Matt Klentak had an up and down tenure as Phillies’ General Manager, to put it nicely. The front office “dynamic” duo of he and Andy MacPhail were running the show from 2015 until Klentak’s resignation and reassignment after the 2020 season. They were credited with being able to get the Phillies from out of the basement in the NL East. If the Phillies are no longer in the basement, they definitely are not in the penthouse either. Since Klentak has since moved onto the Milwaukee Brewers now, I want to highlight some of the moves he made that made the biggest (not necessarily best) impact on the Phillies’ rebuild.
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Signing Bryce Harper
The 13yr/$330mil contract was at the time the largest in North American sports history. Looking back, Harper has held up his end of the deal very nicely. He took home the National League MVP honors most recently and has made countless highlight-reel plays for his city. The Phillies have surrounded him with talent but the team has yet to really figure out how to win games due to the bullpen imploding on a nightly basis. -
Signing Jake Arrietta
Jake Arrietta was given a 3yr/$75mil deal that he underperformed on. He dealt with injuries throughout the contract and his stuff was no longer really effective. Aside from the performance on the mound, his ability to be a good teammate was called into question when he called out Scott Kingery for playing in a position other than where Arrietta wanted him to be. Kingery was playing in a defensive shift and the ball went the routine shortstop hole. Arrietta specifically called him out for it during his postgame interviews. The Phillies had a hope he could be a steady No. 2 behind Aaron Nola but he, unfortunately, could never regain his form from when he was with the Cubs. -
JT Realmuto trade
As bad as the pitching was while Klentak ran the team, the offense was productive. This is in no small part due to the acquisition of JT Realmuto. JT could go down as one of the best catchers the Phillies have ever had. He, Harper, and Rhys Hoskins formed an elite 3-4-5 combination that still is one of the best in baseball, if not the best. The Phillies did have to part with Sixto Sanchez, who may have lost his standing as a top prospect within the eyes of the organization. Sanchez had a really nice rookie year in 2020 but has dealt with a shoulder injury and is hopeful to be ready for 2022. -
Jean Segura trade
Segura was brought in along with two relievers for Carlos Santana and JP Crawford. Santana was not well-received by Phillies fans as he was essentially blocking Rhys Hoskins from playing his natural position of first base. He also hit for a low average, walked a lot, and hit mostly home runs. Segura has been a staple in the Phillies’ infield for the past three seasons, playing a different spot each year. Segura’s best year came in 2021 and his productivity is a little overshadowed because of the fact that his teammate won the NL MVP. JP Crawford is by no means guaranteed to stick around in baseball and the Mariners have been looking in this year’s free-agent class of shortstops for an upgrade. -
Signing Andrew McCutchen
It is hard to find a better teammate or person playing in professional baseball than Andrew McCutchen. It is unfortunate his time with the Phillies came in the twilight of his career. Cutch had some of the worst luck I’ve ever seen in the sports world. I don’t mean bad luck like hitting a ball hard right at someone, I mean a torn ACL on a freak accident, a COVID shortened second season, and nagging knee issues during his third. The man was one of the most fun players to watch in the early half of the 2010s. The only part of the McCutchen deal I was not a fan of was his contract. At the time it was becoming clear that he was not the MVP and all-star he had once been, and the Phillies just handed him $50mil. The term was also a bit long in my opinion as well, a 1 year deal with a higher AAV was probably the better option or even two years would have been okay. Cutch got a bit of a raw deal in Philly and I would still love to have him back on a one-year deal worth no more than $3mil. He could be a great option off the bench and be solid depth as a fourth outfielder.
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