Phillies

[ice grillin you]

Hope he can beat it. Thats rough.

Basically a death sentence once it metastasizes

[PhillyPhreak54]

So I guess the Phillies are content with their bullpen. Thanks for nothing, Dombrowski & Middy.

Neris to the Cubs

[MDS]

they have 6 bullpen locks (jose, ser, hoffman, soto, kirk, strahm), so the extra arm theyd maybe sign would have to accept lower leverage workload. hector is gonna get high leverage work in chicago.

they really have 1 bullpen spot open, depending on how they handle the 6th starter. you want at least 1 flexible spot so players with options can ride the lehigh to philly shuttle. so if they sign, lets say jakob junis, then they wouldnt have room for another reliever.

[SD]

Not sure why they re-signed Soto. They need a 9th inning closer. With Hader going to the Astros I wouldn't mind a trade for Pressley. He checks all the right boxes and I can't imagine hes thrilled in a setup roll/part time relief duty.

[MDS]

soto is in arb, so hes pretty affordable and easy call to bring back. im pretty sure the astros are going to do some kind of 2 headed monster in high leverage, so no way theyre moving pressly.

the game has really changed where theres fewer and fewer 9th inning guys...its mainly a group of high leverage relievers who face applicable pockets. thats what the phillies do, though kerkering has the ability to be a full stop closer. he also has the ability to be in AAA by may.

[SD]

I get that but Kimbrel was the closer last year. He was fine in the closer role during the regular season. Maybe Ser has a bounce back year and takes the closer spot but I don't see the closer by committee working without someone other than Alvarado as a bonafide high leverage guy. Shutdown 9th inning pitchers are a different breed than other high leverage guys.  Kerk is a work in progress who I'd rather see develop movement with his fastball in the minors. Anyway boring offseason but can't wait for opening day.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Yeah gotta hope we get 2022 Ser.

And that Alvarado continues to be a beast.

[MDS]

kerk is going to be on the opening day roster barring a spring meltdown. i doubt he will start in high leverage, but he can move up quickly if its there. he cant get people out and his innings dont need to be wasted in AAA, for now.

the 9th is going to be a mix of alvarado and hoffman/ser. probably hoffman to start. like alvarado will get the last ups of the toughest lefty, and the other guy will balance around that. they might need to re-evaluate this in july, but its an acceptable way to go to start.

[PhillyPhreak54]

What's your starting rotation then

[Rome]

Wheeler, Nola, Suarez and pray for a lot of rainouts. 

[MDS]

plus walker and sanchez

thats all set. the issue is their upper minors depth is so bad, they have nobody behind the 5.

[MDS]

keith law top 100
34 painter
43 crawford
89 miller

law is an upside nerd, which is why abel is off because hes not really a top of the rotation arm. even so, having 3 in the top 100 and 1 just outside is a better position than theyve been in since the dom brown/baby aces days.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Diego Castillo signed. Who?

Another middling utility guy from PIT

[MDS]

he was claimed, not signed and from the yankees, not pirates. middling is being nice - he's org depth for spring training

[SD]

Not a bad signing

https://twitter.com/JeffPassan/status/1758603313917178101