The Philadelphia Phillies may end up with a surplus of middle infielders at some point in 2017, but that doesn't appear to be affecting the way that general manager Matt Klentak is operating.
Last week, Jim Salisbury of Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia reported that second baseman Cesar Hernandez was a 'hot name' in trade talks at the league's general managers meetings. The Los Angeles Angels, who are searching for a second baseman seemed to be an on-paper fit, but Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register says that the two sides are unlikely to reach an agreement:
@hallofan @BVasquez81 Because the Phillies are asking for too much.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) November 13, 2016
@chazlong21 The Phillies don't have to trade him, so they are asking for a lot. He's good.
— Jeff Fletcher (@JeffFletcherOCR) November 14, 2016
There's a few things to consider here. First of all, it's early in the offseason and both the Phillies and Angels could soften their stances and ultimately come to an agreement as we get deeper into the offseason. Secondly, as Fletcher noted, Hernandez is likely to be the team's Opening Day second baseman and is under team control through 2020, so the team definitely does not need to trade Hernandez.
That said, Hernandez, 26, batted .294 and posted a 4.4 WAR in 2016 (per FanGraphs). Considering that a year before he batted .272 while posting a 1.4 WAR, and that he has other flaws, it's fair to wonder if his value in trades will ever be higher than it is now.
With top prospect J.P. Crawford likely to take over as the starting shortstop at some point in 2017, it's unclear what Hernandez's long-term future with the team will be. If he hits like he did in the second half of 2016, it would be hard not to have him in the lineup every day. But Crawford is eventually going to be the every day shortstop, and the team is very high on Freddy Galvis, who would be more than capable of being the starting second baseman until prospect Scott Kingery is ready to take over.
The Phillies also acquired Howie Kendrick from the Los Angeles Dodgers last week, and while the initial plan may be to play him in left field, his natural position is second base and the Phillies have a lot of young outfield talent that they want to see play.
If the Angels and Phillies don't end up coming to some sort of agreement, they aren't the only team in the league. Salisbury's report indicated that Hernandez was a 'hot name,' meaning there's probably interest from a variety of teams in the switch-hitter. Other teams around the league may not feel that the Phillies asking price for Hernandez is too high.
