Philadelphia Philles Mid-Offseason Review

The Philadelphia Phillies have been getting it done so far this off-season. They’ve accomplished one of their main goals so far and have made a lot of small pickups along the way.

So far, the Phillies have done a great job, though they can do better.

They replaced defensive master Pedro Feliz with Placido Polanco, who is just as good with the glove. Polanco, who played with the Phillies from 2002-2005, is a great contact hitter and has a .303 career average. He isn’t much for power, but will definitely be an improvement at third base.

They also signed Brian Schneider to be the backup catcher, which eliminates the possibility of Paul Bako returning, though he will likely get a spring training invite.

The Phillies two smaller acquisitions include signing Juan Castro and Dewanye Wise.

I’m not a fan of the Castro signing because it’s barely an improvement. What the Phillies need is a right-handed Greg Dobbs to bat against lefties late in the game.

I am a fan of the Wise signing just because of what the guy did last year. He made a terrific catch to preserve Mark Buerhle’s perfect game. He may not contribute too much to the major league club since he was signed to a minor league deal, but who isn’t a little excited about him?

Also, there has been much speculation about Roy Halladay. Folks, the only way the Phillies are trading for Halladay is if they either get rid of either Joe Blanton or Cole Hamels.

I didn’t throw Hamels under the bus because of last year, and I’m positive he’ll bounce back next season. As for Big Joe, never really a fan. Only time he really contributed last year was in July when he had a string of great games.

Finally, there has been talk of a contract extension with Cliff Lee. That would be a very wise move by the Phillies. I was a fan of him before his Cy Young season, and he is definitely someone you want to secure as quickly as possible.

Hopefully the Phillies will be able to make a move for another good starting pitcher before the spring. But if not, the Phillies will still be in great shape to repeat as National League Champs and will definitely make a shot at winning the World Series

 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com