The Philadelphia Phillies have been one of the quieter clubs in the league, this off season. It comes as a surprise that the management has not been able to do much about players who have moved onto the free market.
Jayson Werth was one of the key figures at the club and his departure from the side will leave a gaping hole in the outfield. His batting strength is not expected to be mimicked by anyone in the squad and there is a tough chance someone in the Phillies roster
will become a role model like Werth was.
Some moves were made during the winter meetings recently to boost the Phillies up with additional manpower but that initiative had hit a brick wall. The team’s general manager, Ruben Amaro Jr. had a hard time in the meetings held in the Walt Disney Swan
and Dolphin Resort.
Ruben commented on his team by saying that they "have examined and tried and have talked about acquiring significant players. Doing trades is tough. Outfielders, Pitchers, Starters, Relievers; we’ve done some things where we've tried to shoot for the moon.
We've laid some groundwork on some of those, but the possibilities of that happening are kind of remote."
The only development that has come through has been a signing of Denny Reyes. The left hand ball thrower is expected to clear a physical test soon and join the roster for $1.1 million. He was a member of the St Louis Cardinals and boosted the team with 59
appearances, earning a runs average of 3.55.
There have been rumours floating around on the team’s endeavours and while the main focus of the team has been on the depleted positions, there is word the side is looking to land Zack Greinke from the Kansas City Royals.
Furthermore, reports have surfaced on their pursuit of San Francisco Giants’ Aaron Rowand. The Giants outfielder could be the right replacement for Jayson Werth, this season.
On the evaluating the winter Meetings, Amaro went on to say, "I think it's been productive for us because we've had some decent discussions with some other clubs and some of the free agents… We've pinpointed some things we want to do, and we've kind of narrowed
our focus a bit as far as the free agents are concerned. We've been able to do that."
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