the Phillies had the option of retaining Dickerson's services for 2020. Many fans tend to assume that the Phillies could sign whatever free agents they want - and that if they don't sign a particular player (especially a player that the fan wanted them to sign), that's because the Phillies "failed" at what the fan assumes would be easy, if only the Phillies "really tried."

This is magical thinking - and it's not restricted to Phillies fans, or to sports fans in general, for that matter.