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As Major League Baseball's GM meetings got underway in Las Vegas on Tuesday, the congregation of baseball leaders came in front of the backdrop of a looming lockout on Dec. 1.

While the club's owners and Major League Baseball Players Association aim to negotiate a new labor agreement that will not lead to spring training or the regular season being interrupted, there is less than a month of runway for front offices to begin to craft a vision for their roster for 2027.

For Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns, the plan is to stay the course in the face of uncertainty about the framework within teams might have to operate in the future.

"From my perspective, I look at this as a business-as-usual offseason until they tell us otherwise, so we're going through this as though we're going to have a full complete offseason, and I think that's the best way to operate," Stearns told reporters on Tuesday.

The first step is approaching the top free agent in this offseason's marketplace. The Mets will meet with two-time Cy Young award winner Tarik Skubal next week, according to multiple reports. The New York Post's Jon Heyman was the first to report the meeting.

Stearns offered some more clues about the approach that the Mets could take for building their team this offseason. As the GM meetings kicked off, here are three takeaways from what Stearns told the media:

How do the Mets plan to address the starting rotation?

With a combined 43 wins, 2.42 ERA and 655 strikeouts in the last three seasons, Skubal is the obvious crown jewel available this offseason.

The 29-year-old left-hander could come at a record cost for a starting pitchers. Despite Stearns' history of not handing out long-term deals to starting pitchers, there are always exceptions.

"Every situation is unique," It's been also well-publicized that even since I've been here, we've engaged in extremely long-term negotiations for pitchers and we will do so again. But situation matters, he specific circumstance matters, and we do have to look at every individual pitcher on a case-by-case basis."

The Mets' unit is incomplete despite boasting Nolan McLean, Christian Scott and Zac Thornton. Stearns said that Kodai Senga has made his preference to be a starting pitcher known. He'll build up that way this offseason before proving his worth there during spring.

One way or another, the Mets will address their starting rotation this offseason. After Skubal, the top names include Sonny Gray, Clay Holmes and Michael King, and Stearns would not rule out a trade.

"Having a complete rotation is really important and that includes having pitchers who can successfully get you through a postseason, get you through a playoff series," Stearns said. "We've seen over and over again in the playoffs that can be done in a variety of different ways, so we're open to doing it in any way possible."

How will the Mets look to pad their starting lineup heading to 2027?

When it comes to the construction of the Mets' lineup, Stearns was clear that they will add another first baseman alongside Jared Young before the 2027 season begins.

In a career-high 103 games, Jared Young proved he belonged in the major leagues, slashing .266/.330/.429 with nine home runs, 17 doubles, 39 RBI and 46 runs. But the left-handed-hitting Young hit far better against right-handers (.793 OPS) than left-handers (.606 OPS)

"We think Jared Young has the ability to really be a part of a solution there," Stearns said. "I do think we're going to look to supplement that, whether it's someone who takes regular at-bats, someone who splits time with (Young), we'll see. But I do expect us to supplement that position."

Stearns said that the Mets would even consider adding another left-handed hitter at the position if it was "the right fit."

Some notable right-handed hitting first baseman free agents include Ty France, Paul Goldschmidt and Alec Bohm.

Will Marcus Semien be the starting second baseman in the new year?

Despite the underperformance of Marcus Semien in his first season in New York, second base is not a specific position where the Mets will be looking to add. But Stearns would not close the door to anything.

"Marcus is going to come in with an opportunity to play a lot of second base," Stearns said. "He didn't have the type of year that he wanted to last year, didn't have the type of year we believe he's capable of. We also think we've got a lot of other options, both guys who played in the big leagues last year for us and guys who are knocking on the door of the big leagues that we feel good about that position."

Semien slashed .215/.280/.340 with 15 home runs, 49 RBI and 55 runs in 139 games. His average and OPS (.620) were career lows. He also committed six errors. The Mets believe that Semien has bought into some adjustments to regain his past form.

The Mets might have a plethora of other options at the position by the end of 2027. It begins with Brett Baty, who posted a .838 OPS. The club's top prospect, Jefferson Rojas, debuted at Triple A late in the 2026 season, as did No. 10 prospect Emilien Pitre. The duo was acquired at the trade deadline.

