Phillies Project to be an MLB Juggernaut Club After Rebuild
Chicago looks to have complete control over baseball, but could the Phillies travel down the same path to greatness?
Phillies fans know the rebuild taking place at One Citizens Bank Way will extend further than they’d please, but they know the end results could be astronomical.
Ben Reiter, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, looked at teams in the middle of a rebuild, and projected which club is most likely to the most dominant in the future.
Reiter examined elements such as prospects, current major league players, tradable assets, and financial flexibility.
Among the top five teams selected by Reiter, the Phils sit at the fourth-position when considering which club could be the next Chicago Cubs. Behind them sit the Rockies, while the Yankees, White Sox, and Braves are a stretch ahead thanks to their own rebuilding efforts over the past two seasons.
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It appears Reiter, like most people following Philadelphia’s rebuild, appreciates the talent at the plate, but not so much on the mound.
While Maikel Franco, Odubel Herrera, Nick Williams, and J.P. Crawford lead the way at the top of the lineup, the starting rotation lacks an in-house ace.
As Reiter acknowledges when talking about both the Phillies and the Yankees, the ability to make a splash in free agency could help form a starting rotation similar to the Cubs. Two free agent additions to a rotation set with a crop of young arms can carry the way.
So while the skies above Citizens Bank Park are no longer sunny, fans can rest assured that there are brighter days ahead for the Phils.