Only one or two ways to end fan apathy
The Phillies signed Andrew McCutchen, one of the great players of his era, a leader, a star. They spent $50 million. Fifty. Million.
That didn’t do it.
The Phillies traded for J.T. Realmuto, aggressively securing the best catcher in baseball, renting billboards to welcome him to town. Billboards.
That didn’t do it.
The Phillies gave Aaron Nola, a developing, farm-systemraised star a new $45 million deal. Forty-five.
That didn’t do it.
Matt Klentak brought a better team to Clearwater than the one that ended last season. Better. Much better.
That didn’t do it.
Gabe Kapler is going to say “Be bold.” Be. Bold.
That won’t do it either. None of that will settle down fans who have been made to
wait years for the Phillies to start behaving like a serious major-league franchise in a serious majorleague market for what they’ve all but been promised: New, prime-aged, magazine-cover, ESPN-fixation, paparazzi-attracting, replica-uniform-moving, gossip-column-ready, superstar celebrities. Superstar. Celebrities. That’s what Phillies fans want. And because John Middleton said something a little “stupid”, that’s what they are going to demand. They want Bryce Harper. They want Manny Machado. They want both, but even they can be reasonable enough to settle for one. And what they don’t want is this, which Klentak spilled to the press the other day in Clearwater: “The notion that we hear that if we fail to sign a big free agent, then it’s a failure of an offseason. I don’t agree with that.” OK.
Don’t hear it.
But here’s what else not to expect to hear: Cheering from the upper decks of Citizens Bank Park in April, May, June and, maybe not even July. Baseball talk replacing NFL Draft chatter on talk radio. Or the clerk at the sporting goods store yelling to the back room, “Hurry up with those Segura replicas. Get them on the shelves now. Chop, chop.”
Not once in this, a technically successful offseason, have the Phillies been able to make an announcement without the Harper-Machado issue becoming the focus. Begin with the introduction of McCutchen, which turned into a study on press behavior. There was the newest Phillies outfielder, having just made a positive impression with his formal remarks, having only minutes earlier squeezed into his new,
pinstriped uniform … and the instant the formal press conference was over, most of the assembled media types were surrounding Rhys Hoskins in the back of the room. It was not to ask about McCutchen. It was to pester the Phillies’ best power hitter about when Harper, a fellow Scott Boras client, might be the one squeezing into his new, pinstriped uniform.
The other day, Realmuto, who has the chance to be popular and productive, who was an absolute Klentak trademarket steal, was so excited to be heading to the Phillies that he drove 17 hours to Clearwater, perhaps with his radar detector a-buzz. One of the topics at his how-do-youdo conference? Harper. The Nola announcement morphed into a Harper discussion. And book it: If Harper and Machado are still unsigned by the time the Phillies open their exhibition season by beating whatever that college team is that they always beat, no one is going to salute Scott Kingery for going 4-for-5. They are going to wonder when Machado is going to go 5-for-5.
Part of what is conspiring to dilute what should be rampaging excitement about spring training and their offseason is of the Phillies’ own doing. As long ago as midNovember, Middleton was boasting about spending “stupid” money on free agents. November. A quarter of a year ago. The Nola and McCutchen investments were aggressive. But not one fan honked a car horn in celebration of either. By dangling Hall of Fame-level greatness and not yet delivering, Middleton doomed Klentak into hearing one-handed claps when he spent for players just outside those velvet ropes.
But part of the problem, too, is the freeagent set-up that is robbing baseball of the full
value of the show. Without a free-agent deadline, the max-contract-set has no urgency to enlist anywhere until Opening Day. Why should superstars hustle, Machado should pardon the expression, into a training camp as long as there is potential for more bidding? Even if the Phillies were to offer Harper and Machado $400,000,000 apiece, there would be no reason for either not to hang around, just in case the White Sox match that … and add another 15 cents.
The situation has been so allowed to rot that even the players seem inclined to mix a free-agent deadline into the next bargaining agreement. Even if the non-deadline arrangement works for the Brychado-level players, there are some excellent talents, among them Dallas Keuchel, Gio Gonzalez and Mike Moustakas, who essentially have been made to wait until the upper-level market prices are established before they are able to sign. But that’s later. This year, the situation as it exists, the situation that Middleton did help to infect, is adding a different kind of cost to the Phillies.
In any other year, given how nicely Klentak has improved his team, there should be rampaging fan enthusiasm as the Phillies descend upon Clearwater. No matter what happens, they will have a lineup capable of contention. But this is not any year. This is the year that two, 26-yearold celebrities were available, the Yankees didn’t Yankee, and John Middleton promised to make it rain. And until he does, the only thing rained on will be what should be Matt Klentak’s party.