Klentak in no apparent hurry to rebuild Phils
PHILADELPHIA >> Matt Klentak has been a major-league general manager for less than a month, is 35 years old, has support of the Phillies’ president and is in charge of a rebuilding project. So when he rolled into baseball’s general managers’ meetings this week, he was certain of only one thing: He didn’t need to have all of his fun at once.
“My goals are to sit down with other clubs, sit down with some agents, and just sort of lay the groundwork for future discussions,” Klentak was saying before taking off for the Florida get-together. “When you do bring together 30 GMs and their respective assistants and staffs, it just kind of lends itself to an openness and some communication and dialogue that is very helpful.”
A “platform”, is what Klentak called the meetings, one on which to stabilize future moves. And that was his plan, to ready the construction of a ballclub, not to careen around Boca Raton and try to be the first to generate an across-the-whole-page headline. It’s a sensible approach and, more, it provides a refreshing calm throughout an organization that too long had been in a panic to win games and keep jobs, not necessarily in that order.
A year ago, the Phillies were being guided by Pat Gillick, who was 77 and had graciously accepted the presidency when David Montgomery encountered a health issue, and by Ruben Amaro Jr., who was on an expiring contract. Their manager, Ryne Sandberg, seemed distracted if not lost. Their mix, which still included Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Carlos Ruiz, was a clumsy three-way collision of the franchise’s past, present and future. And with it all, there was the natural tension that comes with the wind gusts of impending change.
But by midseason, Gillick had hired Andy MacPhail. Later, Amaro was fired. In between, Pete Mackanin, a calm communicator with currency in the clubhouse, had become the manager. Moneyed John Middleton moved in front of the cameras, finally providing a face to what for decades had been a mysterious ownership group. And soon, Klentak would arrive to find an acceptable situation.
“I couldn’t really imagine a better foundation as we enter into the offseason,” he said.
Making his final hours as general manager some of his best, Amaro had acquired useful young assets for Hamels, Rollins, Utley and Jonathan Papelbon. By then, the fans had come to accept the Phillies’ place in the usual baseball rebuilding cycle. And it all led to this week, with Klentak responsible for whatever comes next.
Already, the new general manager has sprinkled some hints about his plans, saying, among other things, that “our focus is on pitching.” Reports are that there is some interest in Ken Giles from other teams. That will test Klentak’s resolve. But weren’t the Phillies 27th in baseball in runs scored, and 28th in home runs? What about a bat?
“I’d stop short of saying it’s a priority,” Klentak said. “But I would say we definitely want to make our club better without compromising the core. So if the best place to do that is in the starting lineup, we’ll do that.
“We’re not going to shy away from any opportunity that makes us better both short and long term.”
Klentak has made it clear that he is not a believer in free-agency as a salve for a last-place team. So don’t expect a Jim Thome-like press conference and region-wide celebration. Rather, expect Klentak to make small additions to his bullpen, which he already has with the signing of Dan Otero, add to his starting pitching depth and maybe add one, helpful, reasonably priced hitter.
“We really want to raise the floor and add some depth,” he said. “Kind of at every turn, that’s what we’re going to be focused on. And we need to establish sort of a firm foundation of pitching. That’s not going to end when we break camp at the end of spring training.
“That is something we’re going to be committed to for a long time.”
At 35, with a comfortable contract, and tranquility over the franchise, time is something that Matt Klentak does not lack.