Philadelphia Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper understands winning the National League East will be tougher this year than it was in 2020.

The New York Mets, Miami Marlins, Washington Nationals and Phillies all have a shot to claim the division title—to say nothing of the three-time defending division champion Atlanta Braves. All of it makes for what's unquestionably one of the most stacked regions in MLB. 

Harper thinks it might be better than that. 

"I think this is the best division in baseball," Harper told reporters Thursday. "I don't think that's even a question. We have five teams ... that are really good. I think this is going to be a juggernaut of a division."

The NL East sent the Braves and Marlins to the postseason last year after a surprising Miami team finished with 31 wins in a 60-game season. The Phillies missed out on the playoffs by just one game and could be in for a similar fate this year. 

According to Baseball Prospectus' famed PECOTA projections, Philadelphia is heading for 83 wins and another third-place finish in the NL East in 2021. The same projections have the Mets dethroning the Braves with 94 wins, followed by the Nationals with 84 wins. 

The Braves and Marlins finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the simulation. 

As much as that may not bode well for the Phillies, the PECOTA standings back up Harper's assessment. 

The Marlins are projected to finish with 70 wins—the highest total of any last-place team.

If the Phillies are going to prove PECOTA wrong, it'll have to start with Harper. The outfielder slashed .268/.420/.542 with 13 home runs and 33 RBI in 58 games last year as Philadelphia limped to a 13-17 record in September. 

Now that the NL East has gotten tougher with the Mets adding Francisco Lindor and the Marlins' youth movement, Harper has found more motivation to hang another banner at Citizens Bank Park.

"I just want to be able to win," Harper said. "We're going to try everything in our power to do that as an organization. Success as a team instead of success as individuals is what you want."

Philadelphia Phillies catcher J.T. Realmuto suffered a broken thumb during the team's first on-field workout of spring training.

Per ESPN's Jeff Passan, Realmuto is expected to miss up to one month with the injury but should be ready for the start of the regular season.

Realmuto returned to the Phillies in free agency this offseason, signing a five-year, $115 million contract Jan. 27.

He was an All-Star and Silver Slugger in 2018 with the Miami Marlins and again in 2019 with the Phillies. He was also a Gold Glove winner in 2019, his first season in Philadelphia.

The 29-year-old slashed .266/.349/.491 with 11 home runs and 32 RBI during the shortened 2020 campaign and brings more power to the lineup than most catchers while also playing impressive defense.

The silver lining to Realmuto's injury is that he has time to return to 100 percent before the season starts. The Phillies open the 2021 campaign April 1 against the Atlanta Braves.

With Realmuto out of action, the Phillies will turn to Andrew Knapp as their primary catcher during spring training.

The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Tuesday that outfielder Odubel Herrera would be invited to the club's spring training minicamp, which is different from Major League spring training and is generally reserved for prospects and minor leaguers.

Herrera was suspended 85 games by Major League Baseball in 2019 for violating MLB's policy against domestic violence and was not a part of the team's 60-player roster pool for the 2020 season. Herrera was arrested and charged with assaulting his girlfriend in May 2019. 

On Wednesday, Phillies manager Joe Girardi spoke on the club's decision to bring in Herrera for the minicamp:

More Girardi on Oduble Herrera “I’m not allowed to keep a player from being a participant just because somebody doesn’t like him” @Phillies @6abc pic.twitter.com/5fWxr4P2Xx

— Jamie Apody (@JamieApody) February 17, 2021

Joe Girardi said Odubel Herrera will have to earn his way back to the Phillies. They'll give him a chance this spring to prove himself. "None of us are perfect. We've all fallen short," Girardi said.

— Matt Breen (@matt_breen) February 17, 2021

Girardi's comments about Herrera not being liked came across as somewhat misplaced given the reason for his suspension and time away from the club. The police report from Herrera's arrest said his girlfriend "had visible signs of injury to her arms and neck" that were "sustained after being assaulted by her boyfriend ... during a dispute."