Mitch Voit, the club's 2025 first-round pick who has played both middle infield positions, surged to Double A last season and claimed the organization's Minor League Player of the Year nod after posting a .802 OPS between his two stops.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: What will Mets do this winter? GM talks offseason plans and rumors

HOUSTON, TX — Longtime Astros catcher Brad Ausmus has been named as the 21st manager in Astros franchise history. The announcement was made by Astros General Manager Randy Flores.

The press conference is scheduled for Friday at 10 AM, and will be live streamed on Astros.com, on the Astros Facebook page, the Astros YouTube channel and on the Astros X account.

Ausmus, 57, has spent four of the last five seasons as a Major League bench coach for the New York Yankees (2024-26) and Oakland A’s (2022). Prior to those stints, Ausmus twice managed in the Major Leagues, for the 2019 Angels and the 2014-17 Tigers. Ausmus also has experience working in the front office, first as a special assistant to baseball operations for the Padres (2011-13) and later as a special assistant to the GM for the Angels in 2018.

“We are thrilled to welcome Brad back to the Astros organization,” Flores said. “Brad impressed us throughout the interview process, demonstrating the leadership, energy, and expertise critical to driving a winning culture both on and off the field. I am excited to work alongside Brad and happy to have him back in an Astros uniform.”

“I am very excited to be back in Houston,” Ausmus said. “The Astros and the City of Houston have been a huge part of my life, and I’m thrilled to create a new chapter as the team’s manager. I’d like to thank Randy and the entire Astros organization for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to get to work.”

Prior to joining the front office and coaching ranks, Ausmus had an 18-year Major League playing career (1993-2010), including parts of 10 seasons as an Astro (1997-98, 2001-08). A defensive-minded catcher, Ausmus was a three-time Gold Glove recipient (all with Houston) and was an American League All-Star with the Tigers in 1999. Ausmus combined to play in 1,971 career Major League games, including 1,259 as an Astro. Ausmus is widely regarded as one of the best catchers in franchise history and leads the club in games played behind the dish.

Ausmus also has extensive postseason experience as a player, coach and manager. He played in 35 career postseason games, all coming with the Astros, in their playoff runs in 1997, 1998, 2001, 2004 and 2005. Ausmus was the Astros starting catcher in their 2005 World Series run, and hit one of the most-memorable homers in Astros postseason history, a game-tying shot with two outs in the 9th inning of Game 4 of the NLDS vs. ATL, in the Astros eventual 7-6 win in 18 innings. As a manager, Ausmus led the 2014 Tigers to a 90-72 record and an appearance in the postseason. He also coached in the postseason the last three seasons with the Yankees, including an appearance in the 2024 World Series.

Since making his MLB debut in 2021, veteran Luke Williams appeared in the big leagues in a career-low two games in 2026, amassing one PA in which he drew a walk. He spent nearly his entire year at Gwinnett, where he had another nondescript season.

How Acquired

The Braves first selected Williams off waivers from the Los Angeles Dodgers on June 5, 2023. Since then, he’s elected free agency time each time he was designated for assignment by Atlanta, and returned to the organization via minor league contract afterwards. That same song-and-dance included a preseason instance on January 18, 2026 and then again during the season on April 16.

What were the expectations?

Williams had become a regular on the end of Atlanta’s bench in recent seasons, primarily serving as a pinch-runner, defensive replacement or extreme mop-up reliever. With the team trading for super-utilityman Mauricio Dubon and bringing back infielder Ha-Seong Kim on a free agent contract, Williams headed into Spring Training as a longshot to break camp with the team, especially with Jorge Mateo and Kyle Farmer as utility options. Infielder Brett Wisely, who’d been picked up by Atlanta toward the end of the 2025 regular season, was also brought back on a minor league deal adding another option for Atlanta’s deep reserves. For the first time since arriving in Atlanta, Williams was no sure thing to see time at the big league level.

Performance-wise, well, there’s not much to talk about. Coming into 2026, Williams had received 349 major league PAs and posted a 53 wRC+ and -0.8 fWAR, while outhitting his xwOBA (so it would be worse if he hadn’t). He managed to be slightly above replacement level in 2021-2022, but careened well under that since. Basically, the expectation was that he wouldn’t play much, and that he wouldn’t be useful except as a warm body when he did.

2026 Results

With Mateo and Farmer making the team out of Spring Training, Williams began the season in Gwinnett. But, when Michael Harris II went on the paternity list on April 11, the organization brought Williams up to the big league club. His stay was likely to be short, and it was, with Williams being designated for assignment when Harris II returned on April 13.

