RIP, 2014 Philadelphia Phillies' season
The Philadelphia Phillies were not long ago officially eliminated from postseason contention. As such, the time has come to lay their 2014 season to rest ...
What went right: After missing the first month of the season with shoulder tendinitis, Cole Hamels pitched like an ace. Chase Utley stayed generally healthy, played a plus second base and put up an OPS+ of 110 in his age-35 season. Jimmy Rollins also turned in a useful age-35 campaign. Ditto for Carlos Ruiz's -- wait for it -- age-35 season. Grady Sizemore proved to be a quality midseason flyer. A.J. Burnett worked more than 200 innings, Jonathan Papelbon pitched to a 2.10 ERA, and 23-year-old reliever Ken Giles was dominant after a June callup. Oh, and Ben Revere increased his career home run total by infinity percent!
What went wrong: Whatever wasn't mentioned above went wrong. Domonic Brown took several steps back from his 27-homer campaign in 2013. Ryan Howard showed signs of being in his deep decline phase. The typically durable Cliff Lee battled serious elbow problems and was able to make just 13 starts. Kyle Kendrick was borderline replacement level for the second straight season. Papelbon flashed his substantial immaturity on at least one occasion.
The biggest problem, though, is that this team, which is so desperate for a bottom-up rebuild, didn't make any substantial moves leading up to the non-waiver deadline (although they did part with Roberto Hernandez and John Mayberry during the August waiver period). I hate to be unsparing, but that's a reflection of GM Ruben Amaro's seeming inability to do his job properly.
The finisher? They managed to go 6-13 against the Mets.
MVP: Hamels. In 28 starts, Hamels pitched to a 2.47 ERA (career-best 149 ERA+) and also logged 187 strikeouts against 54 unintentional walks. In a Clayton Kershaw-less universe, he would be a strong NL Cy Young contender this season.
LVP: Howard. A .222/.311/.374 slash line is unacceptable for a defensively-challenged first baseman who's also a net negative on the bases. Howard, of course, is under contract through 2016 and owed a minimum of $60 million. So there's that.
Free agents to be: RHP Kyle Kendrick, C Wil Nieves, OF Grady Sizemore, RHP Jerome Williams
Game plan heading into the offseason: While allowing that low-grade miracles are always possible in baseball, the Phillies have no realistic hope of contention next season. They are, however, poised to spend money like a contender, as they have more than $115 million in 2015 payroll commitments. It's up to the front office to acknowledge present circumstances and move as many veterans as possible.
Since Hamels is likely facing decline in the reasonably near future, it would be advisably bold to shop him coming off a career year. He's the only player on the roster of the caliber necessary to bring back an impressive haul of prospects. Hamels is signed through 2018 with an option for 2019, but his contract is actually reasonable once you consider what front-line starters are fetching on the market these days. Also worth noting is that at present Hamels can't block a trade to the Dodgers, Cardinals, Red Sox, Nationals, Yankees, Angels, Padres, Rangers or Braves.
Ridiculously premature prediction for 2015: Last place in the NL East and a run at 100 losses. Amaro survives the offseason but is relieved of his duties during the course of the 2015 campaign.
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