That Balls Outta Here
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Five questions the Phillies need to answer this offseason

By John Town

PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: Maikel Franco #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies is congratulated by Odubel Herrera #37 after he hit a home run during the second inning of a game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on September 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: Maikel Franco #7 of the Philadelphia Phillies is congratulated by Odubel Herrera #37 after he hit a home run during the second inning of a game against the New York Mets at Citizens Bank Park on September 30, 2017 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Rich Schultz/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FL – SEPTEMBER 02: Tommy Joseph #19 of the Philadelphia Phillies reacts after striking out in the eighth inning against the Miami Marlins at Marlins Park on September 2, 2017 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) /

What to do with players replaced by prospects?

Lost in the emergences of Rhys Hoskins, Jorge Alfaro, and J.P. Crawford were the players those prospects are expected to replace. Hoskins is expected to replace Tommy Joseph at first, Alfaro should replace Cameron Rupp behind the plate, and Crawford will eventually take over shortstop duties from Freddy Galvis.

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Hoskins and Alfaro are both expected to be the Opening Day starters at their respective positions next season. Crawford should be in the Opening Day lineup as well, but which position he winds up playing will ultimately depend on what happens with the rest of the infield. At some point, Crawford will be the everyday shortstop, but just when that happens will remain up in the air.

This leaves Joseph, Rupp, and Galvis in limbo heading into next season. In an ideal world, it would be nice if they were traded somewhere, but only Galvis has any real trade value.

Rupp and Joseph were both well below-average players in 2017, with Joseph ranking among the worst players in all of baseball.

If those guys don’t wind up traded, Galvis is the only one who could realistically wind up securing a bench role on the team. He has more than enough defensive prowess to be a utility man and is viewed as a leader in the clubhouse as the longest-tenured Phillie. Meanwhile, Andrew Knapp is a much better option as a backup catcher compared to Rupp while it’s highly unlikely the team would opt to keep the right-handed hitting Joseph as the backup to the right-handed hitting Hoskins, especially since Joseph can only play first base.

Next: Could Aaron Nola receive a long-term extension?

Ultimately, Joseph and Rupp could fall victim to the roster crunch and may even wind up being non-tendered this offseason. It’d be a tad sad to see them go, but Philadelphia ultimately has better options at their positions.

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