While up, Williams appeared in two games, walking in his only plate appearance on April 12 after appearing as a defensive replacement in left field the night before.

Upon re-upping with the Braves, he spent the rest of the season at Triple-A Gwinnett, playing in more than 100 games while appearing at every infield position, left field and pitching in three contests. He had an 81 wRC+ for the Stripers that came with a massive xwOBA overperformance, but he did steal 37 bases.

What went right?

Three days on the major league roster is better than none. On top of that, the utility that Williams provided, pun intended, showed up when the Braves opted to add him to the Wild Card Series roster, although he did not appear in a game and was not rostered for the Division Series.

During the 2026 regular season with Gwinnett, he continued to showcase his defensive versatility and speed — and in the same vein as three days in the bigs being better than none, outhitting your xwOBA in the minors is better than… not doing that, I guess.

Oh, and if you don’t notice that he one PA this season, he has a cool .698 wOBA, .698 xwOBA, and 355 wRC+ to show for it.

What went wrong?

After the three-game soiree with Atlanta in April, Williams didn’t crack Atlanta’s roster for the rest of the season as Farmer assumed the role Williams had filled the prior two years as the last “position player” (really, non-player) on the bench.

Williams’ overall offensive performance with the Stripers was below his career minor league standard despite getting semi-regular playing time, and although offense is not his calling card, the continued decline limited his viability, as seen when the team opted to promote rookie Jim Jarvis when the team needed an infielder in July. There hasn’t really been any “development” in terms of Williams’ skillset, and he’s really moving from “generic replacement level filler” to “guy who no one’s going to roster because there are better literal replacement level players out there.”

2027 outlook

Williams turned 30 in August and his specific skillset is probably best suited for a team like Atlanta, that is, one that plays its regulars the majority of the time and doesn’t mind a no-hit option that can kinda-sorta play shortstop while being proficient enough glove-wise at other positions. He’s baserunning is his biggest asset: he’s been a perfect 11-for-11 on stolen base tries with the Braves during the regular season.

Williams appeared with four different teams before coming to Atlanta in 2023 and since, he’s appeared with the Braves in four consecutive seasons. He’s almost surely headed to another minor league contract. With questions about Atlanta’s infield depth, a reunion with the Braves is possible, even if it is only to stash Williams at Triple-A should the need arise. The Braves obviously like Williams in terms of having him in the organization and another long run on the big-league roster isn’t out of the question as a little used regular should the team add a full-time starter at shortstop for 2027.

Still, he’s probably sub-replacement at this point, so they could also look to find “Luke Williams, but a little better” for no real investment or commitment, either.

Two potential starting pitcher free agents who could be targeted by the Guardians in the coming month (or beyond) in Michael Soroka and Nick Pivetta. Let’s talk about these hurlers.

You can find my previous articles about potential Guardians’ free agent targets here and here. Matt Seese also provided one here. I did not include Soroka and Pivetta because I felt the prices reflected on FanGraphs and MLBTrade Rumors for both were a little too high, but with Zack Meisel emphasizing today from the GM Meetings that the team is trying to find starting pitching depth and spending a lot of time talking to agents, accordingly, I think I should expand our net of pitchers to evaluate just a little.

First, Nick Pivetta… the right-hander is 33 years old, put up a 2.86 ERA and a 2.21 FIP with a 11/2 K/BB/9… in only 34 innings for the Padres because he dealt with an elbow strain in his pitching arm. ELBOW! ELBOW! ELBOW! the warning signs blare. MLB Trade Rumors has Pivetta at 2 years and $26M which would be an absolute steal if it weren’t for the ELBOW, ELBOW, ELBOW. The primary reason that Pivetta might be a decent fit for the Guardians is that (knock on wood) the organization has done very well helping pitchers manage their health and rebuild free agent value. Is it possible that Pivetta would be interested in a two-year deal with a player opt out for something similar to what MLBTrade Rumors suggests? If so, wow, I’d love for the Guardians to make that kind of move. Over the past two seasons, Pivetta has a 2.86 ERA. He is a front-of-the-rotation arm… if that arm has a functioning ELBOW, ELBOW, ELBOW. The Padres declining to pick up his option may be another red flag for teams.

