What Miami’s acquisition of Reyes means for the Phillies

The Miami Marlins, a franchise once labeled as low-budget, took a step towards ousting that label as they signed star free agent SS Jose Reyes to a monster 6 year, $106 million contract late Sunday. Reyes will take over the SS position, moving the talented Hanley Ramirez to third base. The move will arguably give the Marlins the best left side of the infield baseball has seen in many years. The Philadelphia Phillies are aging, and if they want to continue to be contenders, some changes need to be made. Philadelphia already signed Jonathan Papelbon, the best closer on the market, but many believe that they over-paid him. Papelbon may improve the bullpen, but he does not help the issues at the plate that the Phillies displayed towards the end of the season and in the first round of the playoffs. So far, the Phillies have signed veteran DH/1B Jim Thome, journeyman Ty Wigginton, and, just recently, former Nationals OF Laynce Nix. Nix can hit for power, which is a benefit when playing in Citizens Bank Park, but has been inconsistent over his years in the league. He will likely share time with John Mayberry, creating a similar platoon to the one Phillies fans saw in right field in 2008 with Jayson Werth and Geoff Jenkins. The slim chance that the Phillies were going to resign Raul Ibanez is now out the door. The Phillies may have helped their bullpen and their outfield, but there are still unanswered questions with the infield. Ryan Howard is going to miss some time at the beginning of the season due to an Achilles injury. Jimmy Rollins is a free agent, and has made it clear that he is not going to take a “home town” discount as he wants a 5 year deal. Placido Polanco is 36 and spent a lot of time on the disabled list last season while posting an uncharacteristic .277 batting average. Ty Wigginton will likely fill in at first base while Howard is out. The Marlins acquisition of Reyes turns them into a legitimate contender in the NL East with the Braves and the Phillies. Miami is still engaged in heavy talks with 1B Albert Pujols and have also been in contact with Prince Fielder. With the addition of Reyes, Miami could become a hot spot for big name free agents that are still on the market. Miami already signed closer Heath Bell, adding depth and security to their bullpen. We can’t forget about their ace, Josh Johnson, who was having a career season before going down with injury. So, the question remains unanswered, how will the Phillies respond to Miami’s sudden effort to become a contender? First, the Phillies have minimum options and not a ton of money to spend, as they blew $50 million on Papelbon. Jimmy Rollins is the best SS that is left on the market, but wants a 5 year deal that the Phillies are not willing to give him. The only other viable option at SS is Alex Gonzalez. Gonzalez still has a little bit of power left in the tank, but struggles with his on base percentage. Rafael Furcal is another name that can be thrown around, but his history of injuries is an immediate turnoff. This means that the Phillies will have to negotiate with Rollins and work out a deal that is favorable for both sides. Another option the Phillies have is bringing in free agent third basemen Aramis Ramirez. Ramirez is far less talented in the field than Polanco, but is younger and has more power and run producing ability. With Ramirez, Polanco could come off the bench in defensive situations and provide relief for Chase Utley at second base. Without Rollins or Ramirez, the Phillies have limited options to upgrade their infield. Relying on their pitching worked in the regular season, but got them nowhere in the playoffs. An upgrade is needed, as winning the NL East just became a much more difficult task, and the difficulty could continue to grow as the off-season progresses.