Looking in on the future of the Phillies

The Phillies recently replenished their farm system by trading away outfielders Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino, respectively. GM Ruben Amaro Jr. believes that his team is not going to have a fire sale, but he traded away two-thirds of his outfield a few days ago. He claims that his team is "retooling", and getting ready for the 2013 season. I'm sorry I simply can't buy that. As a Mets fan, I might have some bias towards this article, but if Amaro Jr. really wants to help his team, he pretty much has to trade everyone. When I mean everyone, I mean EVERYONE. 

So I'll pretty much just go through each position, kicking off with the starting rotation. The starting rotation has been a strength of the Phillies for a few years now, and it has continued to be pretty solid this year. Now that Cole Hamels has signed a gigantic contract extension, it is safe to say that he will be in a Phillies uniform for a while, and is in their future plans. I believe Philadelphia can certainly build their rotation around Hamels, but they need to get rid of Lee and Halladay. Lee and Halladay are so similar because their best years are behind them, and they both have huge contracts. Halladay is locked up through the 2013 season, so his contract is almost over. Lee, however, is earning an average $25 million annually through the 2015 season. If Philadelphia wants to successfully rebuild, they will have to get rid of that awful contract. You cannot have more than half of your payroll dedicated to two pitchers, especially one that is aging quickly. As for the rest of the rotation, Blanton will be gone by the end of the season and Worley is definitely a keeper. I'm a big fan of Worley, and I think he might even turn into an ace himself. 

Now I'll talk about the infield. At first base we have Ryan Howard, who is a fan favorite in Philly but needs to go ASAP. Howard, like Lee, has a ridiculous contract. Plus his skills are degrading. He will be earning about $25 million annually per season through the 2016 season. That is just crazy. Next we have Chase Utley at second base. Utley is making $15 million this season and the next, and will be eligible for free agency after the 2013 campaign. I don't think he will be a problem for Philadelphia, because they will definitely not look to resign him. He is really injury prone plus they have Freddy Galvis waiting under him on the depth chart. I'm not crazy about Galvis, but Philadelphia will want to see what they have in him. At shortstop we have Jimmy Rollins. Rollins has been an icon in Philadelphia for many years, winning several awards for his excellent offensive numbers. Like Howard and Utley, he is past his prime, and has a contract that Philadelphia is going to have to deal with. He is earning about $10 million per season through the 2014 season. That would probably make him pretty easy to trade, considering that Philadelphia would probably want to absorb some of his salary in order to get a decent prospect or two. Next we have third base, who is belonged to Ty Wigginton and Placido Polanco. Both of those players do not have a future in Philly, therefore the position is pretty much open for discussion. The Phillies have prospect Maikel Franco in the minors right now, and I assume that when he's ready, he'll get the call to the big leagues. Next we have the catcher position, which is currently owned by Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz is a fan favorite in Philly, and he is actually quite underrated. He is under team control through this season, but has an option for 2013. I expect the Phillies front office to exercise that option because Ruiz could provide as a stop-gap until prospect Tommy Joseph arrives. Joseph was recently acquired in the Hunter Pence deal, and the Phillies clearly have plans to make him their starting catcher within the next few years. Joseph has played in Double-A ball this year, and many scouts are calling him the real deal. I'm assuming he'll get the starting gig sometime next season, probably after the trade deadline if/when the Phillies trade Ruiz. 

Now I'll go onto the outfield. In left field we have Domonic Brown, who has been a disappointment for Philadelphia so far. I've always liked Brown, but he hasn't been able to transfer his solid Triple-A numbers to the big leagues. He definitely seems like he could become a five tool player, but only time will tell. Playing him everyday will tell us baseball fans who the real Domonic Brown is. I personally think that he will find his swing and will become the franchise left fielder for Philly. In center field we have John Mayberry Jr., who I also like. At age 28, I don't think he has a future with the Phillies. I think the organization will perhaps go with a prospect like Aaron Altherr or Leandro Castro. Those two players have high upside and I think they definitely have futures in the MLB. In right field, we have Nate Schierholtz, who was recently acquired in the Pence trade. Schierholtz, although I think he is an underrated player, does not have a future with the Phillies. I think either Altherr or Castro will take his right field job eventually. 

All I pretty much have left is the bullpen. It's very hard to find consistent relief pitchers, so this would be almost impossible to predict. I can say, however, that Jonathan Papelbon, in my opinion, is likely staying with the Phillies. I doubt Philadelphia would trade him after one year. 

The Phillies' future is pretty much going to be defined by how well Ruben Amaro Jr. sheds his payroll within the next few years. Getting rid of the contracts of Lee, Halladay, Howard, Utley, Rollins, etc, would be very important in that process. Amaro Jr. certainly has a tough job, and being a seller is never a fun thing to do.