Second, right-hander Michael Soroka has dealt with a lot of injuries in his career but he managed to throw 116 innings last season for the Braves with a 3.41 ERA/3.19 FIP and an 8.84/2.25 K/BB/9, and didn’t have any arm issues. He’s 29 years old and has thrown over 150 innings just once in his career, in 2019. MLB Trade Rumors projects Soroka for 2/$26M and FanGraphs says 2/$34. Again, if the Guardians can sell themselves as an organization that can help pitchers stay healthy, Soroka is a great mid-rotation-arm when healthy. Maybe there’s a similar two-year deal with a player opt-out that would make sense for both sides.

In summary, add Pivetta and Soroka to the list of potential Guardians’ starting pitcher targets in free agency, joining the linkes of Brandon Woodruff, Foster Griffin, David Peterson, Tyler Mahle, Nick Martinez, Dustin May, Kris Bubic, Shane Bieber, and Pablo Sandoval. Will the Guardians make a move before December 1st? Who knows? Which one of these eleven pitchers are of the most interest to you? Let us know in the comments below

The Houston Astros have hired Brad Ausmus as their new manager, per reports.

Ausmus had an 18 year major league career that included two stints with the Astros, for whom he played the majority of his career. He was the manager for the Detroit Tigers from 2014-17, and then managed the Angels in the 2019 season. His first year with the Tigers, Detroit won the division, but got swept in the division series. The Tigers then had a pair of last place finishes sandwiched around a second place finish, but didn’t make the playoffs again. The year with the Angels…well, they are the Angels. Most recently, he was bench coach for the Oakland A’s in 2022, and for the New York Yankees for 2024-26.

The Astros are an interesting franchise right now. The selection of Ausmus, who is reportedly close with former teammate Jeff Bagwell, an advisor to owner Jim Crane, leads one to wonder how much power new general manager Randy Flores has. The Houston decision-making dynamic has not been clear for a while, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out going forward.

Brad Ausmus, who served as the Yankees’ bench coach under Aaron Boone from 2024 through 2026, is reportedly headed to the Astros, for whom he played from 1997-98 and then again from 2001 through 2008. He will become their next manager after the recent announcement that Joe Espada won’t be returning for the 2027 campaign.

Astros insider Brian McTaggart had the report; Ausmus will be the first big hire under new GM Randy Flores, who succeeded the dismissed Dana Brown under oft-meddling owner Jim Crane.

Ausmus, a former defensive-minded catcher, has some managerial experience in the majors, having led the Detroit Tigers from 2014 to 2017 and then the Los Angeles Angels in 2019. Before succeeding Carlos Mendoza as the Yankees’ bench coach, he had a stint with the Athletics in 2022, filling the same position.

The Yankees will now have to find a new bench coach. They had already lost Tanner Swanson, who was their major league quality control coach and catching coordinator, to the Seattle Mariners, to become their new bench coach. Matt Blake was extended as pitching coach and both Luis Rojas and Dan Fiorito will remain the base coaches, but James Rowson’s contract as the hitting coach has expired and news just broke that he will become the Giants’ “offensive coordinator.”

That, according to head of baseball Brian Cashman, creates a “fluid” situation about who might fill the position.

As for Ausmus, he gets another chance to be a manager in an organization he is very much familiar with from his playing days. He has a combined 386-422 managerial record with the Tigers (2014-17) and Angels (2019), including a division title with Detroit in 2014.

The next few days will be crucial for the Yankees, as they work to fill a coaching staff that has been somewhat raided after recent hires around the league.

Dru Baker
Center Fielder
5´10´´
205 pounds
Age 27
2026 South Side Sox Top Prospect Ranking 53
2026 High Level Charlotte (AAA)
Age relative to high level -0.1 years
SSS rank among all center fielders in the system 8
Overall 2025 stats 94 games ⚾️ 8 HR ⚾️ 44 RBI ⚾️ .266/.322/.504 ⚾️ 20 BB ⚾️ 88 K ⚾️ 19-of-23 (82.6%) SB ⚾️ .970 % FLD ⚾️ 0.9 WAR

Dru Baker brings contact hitting and strong defense to a White Sox organization that could always use bench depth, especially in the outfield. Drafted in the fourth round in 2021 by the Rays, scouts clocked Baker as a utility player with fourth-outfielder upside, but his time to play that role never came in 2026. 2027 could be the year.

