The part of these next moves that will get the most press is the disappointing end to Domonic Brown’s tenure in Philly. But I care more about some of the other players outrighted today. Let’s just move past Brian Bogusevic now because he is not really a part of the Phillies future and never was going to be, but he should get a spring training invite from someone based on his year. The other two players are Tommy Joseph and Kelly Dugan.
Tommy Joseph was the headline piece of the trade that sent Hunter Pence to San Francisco. Joseph was rated highly his first year and looked on pace to supplant Carlos Ruiz. However concussions are a horrible thing and Joseph is now a first baseman where hopefully his head stays safe. He has plus raw power so there is a chance he can carve something out with a full offseason to work on hitting. His upside is some sort of platoon first baseman (think Darin Ruf at a much younger age) and maybe he can reach that. There really wasn’t much room for a first base only player on the Phillies roster this winter.
I have believed in Kelly Dugan for a while. He has bat speed and a feel for contact, and after the Phillies made some adjustments last year he was able to line the ball to all fields. Health has always been the concern and Dugan couldn’t stay healthy and after a foot injury this year he just could not tap into his above average raw power. I am honestly a bit confused by this, but the Phillies know their players better. Dugan was not going to make my offseason Top 30 prospects so the disappointment has already happened. He is in a bit of a log jam now, but I still think he can hit and would like to see him back with the Phillies next year.
The Phillies 40 man roster now stands 31 once free agents are removed. At this point Roman Quinn, Jimmy Cordero, and Edubray Ramos are assured spots, with more room now opened up for players like Cam Perkins, Yacksel Rios, or Gabriel Lino to claim a spot. Additionally the Phillies will likely make at least one pick in the Rule 5 draft and will almost certainly sign a veteran starter (maybe a reliever) and an outfielder (probably Frenchy) so the roster is starting to fill up.
EDIT: It appears that Brown and Bogusevic can immediately become free agents, Dugan can be a free agent 5 days after the World Series and that Tommy Joseph will remain in the organization and is eligible for free agency after next season.
Are Dugan and Joseph not on waivers right now? Did they already clear it, or am I missing something regarding guys with no service time?
They both cleared waivers (as did Brown and Bogusevic)
Gotcha, thanks!!
Confused that you’re confused at Dugan. It’s too soon to give up on him, but with Williams, Quinn, Pointer, Perkins, and Stassi all likely at LHV next year, it’s not clear to me there was room for him, especially given that one of the things he needs to prove he can do is play every day and stay healthy.