Inbox: Will Phils be active before Spring Training?
Pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater, Fla., in less than a month. Should we expect Phillies general manager Matt Klentak to make any more moves before Spring Training, or is everything ready to go? -- Brett L., Broomall, Pa. I would not be surprised to see Philadelphia announce another non-roster
Pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater, Fla., in less than a month. Should we expect Phillies general manager Matt Klentak to make any more moves before Spring Training, or is everything ready to go?
-- Brett L., Broomall, Pa.
I would not be surprised to see Philadelphia announce another non-roster invitee or two with some big league experience. The Phillies could use more arms in the bullpen. Perhaps they will find a few relievers looking for jobs and bring them into camp to compete. Other than that, I do not see the Phils bringing in anybody of any significance.
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It appears the backup catcher's job will be
-- Steve B., Carlisle, Pa.
Knapp or non-roster invitees
Of course, if Joseph struggles against right-handers, Philadelphia might look at other options. But when he was asked about first base the other day, Mackanin said
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Why didn't the Phillies take advantage of the Dodgers' need for a second baseman when it looks like they could have netted
-- Shane D., Blackwood, N.J.
You are assuming Los Angeles valued Hernandez equally or more than it did
It might not seem like much of a difference, but the Dodgers have been looking for right-handed hitters and Forsythe, who has some power, fits the bill. He has a career .818 OPS against left-handed pitching, while Hernandez has a career .741 OPS against lefties. Just a hunch, but I'm guessing they liked Forsythe more than they liked Hernandez. So even if the Phillies offered up Hernandez, they probably would not have received De Leon in return.
If
-- Jason W., Bethlehem, Pa.
The only way Crawford will make the Opening Day roster is if there is a significant injury to
Todd Zolecki has covered the Phillies since 2003, and for MLB.com since 2009. Follow him on Twitter and listen to his podcast.