Meanwhile, in Clearwooder

While many of us in the Philadelphia area were shoveling yet more snow and waiting in line for COVID vaccines (got mine today), the Phillies equipment truck arrived in Clearwater, just one more sign that baseball is almost back.

The first official workout for pitchers and catchers is next week, and the biggest storylines will be the content of the bullpen and the identity of the everyday centerfielder. Recent reports have suggested that exiled former All Star Odubel Herrera should get a chance to win his job back. I don't think so.

Before being arrested in a domestic violence case where the charges were eventually dropped, Herrera was flat-out awful. On June 25, 2018, Herrera was hitting .302 with an .857 OPS. In the remaining 74 games of the season, he hit .202 with a .591 OPS. He finished the season at .255/.730.

Things didn't get much better in 2019. In 39 games, he hit .222 with a .629 OPS, before being arrested and suspended. And he didn't play at all in 2020. To think the Phillies are even considering giving him a shot is absurd, except when you realize he's being paid $10.35 million in 2021. So there's the reason he'll get a chance, no matter how badly he played over the last 113 games and how rusty he is. 

Speaking of outfielders, the Phillies have signed veteran Matt Joyce to a minor league deal. Joyce, who turns 37 in August, was drafted by Phillies VPBO Dave Dombrowski in 2005 when he was the Tigers GM. He's a career .244 hitter with a .772 OPS in more than 1,300 MLB games. The left-handed Joyce has 147 career home runs, so he could be a LH option off the bench. I'd rather have Matt Stairs.