The charges were dropped in July 2019 after his girlfriend declined to pursue the case, though Herrera was court-ordered to undergo counseling as a condition of the dismissal.

In Herrera's last full season in 2018, he hit .255 with 22 homers, 71 RBI and 64 runs. The team's current depth chart in the outfield includes Bryce Harper in right field, Andrew McCutchen in left and some combination of Scott Kingery, Adam Haseley and Roman Quinn in center field. 

If Herrera were to make the team—still a pretty big if—he would likely push for a spot in center. 

Outfielder Odubel Herrera is one of 19 non-roster players invited to the Philadelphia Phillies minicamp at spring training, the team announced Tuesday:

Phillies have invited 12 non-roster invitees to attend major league camp.

In addition, 19 players have been extended invitations to attend spring training mini-camp. pic.twitter.com/xlyuippf0g

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) February 16, 2021

Herrera has been out of the majors since 2019 when he was arrested and charged with simple assault, allegedly assaulting his girlfriend at a hotel in Atlantic City. The case was later dropped after the victim decided not to pursue charges, but he was still given an 85-game suspension by MLB.

The 29-year-old was expected to spend last season in the minors, but the season was canceled amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In February 2020, Herrera apologized for his actions.

"I wanted to talk to you guys today because I wanted to say I’m sorry to the fans and the organization," he told reporters. "I'm very regretful for what I did. It’s been a lesson learned for me and I want to turn the page and keep going with life."

He also said he was "training hard" for a potential second chance with the Phillies.

Phillies general manager Dave Dombrowski said last month the organization was considering giving Herrera that opportunity.

"I know he has done a lot himself as far as addressing the situation that took place in counseling, but it’s something that we still have to continue to talk through from an internal perspective," he said, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports.

Herrera is still owed $10.35 million in 2021 from his Phillies contract and he has team options on his deal for each of the next two years.

The veteran had been an impact player on the field in the past, earning an All-Star selection in 2016 thanks to his two-way production in center field. He set a career high with 22 home runs in 2018, although he struggled in 2019 with a .222 batting average and just one home run in 39 games before his suspension.

The Chicago Cubs reunited with former ace Jake Arrieta on Friday, signing the free agent hurler to a one-year, $6 million guaranteed contract three years after he left the North Side for the Philadelphia Phillies. 

Jake Arrieta’s one-year agreement with the Cubs, pending physical, is worth $6 million guaranteed, according to a source familiar with the deal.

— Patrick Mooney (@PJ_Mooney) February 13, 2021

It's a nice narrative, and certainly helps Chicago's rotation issues, but Arrieta is far from the Cy Young-winning righty Cubs fans remember from 2015. Over 64 starts with the Phillies, the 34-year-old compiled a 4.36 ERA with a 1.387 WHIP in 352.2 innings pitched. He started nine games last season only to finish with the second-worst ERA of his career (5.08). 

The Cubs are taking a chance on him, regardless. Here's how he'll look back on their depth chart.

    

Chicago Cubs Starting Rotation

1. Kyle Henricks

2. Zach Davies

3. Alec Mills

4. Jake Arrieta

5. Adbert Alzolay

   

Outlook

The last time Arrieta pitched a full season for Chicago, the Cubs got 30 starts out of him with a 3.53 ERA as they attempted to defend their 2016 World Series title. It's not just that his numbers have dropped off since then, it's the way in which they've done so.

Arrieta's home runs per nine innings ballooned to 1.22 last year after he averaged 0.66 in four years with Chicago from 2014-17. Teams batted .333 when they put the ball in play against him last season and his strikeouts per nine innings dropped to 6.5—the lowest mark since his rookie season with the Baltimore Orioles in 2010. 

He's also not coming back to a Cubs team ready to contend, either. 

Chicago continues to field offers for third baseman Kris Bryant, traded Yu Darvish to the San Diego Padres and have looked to cut salary where possible. 

That won't help them keep up with the likes of the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals—especially after the latter just acquired All-Star infield Nolan Arenado from the Colorado Rockies. 

