Phillies' 40-man roster could create complications for bench
OXON HILL, Md. – Eleven of the players on the Phillies' 40-man roster have never appeared in a Major League Baseball game.
That complicates efforts to find good bench players on the roster, roles that are typically filled by more veteran players. At the very least, role players should offer versatility, whether on offense or defense.
General manager Matt Klentak acknowledged Monday, the first day of the Winter Meetings, that the Phillies must continue to address the bench issue this offseason through other acquisitions.
"I think right now we can do it with the players we have here, but notably I think we would like to add a little more middle infield depth if possible," Klentak said. "That could come in the form of a Major League acquisition. That could come in the form of [non-roster invitees] and depth type pieces."
The Phillies' front office, working out of a suite in the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center which is the site of this year's Winter Meetings, has been working the last two days to meet and talk with agents about players who could join the organization as depth and compete for jobs in spring training.
Veteran catcher A.J. Ellis and infielder Andres Blanco are two intriguing free agent options who could return to Philadelphia.
"There's nothing imminent," Klentak said of Blanco. "But he's definitely a possibility for us that we like. In the same way I answered Ellis, I think what he brings from a leadership perspective, from a mentor perspective and an ability to play all over the field, that fits us just as it fit last year for us.
"We are continuing to talk about trade acquisitions and talk to agents for free agents to see if the right opportunity exists to blend all those factors together, but what we do not want to do is bring in so many veterans that we are denying opportunities to our young players."
Klentak declined to specifically discuss Ellis in regards to his free agent status but noted the positive impact he had on the team during his one month in the organization at the end of the season. One complication of signing Ellis is that it would give the Phillies four catchers on the 40-man roster, which is a lot to devote to that position.
Klentak added that he doesn't believe the Phillies must acquire a veteran catcher. While the organization is open-minded to adding someone like Ellis, they are also comfortable heading into the season with Andrew Knapp as the backup to starting catcher Cameron Rupp. Knapp, 25 just finished his season at Triple-A where he hit .266 with a .330 on-base percentage, eight home runs, 24 doubles and 46 RBI in 107 games. Knapp, as well as Howie Kendrick, could also be the backup first baseman to Tommy Joseph.
"At some point for both he and [catcher Jorge] Alfaro we’re going to have to find out what those guys can do at the big league level," Klentak said. "During the 2017 season we’ll have to find out – not just about those two guys – but others."
The Phillies made a splash at last year's Winter Meetings when they traded closer Ken Giles for a package of players that included right-hander Vince Velasquez and former No. 1 overall pick Mark Appel. Klentak said there's nothing nearly as active on the trade front compared to where the Phillies were last year at this time with Giles. Klentak wouldn't completely rule out a trade given what he called genuine interest interest in a lot of the Phillies' players, particularly their young pitchers.
Still, it would be a surprise if the Phillies pulled off a deal to trade away a young player within the next few days.
"Because we added as many players to the roster as we did, we have a lot of volume of starting pitching particularly at the big league, Triple-A and Double-A levels and teams have noticed that and are asking us about that to see if there's a swap that might make sense for both parties," Klentak said. "Those are the type of inquiries that we explore, particularly in a setting like this where everybody's together in one place and we just see what comes of it. I wouldn't say it's quite as focused or quite as targeted as it was a year ago."
Contact Meghan Montemurro at mmontemurro@delawareonline.com. Follow her on Twitter at @M_Montemurro.