Philadelphia Phillies – Keep tanking
“Tanking” is seen by many as a negative word, but the Phillies are finally doing the right thing by bottoming out. Ruben Amaro and his minions drove this team into the ground over the past handful of seasons, desperately trying to hold on to past glory while paying for the sins of horrible contracts to Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and others.
Now, the Phillies are moving on, and that began with the trades of Utley and Cole Hamels. Sure, Philadelphia is currently the owner of the worst (or second-worst to Atlanta) roster in the majors, but they will draft high in 2016 and the Phillies need another year of ugliness on the field in order to help the future.
It would be a mistake to change course in an effort to “contend” in 2016, and new leadership should give it another year or two on this trajectory. Invest in youth and develop talent.
Pittsburgh Pirates – Put Neil Walker on the trade market
Pittsburgh’s future is very bright, led by the young, talented outfield that is the envy of everyone else in baseball. Still, the Pirates aren’t a flawless team, and there are holes that can be addressed by moving on from Neil Walker.
Walker, who is already 30 years old, took a step back this season, especially on the defensive side of things. Mind you, he is certainly an above-average second baseman when looking around MLB, but Walker’s value will almost certainly decline in the coming years, and the Pirates will be faced with a free agent decision on him following the 2016 season.
My advice? Trade him now. Second base is a weak position across the league and Walker could command a nice return, even with only one year of team control. The Pirates don’t need him to compete, and he isn’t a core member of the roster moving forward. Pull the trigger.
Next: Cardinals and Padres