Offseason additions of Bryce Harper and Andrew McCutchen have left the Phillies with an overcrowded outfield mix that will likely lead to some roster shuffling. As The Athletic’s Meghan Montemurro examines at length (subscription required), the Phils now have five outfielders — Odubel Herrera, Roman Quinn, Nick Williams, Aaron Altherr and Dylan Cozens — all on the 40-man roster beyond their two big-name pickups. Both Herrera and Quinn are currently nursing minor injuries, but they’re also the two most logical options for center field. Williams, meanwhile, isn’t viewed as an option in center, per manager Gabe Kapler, which severely clouds his future with the team. Williams does have minor league options remaining, but he could also hold appeal as a trade asset marketed to other clubs in search of outfield help. (The same could be true of Herrera, but he’s owed $24.5MM through 2021 and had a down season in 2018.) Of the Phillies’ current outfielders, both Altherr and Quinn are out of minor league options, which only enhances the likelihood of some roster moves in the next couple of weeks.
Elsewhere in the division…
- Because of the numerous off-days baked into the early-season schedule, the Mets are likelier to open the season with seven relievers than they are with eight, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. Edwin Diaz, Jeurys Familia, Justin Wilson, Robert Gsellman and Seth Lugo are locks to hold down five of those spots, and Puma adds that non-roster lefties Luis Avilan and Hector Santiago are strong candidates to claim the other two slots. Both veterans signed minor league contracts with invites to Spring Training, and both have thrown quite well to open camp. That’d give manager Mickey Callaway three lefties to utilize out of the ’pen early in the season, although it wouldn’t leave the team with too much in the way of roster flexibility. With so many veteran relievers on board, the only three pitchers of that bunch who could technically be optioned to the minors would be Lugo, Gsellman and Diaz — none of whom would figure to be sent down to the minors at any point. If the Mets do eventually shift to carrying eight relievers, they’d be able to use that final ’pen slot to shuffle some fresh arms back and forth between the Majors and Triple-A Syracuse.
- Left-hander Sammy Solis was caught “completely off guard” by the Nationals’ decision to release him, the pitcher tells Richard Justice of MLB.com. Solid seemingly took the abrupt and unexpected news in good stride, thanking the organization and expressing some disappointment over having to say goodbye to longtime teammates. As manager Dave Martinez explains, the move was made with an eye toward giving Solis a chance to find another organization before the season begins. “For me, it was more about giving Sammy an opportunity to latch on with another team and get a chance to have that Spring Training elsewhere,” said Martinez. The Nats also shed $713K in salary with the move, which surely played a factor as well. The 30-year-old Solid has had a pair of unsightly seasons over the past two years, including a 2017 campaign that was shortened by elbow troubles. He maintains that he’s healthy now, though, and one would imagine that a lefty who averaged nearly 94 mph on his fastball to go along with a 12.9 percent swinging-strike rate in 2018 will garner interest — even if only on a minor league contract.
- Right-hander Pablo Lopez is making a strong case to open the season in the Marlins’ rotation, but manager Don Mattingly said this weekend that no decisions have been made as to who’ll round out the rotation behind Jose Urena and Dan Straily, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Lopez tossed four perfect innings and picked up four punchouts in his most recent outing against a Nationals lineup featuring many regulars. He’s now allowed just one run on three hits and a walk with eight strikeouts in nine spring frames. Wei-Yin Chen’s contract — he’s owed $42MM over the next two seasons — makes him a likely candidate to get a long look, while other rotation hopefuls include Sandy Alcantara, Trevor Richards and southpaw Caleb Smith.
I would guess the Giants will be all over the Phils’ DFA list when they have to cut outfielders.
The thing is, they don’t have to cut any if they send down the guys with options.
The Giants would also have to work out a trade, because there will be more than one team interested.
Interesting with the Phillies outfield situation. I personally like Quinn better than Herrera at this point. Due to the remaining options it does look like Williams is the odd man out. Cozens is behind all of them i would think.
I do too except for the fact Quinn cannot stay healthy.
Even with both healthy I like Herrera’s overall hit tools better.
I like Herrera better than Quinn. He’s proven he ‘can’ play CF at an elite level, and he’s also proven he can hit at a level than Quinn has not yet reached.
Quinn can run, though. Boy can he run!
Ok so is his last name Solid or Solis? lol
Solis in the form of a solid because he isn’t a liquid or a gas today is what I’m getting.
Who’s Solid?
Solid Snake, obviously. Get it together Otacon.
Best comment ever
Snaaaaaaaaaaaake!
You can never have enough mediocre outfielders.
i would have to imagine the Marlins would be thinking of moving Chen to the pen at this point. Alcantara Lopez and Richards have all earned spots in my mind at this point.
Find a way to have Chen ONLY start at home. 2018 Splits:
Home: 13 starts, 5-3, 1.62 ERA
Away: 13 starts, 1-9, 9.27 ERA
wow, crazy splits
Come on Sammy. You put up a 5.88 ERA in 2017, and follow it up with a 6.41 ERA in 2018, but you’re caught “completely off guard” by your release? The Nats should have drop-kicked your sorry behind long ago.
Good luck in SD.
Adios
This sentence “Williams, meanwhile, isn’t viewed as an option in center, per manager Gabe Kapler, which severely clouds his future with the team” is pretty clunky. Works better like:
Meanwhile, manager Gabe Kapler doesn’t view Williams as an option in center, which severely clouds his future with the team,”
Does it matter?
Can any of those outfielders play first base? If something should happen and Hoskins would have to miss some games I’d hate to think their next best option at first is Andrew Knapp.