Unpacking every angle of the Philadelphia Phillies’ shortstop dilemma

How will the Phillies solve their shortstop problem this offseason?

The Philadelphia Phillies have a problem at shortstop, and the funny thing is that the problem stems from their attempt to be proactive last offseason.

Last winter, the Phillies signed Didi Gregorius to a two-year deal.

Presumably, they figured that Gregorius would hold down the fort at short while top prospect Bryson Stott rose through the minors. The timelines of Gregorius’ contract ending and Stott’s debut would line up, giving the Phillies a somewhat seamless transition while the rest of MLB vied for the top shortstop talent of this winter’s free-agent class.

Furthermore, Gregorius’ $14M AAV would be significantly lower than what the big-name shortstops would command this winter. On paper, it was a foolproof plan, and the Phils probably felt like they were pulling one over on the rest of the league.

Unfortunately for the Phillies and himself, Gregorius had a terrible 2021 season, which required the Phillies to bring home Freddy Galvis via trade from the Baltimore Orioles at the deadline.

And Gregorius’ problems didn’t end when the season did; President of Baseball Operations Dave Dombrowski confirmed earlier this month that the shortstop’s future with the team is uncertain.

Will top prospect Bryson Stott be the Phillies’ shortstop in 2022?

Despite the cancellation of the 2020 minor league season, Stott didn’t seem to miss a beat. He hit .295 in 2019, and .299 in 2021.

Over 80 games at Double-A Reading in 2021, he hit .301/.368/.481 with a .848 OPS. Of his 94 hits, 22 were doubles, a pair of triples, and 10 home runs. He also swiped six bags in eight attempts.

Stott only spent 10 games at Triple-A Lehigh Valley this year, which almost guarantees that he’ll need to spend more time there to start the 2022 season. But the small sample size suggested good things: he hit .303/.439/.394 with a .833 OPS, 10 hits, a home run, three RBI, four runs scored, and a stolen base. He struck out eight times, but also drew eight walks.

The Phillies can still avoid the free agent melee, re-sign Galvis as an affordable platoon option to pair with Gregorius, and hope Stott is ready sooner rather than later next season. He’s currently ranked as the 97th overall prospect on MLB.com’s Top 100, which predicts his big-league ETA to be sometime in 2022.

It wouldn’t be surprising to see Dombrowski go on a shortstop spending spree this winter, but it feels like an instant gratification-type overreaction to Gregorius’ poor 2021 showing. The long view would place faith in Stott and spend that money on what they really need: pitching.