By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Philadelphia Phillies aren't going to compete for a World Series in 2018, but it wouldn't hurt them to take a page out of the playbook of some of the the league's most successful organizations.
Both teams in the 2017 World Series had veteran bench pieces that occasionally started, but were most valuable because of the seasoned perspective that they provided in their respective clubhouses. The Los Angeles Dodgers had Chase Utley and the Houston Astros had Carlos Beltran. Both are potential Hall of Famers, but had individual seasons that led many to suggest they should retire. Still, it was Utley that gave the Dodgers a pregame speech in the dugout before the Dodgers took the field in Game 7 of the World Series. The most clear sign (aside from winning a ton of games) that the Astros were a special group came in July, when Beltran, who posted a -11.3 dWAR in 2017, allowed a young team to hold a mock funeral for his glove.
Despite having been MVP candidates for much of their careers, Beltran and Utley were indispensable pieces on their teams in 2017 for reasons other than their play. David Ross wasn't a star at any point in his career, but he was an extremely valuable veteran presence for the 2013 World Series champion Boston Red Sox and the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs. Even on teams stocked with young All-Star talents, these veteran pieces have become must-haves for contending teams.
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Aaron Nola, Rhys Hoskins and Odubel Herrera are among a talented young core that the Phillies already have at the major league level. On a talented young team, free-agent outfielder Jon Jay could provide a similar type of veteran clubhouse presence.
Jay, who will turn 33 in March, has been a valuable piece for multiple different organizations. He spent 2016 with the San Diego Padres, which was sandwiched in between six seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals and a successful 2017 with the Chicago Cubs.
If you need an idea of how respected Jay was by those that he shared a dugout with in 2017, Joe Maddon said that if he "needed a son or a sidekick," Jay would be his pick. John Lackey, who has played with a ton of talented players in his 15-year career, had his son dress as Jay for Halloween.
Jay's 2017 playoff appearance with the Cubs was the sixth time that he's made the playoffs in his eight-season major league career. He was on the 2011 St. Louis Cardinals team that upset Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and the heavily favored Phillies in the NLDS. The Cardinals made four NLCS appearances during his six seasons with the team, and he, of course, returned there this past season with the Cubs. And he has played in the World Series twice, a win in 2011 and a loss in 2013.
What's better is that he has much more left than Beltran or Utley. In 379 regular season at-bats for the Cubs in 2017, he slashed .296/.374/.375 with 89 hits and 34 RBIs. He had a very similar season with the Padres in 2016, a year after an injury-riddled final season with the Cardinals.
The former Miami Hurricane also fits the Phillies in the sense that while he can start, he's very familiar with coming off of the bench. In 40 at-bats as a pinch-hitter in 2017, Jay slashed .325/.391/.400, with an OPS of .842. The Phillies figure to begin the season with a starting outfield of Herrera, Nick Williams and Aaron Altherr, so Jay would need to be able to come off of the bench.
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However, if the Phillies needed Jay to start, he's done that plenty in his career, including in high-leverage postseason games. He's also able to play all three outfield positions, which could be of value to the Phillies. While the Phillies are excited about the aforementioned trio of outfielders, it's a young group that will likely go through some rough patches. 2018 will be Williams' first full season in the majors, and it wouldn't be smart to expect him not to struggle at times. While Herrera has demonstrated an ability to hit at an All-Star caliber at times throughout his three major league seasons, last May showed how low he can sink when he goes cold. And for as productive as Aaron Altherr has been when he's played, he's had trouble staying healthy.
The conclusion you are left with is that the Phillies probably need a steady, veteran fourth outfielder. Sure, Roman Quinn, Dylan Cozens and Andrew Pullin are among the outfielders in the team's system that could play in the majors in 2018, though Pullin projects as a bench piece and Quinn and Cozens have quite a bit to prove to get a look at the major league level in 2018. If any minor leaguers force their way to the majors in 2018, Jay wouldn't block them from getting at-bats. Even if he did, having too many good outfielders would be a nice problem to have.
Jay, who played on a one-year/$8 million deal in 2017, told the collective media after the season that he hoped to return to Chicago. With Ian Happ, Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Ben Zobrist all in the mix, it's unclear if there will be room for Jay in 2018. Other teams, probably ones more likely to contend than the Phillies, will be interested in Jay. However, the Phillies have great financial flexibility, which could allow them to overpay for Jay on a short-term deal without any real consequences.
Perhaps the only real issue the Phillies would have is that they currently have seven outfielders on their 40-man roster, and need to add Pullin. With that said, Cam Perkins could very easily be moved off the 40-man roster, as could a few other players at other positions.
Daniel Nava played a similar role for the Phillies in 2017, though he struggled to stay healthy and hasn't been especially consistent year-to-year in his career. If they don't land Jay, and we assume they don't make a major trade for a star outfielder, the team could consider re-signing Nava.
But with a new coaching staff, and the hope that the Phillies will begin to ascend towards contention in 2018, someone with the pedigree of Jay would seem to be a perfect fit for the Phillies.
