Phillies: Who is Next in Line for a Contract Extension?
After Odubel Herrera received a five-year contract extension in December, who should the Phillies give an extension to next?
Locking your young players up to long-term deals is one of the most important aspects of a rebuild for teams like the Phillies. They handed out their first big extension December 15 when Odubel Herrera received a five-year extension from the club. He earned it after two seasons where he was worth about four wins above replacement.
However, Herrera is by no means the only player the Phillies will eventually have to lock up an extension with. There are still several players who could very well earn an extension in the coming year. Let’s examine just a few players who could wind up with a shiny new extension from the team.
Starter Jerad Eickhoff
Jerad Eickhoff was the paradigm for dependability for the Phillies this year after leading the team with 33 starts. The righty logged 197.1 innings this season as he finished the year with a 11-14 record, 3.65 ERA, 1.16 WHIP, and 1.9 BB/9.
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So far, Eickhoff has been the most valuable piece from the Cole Hamels trade. Jorge Alfaro has spent just a few games in the majors and will be back in Triple-A next season. Jake Thompson struggled in his rookie season, while Alec Asher sat out half the season after a PED suspension. Meanwhile, Nick Williams has yet to make his major-league debut after a poor season in Triple-A.
With another quality season in 2017, Eickhoff could very well earn an extension as the workhorse starter.
It would be very similar to Herrera’s extension as Eickhoff would have just over two years of service time under his belt. He is not arbitration-eligible until after the 2018 season, but an extension would help the two sides avoid what can be a painstaking process.
Starter Aaron Nola
Aaron Nola looked the part of an effective No. 2, if not No. 1 starter through his first 25 career starts. From his debut until June 5 of this season, Nola carried a 8.85 K/9, 1.97 BB/9, 3.12 ERA, 3.39 FIP, and 1.09 WHIP. Opposing hitters had a .229 batting average – and a .280 batting average on balls in play – due to Nola’s 50.6% ground ball rate.
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In Nola’s last eight starts, he didn’t even look like a major-league caliber starter. He carried a 9.82 ERA and went 1-5 in that span. He suffered from some bad luck, as he allowed a .451 BABIP despite inducing ground balls 57.8% of the time.
Nola’s injury that ended his season is the biggest hurdle to a potential extension for him. He has to return from that injury healthy in 2017 before contract talks could ever start.
However, if Nola can return from that injury – and return to the numbers from the early part of his career – the Phillies would be wise to lock up Nola as well.
Like his rotation-mate Eickhoff, Nola is also arbitration-eligible after 2018.
Reliever Hector Neris
After splitting 2015 between Triple-A and the majors, Hector Neris spent all of 2016 with the big-league club and was put to the test. He pitched in 79 games and 80.1 innings, serving as Pete Mackanin’s go-to reliever when things got tight. Neris flourished in that role, striking out 11.43 batters per nine innings as he carried a 2.58 ERA.
It isn’t a stretch to say that Neris could be the closer of the future for the Phillies. The position is wide open heading into 2017, and Neris is certainly one of the favorites as we near spring training. Mackanin was hesitant to let Neris usurp Jeanmar Gomez as the closer last season, but his effective fastball-splitter combo could lead to him succeed as the closer.
The only thing that may prevent Neris from getting an extension is if the team decides Vincent Velasquez doesn’t have the efficiency to be a starter and move him to the pen. Velasquez blows away Neris in terms of stuff, so he would likely make a better closer. However, it seems that the coaching staff wants to keep Velasquez in the rotation, so Neris will have the chance to prove himself as the future closer.
Third Baseman Maikel Franco
Maikel Franco isn’t quite the same caliber of extension candidate as Eickhoff, Nola, or Neris. His 2016 season was a letdown compared to his rookie year when he hit 14 home runs and drove in 50 runs along with posting a .280/.343/.497 line in 80 games.
However, Franco may earn an extension for simply being the best option for Philadelphia at third base within the organization. Their only legitimate third base prospect is Cole Stobbe, who was just drafted in 2016 and spent the entire year at shortstop in the Gulf Coast League. Barring another prospect moving to third, Franco will be there for the next few seasons.
But wait, “What about Manny Machado?’ some may ask. While the allure of one of the top third baseman in the game hitting free agency after 2018 may be worth planning for, free agency is never an exact science. Machado could very well sign somewhere else, blowing up the team’s plans at the position in one foul swoop. Plus, it is likely Machado would command more than $30 million a year, while an extension for Franco would be much cheaper.
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Obviously Franco has to bounce back in 2017 and show he can sustain success for a full season. If he can do that, he may earn himself a shiny new deal.