Where do the Phillies go from here?
Not too long ago, the Philadelphia Phillies were World Series champions. The year was 2008, and the fans at Citizens Bank Park were wildly celebrating the team’s first title since 1980. Brad Lidge had just capped the year of his life, not blowing a single save throughout both the regular and postseason.
The following year, the Phillies once again made it to the World Series on the backs of superstars including Ryan Howard, Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay. Eventually, Philadelphia fell to the New York Yankees in six games.
Fast forward to 2015, and the team is in shambles. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has done a deplorable job with the roster, allowing it to age horrifically without doing much to inject new life into the team. Once a deep, powerful lineup with a strong starting rotation to support it, the Phillies are left with holes across the board. Currently, Freddy Galvis is their only position player batting above .275. Howard has six home runs and 15 RBI, but is hitting a predictably anemic .217. Utley is having a brutal beginning to his campaign, hitting a grotesque .127 in his first 102 at-bats.
The pitching staff is not much better for the city of Brotherly Love. Philadelphia’s getting quality starts from veteran journeyman Aaron Harang and a decent start from Hamels, but everybody else is below average. All of this conspires to put the Phillies 9.5 games back of the NL East-leading New York Mets. In the final analysis, this season was well over before it began, and it will conclude with Philadelphia looking up at the rest of the division.
Amaro Jr. needs to do the right thing and trade Hamels sooner rather than later. There is no point holding onto the southpaw ace when you can get a bigger return now, along with being assured that he’s healthy. What bigger disaster could the Phillies face than Hamels getting hurt, leaving them with no real trade chips?
This is the problem with getting old and bad at the same time. Outside of Hamels, Philadelphia does not have any real assets. The farm system is the only hope, and typically that takes years to provide the big-league club with a quality team. Amaro Jr. should have been trading Rollins, Howard and Utley years ago, but failed to see the writing on the wall. Now he’s just saying a bad team with a bunch of empty seats watching.
Frankly, it’s tough to see the Phillies in their current state. Say what you will about Philadlephia fans, but they are a passionate bunch. These days, they are understandably frustrated and staying away in droves, waiting for something to cheer about again.
It all starts with accepting a lost season, and dealing Hamels.
