Should the Phillies be interested in a reunion with their longtime starting shortstop Freddy Galvis this year in free agency?
After J.P. Crawford posted a strong second half in Triple-A and made his major-league debut in 2017, the Phillies felt comfortable parting ways with Freddy Galvis. The starting shortstop for the last three seasons was traded to the Padres for pitching prospect Enyel De Los Santos.
Almost a year after that trade, Philadelphia is back in the market for a shortstop. The position is a major question mark and the team is looking for a way to improve the position. Plenty of names have been tossed around, both via a trade or free agency.
With the team in the market for a shortstop, is Galvis worth bringing back to Philadelphia?
Reasons to sign Galvis
Galvis’s biggest selling point is his defense. He was nominated for a Gold Glove this season but ultimately lost out to Nick Ahmed of the Diamondbacks. Galvis finished with the best fielding percentage among NL shortstops of .986. He also finished with seven defensive runs saved and has a career 3.7 UZR/150 at the position.
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Comparatively, Phillies shortstops ranked dead last in the league with -33 defensive runs saved from their shortstops. They also finished 23rd in UZR/150 and 21st in fielding percentage. Galvis would be a significant upgrade to a team that had huge defensive struggles in 2018.
Galvis also is one of the most reliable players in the league. He played in all 162 games last year in Philadelphia, then started all 162 games for the Padres this year.
There is zero injury concern with Galvis at this point.
Reasons not to sign Galvis
While Galvis is a stud defensively, the same cannot be said for his offense. He finished 2018 with a .248/.299/.380 line, 88 OPS+, 13 home runs, 67 runs batted in, 6.9% walk rate, and 22.4% strikeout rate. His OPS+ was the highest of his career, but his offensive numbers as a whole are underwhelming.
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Due to Galvis’s offensive inability, it’s hard to see him coming here and taking over a starting role. He isn’t much of an upgrade over Crawford or Scott Kingery offensively. The team has already made a long-term commitment to Kingery while they are still trying to evaluate what they have in Crawford. Bringing Galvis in to start would only muddle the picture.
To that end, Galvis would likely be signed as a backup/utility option. While that may be a role he is better suited for, it may not be one he is willing to sign on for. After all, he did just start 162 games in San Diego and has the defensive ability to be a starter.
Verdict
Ultimately, the Phillies should be setting the bar higher for a shortstop. They have their sights set on Manny Machado in free agency or Jean Segura in a trade, both of whom are significantly better offensively compared to Galvis. Signing Galvis should be a last resort for them.
If Galvis does wind up signing here, the Phils shouldn’t be looking at anything more than one year for him. When next offseason rolls around, they should be back in the market for Xander Bogaerts or Didi Gregorius.
While Galvis coming back to Philadelphia would be a nice storyline, the Phillies can simply do better at the position.