Please Don't Kingery Bryson Stott

Top Phillies prospect Bryson Stott played third base in a spring game today, and manager Joe Girardi says  the shortstop will also get work at second base. 

Please don't. We all know what happened when the Phils moved Scott Kingery all over the diamond. They broke him. He's so broken he's off the 40-man roster and ticketed for the minors. 

There's a way to get at-bats for everybody. Put Stott, Didi Gregorius, and whoever plays third in a rotation.  Stott plays short and only short, Didi switches between short and third, and Alec Bohm-Johan Camargo plays third. Each guy plays two out of three days. Everybody stays fresh and everybody gets about 450 plate appearance a year. 

Stott and Didi are both playing well this spring. Maybe Bohm (who is 2 for 16 so far this spring) gets sent to the minors to regain his stroke while Camargo plays third. But please don't jerk Stott all over the diamond. Let him play one position and play it well. 

Absolutely Loaded

The Phillies are all in. 

In case you missed it, Team Stupid Money went out and signed slugging outfielder Nick Castellanos last night night. The deal is for five years and $100 million. That's on top of the $79 million they gave Kyle Schwarber just a couple of days ago.

The Phils got Schwarber and Castellanos for $1 million less than the Rockies paid for Kris Bryant. And the Phillies lineup is now absolutely loaded. There are now four guys on the roster who have hit 30 or more homers in a season–Castellanos, Schwarber, Rhys Hoskins, and Bryce Harper.

Look at this lineup:

DH- Schwarber

2B - Segura

RF - Harper

LF - Castellanos

1B - Hoskins

C - Realmuto 

SS - Gregorius

3B - Bohm

CF - Vierling/Herrera

The top six in that lineup can mash with the best in baseball. They might be a little defensively challenged, but holy crap are they going to hit.

And keep an eye on Johan Rojas, a 21-year-old centerfielder from the Dominican Republic. He's said to have elite defensive skills and can run like the wind. He's scheduled to start the season at Double A, but if he progresses they way scouts expect him to, he could very well be playing in South Philly later this summer. They're going to need someone who can catch the ball in the outfield.

But that lineup. Wow. 

Schwarber Talk

Now that Kyle Schwarber has signed a four-year deal with the Phils, let's dive into what we have here:

• The Phils have probably found their leadoff hitter. He was an absolute beast when leading off last season, slashing .297/.385/.832 with a 1.216 OPS and 17 homers.
• He's hit 81 homers in the last three seasons. Only six NLers (including Bryce Harper and Freddie Freeman) have hit more. 
• Is apparently a much better defensive outfielder than he would appear to be, despite his Luzinksi-esque anatomy. 
• He has playoff experience, something that Phillies are lacking since they haven't played meaningful October baseball since 2011. 
• He's also reported to be an extremely positive influence in the clubhouse, which is never a bad thing.

His contract isn't too expensive, at $79 million over four years and leaves the Phils a little room for additions, especially if they can somehow unload a bad (cough Didi cough) contract. 

Nodubel Herrera, Please

If the tweet above does not fill you with instant rage, you can't call yourself a true Phillies fan.

Odubel Herrera is a bad person and a bad baseball player. He was suspended during a domestic violence investigation that ended up with him not being charged because his partner decided to drop the charges.

His defense is terrible, he's a lousy baserunner, and he's been terrible as a hitter since 2018. In that time, he slashed .253/.309/.409. Why would you want that back? Because you know him? Because he'll come cheap? 

Rumors have him as part of a platoon in center with Matt Vierling. I'd rather take my chances with Vierling on his on and let some other team sign Herrera. I want no part of him. His last good year was 2017. There have to be better options. 

Familia Feeling

The Phillies have signed a reliever whose best days appear to be behind him. If that sounds familia, it's because it is. Former Met Jeurys Familia is now a Phillie, on a one-year, $6 million deal.

He was an all star in 2016. But since then, he's posted a 4.15 ERA with a WHIP of 1.446. Not exactly the kind of stats you like to see in a bullpen that's been nothing short of brutal the last few years. 

This is the best they could do? The best thing about Familia is that he's been healthy and throws a lot of innings. But that 4.15 ERA doesn't exactly inspire confidence. 

With the expanded playoff field under the new CBA, the Phils have a better chance to make the post-season. But does Familia really help this team? I'm not exactly thrilled. 

They're Back!

Somehow, some way, MLB owners and players have come to an agreement. There will be a 162-game season starting April 7. And there will be some new rules.

The DH comes to the National League. No more watching pitchers attempting to hit.

A 12-team playoff pool.

Younger players get a raise. 

The luxury tax goes up, meaning teams can spend more before getting penalized. 

Free agency begins as soon as the owners ratify the agreement.

There are also some things to keep an eye on. With all the uncertainty surrounding the labor deal, foreign players haven't been able to get work visas. They could substantially delay the arrival of such key Phillies as Ranger Suarez, Jean Segura, Jose Alvarado, Seranthony Dominguez, Rafael Marchan, and Didi Gregorius, to name a few.

And given the quick turnaround to the start of the season, pitchers' workloads and injuries are going to be a big story. Guys will probably try to overextend themselves too soon.

No End in Sight

Talks on a new collective bargaining agreement between baseball owners and players broke down again tonight, and MLB has canceled two more series of games. The earliest the season will start, if at all, is April 14.

When you hear the owners and commissioner blaming the players for this latest breakdown, remember that MLB and the owners imposed the lockout. They're the ones who waited six weeks before starting negotiations. That's six weeks of wasted opportunities. Six weeks to solve this. 

This 100 percent on the owners. They wanted this lockout. They want all or nothing. Right now, they're getting nothing. This is why I'll always support labor over management. Greed knows no bounds.