Trade and Fashion Thoughts

I was talking to my new friend Johnny 2Hats on the train this morning, trying to come up with a way for the Phils to pry slugging third baseman Nolan Arenado from the Rockies. 

Here’s what I came up with. Offer the Rockies Alec Bohm, Bryson Stott, and Mickey Moniak, and either Nick Pivetta, Vince Velasquez, or Zach Eflin and any minor league pitcher not named Spencer Howard. Bohm is MLB’s 34th ranked prospect while Stott comes in at 89.  The Rockies currently have 2 of the top 100. 

Bohm is considered major league ready for this year and Stott and his .885 OPS should rise quickly through whatever system he’s in. Or maybe the Phils offer outfielder Adam Haseley instead of Stott, since Didi Gregorius only signed a 1-year deal. If I’m the Rockies, I think I’d seriously consider it. 

And another thing. The Home Opener is 9 weeks from tomorrow. Will the Phils be wearing the powder blue throwback Thursday uniforms for the Home Opener. God, I hope not. I never liked the looks of those. Red pinstripes for the Home Opener, please. 

Bargain Hunting or Dumpster Diving?

The 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates won 94 games and a wild card playoff game before losing to the St. Louis Cardinals in the NL division series. 

This history lesson may seem odd for a Phillies blog, but there’s a good reason for it. The 2020 Phils will have four members of that Pirates team in Clearwater when spring training opens next month. 

On Wednesday, the Phils signed infielder Neil Walker and pitcher Francisco Liriano to minor league deals and invitations to big league spring training. Earlier this winter utility man josh Harrison was signed to a minor league deal. And Andrew McCutchen was signed as a free agent last winter. 

In 2013, Walker had a .757 OPS along with 16 homers. Harrison hit .250 in a reserve role and Liriano went 16-8 with a 3.02 ERA and a 1.224 WHIP. McCutchen hit .317 with a .911 OPS, 21 homers, and 27 steals. 

It would be a miracle of dumpster diving by GM Matt Klentak if Liriano could replicate those numbers. But since 2014, he’s walked 4.4 batters per 9 innings and averaged almost a strikeout per inning.  

The Phils also signed former Nats closer Drew Storen and fellow reliever Bud Norris to minor league deals on Wednesday. With the management edict to stay below the luxury tax threshold, expect to see more of these low-risk potentially high-reward moves. 

Maybe they’ll get lucky with Liriano, Storen, or Norris. It beats shelling out big bucks to the likes of Tommy Hunter and Pat Neshek.

Tightening Up

The National League East just got a lot more interesting.

Free agent third baseman Josh Donaldson signed a 4-year contract with the Minnesota Twins tonight. Couple that with the Nationals losing their third baseman, Anthony Rendon, to free agency, and two of the Phillies main rivals have lost big parts of their offense.

Donaldson takes his 37 homers, 94 RBIs, and terrible haircut out of the division. And the Nationals will have to find a way to replace Rendon's 34 HR and 126 RBI. Those are some mighty big holes to fill for both teams.

Now all the Phillies need is for Andrew McCutchen to stay healthy and productive for a full season and Rhys Hoskins to forget the second half of last season. But this is a big bonus for the Phillies.

Low Balling

Are the Phillies really going to war with all-star catcher JT Realmuto over $2.4 million? It sure looks like it.

The parties are headed to arbitration to see how much Realmuto will earn in 2020. The catcher has asked for $12.4 million. The Phillies have offered $10 million. Everybody assumed Realmuto would sign a long-term deal with the team this winter. But the dreaded luxury tax appears to be in the way.

Right now, the Phillies payroll stands at $202 million for the 2020 season. If they go over $208 million, they have to pay a 20 percent tax on every dollar over the $208 million threshold. If Realmuto, who also won a Golden Glove and a Silver Slugger last season, gets what he wants, the Phils will be over the threshold.

Team owner John Middleton has said he won't go past the threshold just to make it to the playoffs as a wild card team. If the Phils are contending in this summer, he might consider going over. But it's been made clear that Middleton doesn't want to pay the luxury tax.

And all this risks pissing off Realmuto. He's said he loves the team, his teammates and the city. So you're really going to risk seeing Realmuto walk away next season over $2.4 million? The Phils need to bite the bullet and give the man what he wants. He's the best catcher in baseball.

Avoid arbitration. Sign him to a 4-year deal worth between $90 and $100 million with a huge signing bonus to make the bad feelings go away. Do not screw this up.

It's Not Enough

The World Champion Washington Nationals re-signed reliever Daniel Hudson earlier today. They gave him a 2-year, $11 million contract. He registered the final out of the 2019 World Series for the Nats. He's kind of good.

Your Philadelphia Phillies announced that (shuffling papers) that they had added Bobby Meacham and Greg Brodzinski to manager Joe Girardi's coaching staff. Yeah, that sounds about right.

The Nationals bullpen, on paper, looks imposing. They have Sean Doolittle, Will Harris, Hunter Strickland and Hudson. The Phillies haven't done squat to improve the bullpen, except for letting go of a bunch of stiffs from last season. Right now, the Phils bullpen includes Hector Neris, Adam Morgan (hurt last year), Seranthony Dominguez (hurt last year), Jose Alvarez, Victor Arano, Nick Pivetta, Ranger Suarez, and Robert Stock. So that's one middling closer, two guys with sore arms who can't realistically be counted on, and a bunch of question marks. Oh boy. Maybe they'll bring back Tommy Hunter.

Why is owner John Middleton so against exceeding the luxury tax? It's not like he can't afford it. Better players make better teams. Better teams bring in more fans. More fans means more money for Middleton. You have to spend money to make money, the old saying goes. Sure, the Phils have spent a ton of money in the last couple of years. They just haven't spent enough of it wisely enough.