Phillies 2018 Season News/Notes/Discussion

[LoneStarPhan]

I think Walding knows he got called up because the Phillies had an unexpected short term need. I suspect he expected he would only be with the big club for a short time when he was called up. I certainly cannot fault the Phillies for sending him back down as Crawford returns to the active roster. I hope he goes back and works hard and hits again in AAA. If he does, I hope the Phillies reward him with a September call up and a chance for some additional if limited big league action. By the season end, the Phillies will have to make a 40 man roster call on him. Frankly, his chances of staying on the 40 are in doubt but let's see shat he does from here on out to October.

[Austinfan]

Thompson lost 2 MPH on his FB and his command wasn't good enough to compensate.
Now he's in the pen and blowing people away, SSS or another guy who is better when he focuses on a couple of pitches?
Last 10 games, 15.2 IP 9H 4BB 20K. 1.15 ERA

[phillychuck]

Thompson's breaking ball was unhittable when I saw him Sunday at Lehigh Valley. Great late bite with a big break.

[David_Criss]

Had they sent Cozens down, then it would have been Valentin or Walding to play LF in the fifth yesterday. Cozens already has as many hits as Valentin. Glad to see the kids play, but we still saw two struggling prospects play different positions yesterday. Crawford is a SS and plays 3B and KIngery a 2B being forced to play SS. But I don't know what the solution is.

[tom81]

The solution is to get another bat. Our starting pitching has been outstanding and we have more ready on the farm. Pretty much the same with the bullpen to a lesser extent. We need a real middle of the order threat to both do damage and take the pressure off the rest of the batting order. Machado is the perfect fit, a middle of the order bat who fills a black hole. I rarely agree with Heyman’s ideas but I would jump at his suggestion last week of Machado to the Phillies for shortstop prospect Arquimedes Gamboa and pitching prospects Enyel De Los Santos and Jose Taveras.

Heyman | A dozen trades that have not happened but should

[gmwannabe]

boy the longer this minor league season goes, i don't know if I'm willing to trade de los santos. i think they might really have something in this kid. certainly, not for a rental. if they can be assured of an extension then maybe. but i'd try to replace him with with someone.maybe tyler viza. gamboa is having a pretty good season also. taveras, i would trade. tough one to think about but not for a rental and not de los santos.
gm

[California_Dreamin]

OMG, you make that trade in a NY minute GM. Look, DeLos Santos is an interesting prospect sure, but if there is one thing the Phils have in spades its young pitching prospects and you don't let maybe your 4-5th best long term pitching prospect [Sanchez, Medina, Irvin, Eflin, Kilome to name a few] get in the way of a generational player.

As for Gamboa, solid young infield prospect in an organization that has several. Taveras? I bet his best friends don't know he is pitching in professional baseball.

IMHO, there is NO way these three guys bring you Machado but if they do, you make this deal. One of the aspects of this season that has not been discussed [and I acknowledge that perhaps its just me] is how utterly boring this club has become. I freely admit I have never been a fan of the strikeout offensively despite all the people over the years showing numbers that say they don't matter overall.

I believe they do and baseball in general, and the Phillies in particular, have been quite boring because of it. Let's put it this way...I LOVE BASEBALL but don't don't like it very much right now, way too much dead time with strikeouts. Machado would add some excitement to what otherwise might become a fairly dull summer as this team slowly sinks from wild card competition.

If DeLosSantos, Gamboa and Taveras truly can get you Machado I believe you have to do it.

[Lawman]

I may be overvaluing prospects, but I don't trade De Los Santos unless I know Machado is going to re-sign with the my team. Not for a rental.

Besides, w/o Machado on the team this is a .500 ballclub. I tend to doubt Machado - or any single player - is going to move the needle that much over half a season.

[California_Dreamin]

I believe you are overvaluing a prospect and this comes from someone who often gets more joy following the minors than I do the majors. Even if Machado stays only this year [and I have faith that Middleton, Klentak and McPhail would give MM a full court press to sign him] he helps a very young lineup by taking so much pressure off of them. I saw Dave Cash do this in 1974 and while Cash left under, to me, mysterious circumstances after the '76 season he taught those Phillie teams how to win.

I believe MM could do the same for players like Hoskins, Kingery, Crawford and Alfaro. And I believe the Phils could keep him if they have a chance to introduce him to Philadelphia.

[andyb]

Not saying I would do that deal (mainly because I have a feeling the price for Machado might come down even lower), but strategically trading Enyel De Los Santos may be the wise thing to do. He is currently having a great season where the results are ahead of where scouts had previously ranked him. There is really nothing to suggest yet that he is going to be better than Eflin for instance. And even Eshelman, who personally I am not a fan of, could easily progress to where his mix of pitches is a better fit for the back end of the rotation.

De Los Santos might well be overvalued in this market. He may not be as good as either Medina or Kilome for instance, but is being valued higher because he is in the middle of a great season. The best in-season trades often package "hot" prospects. Best trades as in best for the team getting the expensive veteran. The Yankees have done this lots of times. Pump up your young prospects' value and then trade them for the veterans you need.

