2024 Phillies Season Discussion

[andyb]

Not sure whether they care if Ruiz sticks if he doesn't pitch well. 40-man spots are not in issue. Still a bunch of guys that are not going to be back any time soon that could be moved to the 60-day IL like Marchan.

[zambonir]

Well sure if he turns out like Pinto, who cares. But I reckon they think he is better than Nick Nelson. If Marte's stint on the IL is short he'd either have to be activated and optioned or Ruiz would have to be DFA'ed (barring any other moves), the space on the 40 itself is not the issue.

[RolenRules]

Andyb's post noting Marchan's imminent 60 day IL reminded me of the Phils' lack of depth at catcher at least at AAA. This might need to be addressed sooner rather than later especially if JT's relatively slow start - below average defense as well as offense below his standards- is truly a harbinger of age related decline.

[zambonir]

I think they are comfortable with Aramis Garcia if there's an injury this year but next year they will need to both upgrade Stubbs (whose behind-the-scenes role on what has been a top pitching staff probably keeps him safe the rest of this year) and reduce JTs time, in addition to beginning to look ahead (though there is depth below/further off).

[zambonir]

The suspense continues

Phillies’ rotation resolution ‘as difficult of a decision as I’ve had to make,’...

[bkox]

JT is due to earn 23.8M this year and next. Hes not going to be benched. So the earliest we need to find a new catcher is 2026 unless JT ends up injured.

The other thing is, For several years JT has had much better numbers after the all-star break. We were ready to send him out to pasture in 2022 as well.. then he put up a 950 OPS post all star break and was being called the best catcher in baseball again.

AND.. we are forgetting one thing. The pitching staff has been pretty darn good. How much does JT contribute to that. I agree the defense has been worrisome.. but IMO the big issue is not having a good enough hitting backup catcher so we could rest JT more (even if he says he doesnt want the rest)

[zambonir]

I don't think RR is calling for JT to be benched. He's just saying we don't have a third catcher or even a future (or current alternative) back-up.

[zambonir]

Pinto cleared waivers and was out-righted back to LV incidentally.

[julio]

Pinto cleared waivers and was out-righted back to LV incidentally.

... and then opted for free agency.

[zambonir]

haha that wasn't in the Inquirer story. I guess I knew he technically can't refuse the assignment until he's given the assignment, but seems inefficient!

was a nice story for him to come back to the org but he probably wasn't getting another shot. OTOH he may not anywhere else either (in the majors).

[bkox]

Trea Turner says it will be a couple days with his hamstring.

“I hate being hurt and it’s not gonna be fun for the training staff.”

Turner said that with a smirk and a smile. #Phillies

— Jeff Kerr ( @JeffKerrCBS ) May 4, 2024

[LoneStarPhan]

Anytime someone is hurt but not going on the IL, the bench really becomes short. OTOH, do the starters really need to get days off in the next week and of course, pinch hitting ain't what it used to be with the DH now universal.

[bkox]

The Philadelphia Phillies currently have the best record in baseball.

— Matt Winkelman ( @Matt_Winkelman ) May 4, 2024

[Aquapong]

The good thing is with the team playing well, individual players have time to figure things out.

[andyb]

I don't think RR is calling for JT to be benched. He's just saying we don't have a third catcher or even a future (or current alternative) back-up.

I think we do need to realize that JT is now just a league average catcher though and the question is whether playing fewer games would help him play better. Whether he likes that or not is immaterial. It is possible we should be playing the backup catcher at least 40-50 times a year. If that is the case, it is also very possible we need better backup catchers than Stubbs or Aramis Garcia. JT is not a problem now (and the back end of the lineup is often not any better than he is), but it is rare that catchers in their 30s like him make mechanical adjustments and start playing like they were 5 years younger.

If Marchan were healthy and giving us a switch-hitting 650 OPS and solid defense I wonder if he would merit 50 starts a year.

[zambonir]

Probably a healthy Marchan still couldn't put up a .650 OPS. The question is can Stubbs do that if he plays a little more? Not that he played more in 2022 but was that offensive performance pure fluke, or is he just not as good a player now that he's older?

I would agree it would be nice to see Thomson be more proactive about resting JT in the hopes that his bat comes back around as the season progresses.

Hard to argue with the team's result right now but it's not necessarily because of pitch framing or stopping other team's running game.

[andyb]

Marchan had an 831 OPS in LHV last year with more walks than strikeouts. Then a 982 OPS in Venezuela. He was young enough to improve a little also. A 650 OPS for a healthy 25-year-old Marchan was completely plausible and it is a shame he got hurt.

Stubbs looks like he had his career year and is on the normal trajectory of a guy over 30 even if he does not have much mileage on him. Frankly I would not be shocked for the Phillies to move on from him sometime this year if they find something better. Aramis Garcia is not any better so it won't be him absent injury. I do believe Stubbs is good with the pitching staff and in the clubhouse, though that will only take one so far.

[andyb]

Gelb on Turner. I suspect the Phillies might be cautious with him and evaluate whether he should go on the IL today. The callup that would make the most sense? Probably Scott Kingery.

Trea Turner won a game with his legs, but Phillies might have to live without...

[zambonir]

I think I would just call up Clemens. Sosa can play SS every day or you could even play Stott there (and Clemens at 2B) a couple of times. Technically Clemens can also play there in a pinch.

It's kind of crazy that Kingery wound up being a SS more than anything. I thought he wasn't supposed to be this year?

And Castro has been injured huh?

(Hadn't read the story yet, Gelb presumes Stott would indeed be the primary SS with Merrifield at 2B. All the more reason to just give the bench a lefty for 10 days rather than Kingery IMO.)

[Austinfan]

Kingery has reverted back to his AAA norm.
Clemons is probably the best fit, the alternative would be Kroon, but he's a RH bat.

But you can see why they want to keep Miller at SS if he can handle it, he may well be a supersub when he first comes up if Bohm's improvement is for real - b/c they're going to sign Bohm to a big money extension if he proves out over an extended period (this and next season?).

Schwarber has one more season, then DH opens up. Could rotate older guys through. Turner, Harper and someone like Ricones down the road.
Castellanos is headed to being buried by the AS break, just don't see any signs of life. But no replacement at AAA unless you want to gamble on Dahl/Luplow. They could probably platoon and do better.
JT needs to move down in the lineup at some point, and they need to find a short-term backup/replacement. We'll see how Tait progresses, but I think he might be seen as the longer term solution if he can stay at C.