PHILS PHACTS:
More Questions, Fewer Answers –
Do you think Ryan Howard will be back
next year? -- Matt H., Raleigh, N.C. Now that the Phillies have a new president and general manager,
I'm not sure which way they will go with Howard, but I think everybody agrees
it would be best to part ways. I'm not sure Howard is happy in Philadelphia.
His good friends are gone. He is playing on a losing team and he knows he is
not part of its plans once it starts winning again. He also knows the team
would have cut him loose already if it had not committed $35 million to him
next season ($25 million in salary, plus a $10 million buyout on a 2017 club
option). The Phillies have been trying to trade Howard for a long time but have
found no takers, despite being willing to eat most of his contract. Perhaps
president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail and GM Matt Klentak will finally
say the deal is a sunk cost, release him and move on. A fresh start might be
best for everybody. Of course, the move would be easier if the Phillies had a
definite replacement at first base. If the Phillies release Howard, it would be
some combination of Darin Ruf
and perhaps another left-handed bat in a platoon situation. With so many
young players and prospects, are the Phillies subject to what just happened to
them? That is, many players reaching their prime at the same time and thus
commanding high-dollar, long-term contracts? Is there a way to come to a
balance apparently like the Cardinals have done? -- Steve B., Carlisle, Pa. That
would be a nice problem to have in a few years, wouldn't it? Let's say Maikel Franco, Aaron Nola, Odubel Herrera, J.P.
Crawford, Jake Thompson, Nick Williams, etc., all live up to their potential
and become very good players in the near future. How should the Phillies handle
that? I think they actually dealt with things well when they bought out the
first few years of free agency for players like Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. They got
those players in their prime for a relative discount. But things went south
when they continued to re-sign those players, despite evidence that their
production had started to decline. Partner John Middleton said last month:
"One of the criticisms the fans have leveled on the Phillies -- and I
think it's justifiable -- is that we didn't recognize early enough and act upon
that recognition that the window had closed and we needed to move on. That we
were trying to extend guys that were older and trying to create a bridge and we
needed to realize that the bridge didn't exist and we needed to move on." In
short, the front office should not be sentimental about its star players, no
matter how well they performed in the past. Because in the end, fans only want
a winner. If I had told fans following the 2011 season that the Phillies would
blow up the roster -- despite winning a franchise-record 102 games -- but it
would guarantee another World Series title in five years, I bet almost
everybody would say, "OK, let's do it." So the problem isn't signing
players to long-term contracts or not. If it buys out their first couple years
of free agency while they are in their prime, it makes sense. No, the problem
is knowing how far to go with those players and realizing when they are on the
decline to cut bait and move on. Because Cliff Lee is no longer
pitching, would Klentak be open to offering him a pitching-coach position if
one came open? -- Jodi S., Portland, Ore. Personally, I don't think Lee
would be interested in being a pitching coach.
THE BEGINNING:
The
Phillies finally put an end to the season finishing in last place in the NL
East with a record of 63-99. Given the departures, aging stars, injuries, and
bipolar performances, this has ended up being one of the worst seasons in
franchise history! However, at least Ryan Madson got another ring this year.
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