The reunion between Arrieta and the Cubs may feel like a homecoming, but it's far from the clubhouse the hurler is used to. 

Combined with a sharp decline in production, Chicago's decision to give him a one-year deal shows even the Cubs want Arrieta to prove himself before they look at a longer future together.   

The Philadelphia Phillies and pitcher Brandon Kintzler reportedly agreed to a one-year, $3 million contract Wednesday.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reported the deal came after a push from outfielder Bryce Harper, a former teammate of Kintzler in Washington. Rosenthal noted the Miami Marlins offered Kintzler a major-league deal with less guaranteed money than the minor-league pact offered by the Phillies.

Kintzler, 36, will be playing for his sixth MLB team since making his debut in 2010 with the Milwaukee Brewers. He spent 2020 with the Marlins, going 2-3 with a 2.22 ERA and 1.31 WHIP while recording 12 saves in 14 chances.

The underlying numbers indicate Kintzler got a little lucky last season, with his FIP coming in at 5.00, his highest total since 2015.

Provided he makes the major-league team, Kintzler will likely slot into a middle relief spot. The 2020 season was the first time he served as a team's primary closer since 2017, when he made his lone All-Star team. 

The Phillies have gone to work revamping their bullpen after having perhaps MLB's worst unit last season. Kintzler joins Archie Bradley and Jose Alvarado among the team's offseason acquisitions. 

The Philadelphia Phillies capped a busy week by reportedly agreeing to a deal with shortstop Didi Gregorius on Saturday. 

Per Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, Gregorius is returning to the Phillies on a two-year pact worth $28 million. 

That deal came about after the Phillies officially announced J.T. Realmuto's new five-year contract Friday. MLB.com's Todd Zolecki reported the deal is worth $115.5 million. 

With Gregorius and Realmuto back in the fold, Philadelphia's 2021 lineup will look very similar to the group that manager Joe Girardi used for most of last season:

#Phillies lineup with Gregorius back likely to go something like this:

LF McCutchen
1B Hoskins
RF Harper
C Realmuto
3B Bohm
SS Gregorius
2B Segura
CF Kingery

But Kingery could split CF with Haseley, 2B with Segura.

Doesn't sound like they're still in the CF market (for now)

— Jayson Stark (@jaysonst) January 30, 2021

Even though there was no guarantee that the Phillies were going to spend money this offseason, the hiring of Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations in December certainly suggested it could happen. His history with the Detroit Tigers and Boston Red Sox is one of investing in high-priced veteran players. 

When the Gregorius deal becomes official, Philadelphia will have spent more money than any National League team this offseason. Only the Toronto Blue Jays, who gave George Springer a six-year, $150 million deal earlier this month, have been more active in free agency:

Give credit to John Middleton and the Phillies. Not a lot of teams in baseball are spending money this offseason with big drop in revenue last year

Only team in baseball that has spent more money this offseason is the Blue Jays, according to @CSeidmanNBCS https://t.co/8sbX5vrBpb

— John Clark (@JClarkNBCS) January 30, 2021

Spotrac estimated Philadelphia's 2021 payroll before the Gregorius deal to be $152.67 million.

Assuming Gregorius' contract is structured to average $14 million in each season, that will bring the total payroll up to $166.67 million. That will rank third in Major League Baseball, behind the Los Angeles Dodgers ($194.84 million) and New York Yankees ($189.89 million). 

The biggest concern for the Phillies as they look to end their nine-year playoff drought is the bullpen. Their relievers ranked 28th in FanGraphs WAR last season. Their 7.06 ERA was the second-worst by a bullpen in MLB history (the 1930 Phillies had an 8.01 ERA). 

Philadelphia did add to its stable of relievers by signing Archie Bradley and acquiring Jose Alvarado from the Tampa Bay Rays and Sam Coonrod from the San Francisco Giants. Bradley has been terrific since 2017 with a 2.95 ERA and 259 strikeouts over 234.2 innings in 221 appearances. 

