Jayson Werth’s exit leaves a big hole in the Philadelphia Phillies
Everyone was astonished to see the Washington Nationals clinch Jayson Werth from the free market for the unimaginable amount of $126 million.
The right field player had spent four strong seasons in Philadelphia and was renowned throughout the city for his hard hitting antics with the bat.
Now with the Nationals it seems like the Phillies will be aching for support. The side came short of signing on Werth for an extended contract. The misfortune of having to lose a key player in Jayson Werth makes many think there will be a hole in the Phillies right field position, and, that it will not be complemented by any other ball star of Werth’s stature for a very long time.
General Manager of the Phillies Ruben Amaro Jr. was available on Sunday to make a comment on the deal and he was surprised by it. He said, "We felt that we offered him a significant contract such that we had a chance to bring him back. But clearly, at the end of the day it was about trying to get the best contract he could and I think he did".
Werth spoke to the Phillies by saying that he had given them ample time to consider an offer but they were unable to achieve the high mark on his interest. That was one of the underlying reasons why Scott Boras was hired.
Amaro has expressed that he feels no pressure to sign a new player for the vacant position so soon.
He said, "We could have our right-handed bat on our club right now. I've said this a few times already, but we could have our right fielder within our organization. We still have to assess that and see if that's the route we want to take. Frankly, I will have to go out there and find somebody I think is worth making a move on based on how we feel about Ben Francisco and possibly Dom Brown. We still haven't made any final decisions on who our right fielder is going to be. But, obviously, when there's one guy out of the mix, we have to decide which way we want to go".
The Phillies will likely be unable to have the same strength as they did on the right field side. Werth has left a gaping hole in the side and it is anyone’s guess how the Phillies will hit back in the upcoming campaign.
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