Inside the Phillies Mailbag: Thanksgiving Day Edition
Happy Thanksgiving Philadelphia Phillies fans! Welcome to the Thanksgiving Day edition of our mailbag.
Before we get started, I just wanted to say "thank you!" Thank you for reading, thank you for your support, and thank you for making us one of the places you stop to get your Phillies news and commentary. I, Kade Kistner, and the rest of our staff here at Inside the Phillies truly appreciate it!
As promised, unless it was inappropriate for public consumption, we would answer any questions you had. Alright, let's get into it!
I can understand the frustration from fans in Bryce Harper having not been evaluated sooner or the surgery not taking place closer to the end of the postseason. But the reality is that this was always the plan.
Harper took a quick breather following the very long season and then flew out to Los Angeles to get his elbow evaluated and then undergo surgery a week later. This was the timeline that he, the team's medical staff, and Dr. Neal ElAttrache had plotted out.
Surgery was always the likely outcome and they executed on the timetable that they felt was appropriate.
I would like to say Zach Eflin, but there are two reasons why this likely won't happen, and they are intertwined. The first is that Eflin's injury history is likely keeping teams, or at least the Phillies, wary of signing him as a starter. If you pay him starter money and he goes down with his nagging knee injury, then that is payroll that could have been allocated elsewhere.
However, Eflin views himself as a starter so bringing him back as a relief-type guy likely won't cut it. I'm not saying that he won't return, but at this time it seems unlikely.
With that being said, you'd have to go with Noah Syndergaard. One would imagine that another year removed from Tommy John surgery likely means a bump in production in terms of pure stuff and workload.
Philadelphia will need to replace 445 innings from pitchers who have now hit the free agent market. Perhaps Syndergaard is a good start.
These questions go along with the one above. I don't see it as out of the realm of possibility that a reunion with the Phillies and Syndergaard takes place. It will just depend on years and dollars.
Of the free agent pitchers available, I think the best fit is Carlos Rodón, but as I have said many times, I don't think the Phillies play in the deep end of the starting pitching market. They already have Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler, and Ranger Suárez, so adding another top-of-the-rotation guy doesn't make much sense in my eyes.
So for "most likely" I am going with José Quintana. At 34 years old, Quintana won't command the type of contract in terms of years and dollars as some others will, but he will still give Philadelphia meaningful innings.
In 2022, Quintana pitched 165.2 innings to the tune of a 2.93 ERA that was bolstered by a strong second half. Getting him on a short deal would also not prohibit prospects like Andrew Painter, Griff McGarry, or Mick Abel from making their way into the rotation in the near future.
As far as other targets go, you can never count out President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski making a huge splash, but like I said, I just don't see it this year on the pitching side of the house.
Familiar names like David Robertson, Kyle Gibson, and even Matt Moore who rediscovered himself with the Texas Rangers make sense.
As for the relief side, Philadelphia will likely sign a few arms that could help in the back of the bullpen. Kenley Jansen, Craig Kimbrel, and Will Smith are all names that have experience and could be a good fit.
Finally, shortstop questions!
Here is how I rank the shortstops:
1a.) Carlos Correa
1b.) Trea Turner
3.) Xander Bogaerts
4.) Dansby Swanson
I will put this out there: I don't think Swanson is the answer for the Phillies, nor do I think they should pursue a guy who has a career 94 OPS+ (average is 100).
Bogaerts has a previous relationship with Dombrowski, but unless that translates to some type of discount, then I don't see him being the best fit.
Therefore, Correa and Turner are the guys who make the most sense. Both play excellent defense, with Correa winning the 2021 Platinum Glove at the position. Both swing a great bat, but Correa has a bit more pop, while Turner finds a bit more consistency.
The main difference between the two is that Correa is a middle-of-the-order bat, while Turner is profiled as the prototypical leadoff hitter. If I am the Phillies, with all things even, I am going and grabbing my leadoff guy who can steal 20-plus bags a year, dropping Schwarber down to the middle with Harper out, and calling it a day.
I think we see a lot of what we saw in 2022. Nick Castellanos will get the lion's share of reps in right field and a guy like Darick Hall will get the opportunity to DH against right-handed pitching.
It wouldn't surprise me to see the Phillies pursue somebody like Michael Conforto, Corey Dickerson (again), or even Michael Brantley, whom the Houston Astros still very much like, but his timeline for return from his shoulder injury is murky.
Don't worry, it's not going to be Aaron Judge.
This is a fun question. To start, yes, there is a limit to spending. Dombrowski mentioned in his end-of-season press conference that there was no player that he wouldn't be able to at least entertain signing. That being said, he also stressed the importance of financial responsibility for future success.
I think one of the top-tier shortstops, coupled with a middle-tier starter and a back-end bullpen piece is a possibility.
All that being said, Philadelphia will not sign Turner, Judge, and deGrom this winter.
But, say Trea Turner, Kenley Jansen, and one of Chris Bassitt, Jameson Taillon, Sean Manaea, Taijuan Walker or Quintana?
Now that is within the realm of possibility.
I think you have to assume Philadelphia is at least kicking the tires on the former 2019 NL MVP. Bellinger is looking for a one-year deal, which lines up pretty well with Harper's timeline of return to right field.
If Bellinger returns to anything that resembles his 2019 form then the Phillies are one of the most formidable clubs in MLB. If not, it was just a one-year deal anyways and you cut your losses.
But, you have to assume other contenders who need outfield help are thinking this way as well.
Not that I have heard of yet. But, if there are any new improvements in the future we will have an article on it!
Garrett Stubbs would be mashed potatoes. You can't have Thanksgiving dinner without them and you can't have the atmosphere the Phillies' clubhouse has without Stubbs. It brings it all together!
Plus, he is secretly everyone's favorite.
With that, thank you for reading, and the entire team here at Inside the Phillies wishes you and yours a happy Thanksgiving!
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