The Philadelphia Phillies have had some misses in free agency and trades since Dave Dombrowski came to town.
Dave Dombrowski hasn’t been with the Philadelphia Phillies for long and yet he has already made an impact. In his second season with the organization, he helped in the charge to the 2022 World Series.
Things are looking brighter than ever for the Phillies during the Bryce Harper Era in Philadelphia. Dombrowski has made some big moves that turned out great. He has also had a couple of duds.
An honorable mention does go out to the Jeurys Familia signing. The team cut him loose around last year’s trade deadline. It didn’t have the chance to negatively affect the team quite enough as these other three dud deals.
3. Worst Phillies moves by Dave Dombrowski: Re-signing Odubel Herrera
The signs were all there. Odubel Herrera wasn’t the same player he was in the first few seasons of his career. His 2019 domestic violence suspension should’ve been enough for the Phillies to put him on notice and move on as soon as they could. He’d remain under team control through the 2021 season, only to later re-sign after the MLB lockout ended.
Was there no better option?
The contract wasn’t a lot, paying him $1.75 million for the 2022 season. However, they did already buy out the last year of his previous deal with the team for $2.5 million. Left with few choices in the free agent and trade market early last spring, Dombrowski went with a familiar name over gut instinct.
The performance on the field was abysmal. In 197 trips to the plate, the once promising Rule 5 Draft pick by the Phillies slashed .238/.279/.378. Upon adding Brandon Marsh at the trade deadline, Herrera’s affiliation with the organization finally came to an end.
2. Worst Phillies moves by Dave Dombrowski: The 2021 trade deadline deal with the Rangers
Could the Phillies have won it all in 2021? The front office thought a starting pitcher having an unprecedented season and an aging closer could help them. The Phillies swung a deal with the Texas Rangers for All-Star pitcher Kyle Gibson along with the team’s closer, Ian Kennedy. Disaster soon followed.
Gibson was having a career year when he found out he’d be going to Philadelphia. At 6-3 with a 2.87 ERA, he was actually in early American League Cy Young conversations. This all changed when he got to Philadelphia. In 11 starts and a relief appearance, Gibson went 4-6 with a 5.09 ERA. His great year suddenly turned a lot more average, eventually finishing 10-9 with a 3.71 ERA.
The deal did keep Gibson around for one more season where he put up very similar numbers, finishing 2022 with a 5.05 ERA. His inability to be a reliable postseason arm is what really drags this trade down.
As troublesome as Gibson was, fans may remember Kennedy less fondly. He was having a similarly successful season for Texas. A 2.51 ERA and 16 saves for the Rangers, he would see his ERA inflate up to 4.13 as a member of the Phillies. He did save 10 games. He also blew three games and regularly got knocked around.
The trade is too young to know if the Phillies gave up any goods. Keep an eye on Josh Gessner, Kevin Gowdy, and Spencer Howard to see if they can drag this deal down. Until then, this deal stinks because Dombrowski picked two of the wrong guys.
1. Worst Phillies moves by Dave Dombrowski: Re-Signed Didi Gregorius
It’s easy to forget Didi Gregorius actually had two consecutive stints with the Phillies. He signed in December 2019 and then again in February 2021. The second time around was a two-year deal. Those two years were rough.
Gregorius was actually very good for the Phillies during the shortened 2020 campaign. He participated in all 60 games while hitting .284/.339/.488. He knocked 10 home runs and drove in 40. Maybe the Phillies were right to take a chance on him.
A reason why the New York Yankees moved on from him was his questionable health and declining defense. Both were on full display for the next two seasons. Gregorius played in 103 games for the 2021 team, batting .209/.270/.370. The team decided to keep him around at the start of 2022. In 63 games, Gregorius was a .210/.263/.304 hitter. He had just one home run in 232 plate appearances.
Like Familia and Herrera, the Phillies didn’t let Gregorius get to the end of the season. He was released around the time of the trade deadline.
The shortstop carousel has finally come to a close with the team signing Trea Turner to an 11-year deal. The Phillies unwisely bought into the magic act Gregorius performed in year one with the team. He turned it into two more seasons. Just imagine if the Phillies had done something different or more radical last offseason instead. Things may not have ended differently in 2022.