Alvarado is looking to reestablish himself after posting a 5.08 ERA over the past two seasons with the Rays. Coonrod fell off a cliff with a 9.82 ERA in 18 games last season after posting a 3.58 ERA as a rookie in 2019. 

All of the pieces outside the bullpen are in place to make the Phillies into a viable NL playoff contender. Their quest is complicated by playing in arguably MLB's deepest division, though. 

The Atlanta Braves still boast a loaded roster after winning the NL East in each of the past three seasons. The New York Mets have been the biggest winners of the offseason thanks to acquiring Francisco Lindor and Carlos Carrasco from Cleveland. 

The Washington Nationals dealt with a series of injuries and poor performances last year, but they are heading into 2021 with a starting rotation fronted by Max Scherzer, Stephen Strasburg and Patrick Corbin. Juan Soto is a perennial MVP candidate, even though he's only 22 years old. Kyle Schwarber and Josh Bell add depth to the lineup. 

The Miami Marlins made the postseason last year thanks to a promising young starting rotation led by Sixto Sanchez, Pablo Lopez and Sandy Alcantara. 

The Phillies are as good as any team in the NL East, especially after keeping Realmuto and Gregorius. If they get just league-average production from the bullpen, they will be playing in October for the first time since 2011. 

Shortstop Didi Gregorius is staying with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The 30-year-old agreed to a two-year contract to remain in Philadelphia on Saturday, according to Jayson Stark of The Athletic.

Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic added the deal is worth $28 million.

This comes after Gregorius signed a one-year, $14 million pact with Philadelphia for the 2020 campaign. He appeared in all 60 games and slashed .284/.339/.488 with 10 home runs and 40 RBI.

It was an impressive bounce-back performance through the uncertainty that hovered over the COVID-19-shortened season. While Philadelphia missed the playoffs, the Dutchman showed the 2019 season was more of an anomaly than a worrisome sign.

Gregorius appeared in just 82 games in 2019 for the New York Yankees because of Tommy John surgery and was not his usual self at the dish, posting a .238/.276/.441 slash line. That it came after the best stretch of his career was all the more notable.

He also played for the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks early in his career but was at his best for the Yankees from 2016 through 2018. He tallied at least 20 home runs in each of those three seasons after rarely showing power in his first four years in the league.

Gregorius also played head-turning defense and was responsible for eight defensive runs saved at shortstop in 2017.

That effort stood in sharp contrast to the rest of his career considering he has never had another season with better than three defensive runs saved at shortstop and is at minus-seven since entering the major leagues, per FanGraphs.

Gregorius will be 31 years old when the 2021 season begins, and he showed he is still in his prime as a hitter even if he may never return to the fielder he was during the middle of his time with the Yankees.

He will look to be a key offensive force for Philadelphia again as he aims to add to his 28 career postseason games.

The Philadelphia Phillies will reportedly turn their attention to free-agent shortstop Andrelton Simmons after signing All-Star catcher J.T. Realmuto on Tuesday, according to Mark Feinsand and Todd Zolecki of MLB.com. 

Realmuto signed a five-year, $115.5 million deal to remain with the Phillies, per Jim Salisbury of NBC Sports. 

Along with Simmons, the Phillies have talked with free-agent shortstops Didi Gregorius—who played well for the team last season, hitting .284 with 10 homers and 40 RBI—Marcus Semien and Freddy Galvis, per Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Inquirer. 

Semien is no longer an option, however, after reportedly signing with the Toronto Blue Jays:

Infielder Marcus Semien is in agreement with the Toronto Blue Jays on a one-year, $18 million contract, a source familiar with the deal tells ESPN.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 26, 2021

"Although their preference isn't known, it has become clear that the Phillies are uninterested in merely shifting Jean Segura back to shortstop," Lauber added. 

Segura instead will likely remain at second base, while exciting young prospect Alec Bohm will handle third base and Rhys Hoskins will hold down first. 

Going from Gregorius to Simmons would be a defensively-minded move. While Gregorius hit 10 homers in just 60 games during baseball's coronavirus-shortened season, Simmons has exceeded the mark just three times in full seasons, with a career-high of 17 in 2014. 