Baker slowly progressed through Tampa Bay’s minor league system before arriving in Chicago in the Matt Thaiss exchange in May. Baker got out to a fast start in 2022, slashing .297/.399/.467 while driving in 32 runs and drawing 29 walks in 47 games, which were nearly evenly split between Low- and High-A. His shortcoming, however, was 48 strikeouts, and contact continues to be an ongoing concern.

Baker’s productivity remained high in 2023 and 2024 in High- and Double-A, regressed slightly in 2025 while facing Triple-A pitchers, but bounced back in 2026. He’s a bit more patient at the plate, and he more than doubled his RBIs from 2025 while breaking the .700 OPS benchmark. Truist Field helps pad his stats, but Baker needs to sustain his power and keep his whiffs down if he’s going to break through the 40-man roster.

One way Baker can shoehorn his way onto the squad is with his defensive versatility. Having played every outfield position while also getting a few reps in at DH and second base, Baker is a healthier version of Brooks Baldwin, with a slightly better arm. Baker’s speed gives him a slight edge, but he’s coming up on 27, and his age and major league inexperience will work against him in the Sox’s already young and defensive platoon outfield.

A healthy and improved 2026 steers Baker on the right path to make his debut in 2027 when Chicago’s down an outfielder, but he needs to step it up if he wants to stand out among the several Charlotte prospects who have shown more big league potential.

Full 2027 South Side Sox Top 100 White Sox ProspectsStorystream

It's not exactly an in-house hire, but the Houston Astros opted for familiarity in settling on Brad Ausmus as their next manager, the club announced Wednesday, Nov. 11.

Ausmus, 57, will take his third crack at managing a major league team, having led the Detroit Tigers from 2014 through 2017 and managing the Los Angeles Angels for the 2019 season. He's spent the past three seasons as the New York Yankees' bench coach.

Ausmus was a catcher for the Astros from 2001 through 2008, growing into a core player for a franchise that reached the World Series in 2005. Hall of Fame first baseman Jeff Bagwell remains a trusted advisor to owner Jim Crane, who recently hired former Cardinals executive Randy Flores as the club's new general manager.

Ausmus will replace Joe Espada, who managed the club for three seasons and led them to the AL West title this season, though the club had a .500 record. Espada led the Astros to the playoffs in two of his three seasons and was the bench coach under World Series-winning manager Dusty Baker before that. Crane opted not to extend his contract.

"I am very excited to be back in Houston,” Ausmus said in a statement released by the club. "The Astros and the City of Houston have been a huge part of my life, and I’m thrilled to create a new chapter as the team’s manager. I’d like to thank Randy and the entire Astros organization for this opportunity, and I can’t wait to get to work."

Ausmus was an All-Star and three-time Gold Glove winner as a player and posted a 386-422 record managing the Tigers and Angels. In his first year managing, Ausmus inherited a club that reached the 2013 ALCS under retiring manager Jim Leyland but got bounced in the 2014 ALDS. His final three Tigers clubs did not reach the playoffs.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Houston Astros hire Brad Ausmus as next manager

There was consistently a positive relationship between Cincinnati Reds closer Emilio Pagán and manager Terry Francona during their three-year run in the Queen City. The future Hall of Fame manager trusted Pagán with the closer’s job early in 2025 with Alexis Diaz fell completely apart, and the move paid off in spades both for the Reds and Pagán, who turned his 2025 success into a new 2-year, $20 million contract after the Reds made the playoffs.

That deal, though, included an opt-out at the end of the 2026 season, an opt-out that Pagán exercised just days after the Milwaukee Brewers won the World Series.

In the wake of that decision, Tito clearly maintained contact with his former closer, even revealing to MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon last week that he’d recently been texting him.

I texted him last night and he was at dinner. I said, “Do I need to come over there and kick your [butt]?” The reason I said that is I love the guy. He’s such a phenomenal teammate. He bailed us out. When we made him the closer, it allows you to work from back to front, when you know there’s an end in sight. I’m not giving up on him coming back. He has the right to test the market. But I don’t think it’s any secret how much I enjoyed him and how much I respect him and how much I love him.

Just a week after turning down the chance to pitch for the Reds again at a $10 million rate, Pagán agreed to an $11 million deal to pitch for the Detroit Tigers for the 2027 season.

I am not one to put words into another person’s mouth. I will merely point out that it’s a little bit curious that Pagán opted out in a ‘bet on yourself after a couple good years’ kind of move and ended up signing elsewhere at almost exactly the same rate that was already guaranteed to you from an organization that, per Francona, still had a lot of love for you – all after testing the market for roughly one whole week.

