Phillies

SI Skewers Ruben Amaro

By Kyle Scott

Published: Jan 28th, 2013 · 12:31 PM EST

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Don't cry because it's mean. Crying because it's true. Sports Illustrated on the Phillies' offseason:

Faced with upgrading a roster whose position players were the league’s oldest by nearly a year, Amaro has succeeded in getting Young — not once but twice — if not significantly younger. In December, he traded Lindblom, a reliever acquired from the Dodgers for Victorino, as well as pitching prospect Lisalverto Bonilla to Texas in exchange for 36-year-old Michael Young, whose performance collapsed to .277/.312/.370 in 2012, his worst slash line since 2002. He’ll take over third base in place of Polanco, who to be fair is a year older and about half as durable, but at least able to do something besides imitate a matador at the hot corner. If there’s good news, it’s that the Rangers are paying $10 million of Young’s $16 million salary.

Not Young enough? To rebuild an outfield depleted not only by those trades but by the free agent departure of Pierre, Amaro went out and signed 27-year-old Delmon Young to a one-year, $750,000 deal, with incentives that can take it to $3.5 million. The money is inconsequential enough, but it looks like an overpay for a player who hit .267/.296/.411 with 18 homers last year with a −0.9 Wins Above Replacement Player mark even while being limited to just 31 games in the field, all of them in left. His 2012 wasn’t an isolated incident; once the top prospect in the game, he has been worth all of 1.2 WARP in a career of 3,575 plate appearances, suitable for the short half of a platoon (.307/.341/.483 lifetime against lefties, .275/.307/.401 against righties) but not much more, and that’s without considering his non-hitting problems. In his infinite wisdom, Amaro doesn’t plan to platoon Young, he plans to make him the everyday rightfielder — a position Young hasn’t played since 2007, when he was still a Devil Ray. Oh, and he’s coming off surgery to remove bone spurs in his ankle and has a weight clause built into his contract.

 

SI’s offseason grade for the Phillies? D. Read it here.