CLEARWATER, Fla. — It was always going to be a bull rush.
The Phillies had a lot to do and little time. So when Major League Baseball let the players back in and unfroze rosters after a 99-day lockout, Dave Dombrowski put his people to work. They arrived early and stayed late. They got dinner delivered to their second-floor offices here. They split up the calls to players, agents and teams. They didn’t sleep much.
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But for as busy as they were, this blitz — a five-player, $192.75 million haul in a span of eight days — was, well, extreme. It was made possible by two things: the arrival of the designated hitter to the National League and ownership’s willingness to incur a luxury-tax bill for the first time in team history.
And now that the Phillies have sprung for two late-inning relievers (Jeurys Familia and Brad Hand), a part-time center fielder (Odúbel Herrera), and pair of mashers who specialize in winning (Kyle Schwarber) and attitude (Nick Castellanos), it falls to manager Joe Girardi to sort through all the pieces.
In two weeks.
No rush.
Opening day is set for April 8 at Citizens Bank Park against whatever is left of the everything-must-go Oakland Athletics. Here are five burning questions that must be answered by then:
More than a few wiseguys, to say nothing of opposing scouts, have considered the Phillies’ defense and cracked that they have at least five DHs.
Girardi is counting on it.
Castellanos and Schwarber figure to take most of the DH at-bats. But there will be times when Schwarber goes to first base and Rhys Hoskins DHs. Or Castellanos slides to right field and Bryce Harper is the DH. J.T. Realmuto and Alec Bohm will cycle through the DH spot, too.
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The Phillies won’t be a good defensive team, but they do have versatility that Girardi intends to maximize through his use of the DH.
“Whatever the team needs,” Castellanos said at his introductory news conference. “I have a Phillie hat on. I don’t know how good of a pitcher I’ll be, but …”
OK, so there will be limits to Girardi’s creativity.
Of the 188 players with at least 400 plate appearances last year, Didi Gregorius and Bohm tied for 174th and 178th, respectively, in Fangraphs’ wins above replacement. So, yes, it’s premature to say for certain that they will be back at shortstop and third base on opening day.
But things do appear to be leaning in that direction.
The Phillies couldn’t be more bullish on Bryson Stott, who may still force his way onto the opening-day roster. Stott, a 24-year-old shortstop prospect, may also benefit from another month or two at triple A to finish his development, while Gregorius seeks to earn redemption from an injury-marred 2021 season.
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Regardless, Stott’s arrival is almost certainly as close as the first sign of adversity, either as Gregorius’ replacement or with Gregorius sliding over to third if Bohm struggles.
Team officials would love it if Matt Vierling is the everyday answer after the former fifth-round pick impressed with his offense and versatility last season. But with a total of 71 major-league at-bats to his name, they weren’t ready to go there yet.
Alas, they may not have a choice.
Herrera, brought back to be the left-handed side of a platoon, hasn’t played a spring training game because of a muscle strain in his right side and could miss four to six weeks, according to Girardi. Lefty-hitting Adam Haseley is back on the radar now as a candidate to split time with Vierling. He was the opening-day center fielder last year but left the team in April for personal reasons and struggled in the minors.
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