Nola, Wheeler, Eflin as a top three, with Nova as a fifth/sixth SP is about as ground ball heavy of a group as you’ll find. Sure feels like Andrelton Simmons is the next shoe to drop. https://t.co/7D2tHmdlOo

— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) January 26, 2021

A lot of obvious reasons to like the Andrelton Simmons/Phillies fit. Lots of groundball pitchers. Also a third baseman you want to take as much pressure off of defensively as ya can. https://t.co/4xtBdHbEPR

— Corey Seidman (@CSeidmanNBCS) January 26, 2021

He hit .297 for the Los Angeles Angels in 2020, with zero homers, 10 RBI, 19 runs and two stolen bases in 30 games.

The 31-year-old remains a wizard in the field, however, with four Gold Gloves in his career. His career defensive WAR of 26.6 is tops among active players. 

Injuries the past two seasons have cost Simmons a number of games and called into question if his range has decreased in the field. But he's still an excellent defensive option.

"He still may be the best defender in either league, and if he's not No. 1, he's 2 or 3," an NL scout told Lauber. "And I'd have to be convinced that there's someone better."

In Bryce Harper, Hoskins, Realmuto, Bohm and Segura, the Phillies aren't lacking in the offensive department. Pitching—namely a suspect bullpen—was the team's top priority this offseason, alongside re-signing Realmuto. But improving the defense would also be logical for a Phillies team that scored 306 runs last season (tied for fifth) but also finished 18th in fielding percentage (.982) and 27th in ERA (5.14). 

The Philadelphia Phillies and star catcher J.T. Realmuto reportedly agreed to a record-breaking contract Tuesday.

According to multiple reports, Realmuto will get $115.5 million over five years, his $23.1 million average salary the highest ever for a catcher.

With the two-time All-Star sticking around, Philadelphia basically boasts the same offense it did in 2020, with veteran shortstop Didi Gregorius likely the only notable departure (though the Phillies retain an interest in bringing him back, per Robert Murray of FanSided). Here's what RosterResource projects as the Phillies' lineup:

• 1. Andrew McCutcheon, LF
• 2. Alec Bohm, 3B
• 3. Bryce Harper, RF
• 4. J.T. Realmuto, C
• 5. Rhys Hoskins, 1B
• 6. Jean Segura, SS
• 7. Roman Quinn, CF
• 8. Scott Kingery, 2B

Back in October, managing partner John Middleton offered a concerning remark when it came to the likelihood of retaining Realmuto.

"Can you tell me what the governor and the mayor of Philadelphia are going to allow us to have next year in the way of fans?" he said to reporters. "Because if you do, you know something that I don't. So I have no idea what we're going to be allowed. Obviously, that will determine our revenues, and revenues determine what you can do and what you can't do."

That raised alarms about how the Phillies might follow other franchises in tightening the payroll. The hiring of Dave Dombrowski as president of baseball operations, however, showed where ownership's priorities are.

Re-signing J.T. Realmuto puts more pressure, not less, on Dave Dombrowski.

The Phillies basically have a three-year window with Bryce Harper, Realmuto, and Aaron Nola under club control and in their respective primes. Can’t waste it.

— Joe Giglio (@JoeGiglioSports) January 26, 2021

Franchises helmed by Dombrowski almost always carry big payrolls and spend big—be it through contracts or trade assets—on proven stars. Giving Realmuto a nine-figure deal aligns with that general approach.

Prior to this move, Philadelphia had the ninth-highest payroll in MLB ($139.7 million), per Spotrac. Add Realmuto's salary to that number, and the Phillies would climb up to fifth. Their financial outlay could climb higher still if they sign a middle infielder to replace Gregorius.

Keeping Realmuto doesn't make the Phillies the World Series favorite, and they may not be the best team in their own division, but Middleton is clearly looking to invest following an underwhelming 2020 campaign in which Philadelphia missed the playoffs.