This offseason for the Phillies, no one really knows what is going to happen, just that something or somethings are going to happen. As we are already aware, Ruben Amaro Jr. is on board with the rebuild. It is no surprise they are trying to deal Ryan Howard, while Marlon Byrd will draw plenty of interest from teams.
After a week of organizational meetings, Ruben Amaro unveiled a handbook called "The Phillies Way" to all baseball personnel. He believes the team needs to get younger and in a recent chat with the Inquirer's Matt Gelb, Amaro said that nothing is off the table this offseason for the Phillies.
"It's clear we have to go into a rebuilding mode," Amaro said. "We have to get younger, more athletic . . . That's really the goal. We're keeping our thoughts and eyes open and not leaving anything off the table. We'll talk about any player. There are no untouchables. But we'll keep as many young players as we can."
There are some challenging pieces to this process of course, with the contract situations of Ryan Howard and the rights of both Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins. The Phillies double play duo have 10:5 rights, which give them the ability to block trades to any team. The Phils GM expects those two to be with the team next year, but still plans to listen to any offer that comes to him.
"I would expect that they would be with us," Amaro said yesterday of his veteran middle-infield duo. "But we're keeping our minds and ears open. If there's an opportunity that matches what they'd like and we like, we have to keep our eyes open to explore all things."
Perhaps the biggest piece that could start this whole rebuild is Cole Hamels. Coming off a season in which he had a career-best 2.46 ERA in 30 starts, Hamels has a moveable contract, but could also be kept to build around. Hamels is the one guy on the team you can get a significant return for prospect-wise. Whether or not he is on the team next year remains to be seen, but Amaro believes they are in a good position either way with the left-hander.
"I think we're right in the sweet spot with Cole," Amaro said. "Because we can go either way. We can't close off any discussion. At the same time, he'd be the perfect guy to build around as well. He has a great contract compared to what might be going on with the elite pitchers [in free agency]. And I don't know if there was a better pitcher in baseball [in the] second half of the year."
From June 1st until the end of the season, Hamels posted a 1.31 ERA over 23 starts. Over the next four years, he is owed a minimum of $96 million.
The path is clear for the Phillies. Rebuild mode. How and what happens to make all of this start though? It is a guessing game for any Phillies fan.
[Philly.com Sports – Phillies Amaro: No untouchables]Brandon Apter, Publishing Editor for Philliedelphia.com
