The Philadelphia Phillies agreed to bring back outfielder Grady Sizemore on a one-year contract, which could shake things up for the roster. Meanwhile, the Chicago Cubs might have one of their top prospects switch positions.
The signing of Sizemore isn't the only issue for left fielder Domonic Brown. The team also has three other outfielders (Ben Revere, Marlon Byrd and Darin Ruf) under contract and is reportedly the front-runner for Cuban defector Yasmany Tomas, who is a right fielder. If they end up with Tomas, that's a total of six outfielders under contract, which means somebody needs to go.
Revere proved to be a good leadoff hitter for Philadelphia over the past two seasons, batting .305 with 280 hits and 71 stolen bases in 239 games. Byrd was also great in his first season with the Phillies, batting .264 with 25 home runs and 85 RBIs. With the possible addition of Tomas, the Phillies would be getting a much needed power bat, especially after Brown had a dismal 2014 campaign, batting .235 with 10 home runs and 63 RBIs in 144 games. As a 26-year-old who is arbitration eligible and could be a good depth addition for another team, the Phillies may look to trade Brown, according to Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Corey Seidman of CSN Philly also believes Brown is on his way out:
"General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. knows he must substantially upgrade the Phillies' offense," Seidman wrote. "He has said as much leading into this offseason. The two clearest positions to boost are first base and left field. The Phillies owe their first baseman $60 million. They don't owe their leftfielder much at all."
The Cubs might be looking to upgrade certain positions as well. Shortstop prospect Addison Russell joined the Cubs in July after the team acquired him in a trade with the Oakland Athletics. His minor league season was shortened because of a hamstring injury, but the Cubs sent him to the Arizona Fall League to continue burnishing his skills during the offseason. And according to Sam Dykstra of MLB.com, Theo Epstein, the Cubs' president of baseball operations, has told Russell to prepare for multiple positions.
He wasn't lying. After 217 career games at shortstop, Russell was used at second base during a portion of his time in the Arizona Fall League. Although he was shut down yesterday and will not finish the AFL season, Russell was able to get back into the swing of things and gain some experience at second base. The team wants him to rest a little before he begins his offseason conditioning program, which is a good decision since he's only 20 years old.
So what will the Cubs do with him as his big-league promotion gets nearer? Well, they already have a plethora of middle infielders, including shortstop Starlin Castro, shortstop-turned-second-baseman Javier Baez, second-baseman-turned-center-fielder Arismendy Alcantara, and shortstop prospect Gleyber Torres. Just for fun to speculate, could Starlin Castro be on his way out the door? There are a number of MLB teams in need of a shortstop (Mets, Yankees and others) that could help the Cubs with their pitching needs, so it could be a viable option.
Otherwise, not many are entirely sure what the Cubs will do with their surplus of middle infielders.
