In his role as the Triple-A manager in the Phillies organization, Ryne Sandberg talks often to his players about opportunity.
It's always there, he says. And when it opens the door, be prepared to burst through it.
Wednesday's signing of Cole Hamels to that six-year, $144 million contract, andRuben Amaro Jr.'s public reluctance to take the Phillies payroll over baseball's luxury tax threshold, indicates there could be plenty of opportunities for inexpensive parts to fill out around the big-ticket core of the Phillies' 2013 roster.
With the signing of Hamels, the Phillies are, according to published accounts, already committed to just over $136 million to 10 players under contract for 2013: pitchers Cliff Lee, Hamels, Roy Halladay, Kyle Kendrick and Jonathan Papelbon; first baseman Ryan Howard; second baseman Chase Utley, shortstop Jimmy Rollins, catcher Carlos Ruiz, and outfielder Laynce Nix.
Ty Wigginton ($4 million) and Jose Contreras ($2.5 million) also have contracts for next season, but each also has a $500,000 buyout.
Plus, assuming he's not moved in a cost-cutting measure before next season, right fielder Hunter Pence's paycheck figures to rise significantly from his 2012 salary of $10.4 million when he goes through the arbitration process. Speculation of his number for arbitration seems to center around $15 million.
If we assume the Phillies keep Pence, and let's say they come together at $14 million, that's $150 million for those 11 players.
The luxury tax limit is expected to climb from $178 million to $189 million for the 2013 season, which doesn't allow a whole lot of cash for Amaro to fill out the rest of the roster if he sticks to his goal of staying under the tax threshold. He's also going to have to pay for Vance Worley (who will get a pay raise, although he's not eligible for arbitration).
There are significant holes that need to be addressed. Center fielder Shane Victorino, right hander Joe Blanton and third baseman Placido Polanco are all free agents after this season (the Phillies hold a team option on Polanco but also a $1.5 million buyout), and none are expected to return.
Potentially, the Phillies might have to rebuild the entire outfield (if Pence is moved, and certainly they'd like to upgrade over the platoon of Juan Pierre and John Mayberry in left), and certainly would like to upgrade the bench.
And then there's the task of rebuilding the bridge to Papelbon.
So where could these inexpensive parts come from?
Under the right circumstances, some could come from within.
Jonathan Pettibone, RHP: Blanton's departure will leave a gaping hole at the back end of the rotation, and is it a coincidence that the same day the Phillies announced the signing of Hamels, Jonathan Pettibone, a third-round supplemental pick in 2007 out of high school in California (sound familiar?), was being promoted from Double-A Reading to the IronPigs?
Pettibone, who turned 22 on July 19, moves up after an impressive 19 starts at Reading (3.30 ERA, a 1.21 WHIP). He will make his Triple-A debut Monday night in Syracuse and should get seven starts the rest of the season. If the 6-foot-5, 200-pound right-hander shows similar results with the IronPigs as he did with the R-Phils, is it far-fetched to think that the Phillies wouldn't look at him as a viable fifth starter candidate next spring? Think the Phillies wouldn't love to jump a minimum-salary rookie into the back-end of their rotation?
Tyler Cloyd, RHP: All the 25-year-old has done this summer is compile a 13-1 record with a 1.94 ERA between Reading and Lehigh Valley, where he's 10-1 and leads the International League with a 1.98 ERA. Cloyd lacks some of the attributes of Pettibone and the other top Phillies pitching prospects — a 90-plus mile-an-hour fastball to name one — but he throws strikes and has a tremendous amount of poise. And he wins games, which is the name of the game. He's earned the courtesy of at least a long look in spring training.
Domonic Brown, OF: OK, so maybe we've grown weary of hearing about the 24-year-old outfielder's potential. But, at least publically, the Phillies continue to insist that Brown still fits into their future plans. Assuming he's healthy — and given his 2012 season so far, that could be a major assumption to make — a strong finish this year could put him a position to come to spring as a serious candidate for one of the three outfield spots.
The bullpen: Thanks to injuries and ineffectiveness, we've seen most of the system's young bullpen arms in a Major League uniform this summer. And while Phillies fans maintain they've had their fill of the Michael Schwimers, Antonio Bastardos, Jake Diekmans and Joe Saverys at times, there have been moments of brightness as well.
Throw in a healthy Michael Stutes, maybe a Justin De Fratus or a Phillippe Aumont, and some combination of the above could help save some payroll in the 2013 bullpen.
Cody Asche, 3B: We're not going to see the 22-year-old, the fourth-round pick in 2011, playing third base at Citizens Bank Park next summer. But he's a former collegiate All-America at Nebraska who exceeded expectations when the Phillies jumped him over Lakewood to Clearwater to begin the season (.349 in 62 games), and after a rough transition, he is really starting to get in the groove at Reading, where he is hitting .287 with five homers and 14 RBI in his last 18 games including .407 with four homers and eight RBI in his last six. A strong finish could give the club some thoughts of finding a one or two year rental at third if they think he'll be ready to challenge for a spot by 2014.
Tyson Gillies, OF: The master plan when the Phillies obtained Gillies in the second Cliff Lee deal in December, 2009, was that the 23-year-old would be in a position to step in for Victorino next spring. However, injuries and other issues — he's currently under suspension for an altercation with the Reading bus driver — cost him that opportunity. However, like Brown, the Phillies maintain they haven't given up on him — when he has been on the field, he has shown glimpses of that potential, so maybe he's still in the long-range picture. But the organization's patience must be wearing thin.
Erik Kratz, catcher: Brian Schneider got $800,000 last winter to sign on for another year as Ruiz's back-up. With Schneider on the shelf with a high ankle sprain, Kratz has filled in nicely. Kratz probably wouldn't get much more than minimum to fill that role permanently next year, so it's not that great a savings.
But then again, any little bit helps, right?
