The Phillies are in the process of finalizing their 25-man roster for Opening Day but is a trade for a potential bench bat in the works?
The Phillies made a surprising move Tuesday when they released outfielder and former Rookie of the Year Chris Coghlan. Many expected the non-roster invitee to make the Opening Day roster as the team’s fifth outfielder.
Instead, the team released Coghlan since he could have opted out of his deal anyway. The move made some financial sense as Coghlan would have been paid three million dollars had he made the 25-man roster. As Matt Winkelman of Crashburn Alley pointed out, Coghlan wasn’t much more impressive than any of the other bench candidates.
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With Coghlan now gone, the last two spots on the bench are between Jesmuel Valentin, Brock Stassi, and Daniel Nava. Valentin is on the 40-man roster while Stassi and Nava were non-roster invitees this spring and would have to be added to the roster. Roster flexibility – or a lack thereof – is a problem for the team, so adding a non-roster invitee like Nava or Stassi may not work out.
However, there is speculation that the Phils may go down a different path to fill out their bench. Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer said Philadelphia could go down one of many different paths, including trading a pitcher on the 40-man roster for a bench player from another team.
A few options in play for Phillies, who could trade a 40-man roster pitcher for a bench bat in another organization. Stay tuned.
— Matt Gelb (@MattGelb) March 28, 2017
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The pitchers most likely to be traded in Gelb’s scenario would be Adam Morgan and Alec Asher. Both had no shot for a spot in the rotation in the spring. While one – or both – may be able to make their way into the bullpen, there is no guarantee. There isn’t really a spot in Triple-A Lehigh Valley for Asher or Morgan either, so a trade is certainly in the realm of possibility.
UPDATE: Philadelphia announced that they traded Asher to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later.
#Phillies have traded RHP Alec Asher to the Baltimore Orioles for a player to be named later.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) March 28, 2017
In regards to who the Phils might trade for, that is not entirely certain. One need they might try to address is the fact that they have no true shortstops on the roster outside of Freddy Galvis.
Andres Blanco, Cesar Hernandez, and Valentin can play shortstop if the team is put in a bind, but it is by no means ideal. A trade could give the team a shortstop who can help take the load off of Galvis when he needs a day off every now and then.
Next: Phillies Release Utility-Man Chris Coghlan
There are several ways for the Phils to go to fill out their bench, but a trade is one not many considered during spring training.