There are a million different ways to interpret this, quite literally. The Reds sure do look like a mis-managed sinking ship, and for Pagán to recognize that while having an opportunity to bail deserves neither fault nor scorn. Frankly, I wouldn’t blame him one single bit if that was all he was looking to do. Detroit’s home park offers a fly-ball pitcher like him a whole lot more room to succeed with his own methods than do the cozy confines of Great American Ball Park.

Perhaps he simply wanted to get a guarantee on the books before the looming December 1st lockout, and did so with a team in whom he has more confidence than he has in the Reds.

Cincinnati did change pitching coaches from Derek Johnson to Joe Torres, too. There could very well be a philosophy clash behind the scenes we’ve not yet seen play out publicly.

One thing is cut and dry, though, and that’s that Pagán is not going to be back on the Reds in 2027 in any capacity, and the search for a new closer amid a bullpen that needs an entire overhaul is firmly front and center on Nick Krall’s to-do list this winter…along with about thirty other things that, if accomplished, would’ve made this club a lot more attractive to a closer on the open market in the first place.

The Phillies entered the 2026 season with Otto Kemp penciled in for a big role on the MLB roster. He was supposed to be Brandon Marsh’s right-handed platoon partner in the outfield, as the team finally acknowledged that Marsh should be prevented from facing lefties. Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies took every opportunity to talk up Kemp over the offseason and cited a knee injury as reason to believe he would improve upon his rookie season.

Felix Reyes was the first attempt to correct that colossal mistake of putting all the eggs in the Otto Kemp basket, as Reyes was promoted in mid-April when Kemp was demoted following a dreadful start to the season. Reyes, despite mostly playing first base in his minor league career and hardly having played above Double-A, was selected to be Marsh’s new platoon partner in left field.

2026 stats: 12 games, .158/.158/.263, 1 home run, 11 OPS+, -0.6 WAR

What went right

Reyes was not someone particularly on the radar for an MLB job, but a strong spring training no doubt helped get his name into some consideration despite only having played six career games above Double-A. The 25-year-old hit .303 with a .930 OPS and three home runs in 18 Grapefruit League games this year. He was sent to Triple-A to begin the season but unexpectedly found himself on the Phillies roster on April 18th thanks to the aforementioned struggles of Kemp. The Phillies were throwing a dart to see if they could get some production out of an unexpected source because they had no real backup plan in the rather likely possibility of Kemp’s position being untenable.

They appeared to have gotten lucky in Reyes’ first game, as he launched a home run off of Chris Sale in his first career at-bat in the Majors while batting cleanup behind Bryce Harper.

It would quickly go downhill from there though.

What went wrong

It became very apparent, very fast that Reyes was simply overmatched in the major leagues. The tendency for chasing Reyes showed in the minors was easily exploited by MLB pitching, as he swung at 53% of the pitches he saw outside of the zone in his short time with the Phillies. He also racked up nine strikeouts in 38 plate appearances and did not walk once, as Reyes collected just five more hits after that debut home run. His brief time on the MLB roster ended exactly a month after it began when the Phillies optioned him to Triple-A on May 18th.

Reyes remained with Lehigh Valley the rest of the year, hitting .287 with an .830 OPS and 21 home runs before a broken wrist ended his season on August 15th.

Final Grade: F

This isn’t as much of a grade for Reyes as it is for the circumstances that led to him being on the Phillies roster. Reyes is the exact type of player that teams with poor depth are forced to rely on, and that’s exactly what the Phillies are. A 25-year-old career minor leaguer who had barely played above Double-A should not be plan B for a significant role on an MLB roster. The Phillies dramatically overvalued Kemp, and his predictable struggles and the team’s utter lack of upper minor league depth led to the Phillies thrusting Reyes into a role he frankly was not suited for. That included batting him cleanup for almost half of his plate appearances because the Phillies didn’t have any other real options for right-handed production behind Harper and Kyle Schwarber.

It was also head-scratching at the time that the Phillies went to Reyes over Bryan De La Cruz, who also had a strong camp but had vastly more MLB experience and was an actual outfielder. That decision looks even worse in hindsight as once the Phillies finally did add De La Cruz to their roster on July 21st, he hit .280 with a .762 OPS in 34 games. Regardless, the whole saga involving Reyes is just an exacerbation of the Phillies failure to develop even the smallest of contributors from within.