Ugly End to an Ugly Season

One stinking game. All the Phillies had to do was win one more game in the last week of the season and they would have made the playoffs. They needed the Giants and Brewers to lose Sunday (they both did) and had they won on Sunday against the Rays, they would have made the playoffs. So of course they managed six hits and got shut out. 

Would they have deserved it? Absolutely not. This team was solid offensively, but the pitching beyond Aaron Nola, Zach Wheeler, and Zac Eflin was a complete disaster. The bullpen was the worst in baseball in 90 years. This team blew at least eight three-run leads over the course of the 60-game season. 

Sure, there were injures. Bryce Harper was playing with a bad back, JT Realmuto's hip was messed up, and Rhys Hoskins practically had his elbow torn off. So what? The Braves lost most of their starting pitchers, and the Marlins lost most of their team to COVID. Both of those teams made the playoffs. 

Here are a few guys I'm hoping are no longer employed by the Philadelphia Phillies in the coming weeks:

General Manager Matt Klentak - architect of the worst bullpen in modern history and author of numerous dubious trades (remember Carlos Santana?). 

Andy McPhail - Klentak's immediate boss.

Jake Arrieta - earned $75 million in three years as a Phillie, and won 22 games.

Vince Velasquez - loads of potential, and tons of chances to show he belonged in the majors since he joined the Phils in 2016. He won 27 games. 

Brandon Workman - one of Klentak's big bullpen acquisitions. Had an ERA 6.96 and gave up 23 hits, 11 walks, and 11 runs in 13 innings. Buh-bye.

Jean Segura - I'd love to see the new GM trade him for a bag of left-handed curveballs.

Tommy Hunter - Enough already.

Andrew McCutchen - I love the guy, but he's not an everyday player any more. Injuries have made a once-great player a shadow of his younger self.

But there were a few positives:

Wheeler looks like a bona fide ace.

Alec Bohm should be rookie of the year and could very well win several batting titles during his career.

Andrew Knapp is a solid major league catcher. 

And in a small sample size late in the season, rookie Connor Brogdon came up huge in some really big situations. He deserves a  roster spot based on this weekend's performance alone.

The first thing the new GM needs to do is sign Realmuto. He can't be allowed to walk and go to a division rival and haunt the Phillies for years, along with Sixto Sanchez, who was traded to the Marlins to get JT. Sanchez was dominant for the Marlins and looks like the real deal. 

I'd look long and hard into the front offices of the Padres, Braves, Indians, Rays, Athletics, and Marlins and find someone to hire as GM with a clue on how to cultivate young talent.