The Phillies’ spring training must get better because it’s difficult to imagine things starting out any worse.
Following a 99-day lockout, Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski’s first move was to apparently sign another declining reliever (Jeurys Familia) to a one-year, $6 million deal.
Reports surfaced Sunday that the Phils were negotiating a return for embattled center fielder Odubel Herrera, which turned into multiple folks saying the two sides came to an agreement Monday. Yikes.
Ignoring Herrera’s 85-game suspension due to domestic violence allegations in 2019 for a moment, he’s just not a very good MLB player. While he batted .260 in 450 at bats last season, Herrera’s on-base percentage was just .287 as a lead-off hitter. Factor in his baserunning and fielding mistakes and it’s fair to say Herrera isn’t a winning baseball player.
Even if Herrera signs for the minimum, it’s an ill-advised decision and an indictment on the Phillies’ poor MLB drafts and inability to develop players. Former No. 1 overall pick Mickey Moniak probably won’t ever be a starter at this level and Adam Haseley (No. 8 overall in 2017) might not be, either.
As for the 32-year-old Familia, he had a 4.62 ERA and 5.4 walks per nine innings in 156 games with the Mets as setup guy over the past three seasons. He accumulated 118 saves with a 2.68 ERA and 4.2 walks during the four years prior (2015-18).
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And did we mention MLB suspended Familia for the first 15 games of 2017 due to domestic abuse allegations?
The bullpen clearly needs help after blowing 34 saves in 2021. A year ago, Dombrowski gave veteran Archie Bradley a one-year, $6 million contract. Bradley’s 3.71 ERA wasn’t bad, but ended up being his worst since 2017 and his .179 strikeout ratio was his lowest since his rookie campaign in ’15. Bradley, 29, is a free agent.
The Phils seem to be counting on Corey Knebel, who they inked to a one-year, $10-million pact) to be the closer. Knebel recorded 55 saves in 2017-18, but only three over the past two years after missing the 2019 campaign due to Tommy John surgery. Philadelphia’s Jose Alvarado, Sam Coonrod and Connor Brogdon are among the candidates for seventh- and eighth-inning roles.
Dombrowski appears to desperately be seeking bargains to address the numerous holes on the team’s roster, but this isn’t the way to do it.
While I understand the market for impact players such as third baseman/left fielder Kris Bryant and left fielder Kyle Schwarber is competitive and could take time to determine where they’ll wind up, moves like these aren’t going to excite the fan base or make the Phillies a more legitimate playoff contender.
And, yes, Dombrowski has work to do in left and center field, as well as perhaps third base and shortstop. While he won’t be able to upgrade all of them with only a little over $40 million remaining before hitting the luxury-tax threshold of $230 million — which it sounds like Dombrowski again won’t be permitted to exceed — I’d rather add Bryant or Schwarber and platoon 25-year-old Matt Vierling with Haseley in center field than bring Herrera into the mix.
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Without reinforcements, youngster Bryson Stott and veteran Didi Gregorius could compete for the shortstop spot, with Alec Bohm and free agent signee Johan Camargo (one year, $1.4 million) deciding who plays third base. Gregorius and Bohm are coming off of thoroughly disappointing seasons.
A player with such a low ceiling like Herrera shouldn’t get a chance by the Phillies to improve on his forgettable 2021 campaign. And I’m not optimistic how much Familia can contribute to Joe Girardi’s club, either.
Tom Moore: tmoore@couriertimes.com; @TomMoorePhilly
