Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Rebuild nearing its expiration date
PHILADELPHIA >> The last acceptable rebuilding season for the franchise in baseball’s largest monopoly market will begin next Monday. For a fan base that deserves better, and for a press posse that soon will demand more, that means 162 more games — that’s it, and not one additional inning — of judging the Phillies on their progress, not their achievements.
That whole carry-on has been raging since about 2013. It was tolerated because it was advanced in a respectful manner by the front office, not smeared on a public with no promise of completion, the way the 76ers have misbehaved.
While Pat Gillick, who was in charge when the rebuilding be-
gan, originally mentioned 2017 as a target for contention, the rules were changed slightly when he effectively gave way to Andy MacPhail and Matt Klentak. Subtly, that date was pushed to 2018. Close enough. Besides, the jingling of that $3 billion in John Middleton’s pocket, along with the acting owner’s obviously diminishing patience, should have a soothing effect.
So 2018 it must be for the Phillies to start acting as they must in a market sturdy enough to avoid more than one rebuilding project per generation. And progress, not pennants, it must be in 2017. For that, here is a status update, position-by-position, skill-by-skill of a Phillies offseason about to expire.
Starting pitching: Improved
Whether or not the Phils really expected Jeremy Hellickson to accept their $17.2 million qualifying offer, or if it was just a way to buy them some back-door draft value, the right-hander grabbed the cash. Then, he performed well enough in spring training to retain his status as the No. 1 starter.
Not content to trust the development of an otherwise young rotation to just one veteran, the Phils also went $13.5 million for Clay Buchholz. Though neither Buchholz nor Hellickson is signed for more than a year, that $30-plus-million should prove to be a worthwhile investment, allowing Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez and Jerad Eickhoff, among other young arms, one more year of minimal pressure.
Bullpen: Improved
Oddly, the Phillies will begin the season with Jeanmar Gomez as the closer again. An All-Star candidate last year, Gomez was exhausted and ineffective by September. Hector Neris and Edubray Ramos will also provide familiarity. But the Phillies will pay $8 million to veteran Pat Neshek and another $7.5M to Joaquin Benoit to fortify the bullpen with experience. That should produce fewer blown leads, lessening the pressure on the younger arms.
Outfield: Improved
While a lifetime in baseball taught Pete Mackanin how to ask for something without making the front office look timid, his season-long wail was heard. The Phillies needed more professional hitters, particularly at the corner spots. So they have supplied the manager with some.
Klentak made a deal for veteran pro Howie Kendrick, who will make $10 million to play one season in left field. Then, he signed All-Star Michael Saunders for $11 million to man right field for at least a year. That will be enough lineup experience to lessen the burden on the still-developing Odubel Herrera, Maikel Franco, Cesar Hernandez and Tommy Joseph.
Infield: Stable
Joseph, Hernandez, Freddy Galvis and Franco are back. All were useful last season. All should improve. Ryan Howard is gone, along with whatever was left of his power. But his offensive limitations were suffocating to a young team.
Catching: Stable
Cameron Rupp, 28, is no longer young. But he improved dramatically as a hitter in each of the last two seasons. Andrew Knapp will back him up, gaining experience while Jorge Alfaro gains more seasoning.
While none of that will be enough to inspire another 257-game streak of sellouts, it was enough to declare the Phils’ offseason successful. They improved in the short term, imported just enough veterans to reduce pressure on the developing players and gave themselves another summer to allow Alfaro, Nick Williams, Roman Quinn and J.P. Crawford, among others, to breathe in the farm system.
And when the oneyear fees they are paying for Hellickson, Buchholz, Neshek, Benoit, Saunders, Kendrick and (in buyout form) Howard are met after this season, they will be in splendid position to figure strongly in the next free-agent swirl.
Mixing on-field improvement with immediate payroll flexibility while stealing another year for the growth of prospects is exactly the way responsible rebuilding is to be done.
For that, the Phillies — who may or may not have a fulfilling season — will have had an ideal offseason. They have to know, however, that it will be the last time they are judged that way.