Phillies Join Hunt for Machado, Arietta at Winter Meeetings

It may seem like odd timing. For years, the Phillies have been silent over talk at the Winter Meetings.  And that silence made sense. The Phillies had nothing to offer. Up until last September, the Phillies had nothing in their system worth discussing.

But now, the Phillies prospects, including Nick Williams, Rhys Hoskins, Jorge Alfaro and J.P. Crawford have all shown that they can perform at the major league level.

Now it is time for more serious discussions. What would it cost to turn the Phillies into a contender now by the acquisition of Manny Machado and Jake Arietta?

For Machado, it makes sense to try to make a deal now. Machado is a free agent next year.  The Orioles will loose all value they may have in him. If the Orioles could find an interested trading partner now, at least Baltimore can salvage something.

Connecting the Phillies to any potential Machado deal is interesting. With the disappointing play of Mikail Franco, third base currently represents the Phillies’ biggest infield hole. That is why the Phillies have shown interest in Machado as a free agent.

The price for being impatient and taking Machado now would be Phillies infield prospect Scott Kingery and pitching prospect Sixto Sanchez. Whether the price is worth it I’d debatabl. I believe it also depends on how quickly and how seriously the Phillies want to contend.

In addition to the Manny Machado Talk is talk of the Phillies making a deal to squire thirty-one year old starting pitcher Jake Arietta. Indeed, Arietta appears to be the best established pitching available in this year’s free agency market. The Phillies, however, have made it clear that its strategy is to avoid paying for big-named older pitchers, preferring to develop pitching from within the organization.

In a vacuum, considered on their own merits, neither deal appears to make sense for the Phillies but considered together,  The Phillies could get Machado on his own. Arrieta is not likely a good fit for the Phillies. Would Arietta suddenly become a better fit simply because Machado would be available one year earlier?  Not likely. For the Phils, the best strategy continues to be patience.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Hall of Fame Should Reverse the Slight to Dick Allen

Image
Despite a career average of .292, 351 total home runs, 1,119 total RBIs, the 1964 NL Rookie of the Year award, seven All-Star appearances, and the 1972 AL MVP award, during his fifteen years of eligibility of 1982 through 1997, Dick Allen never garnered more than 20% of the vote from the BBWAA for Hall of Fame induction. The oft-cited reason for this has been the character issue. Baseball writers viewed Allen as a divisive figure in the clubhouse. Bill James has accused Allen of “manipulat[ing] racism as an explosive to blow his teams apart.” But far from manipulating racism, Allen was a victim of racism, who was saddled with an undeserved reputation because of his reactions to regrettable treatment by players and fans alike.  Allen broke into the major leagues in Philadelphia, a city Curt Flood described as “[t]he nation’s northernmost southern city.”  Philadelphia was infamous for its treatment of Jackie Robinson when he broke the color barrier in 1947. The Phillies, led b
Read more

Jimmy Rollins: The Best of the Phillies Shortstops

Image
From a certain set of Phillies fans, Jimmy Rollins gets no love.   It’s hard to see why.   Rollins is only the all time Phillies leader in hits (2,306) and doubles (479).   In stolen bases, he’s second only to the legendary Slidin’ Billy Hamilton, whose numbers may be inflated due to how stolen bases were credited in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.   He’s second only to Mike Schmidt in extra base hits and total bases.   In triples, he is third behind Hall of Famers Ed Delahanty and Sherry Magee. Certainly, in a team that has suffered through the likes of Steve Jeltz and Ivan DeJesus, Rollins has been a highlight of the shortstop position. Having grown up in the 1970s, I loved Larry Bowa.   He was a team leader.   In his twelve years with the Phillies, Bowa batted .264 with 1,798 hits and 421 RBIs.   But, in his fifteen years with the Phillies, Rollins edges out Bowa, his mentor, with a .267 average, and 887 RBIs.   Additionally, Rollins’ career fielding
Read more

Dick Allen: Integrating Philadelphia’s Baseball Culture

Image
Much of what has hurt Dick Allen in reaching the Hall of Fame has been his reputation in the press of creating racial divisions on the teams for which he played. This is a reputation that has been perpetuated unfairly. To the contrary, Allen has been caught in a world where American society in general, and baseball in particular, has had to come to grips with racial discrimination. While white America preferred to sweep the problem of racial discrimination under the rug, players such as Allen were outspoken, refusing to let the issue be covered up. It is his outspokenness, when many Americans preferred to turn a blind eye to societal ills, that handicapped Allen’s chances of being inducted into the Hall, and which to this day haunts his candidacy.  Some have called Allen Philadelphia’s Jackie Robinson. And rightly so. Allen’s career was marred by racial discrimination by fans in Philadelphia. His endurance of this mistreatment, while acting as one of the greatest power hitters o
Read more