Philadelphia Phillies offseason strategy and plans about 2013 Major League regular season-MLB Part 2
It was to be far easier for the Phillies to add high profile players on the roster, if the ageing and those that already consume the bulk of the budget were not present there.
The problem before the club is their officials are reluctant to remove stars that lifted the organisation to heights of success during the last half a decade.
They are hoping against hope that those players take them to the position of dominance once again.
In the process of it, they are unable to accept the fact that what could have been wrung out from them had been drawn. Further excavation from the mine of their skills is not possible.
This fact was mentioned by the number of experts, while the Phillies languished at the bottom half of the table during the last season.
A couple of weeks before the conclusion of the season, it was reported time and again that the Phillies need complete overhaul of their structure.
Many suggested to their management that this is the time to build for the future. All efforts should be directed at strengthening the farm system, they recommended.
Instead of paying heed to their assertions, the Phillies went about a different way when the offseason started.
In a typical reflection of a team that follows traditional knee-jerk reaction to the failure, the Phillies resorted to gimmicks.
Trying to assure fans that the division title will be reclaimed, they made sure veterans have been included on the roster.
Disregarding requirements for improvement in their farm system, they gave an impression to the fans that some serious measures are being taken to reinstate dominance in the division.
In essence, the Phillies did nothing in real terms except for minor adjustments to please fans, those that unfortunately are going to lose significance after 2013.
Their roster is more or less the same that was for the last season. Only difference is that some of the members that were injured are back now.
They have incorporated some new faces such as Michael Young and Mike Adams, though. The reality is these individuals too represent the same old lot of players that the Phillies already have in abundance.
General Manager of the club, Ruben Amaro Jr. looks to continue with the traditional strategy of expecting a turnaround from stalwarts of the team.
"We didn't really have a Plan A," Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "We had, like, 10 Plan B's because, to be frank with you, I just didn't think that the marketplace was all that strong in the beginning. There was not a comparable [player] to [closer Jonathan] Papelbon
out there. There really wasn't. There were some good players out there, and there still are some good players out there, but I don't know there's a difference-maker. Maybe one."
What is going to happen is that the Phillies will fail once again. Then, they will revisit their strategy.
While doing the latter, the inability to get the reasonable return on investment from the old expensive players will be discovered as the weak-link.
(To be Continued in Part 3....)
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