2023 Phillies Regular Season Discussion

[David_Criss]

Wow. Marin is still a teenager. Has lots of work to do on his fielding, but definitely a decent lottery ticket for someone who was just DFA'd for Hoffman.

[andyb]

Junior is a big boy. 6'2", 240. Showed power in his one DSL year but not last year. Could be the Royals have a hitter-friendly DSL complex. Corner outfielder only though like Ortiz I imagine at his size there is a potential move to 1B eventually. One site ranked him 51st in the Royals system.

I was down on McArthur. Velocity still not all the way back after injuries. He was (key word was) a higher level prospect than Marin, but does not seem like that today. This seems a decent return with zero 40-man rule 5 implications even if he is a real longshot to pan out.

[andyb]

My thought after watching Strahm yesterday is that he is a legit setup option rather than just a 2-inning middle relief option. At this point after watching Kimbrel I would have been fine pitching Strahm that second inning (with a short leash)

We were originally thinking of Strahm as kind of 5th-6th inning option like Nelson. I think he is more 7th-8th with the team as constructed and we want another 5th inning option (Nelson or Ortiz or Vasquez).

[Matt_Winkelman]

With Strahm, I don't think it is an either/or situation. You can use him in the 7th/8th for one or two innings, but you can also use him in the 5th/6th to bridge the gap to the traditional back of the pen types. You can now pull Falter as soon as he experiences trouble and then go Strahm-Soto-Dominguez-Alvarado. In that way he isn't replacing the Nelson/Vasquez/Ortiz guys, he can potentially eat up those Brogdon/Bellatti innings when you need to, but also if you used a bunch of guys one day or you use Alvarado early, you can turn to him late.

[zambonir]

I think Strahm was signed (and paid) like a 7th or 8th inning guy, even if he would be just as valuable pitching 5/6 or 6/7. Don't forget, when they signed him he was the #2 LH reliever (neither Kimbrel nor Soto were in the picture). And I think they decided to load up/spend $ on the pen rather than bring in another #5 SP option (which they could kind of use now) or Harper insurance (ditto, though only because they lost Rhys and Hall too).

[Austinfan]

I think Matt is right, what makes Strahm so valuable is he can fill multiple roles, if you use Alvarado and Soto, he can be a later inning LHP, or eat 2-3 innings if needed. That has a lot of value in a bullpen full of one inning guys.

[allentown]

Not agreeing with the old thinking that your salary should go up the later the inning you pitch relief, I really don't have a problem with Strahm simply doing what helps the team, rather than having to pitch 8th inning, because he supposedly is being paid 8th-inning money. I see it as ludicrous for baseball to think of a salary as 8th-inning money. It is particularly silly for such thinking to apply to a team which sees itself as a serious post-season contender. A reliever who might pitch 8th- or even 9-th inning for a noncontending team may well pitch 6th-7th inning for us. We need a stronger pen. Such a guy may pitch in just about any inning where the manager thinks he is needed. Not a believer in a designated closer. Certainly not a believer in a designated-setup reliever. The guy we are paying like an 8th-9th inning guy stinks.

[zambonir]

I don't think that, but most MLB teams still think that. Salaries are still set by that pecking order on the free agent market and in arbitration.

I am not saying it should determine how they use him but I'm sure if you look back at the stories about him signing it was suggested he would be the #2 lefty after Alvarado (and he may still be that!). For sure his repertoire and ability to get more than 3 outs factored into his contract as well, but that still didn't get him as much as Kimbrel (and Soto only makes less because he's still controlled/younger). At the time he signed he was Hand's replacement, and Hand was our #2 lefty last year, while Knebel and Familia both got paid more than they deserved based on the #s in their "Save" column.

IMO Falter would do well financially to pursue being a LH reliever, though he's so bad against RHP he might not be able be a multi-inning guy in higher leverage.

[el-pietro]

https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/report-philadelphia-phillies-and-new-york-mets-to-play-in-london-in-2024

Apparently the Phillies are gonna play the Mets in tye London series next year! It's a very short flight for me so I'm very very excited

[zambonir]

I'm gonna be seriously tempted

[andyb]

I went to the Red Sox-Yankees in 2019 I think. Lots of fun. Weird stadium setup that had a really, really short CF. Which meant scores like the Mexico City series they just did. Half the fans were real fans. Half pretty clueless about what was going on.

[zambonir]

17-13 and 12-8, wow! Baseball in a football stadium (of either kind) always a bit weird I'd think.

[andyb]

In other news we are tweaking the rotation again so Falter can avoid Coors field.

Matt Gelb: The Phillies are expected to make another... - The Athletic

We survived last season by spotting Falter in favorable situations. Looks like they are doing that again. Of course throwing Ranger into Coors for his first start when he is not even properly stretched out could be problematic as well. At least this Rockies team is less dangerous than most.

[bkeich]

Eeekkkk

José Alvarado injury: Phillies place reliever on injured list with elbow...

[zambonir]

Oof. Did they talk about that last night? I was watching the Sixers and only had it on a tablet but I saw the cameras on him at one point late in the game.

If it had to happen, it might not be the worst time, with Strahm slotting in and Bellatti coming back. Brogdon seems ready for some bigger spots (with Bellatti taking the lower-leverage ones).

[mdougherty12]

Oof. Did they talk about that last night?

The radio broadcast mentioned that it was odd that Alvarado wasn't warming up before the 9th, but I don't think the injury was officially known yet during the game.

[Austinfan]

They mentioned wrist soreness when he was playing catch, now an elbow?

[zambonir]

Yeah, uh-oh

José Alvarado had an MRI. He’s seeing a doctor to review it. A lot unknown right now; Phillies hope to have some clarity later today. “I’m a little concerned, for sure,” Rob Thomson said.

— Matt Gelb ( @MattGelb ) May 10, 2023

[Philsmania]

https://www.si.com/fannation/mlb/fastball/news/report-philadelphia-phillies-and-new-york-mets-to-play-in-london-in-2024

Apparently the Phillies are gonna play the Mets in tye London series next year! It's a very short flight for me so I'm very very excited

Too bad they couldn't do a series like that in Dublin.

[Aquapong]

Man losing Alvarado for an extended period of time would suck.