Phillies Offseason Acquisitions

After a very disappointing regular season, the Philadelphia Phillies have made significant moves this offseason to upgrade gaping holes in the roster. Let’s begin with the two most notable additions; Kyle Schwarber and Nicholas Castellanos.

The addition of Kyle Schwarber adds a power hitter to the lineup to complement Bryce Harper. This past season, Schwarber finished with a .266 batting average, driving in 71 runs and hitting 32 home runs. These stats earned him a four year, $79 million contract with the Phillies. Schwarber will make $19 million this year and $20 million each year for the following three years. While it is not yet known if Schwarber will play left field, center field, or DH, one thing for certain is that he is a major upgrade from both Andrew McCutchen and Roman Quinn. While he is nowhere near as fast as Quinn, Schwarber hits the ball much better and has better defense than Quinn. Schwarber is also better offensively than McCutchen. Schwarber not only brings an explosive bat to the lineup, but he also brings a World Series ring. With the addition of Schwarber, the Phillies add a much needed outfield upgrade, along with playoff and World Series experience.

While Nick Castellanos has no playoff experience, he is seen as the bigger of the two acquisitions. The 30-year old outfielder really broke out last season, finishing with a .309 batting average, driving in 100 runs with 34 home runs. These stats were all the Phillies needed to see to offer him a contract worth $100 million over five years. Castellanos will make $20 million for all five of those years. Just like Schwarber, it is unknown where in the outfield Castellanos will play, but he is an extreme upgrade from both Andrew McCutchen and Roman Quinn. There is no doubt that both of these players will make an immediate difference to the team, however there are other Phillies signings that flew under the radar.

Another bullpen arm the Phillies signed was Corey Knebel. Knebel ended the season with an ERA of 2.45 and a record of 4-0. At the time, this was seen as the Phillies biggest move. Keep in mind that this signing happened before the lockout occurred. Just like Schwarber, Knebel brings playoff experience to the Phillies. Knebel signed a one year contract worth $10 million. This is a huge and much needed upgrade to the weak Phillies bullpen.

The final signing that went under the radar was infielder Johan Camargo. Camargo spent the majority of last season in the minors. He finished with a .326 batting average, driving in 67 runs with 19 home runs. The Phillies signed Camargo to a cheap $1.4 million contract for one year. We should expect to see Camargo as nothing more than a replacement. He may play a Ronald Torreyes type of role, where he only plays if someone is injured or if someone needs to rest.

These signings have given Phillies fans hope. Hope of making the playoffs. Hope of a deep playoff run. Hope of a World Series. With all these new additions, the pressure is now on manager Joe Girardi to step up and silence all the fans saying that he needs to go. Now is his time to prove that he belongs in Philly.