MLB Free Agency: Phillies No Longer Chasing Aramis Ramirez

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies are no longer actively going after Aramis Ramirez and are no longer shopping Placido Polanco as potential trade bait. I think that this was honestly the correct move.

Ramirez would be an upgrade over Polanco in terms of offensive production. He has quite a bit more power but does not have to sacrifice his average to hit the ball hard. However, I am not exactly sure how much his contract could have been worth in Philadelphia, but I think that there are other ways that they could spend their money that would make a bigger impact.

Polanco is a solid option at third base providing he is able to overcome his injury for quite a bit less money.

How do I propose they spend this money? I would definitely finish this contract with Jimmy Rollins even though it is “unrelated” according to Rosenthal. As I have written many times this winter, the Phillies are committed to winning right now. They have an aging roster that is all going to potentially decline at roughly the same time. Unfortunately, that does come with age.

However, that time is not now. Granted, all of the Phillies will be one year older, but they do not appear to be declining yet. Because of this, it is very important that they try to win right now before they hit that hypothetical downhill slide.

Freddy Galvis would definitely be the better long-term answer at shortstop. He is young, and he seems to have a lot of potential. However, by the time that he realizes his full potential and produces perhaps as much as Rollins does, the rest of the Phillies will be older and the team might be rebuilding.

This next season, Rollins would most likely be more productive simply because he has quite a bit more experience and success in the major leagues.

Like I said before, with the roster the Phillies have right now, they are still in that window of time where they are most likely to win another World Series. That time may be slipping away though. Because of that, they obviously need maximum production right now to win another trophy.

I agree that in the long term, it would definitely be better to introduce Galvis as the starting shortstop right now, but I think that given the Phillies commitment to winning right now, Rollins would be the choice that is most consistent with what appears to be the front office’s mission.

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com