Cincinnati Reds have options where Brandon Phillips is concerned
The Cincinnati Reds have other options where Brandon Phillips is concerned beyond trading him.
Of course there has been discussion of how the Cincinnati Reds could move Phillips. Phillips blocked deals to the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Washington Nationals last off-season. The Diamondbacks made a deal with the Milwaukee Brewers and the Nationals signed free agent Daniel Murphy.
In order to avoid the embarrassment and confusion caused by Phillips’ refusal to accept a deal as a five and ten player, the Reds need to look at their other options. Some of them are fairly decent, while others might not work at all. Here are a few options that haven’t been spoken aloud.
The first, and most logical, choice is to transition Phillips into a utility role. He would float among second base, third base, left field and possibly first base. It would allow Dilson Herrera or Jose Peraza to play second base every day regardless of whether Phillips is in the line-up or not.
Nothing would bother Phillips more than sitting on the bench.
The second option is to make Phillips the designated pinch-hitter. The Reds have a history of doing this as an organization. They used Lenny Harris in this role from 1994 through 1998. Phillips would be used whenever a pinch-hitter was needed late in the game and would rarely play the field.
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Of course, Phillips could remain the second base man. This is the one that makes the least sense. He is blocking the progress of other prospects and isn’t the best team player. Beyond Herrera and Peraza, current third baseman, Eugenio Suarez could be a candidate for second base in the future. Slugger Adam Duvall could move to third to allow the outfield prospects to move to the majors.
The Reds could buy him out and/or release him outright. Beyond blocking the prospects, he seems more focused on attempting to convince people that he is the best Reds’ second baseman of all time, instead of focusing on being the young players’ best teammate. Eventually, his distraction isn’t worth any production.
Phillips will have some input. He can block a deal, if he wants to. He can also refuse to get bought out. What he can’t do is stop the Reds from releasing him. It would be in Phillips’ best interest to negotiate a way out of Cincinnati now.
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If he is still in Cincinnati at the beginning of spring training, the Reds could easily stick him at third or in left. He would have no recourse. For Phillips, nothing would be worse than not being able to play.
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