Phillies 2016-2017 offseason Discussion

[julio]

You love how he formats that (rosterresource.com)? I find it more or less "blinding," and very noisy. I'm guessing what you really like is not so much the formatting as the content?

Lots of information, for sure - and a place to go to find (or at least to check/confirm) things like options remaining. But it's just too neon for me to treat it as a primary/regular source.

As you noted, not "the best for printing," which is what LSP was looking for - something clean and simple that he could access periodically/keep on hand as a quick resource. There's an inherent tradeoff in such things - as you add more kinds of information to your web page (or overhead slide, or embedded graphic in a document, etc., etc., etc.), you inevitably make the thing less accessible, harder to follow, etc. I know in my own spreadsheets - when I know going in where all the relevant data lives, etc. - I still make use of showing/hiding columns, for instance, to reduce the data clutter so I can focus on what I need at a given time.

[phillychuck]

Yes, I really meant that I find it interesting to read given the information (how acquired, etc.). Neon doesn't bother me on web pages, but if I were formatting my own graphs for publication I'd avoid it like the plague.

[julio]

if I were formatting my own graphs for publication I'd avoid it like the plague.

Used to wrestle with this in the budget office, regularly. Somebody would ask, "Can you add yadda yadda to that table?" Answer is, "Yes, I can." But the downside is that if you add yadda yadda, the table now has two additional columns, and the page (of the publication) didn't suddenly get wider, so everything is now in a smaller typeface, with less white space between the columns... and somebody (not infrequently the same somebody) would now object that the table was hard to read. Umm...yes, it is.

I love retirement!

[Carver]

Agree with both of you as I love his detail and his obsession with getting the information; but he is too busy in the presentation.

For me, I will use what he has...the information is worth it and I don't want to go back and forth with multiple sources. If I were going to design one for my own use, it would have to branch into multiple sheets for the more detailed stuff and the core sheet / front page would be easier to read.

[zambonir]

Almost everything about MLB is optimized for mobile (or within the app) I suspect. I still like it during the season because you can toggle between 25 and 40 and it also includes the 60-day DL guys. I would think that for printing purposes there will be PDFs and/or media rosters at some point, though it seems a basic roster is not part of the usual game notes package (still fun to read though, here's one example: http://mlb.mlb.com/documents/0/6/6/204068066/9_29_16_at_ATL_efxl0rt6.pdf)

[Soloman_grundy]

Seems to be a bit of buzz on Brandon Moss being on the radar. Think we might hear something soon on that front... just a guess. Good move if he is used as aPH and lefty substitute at various positions. Shouldn't steal at bats from Altherer though.

[California_Dreamin]

LOL...I was just going to post about Moss. I agree that there has been some buzz lately about him and it sure seems a mutually beneficial marriage. Moss might even get a 2 year deal with the Phils and he has to see that he should get plenty of action [1b, LF, RF] if he signs with the team.

I do expect the Phils to do something fairly soon, now that Encarnacion has signed the log jam should begin to sort itself out and Moss to the Phils sure seems like a logical one.

[phillychuck]

I like Brandon Moss, but I'd have preferred the Phils have kept him when they had him in AAA rather than acquire him now. He's a league-average bat, basically a 1-to-2-WAR OF/1B. I'd actually rather see Stassi in that role. Moss is frustrating to watch as a fan since his K-rate is so high, and what he adds to this year's team is not significant. Give the RF ABs to Altherr and/or Quinn. Go after a better LH bat; a cheaper, younger LH bat; or stay put.

[Austinfan]

I would not overpay Moss, he's 33, clearly on the decline, and at this point should be seen as a part-time player.
He's not a horrible OF, so he could certainly fill in as a LF until one of the kids are ready.
At 1B, I think Stassi is probably a better bet, question is whether Stassi can play adequate defensively in LF.

[LoneStarPhan]

I'd pass on Moss. Not much upside and regardless of what we way here, if he signs with the Phils, he is in the lineup over younger options almost every game. I certainly would not want to see a 2 or 3 year contract.

[andyb]

Why are we worried one bit about overpaying Moss. First, he is only looking at one or two year deals. Second, we have plenty of unused salary room the next 2 years. Third, people are talking about him getting less than $10 million a year. 2/14 was the MLB trade rumor prediction for him. So he would only need to generate about 0.8 WAR a year to be worth it.

Even if Moss is nothing more than an occasional pinch hitter, he fills a need on this team. And he really is a better fit than Kendrick. He would also provide some left-handed backup for Joseph if needed. He is coming off a 828 OPS against RHP last year. He actually is a left-handed hitter with power that this roster does not have. Give him 20 starts at 1B and 60 in LF on his strong platoon side and he ends up with 400 plate appearances. And there is a strong chance he is tradeable if young prospects force it.

