The Phillies are now the third-best team in the National League, with a significant lead over whoever would be fourth. They are one of the top six or seven teams in baseball, with a starting rotation that includes five genuine pitchers, a generally full bullpen, and one of baseball’s finest lineups.
We’ve all grown accustomed to the Phillies signing big-name sluggers to multi-year contracts worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and the fact that they did so again this offseason is lost on the majority of the fanbase, owing to the fact that they were simply re-signing one of their own, Aaron Nola, when most of the leaves on the trees were still green.
Team president Dave Dombrowski, who is in charge of player personnel decisions, was on the WIP Morning Show Wednesday for roughly 20 minutes and confessed that it has been a quiet offseason.
But that doesn’t imply that Dombrowski has been locked up in a bunker with his phone turned off. The Phillies have been active, albeit ultimately unsuccessful, in acquiring some of the players they have sought this offseason.
Here are my top five takeaways from Dombrowski’s radio appearance.
One of the playeras 25-year-old Japanese right-handed starting pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto, admitting the team made a big push to sign him.
It appears that the Phillies did everything they could to persuade him to abandon his boyhood Dodgers obsession and the allure of playing beside another Japanese great, Shohei Ohtani. If you were him, wouldn’t you prefer the Dodgers as well?
Dombrowski also stated that the Sox sought a handful of relievers and depth starters who accepted contracts where they were more likely to start (Jacob Junis or Jordan Hicks?) or closer to home (Robert Stephenson?).
When the Phillies were still reeling from their NLCS defeat, the general staff did not appear to be ready to give Johan Rojas a starting outfield role, despite his struggles at the plate in October. However, Dombrowski has revealed that Rojas’ hold on the starting center field place has become stronger in recent months.
Dombrowski discussed the decision to let Rhys Hoskins go rather than moving him to DH and playing Schwarber in left field, noting that Schwarber’s knees prevent him from playing the outfield on a regular basis, and that the added value of Rojas’ defense in center with Marsh moving to left made them a better overall team.
It’s difficult to argue against that method. However, going with Rojas is a gamble. Adam Duvall or Tommy Pham are likely to improve them at the moment, but Rojas’ upside may be greater.
