Phillies face reality, begin rebuild with trade of Jimmy Rollins

Has a new day arrived in Philadelphia? Apparently so. After agreeing to trade Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers for a pair of young pitching prospects, the team seems poised to rebuild its roster, beginning right at the top.

Over the past three season, the Phillies have become the face of what happens when aging players with large contracts simultaneously begin their inevitable descent down the other side of the hill. They’ve also become the face of what happens when a club fails to address such a reality in a timely fashion.

There’s no turning back the hands of time, and in baseball, there’s no reverting back to being relevant with an old roster that simply can’t produce. As much as general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has tried to offset the downward momentum with plug-and-play veterans and new leadership under Ryne Sandberg, there was never anything he could realistically do without replacing the established parts that were faltering.

It’s a harsh reality, but the unfortunate truth is it’s a reality Amaro needed to acknowledge and address two, maybe even three years ago. After winning 102 games in 2011, the Phillies were on top of that hill, but it seems the moment Ryan Howard blew out his knee making the final out in their disappointing NLDS loss against the St. Louis Cardinals, they teetered over the brink.

In the three years that have followed, Philadelphia has won 81, 73 and 73 games respectively.  In those three seasons, each of their core players — most notably Howard, Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley — have aged another three years, moved another three years from their peak, and understandably become less productive. The only thing that hasn’t changed? They all still make a lot of money. With other massive contracts belonging to Cole Hamels and Jonathan Papelbon on the books, the Phillies had the third highest payroll in MLB in 2014.

That’s doesn’t leave much wiggle room in terms of signing a significant piece. With a near bottom-ten minor league system, Philadelphia doesn’t have many assets to deal either. An organizational overhaul has simply been long overdue, and by trading Rollins, it appears Amaro is finally ready and willing to address it. 

Trading Rollins is a sign of change if there ever was one. At 36, he was the longest tenured athlete in Philadelphia, and he was actually coming off his best all-around season since 2011, having hit .243/.323/.394 with 17 homers, 55 RBIs and 28 steals in 538 at-bats. Those numbers aren’t too terribly far from his career peak averages, but hasn’t been anywhere near the consistent top-of-the-order force he was while winning the MVP in 2007. He’s a complimentary player now, not one who can carry an offense for stretches. That’s why he should fit in ideally with the Dodgers

Rollins, who through his 10-and-5 rights as a career long Phillie could have vetoed the trade, will be due $11 million in 2015 before becoming a free agent. That’s actually fair money for a complimentary player in this market, but the Phillies get those savings plus a pair of prospects, which is probably better than they would do next July. Chances are though, they could have done better moving Rollins 12 or 18 months ago when name value alone would have guaranteed greater interest. 

The same likely holds true as they look to move first baseman Ryan Howard, who’s owed $60 million over the next two seasons, and closer Jonathan Papelbon, who’s $13 million in 2015 and has a vesting option for $13 million in 2016. They might get something, but it won’t be franchise-changing. The best chip they hold is 30-year-old Cole Hamels, who will make $96 million over the next four seasons. For all of the same reasons mentioned above, now looks like the time to move him as well so they can maximize value. 

There’s reason to believe that’s the direction Philadelphia will go this winter. In addition to the Rollins deal, they also traded left-handed reliever Antonio Bastardo to the Pittsburgh Pirates. Though not a star, he’s a useful piece that would be far more likely to stay if the team was in a win-now mode. 

It’s going to take time, obviously, for this rebuild to play out if they’re truly committed to it. That alone will be a challenge. As will satisfying a fanbase not best known for its patience. But in this case, it’s the only way to get back on the climbing side of the hill. 

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Mark Townsend is a writer for Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @Townie813