It’s Charlie Shuffle time for Klentak, MacPhail

Bryce Harper was raised in Las Vegas, where knowing when to protect a hand is important, and so is knowing when to play one. Minutes after the Phillies ended another non- winning season Sunday, quite in the Matt Klentak tradition, the best overall player the organization has ever employed nicely did both.

A horrifying collapse unlike anything Phillies fans had experienced since leaving 1964 behind, Harper would march into a video chat room, fully aware he’d face at least two questions.

His answers were poker tells of the highest order.

First, there would be the discussion of J. T. Realmuto, who is not contracted to catch one more Brandon Workman pitch out of the strike zone. A recurring theme since the summer camp, the one Harper showed up for in a Realmuto replica jersey, the Phillies’ challenge was obvious. Since Klentak had pushed Rookie of the Year candidate Sixto Sanchez to Miami in a package for Realmuto, the organization was obligated to make sure it was for more than a twoyear rental.

“J. T. Realmuto needs to be our catcher next year,” Harper said. “Plain and simple. Anybody who is the best at his position needs to be signed.”

Of course. The Phillies need to make Realmuto the highest- paid catcher in history, or John Middleton need never again make any promises. Anything else, and the Phillies might as well keep those cardboard cutouts in the seats, for they are never going to be sold.

Yet it was whatHarper didn’t say Sunday that resonated even more than his latest Realmuto stump speech. Asked about his opinion on retaining Klentak, Mr. Las Vegas his own self suddenly went full poker face.

“I’mnot an owner,” he said. “I’m glad I don’t have to make those decisions.”

So Harper, not an owner, has spent nearly two years acting like he is, telling the front office to deliver him J. T. Realmuto at any cost. Yet Harper, not an owner, refused to even give his general manager a courtesy win- as- ateamlose- as- a- team burp after a 28- 32 season. As tells go, those were pips. Anyone who has ever witnessed Mickey Moniak try to figure it all out would know that Klentak is an impediment to any growth of an organization. Since Harper is contracted to be the Phillies’ organization’s showpiece for another 11 years, the GM should have been doing the Charlie Manuel Wawa- bag shuffle before lunch Monday.

Ill- fitted to the city from the start five years ago, then a 35- year- old, entry- level general manager confident he could beat the baseball systemwith a promise of maximizing baseball percentages, Klentak couldn’t even put together one team in five years capable of playing .501 baseball. Nor was he a victim of organizational lunacy, the kind Brett Brown had to put up with in Camden. No, Klentak was given a responsible payroll, with Middleton even willing to be “a little stupid” in his spending.

The general manager’s problem was that, even with that money, he was inclined to make Jake Arrieta the highestpaid pro athlete for a single season in the history of Philadelphia, which may have had one or two good ones. And as for his other contribution to a failing starting staff, that was to trade for Vince Velasquez, and then hang with him year after year after infuriating year.

This season, Klentak allowed the Phillies to open the season with what would be proven to be their second- worst bullpen since 1930. But, that was only because, active at the trade deadline, he gave them their worst bullpen since 1930. Such a display ofmagic should have won hima spot on “America’s Got Talent.” That’s what happens when, five years later, a generalmanager is so flummoxed that he tries anything. He winds up with Heath Hembree as a pennant- race solution.

“I think the bullpen is made from within,” said Harper, who is not an owner. “Not all teams go out and spend a million, bajillion dollars on bullpens. You can’t go out and spend a crazy amount ofmoney on a bullpen, because you have to rely on the guys in your organization to get the job done. Pitching wins championships. Developing wins championships. Being able to understand what it takes to develop wins championships. I think a lot of guys came up and did a good job for us this year. Alec Bohm. I thought JoJo Romero did a great job for us. Connor Brogdon, I thought, did an unbelievable job for us. Spencer ( Howard) is going to be Spence, the more he gets healthy and the more he learns how to pitch in the big leagues.

“So you have to be able to build from within. You have to be able to rely on the players in your organization to get you where you need to be.”

Klentak drafted Bohm, who deserves to be the National League Rookie of the Year. So someday, invite himback for the Wall of Fame ceremony, but it doesn’t take an owner to know that the Phillies can’t invite Klentak, or the ever- undermotivated Andy MacPhail who invented him, back next week.

As they say around BryceHarper’s place, shuffle.