Phillies need to move from the process to progress
After years of waiting for the Phillies to develop into a contender, now is the time for them to open their championship window.
Saturday marked the end of an era in Philadelphia sports. Making his first major splash as 76ers General Manager Elton Brand shipped Dario Saric and Robert Covington to Minnesota in exchange for four-time NBA All-Star Jimmy Butler. Saric and Covington were two of the most notable players from the Sam Hinkie era and sending them off sent one simple message: The process is over, it’s time to contend.
Turning towards baseball, this free agency class is not what many expected it to be. Age and injuries have depleted stars like Josh Donaldson and Dallas Keuchel. Tragedy cost this class it’s ace in the passing of Jose Fernandez. Many see the remaining superstars as players with more baggage than upside, believing signing Bryce Harper or Manny Machado will more so push the Phillies back as opposed to rocketing the franchise forward.
In sports, teams are not rewarded for kicking it back and watching things unfold. After adding Chris Sale, during the last offseason, the Boston Red Sox signed slugger J.D Martinez and the rest is history. Many forget the risk behind acquiring Justin Verlander for the Houston Astros in 2017. Before his trade the then-34-year-old was in the midst of his third worse season, ERA wise. But Houston brought him in then hung a banner up just months later.
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The Golden State Warriors had gone 73-9 and won a championship, but Bob Myers went out and brought in Kevin Durant. Philly fans need to look no further then across the street and look back at what Howie Roseman did with the Super Bowl Champion Eagles. Carson Wentz was coming off his rookie season, he had thrown just 16 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. But rather than give Wentz another season to develop, he handed him offensive weapons Alshon Jeffery and Jay Ajayi, while putting Ronald Darby and Chris Long on the other side of the ball and for the first time ever, the Eagles were champions.
In business, you sell one of two things. Results or potential.
It’s time to stop selling the process and start witnessing progress.
For the majority of the 2018 season, the Phillies were contenders. Then, they fell off the face of the earth in August, allowing the Atlanta Braves to run away with the division. The Braves core of 2018 Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna, a star infield duo of Dansby Swanson and Ozzie Albies, and superstar Freddie Freeman will likely add starting pitching help this offseason and become deadlocked as contenders for the next decade.
The Phillies can not afford to pull from the Harper or Machado sweepstakes. As a matter of fact, they should go even harder at getting them both. Harper and Machado are both 26 years old in the prime of their careers and available for nothing but cash. No loss of prospects, just cold hard cash.
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And is handing out that money such a bad thing? Yes, both will be demanding a historic amount of money, but where would you rather spend it? Harper is arguably the biggest superstar in the game and Machado is one of, if not the, best two way player in the league. In 2020 the best bat will be a 32-year-old Paul Goldschmidt, which would be committing to a likely declining player six years older who both Machado and Harper are already likely better then.
Here is a list of some of the bigger free agents over the next two years and their ages, with one notable exception: Yoenis Céspedes (35), Yadier Molina (38), Edwin Encarnación (38), Justin Turner (36), Jason Kipnis (34), Ryan Braun (38) and the second best possible option Freddie Freeman (32).
But yes, in 2021 the best player in baseball will be available. Mike Trout at age 29 could be a free agent. But will he really? The Angels are reportedly already working on a lifelong contract with Trout and if you think Harper and Machado are expensive, do you really think Trout will be any cheaper?
Next. Phillies bench facing a major rebuild. dark
It is time for the Phillies to contend again and that will not happen if Harper or Machado are wearing any pinstripes that aren’t red. Klentak can’t afford to let these two walk. This era of irrelevance needs to be over.