OK, yeah, they should have kept Cliff Lee, too. But this is about the offense.
The Phillies have received excellent work from Roy Halladay, yet nearly halfway through 2010, they’re a mere six games over .500 and in third place in the NL East. The postseason is still very much within reach, yet the road just got a little more difficult Tuesday, with word that both Chase Utley and Placido Polanco would require DL stints.
Filling in at second and third will be Juan Castro, Greg Dobbs, Wilson Valdez and Brian Bocock.
No, it’s not a stellar group.
Castro – 597 career OPS, 492 in 113 AB in 2010
Dobbs – 723 career OPS, 465 in 66 AB in 2010
Valdez – 581 career OPS, 624 in 127 AB in 2010
Bocock – 414 career OPS, 470 in 212 AB in Triple-A in 2010
Of course, there’s not a team in baseball that can lose someone like Utley and merely shake it off. But the Phillies were especially ill-prepared for infield injuries this year and they’ve had the misfortune of having their second baseman, third baseman and shortstop all land on the disabled list.
GM Ruben Amaro Jr. deserves a lot of the blame for the ugly situation. Going into the winter, he had nine of his 13 position spots accounted for. Then he did this:
Nov. 24 – Signed Castro to a one-year, $750,000 contract with a club option for 2011
Dec. 1 – Signed Brian Schneider to a two-year, $2.75 million contract
Dec. 3 – Signed Polanco to a three-year, $18 million contract
Dec. 8 – Agreed with Ross Gload on a two-year, $2.6 million contract
And that was it. Barely a month after the World Series was in the books, the Phillies’ position roster was completely settled, barring injuries.
Amaro completely ignored the trends established the previous winter. He overspent to bring in players early and gave unnecessary multiyear deals to bench players.
Just as bad, he gave minor league free agents absolutely no reason to consider the Phillies. It should have been an attractive situation for veteran Triple-A players, given the Phillies’ status as a World Series contender and their lack of position player depth in the upper minors. But since there wasn’t even going to be a hint of competition for bench spots in spring training, the players went elsewhere.
Which is why they’re left with Valdez and Bocock.
Cardinals sign pitcher Miles Mikolas to 3-year, $55.75M deal
Rhona Wise/USA TODAY Sports
ST. LOUIS — Miles Mikolas is sticking with the St. Louis Cardinals.
The right-hander signed a three-year, $55.75 million contract on Friday that will carry through the 2025 season.
The new deal replaces a $68 million, four-year contract signed in February 2019 that covered the 2020-23 seasons and was set to pay $15.75 million this year.
Mikolas will receive a $5 million signing bonus payable July 1 and will make $18.75 million in 2023 and $16 million in each of the following two seasons. Mikolas can earn a $250,000 bonus for winning a Cy Young Award, $50,000 for All-Star election or selection or winning a Gold Glove, $100,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $150,000 for World Series MVP.
Mikolas is scheduled to make the second opening-day start of his big league career next Thursday when the Cardinals host Toronto. Mikolas went 12-13 with a 3.29 ERA last season while helping St. Louis to the NL Central title.
“Miles stands among the top pitchers in the game today, and has continued to provide a steady presence for us both in the rotation and inside the clubhouse,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement.
Mikolas is 45-40 with a 3.79 in 143 games with San Diego, Texas and St. Louis. He recently pitched six shutout innings in two appearances for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic.