I agree, it's a strange article, which misses or gets a lot wrong. He says the Phillies should have unloaded at the 2014 trade deadline. Certainly true, but I think more true that the 2013 trade deadline was the time to begin the tear down. This is a Philadelphia problem. The Phillies have always had a panic against waving the white flag. Even when they were in last place under Giles, they were extremely reluctant to trade their middle relievers and older players at the deadline. Pederson has talked repeatedly, in recent weeks, of not doing a particular move (like giving more time to the young players) because it would be waving a white flag.
The trades have been a problem. The draft and International signings have been a serious problem.
He is correct that the lack of continuity represented by 5 pitching and 5 hitting coaches is a serious problem.
I think the problem, in good measure, traces back to the organization not winning a second WC when the team was strong -- with a finger pointed toward ownership for insisting on sticking to budget, rather than going over by $9 mill for one season to have Lee and Halladay together in their prime, and then having to explain away the inexplicable PR-driven super-quick Lee trade in which they didn't fully explore possible trade partners. Holding onto the core too long, in the hope of at leat another WS appearance or NL championship game, was ownership's quest for redemption that delayed the rebuild.
I think the author is correct that there is little they can do to quickly fix this. Ownership is a big part of the problem. Ownership and management by committee put the organization at a distinct disadvantage.
