MLB Rumors: Philadelphia Phillies not interested in rebuilding
By Josh Hill
The Philadelphia Phillies weren’t too competitive in 2013, but they’re making offseason efforts to reverse that and ensure that the team is a title contender in 2014. They went out and got A.J. Burnett at a pretty penny, and are trying to shore things up before kicking off a season Philly hopes ends with a World Series.
Many thought that the Phillies would be a tear down this offseason, at least partially, but that appears to not be in the cards. While rebuilding may have been a decent idea, USA Today’s Bob Nightengale hears from general manager Ruben Amaro that Philadelphia isn’t ready to throw in the towel and rebuild.
"“I cannot look at our fans in the face,” says Amaro, “and say, ‘You know what guys, we’re going to blow it up. We’re going to be (garbage) for the next four or five years. But we will be back.“I just don’t think in our marketplace, with the opportunities we have financially, that it’s realistic.”"
In a league where teams have been rebuilding for the last decade, Phillies fans know that they’re safe from being sucked into the bottomless vortex of suck that rebuilding can offer up. Still, saying you’re competing and actually doing so are two different things, as last year didn’t end so well for the Phillies.