I prefer Saunders. But why wouldn't we add Moss if the cost is less than $10 million a year and he fills a definite need on the team. We can't take back letting him go 5 years ago. But he is available now and it is really not clear that he would hold any young players back. Frankly it is guys like Galvis and Rupp that are more holding young players back. Stassi is not better than him.

[Slinging_Southpaw]

I'm not at all worried about overpaying Moss, I'm worried about overplaying him.

[zambonir]

A Moss/Kendrick platoon with occasional 1B ABs for the former does make sense. But if they both start 140 games that would not (unless of course trading Hernandez is still on the table).

[phillychuck]

I'm not at all worried about overpaying Moss, I'm worried about overplaying him.

This, exactly. If you pay him $7 million dollars a year, there is no chance that Altherr gets a fair trial in RF. First slump, he's on the bench.

I'd take a shot on Saunders b/c he's younger, I'd take a shot on JD Martinez b/c he's better. But I think I'd pass on Moss, unless it's a cheap 1-year deal where the PTB won't just hand him playing time because they paid for it.

[bkeich]

So if you were to sign Moss he would play if any of our current LF, RF, CF, 2B or 1B were unavailable. That is at least 100 games all by itself. Add in the games you intentional sit Joseph due to a tough RHP or just to give him a day off, intentional days off for the other 4 positions and I think we are ovverthinking this. A 9th position player isnt that hard to work into the lineup.

If and when Williams/Quinn is ready to take his spot Moss would be probably tradeable if we ate most of his salary and might even bring back a prospect.

This is a way to use all the extra cash to improve the rebuild. Stassi really doesn't offer this flexibility

[phillychuck]

Moss isn't pretty defensively at 1B, so I don't know how much you'd want to play him there.

[bkeich]

Most 1B are not good defensively, that is why they are there. It is widely considered the least important defensive position.

If Joseph is out for an extended time then maybe you look for a better replacement, but a LH OF/1B is exactly what this lineup needs IMHO. We are returning one of the worst offenses in recent history, the team should try to improve that and this is a minimal impact way of doing that.

[phillychuck]

the team should try to improve that and this is a minimal impact way of doing that.

I'd prefer a maximal impact way...

Seriously, though, pick a young guy who's blocked in AAA and hope you get lucky. Or give Stassi a try. Roll the dice and hope you hit a long-odds all-star. That's not Brandon Moss.

Now that I think of it, just trade for Trout.

[bkeich]

Oh, if there was a 25 year old that I was aware of that is a LH OF/1B I would be all in if he didnt cost anything noteable as a prospect. I don't really see that guy out there, but of course there are many here that follow the minors a great deal more than I do.

I would really like a guy on our bench to backup 1B. To me Joseph is the most suspect of our young players on the team, he was OK last year but his hitting was a bit of a surprise and he doesnt have to regress very much to be a bad option at 1B. In a year that we were all a little surprised how well he played he still only provided 0.5 WAR. I hope he continues to be an offensive force, and he was, but if he drops to a .750 OPS he is a replacement level player.

Some of this is that unless a young player is a hitting stud I always think 1B is a better place to put an older player that maybe a team made a mistake by signing or is at the end of a contract. I am not suggesting signing Moss to create this situation, but 1B is the easiest position to fill as in fact almost any player that can play a corner OF, 3B and maybe even C can be at least competent there usually. Young 1B have to be great hitters or their careers are just so limited.

[zambonir]

You could almost bring Ryan Howard back for $1 million and get everything you need in terms of a LH bench bat and 1B (if not an OF, but Kendrick is gonna play a lot if that's where he plays). Moss was better, but not by that much (except from the other side of the plate).

These are not easy decisions, honestly. I agree that Joseph is no sure thing. I agree Altherr is a question mark as well. But I don't really need to see the team win more games or hit better if this is still an evaluation season. It's hard to say. If the front office thinks Joseph can't play everyday, or that Altherr is a 4th OF post-injury, it becomes self-fulfilling to some extent. But they also might be wrong (and we've seen a CF and, maybe a 2B, prove a lot of people wrong. Rupp too, to some extent).

It's hard to get a read on their goals right now, really. Are Hernandez, Neris, maybe one starting pitcher still available for the right deal? Because overall, since Hellickson took the QO, it seems like they have moved more firmly in the direction of making this year's team better and giving Mackanin what he wants, albeit without any long-term tie-ups.