League executive raves about Phillies power structure, future

By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor

The Philadelphia Phillies haven't had a winning season since 2011 and are unlikely to end that run in 2017. Still, the organization is viewed very favorably around the league. 

As part of a Spring Training preview of the Phillies, John Perrotto of FanRag Sports spoke to an anonymous league executive who raved about the club's organizational power structure, their farm system and long-term ability to become a free-agent destination:

“They are very similar to the Atlanta Braves, trying to return to competitiveness by stocking up on prospects, especially pitchers, with a veteran president of baseball operations in Andy MacPhail and a veteran baseball man in Pete Mackanin as manager helping a bright young general manager in Matt Klentak. Like the Braves, these still have a way to go but the biggest difference is the Phillies are sitting on a ton of money. The free-agent markets are going to be a lot stronger the next few years than it is this winter and they’ll be ready to strike.”

The Phillies have three prospects in MLB Pipeline's top 100, but are widely considered to have a top 10 farm system, if not a top five. In addition to that, the club also has numerous young talents at the major league level already who could be long-term cogs, such as Odubel Herrera, Maikel Franco, Aaron Nola and Vince Velasquez. And what separates the Phillies from a team like the Braves, who probably have a better farm system, is that they have the ability to have a top five payroll in the league, which could allow them to supplement an already talented organization with free-agents over the course of the next few offseasons. 

In the last year plus, the Phillies have changed the outlook of their organization from one that was behind the curve to one that's ahead of it and in position to strike when they believe a move or moves could elevate them back to being one of the league's dominant powers. 

MacPhail acknowledged the thought that the Phillies are in a good place organizationally last summer, while also showing faith in the club's ownership that the team will be able to spend when it benefits them:

"We hope so," MacPhail said. "But you've been around long enough to know how things look now and what people's perception of the system is now and what ultimately happens. They can be two different things. But I'm aware of that, and I certainly hope that's the case. We're going to do everything we can to try to make it be the case.

"The baseball operations group is very thoughtful. They are not going to shy away from opportunities today if they think it's going to make sense for the future. In other words, there's no lying low on purpose for a year and not doing anything. If something comes up that we think, 'Boy this fits in our window,' let's go." [MLB.com]

It can be difficult for some fans to, ahem, trust the process while a team is rebuilding, but the fact that the organization seems to be the envy of many other teams around the league should excite Phillies fans.