A good look at the Phillies of the last decade. Unlike a lot of articles, there’s not one great “pull quote” to highlight. It’s well worth reading in its entirety.
The Phillies, still without a winning season since 2011, have reached the point where the proverbial final pieces — the expensive veteran stars — have not only been added but are leaving: catcher J.T. Realmuto is a free agent; starter Jake Arrieta’s three-year contract is spent; closer David Robertson’s two-year deal — remember that? — just expired; and infielder Jean Segura is reportedly coming up in trade talks. The Phillies might still get good, but they’re no longer:
young, as their hitters and pitchers were both older than league average in 2020;
cheap, as their payroll is back in the league’s top 10, where it was before they stripped down;
rich in prospects, as their farm system ranked in the bottom 10 last year;
clearly contenders, as (way premature) ZiPS projections for next year see the Phillies as currently constituted winning around 76 games.
Source: Sam Miller, ESPN
It took awhile for the tanking of the 76ers to pay off. But the Phillies will have to tank again, it looks like. Nine straight years without a winning record. The longest ever by the Mets was seven seasons, done twice. First was ’62-’68 and second was ’77-’83.
But old time Philly fans are used to this. From 1918-1948 they finished under .500 30 times in 31 seasons. Only the 1932 squad, which went 78-76, had a winning record.
To spoil the conclusion for those who don’t want to read the full article.
“Tanking to win later isn’t a very fun strategy to cheer on in the first place, but it would be even more obnoxious if its success were inevitable.”