2023 Phillies Regular Season Discussion

[zambonir]

Okay I guess the other half of the offense actually is producing. But they need more HRs and RISP hits.

Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, Nick Castellanos and Brandon Marsh are a combined 21-for-46 with eight doubles, a triple and a home run.

[bkeich]

Team ERA now at 9.28 (got better yesterday when they 'only' gave up 8). WHIP at 2.01.

[andyb]

And the answer is McKinley Moore with Jhailyn Ortiz likely hitting the waiver wire.

#Phillies are calling up reliever McKinley Moore from triple A. To open a spot on 40-man roster, they desginated OF Jhailyn Ortiz for assignment. Moore pitched really well in spring training. Acquired last year from White Sox for Adam Haseley. Yunior Marte is heading to triple A.

— Scott Lauber ( @ScottLauber ) April 4, 2023

[zambonir]

I thought that was a good guess about Marte not being optioned but the way I originally read it was just, the transaction was going to be put in at the end of the night (and not become official until morning. Or afternoon, apparently).

Hopefully they can trade Ortiz for more fringe pitching depth, because that does still seem like a pretty high price just to get a few major league relief innings the first week of the season.

[andyb]

Probably a good chance Ortiz makes it through waivers. There is no scenario where he does not need a few months time in AAA and 40-man roster spots really require the ability to contribute in the majors these days.

[zambonir]

I would think a team with lower expectations could take a flier on him though. 10 of the 15 rule 5 picks are apparently still with the teams that took or traded for them. He would have gotten taken in that I'd think.

Plus if someone trades for him they can just option him.

[David_Criss]

Moore over Uelman and costing Ortiz is a surprise. But roster rules prevent them from calling up Ortiz or Uelman since they are on the 40-man and were optioned less than 15 days ago.Hopefully Ortiz passes through waivers. The addition of Pache helps though if he does not.

[zambonir]

They need Uelman, or will. And Moore is also exactly the player Gelb predicted it would be in his story.

Don't really see any overlap between Ortiz and Pache. Ortiz is never going to play CF in the majors regularly and is supposed to hit (but might not do that either). Pache's sole value is as a defensive OF (at least for now). If anything he overlaps with Muzziotti but they certainly wouldn't want to lose him. And they still have Kingery and Guthrie. It remains to be seen how long Pache even stays on the 40 but too soon to try that now.

[andyb]

Uelmen is one of the guys that can't be recalled for 15 days after 3/27.

[zambonir]

yeah I misread and thought David was saying they should have DFA'ed Uelman instead of Ortiz, since they couldn't use him immediately.

[David_Criss]

Think the Tigers would trade a couple bench pieces for Soto???? Asking for a friend. This is just horrendous watching him enter a game.

[Aquapong]

Soto hasn't had a good start to the season. Hopefully he turns it around.

[andyb]

Injuries to Marsh and Hall and nagging one for Harrison.

Might need to get somebody from AAA for 10 days and the only options are mediocre at the moment. Probably Clemens if Hall needs to go on the IL. Muzziotti would be the move for Marsh unless they want Guthrie who can play anywhere.

Without Hall this is a lineup with very little power beyond Schwarber.

[zambonir]

Without Hall this is a lineup with very little power beyond Schwarber.

Well the good news is he hasn't shown any to miss as of yet this year.

Ruf's still out there (maybe?)

[andyb]

Time is really dwindling on whether they can carry Pache's bat on the roster with all the offensive woes. Just a luxury that they can't afford now and they probably will need to risk the waiver DFA at some point.

[zambonir]

Putting Cave out there so one of the corner guys can DH isn't paying off either. Some of this gets fixed with Harper of course but all the more reason to look at Ruf in the meantime (and he could still pair with Hall). Heck, go back to Sosa as a CF (or RF?) option too if need be (since Bohm wouldn't have to DH or play 1B if they had Ruf).

I think they got 10 more games of shake-out, between the homestand and the trip to Cincinnati they certainly need to win six or seven of those.

[zambonir]

Well I guess the bad news is it's their first 1-5 start since 2007 and the good news is it's their first 1-5 start since 2007.

Aaron Nola sharp, but Phillies return home 1-5 after 4-2 loss to the Yankees

[flyers19rw]

When Billy Beane gives up on a marginal player, usually there’s nothing left there to see.

[zambonir]

Certainly some truth to that. But sometimes the other team just has someone better or more ready, and the Phillies didn't (and traded away one). He's also still very, very young. He just shouldn't be in the big leagues.

Certainly they have pieces that can fill the spot - whether that means living with what Guthrie brings as a CF or using Rojas or Muzziotti purely for defense (unlikely, but might happen eventually). Kingery may also force their hand with the 40 if he keeps doing what he's done the first three games.

Really - even if this is just the bad start talking - the whole philosophy of trying to improve the defense around the margins probably doesn't make as much sense when the offense is missing two of its four most productive bats (from last year). It might make more sense at full strength, or if there was just the one short-term absence. But they needed Hall w/o Rhys and now they probably need Hall and more oomph rather than Hall and more defense.

[fish]

When Billy Beane gives up on a marginal player,

That feels like an outdated reference.