I am divided on Machado. I really want him long term and still wonder if the best way to do that is to wait till the end of the season. I still think this team can compete this year (and they clearly need offense from one of the positions Machado might play), but should competing for a wild card (and probably not the division) entail trading significant prospects for short term gain. I don't know the answer to that question and it is possible the Phillies don't know yet, really wanting to wait a month to figure out where the team is. Of course that might be too late to get what they need from Machado.

[Austinfan]

I'd package Franco (where is he going to play?), Kilome and Gamboa instead.
Kilome has upside, but too many pitchers are going to pass him by September, this team no longer has to bet on struggling prospects to put it all together.
Franco would be the key for Baltimore, plug him into 3B and hope to turn him around.

However, my attitude is that this team is in the midst of a rebuild and patience is required, young hitters take a couple years to sink or swim. Arrieta and Santana may have added 5 wins but that just took them from 75-80 wins or so - the development of the young players is the key.

[Lawman]

CD, to be clear, I would trade De Los Santos for Machado if he were under contract long term. Or for another player of similar impact who may be on the market. I'm just hesitant to do so for what very well could be a rental player. And, even if they trade for Machado, I don't see the team as better then the Nationals. so they're probably competing for a Wild Card spot. I just don't know if it pays to trade up 3 legitimate prospects for a rental player to compete for a wild card spot.

If they did it, I don't think it's a move I criticize either. But, I'm hesitant to endorse it. And, of course, my endorsement matters a great deal.

[nycphils]

A few thoughts:

1. I would definitely do a deal for Machado - the Yankees loom less large re: his signing than they did at the beginning of the year, we can afford him, I’d take the two week window before FA at the end of the year (or before that) to try to sign him, and we wouldn’t lose next years first rounder if we sign him which we would if he’s not traded.

2. De Los Santos is traceable - at peak value now, we have excellent depth at SP over the next 3 years

3. I’d rather trade Crawford than Gamboa assuming that’s possible - I thinkGamboa looks like a potential stud at 6’2” 195 lbs, reportedly good defense, a good eye and developing power. Crawford simply doesn’t have the upside, though the floor is still high.

Crawford or Franco, de los Santos, Tavares, even if we had to add Eshelman or Lively Anderson or Irvin or Rios I would do in a heartbeat.

[David_Criss]

As we just witnessed with the adding of Walding, the Phillies have a ton of pitching. For crying out loud, Cozens and Quinn were the only non pitchers available on the 40-man and Quinn wasn't available. But Machado is going to test the FA waters and the only way he doesn't is if he gets a CRAZY offer to extend, so this is most likely a rental. Perhaps the Phillies should look to KC and offer a Franco and pitching suspect/prospect for Moustakis. I know Moustakis is not the most favorite guy to have in the clubhouse, but he would immediately be the team leader in HR and is OBP is .328 better than Franco.

My point is both will be rentals and both can have a significant impact on the lineup, so go with what costs less.
KC would take Franco a controllable 3B and the Phillies can keep their prospects.

Dealing prospects is always a gamble. Jake Thompson looks like he could be a great closer in the making now, but last year....Tom Eshelmen looked like the real deal last year and is really struggling at AAA now...

Rentals still cost. The Phillies were able to get Eflin for a 34 year old declining Jimmy Rollins and a Nick Pivetta for a surly Jon Paplebon.

If I can get Machado I jump at it, but you need to think about the costs if you can still get a significant 3B upgrade.

Machado is going to insist on playing ss so what becomes of Crawford and Kingery? If you trade Franco for Mouse and can't sign Machado in the off season then you still have Kingery, Crawford to figure out 3B and SS.

[nycphils]

Risk aversion and fear aren’t good ways to run a ball club.

When you make deals, if you have decent depth (which the O’s importantly do NOT have) the only way you really get hurt is if you deal away stars - otherwise, replacements are readily available. Could Crawford or Franco be stars? Could happen, but not likely.

De los Santos, maybe, but so might Sixto, Medina, Kilome (who by all accounts still has two plus pitches and the makings of a third, and just has to work on command), JoJo, and plenty of depth.

Finally, I feel confident that if we hand him a 10 year, $350m contract, Machado will play third if we ask him to, at least after a year or two.

[Lawman]

Finally, I feel confident that if we hand him a 10 year, $350m contract, Machado will play third if we ask him to, at least after a year or two.

Agreed.

[allentown]

I don't make that trade either. A rental of Machado isn't going to take us to the WS this season. Yes, we have a lot of young pitching talent, but the primo talent is Sixto and De Los Santos -- everyone else is, for various reasons, a middling pitching talent. I don't think renting Machado would increased our chances of retaining him one iota.

[Philsmania]

The way the Phillies played on the recent road trip and the fact that their schedule is with against good teams until July, all this Machado trade talk may soon be academic.

[andyb]

I think that is where I am too. If the trade is for a 2-3 year player it might be worth investing in. Trading something significant is just not worth it for the wild card as opposed to the division.

[jimbomill]

But Machado is going to test the FA waters and the only way he doesn't is if he gets a CRAZY offer to extend, so this is most likely a rental.

That is spot on. I wouldn't do it.