Phillies Hot Stove 2022-23

[andyb]

Mailbag part 2. Cristopher Sanchez gets another option year so he is not out of options for 2023.

The Phillies petitioned and were granted a fourth option year for Cristopher Sánchez, who was slated to be out of minor-league options in 2023.

Phillies mailbag: Aaron Nola extension primer, roster talk, and why Taijuan...

Some musing on the Nola extension where Rodon is the closest comp from his draft class.

[gmwannabe]

probably not the correct place to put this but I drove by the RPHILS stadium yesterday. there is a lot of work going on. Large crane was working around a steel girder constructed area in Right Center field. it looked like it was next to the pool area. Large area. looking forward to seeing the new additions, at the stadium, next year along with Rojas, maybe Abel to start there and the other young players.
gm

[BaseballCat]

They are building a new clubhouse I thought so players did not have to walk to the crowd on their way to the field as per MLB request. While I have not been there in over a decade, this was part of the charm of going to a game here. My guess but could be something else.

[gmwannabe]

yes, it was always pretty cool when the security men would stop the crowd from going through the tunnel when the players were coming out of the locker rooms. the young kids could see the players up close and see how big they are. I can remember in the late 50's and early 60's when I would get to the games (they were the Reading Indians then) how exciting it was to see the players up close. Vorlah.
gm

[Philsmania]

As I've said before, it probably made more sense to simply build a new ballpark in Reading. Yes, RMS or whatever the corporate name is now has a lot of history but it's pretty much a dump, and now an impractical one, in my opinion. They probably should have torn it down, had the R-Phils play in Allentown and Trenton for a year and build a brand new thing on site.

[BostonRoss]

I remember exiting Connie Mack Stadium by going onto the field and walking through a door in the right field wall.

[Ryles]

I love Reading Municipal Stadium or whatever it's called this week. I think that it's the best experience in minor league baseball & there's lots of good minor league ballparks in PA. The players walking thru the stands to the clubhouse was unique. In addition to kids looking for autographs, you had your fair share of "baseball annies" standing there too. May not be politically correct to say so!

[zambonir]

From one of the Kimbrel articles. The fascinating question now is, will the return of Harper and the internal pitching options mean the Phillies won't exceed the second threshold at the deadline or is it a foregone conclusion? Even managing injuries/call-ups and possible extra 60-day DL guys (like last year) would be tricky now. As would signing a minor league deal guy (since they usually get $2-4 million if they make it).

I gotta assume it's a foregone conclusion which also means the Kimbrel $ isn't as big a deal as it seems. And also, that they indeed know they are chasing the Mets, to a point. As constituted and given its ultimate goal this is no longer a team that can look to reset before '25 or '26 with the current core.

Once Kimbrel’s contract is finalized, the Phillies’ payroll will stand at approximately $249.8 million as calculated for competitive-balance tax purposes, or roughly $3 million shy of the second luxury-tax threshold.

[nycphils]

As constituted and given its ultimate goal this is no longer a team that can look to reset before '25 or '26 with the current core.

To me, while this is a bit scary given how many players are at risk of declining over the next 3/4 years, it is also encouraging because it shows how DD really is focusing on changing the org but winning at the same time - he has explicitly said the Phils need the time to rebuild the minors such that it can be producing position player and other contributors more reliably. He’s certainly right about that, but Mattingly had better be the guy.

[zambonir]

Well, they could also rebuild, not just reset, for a year if it doesn't work! There's just no middle ground really.Though, the willingness to stay over the tax (and especially into the second bracket) also gives you the ability to eat salary if it comes to that (as they did with Didi), and also take on more (as they did with Thor).

[Philsmania]

Was it Dombrowski or Gillick who said "Develop pitchers, trade for bats"?

[allentown]

I actually find this encouraging. Ownership/management is committed to at least a brief era of superior teams, rather than taking a bow with a one-year, pop-up team as in 1993. How long it continues and how deep a hole it may leave us in depends entirely upon how many good, cheap players we produce from our minor leagues over the next few years. As long as they have the $ to extend Nola, the big contracts aren't a problem. The lack of plus home-grown players is the problem. If Rojas, two of the top 3 SPs, Lee, and one of the young catchers, and several relief pitchers come through from the farm and the owners keep spending, we should be okay.

[Philsmania]

I don't think 1993 was intended to be a one-season wonder. I think Phillies management back then deluded themselves into genuinely believing it had done well and built what should have been an enduring juggernaut only to have a perennial plague of injuries (notwithstanding 1993) foil the plan. I distinctly recall Bill Giles and Lee Thomas (bless his recently-departed soul) voicing their "woe is us with all these injuries" spiel.

[allentown]

Perhaps, but the injuries only explain 1994 and the Phillies were bad until 2001. Giles foolishly rewarded Dykstra and Daulton with big deals and then starved the team for $. I mention 1993 in part because that team's WS appearance was as much of a surprise as the 2022 Phillies.... and it was followed by that prolonged dismal period.

[andyb]

The second luxury tax threshold is only cash (12% surcharge). There are no other consequences for hitting it. It is the 3rd threshold ($40 million over) that has further draft penalties.

It is obviously not ideal to not have inexpensive homegrown players, but we are kind of paying for the past decade of lack of development. I wish they had solved that international draft question (and note the owners were trying to squeeze poor Latin American players on that), but if the owner wants to pay extra cash to win, I really have no problem with that as long as they continue to prioritize development (i.e. not trading too many top prospects).

[zambonir]

Was it Dombrowski or Gillick who said "Develop pitchers, trade for bats"?

Haha it was MacPhail and he never actually said it while with the Phillies, it was something he espoused years earlier. Team certainly didn't draft that way under him.

[julio]

Somebody needs to develop hitters, too.

[zambonir]

Well, we'll see if they can finish the job on the two they drafted and the third guy they traded for. And Hoskins was not nothing. Plus they turned Crawford and Alfaro into two regulars. So really 6 out of 8 players on the field during the World Series were still produced by the system via either straight develpment or trade of a good young player (though Alfaro was also traded to the Phillies).

The good news is if the pitching actually pans out (both the youngsters and the current vets) they will continue to have the $ to spend on replacing Rhys, Schwarber and/or Castellanos if no one steps up. But they do also really need Bohm, Stott and Marsh to be solid or better.

[Austinfan]

What they need is one or two breakout players in the system, whether it's Rojas picking up where he left off in the AFL, or Bergolla shooting up the system and making the Show in two seasons, or someone else surprising.

A couple standout players showing up the next two years, and maybe a couple of those big arms making it into the pen as 7th inning guys, and they won't even have to push the luxury tax. Right now the farm is starting to deliver depth (both their own and trades, Stubbs, Sosa, Maton, Guthrie, Marsh, Vierling, Brogdon), but they need that breakout player or two that allows them to go cheap elsewhere or dump a salary.

[zambonir]

I'm bullish on Rojas but they still need a corner type (IF or OF). Or maybe they don't, if they become more a pitching and defense club with Rojas in CF and Marsh in LF (Schwarber 1B/DH). But you still need production from Marsh in that scenario (as well as Stott and Bohm).

Correa's still out there....