Phils Complete First Deal of Dombrowski/Fuld Era

2020 Chachi #56

2021 Chachi New Additions #4

2021 Chachi Departures #14

2021 Chachi Departures #13

2021 Chachi Departures #12

On December 22nd, the Phillies named Sam Fuld their new general manager, and the 39-year-old will attempt to deliver what former GM Matt Klentak could not - a postseason appearance.  Fuld has been with the organization since November 2017, and his title heading into the 2020 season had been "Director, Integrative Baseball Performance."  With president of baseball operations' Dave Dombrowski's oversight, Fuld will be tasked with hopefully re-signing free agent catcher J.T. Realmuto and rebuilding a bullpen that was historically bad in 2020.

Fuld played between 2007 and 2015 with the Cubs, Rays, Athletics and Twins and had a lifetime .227 average over 598 games.  His rookie card can be found in the 2008 Topps set, and oddly enough his former role with the Phillies resulted in two photo cards in both team-issued sets in 2019.  As part of the remade front office, Jorge Velandia was promoted to assistant general manager and Terry Ryan was given the title assistant to the general manager.  Ryan has been with the organization since 2016 and had previously served for 19 years as the general manager of the Twins.

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Related to this news, the Dombrowski/Fuld tandem executed their first trade on Tuesday afternoon, acquiring reliever Jose Alvarado from the Rays.  It was a three-team deal with the Phillies sending pitcher Garrett Cleavinger to the Dodgers and the Rays receiving Dillon Paulson and a player to be named later from the Dodgers.  In four seasons with the Rays, Alvarado was 2-15 with a 3.46 ERA over 132 2/3 innings.  He has 161 career strikeouts to just 71 walks, and he's a hard-throwing lefty who could immediately fill a hole at the back end of the Phillies bullpen.  Shoulder problems limited him to only 9 appearances in 2020 for the A.L. Champions.

His first Topps flagship card can be found in the 2017 Topps Update set and most recently he was in the 2020 Topps Total set.

Cleavinger departs having appeared in just one game for the Phillies, back on September 17th.  He pitched 2/3 of an inning and surrendered a two-run home run to Robinson Cano in one of the many Phillies bullpen meltdown sessions from 2020.

And speaking of bullpen meltdown sessions, two other former Phillies relievers recently found new homes.  Trevor Kelley (4 games, 10.80 ERA) signed a minor league contract with the Cubs on December 14th and Reggie McClain (5 games, 5.06 ERA) was claimed by the Yankees on December 10th in the minor league portion of the annual rule 5 draft.

Departures - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Deolis Guerra - rhp (10/14/20) - Elected free agency.
• Ronald Torreyes - inf (10/15/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jose Alvarez - lhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jake Arrieta - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Jay Bruce - of (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Didi Gregorius - ss (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Tommy Hunter - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• J.T. Realmuto - c (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Brandon Workman - rhp (10/28/20) - Elected free agency.
• Phil Gosselin - inf (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Heath Hembree - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Adam Morgan - lhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• Blake Parker - rhp (10/30/20) - Outrighted off 40-man roster, elected free agency.
• David Phelps - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• David Robertson - rhp (10/30/20) - Club option declined, elected free agency.
• Reggie McClain - rhp (12/10/20) - Selected by the Yankees in the minor league portion of the annual rule 5 draft.
• Trevor Kelley - rhp (12/14/20) - Signed a minor league contract with the Chicao Cubs.
• Garrett Cleavinger - lhp (12/29/20) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers with the Phillies receiving Jose Alvarado in exchange from the Tampa Bay Rays.

New Additions - 2020-2021 Offseason

• Johan Quezada - rhp (10/30/20) - Claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins.
• Ian Hamilton - rhp (12/7/20) Claimed off waivers from the Seattle Mariners.
• Kyle Holder - inf (12/10/20) - Selected from the Yankees in the annual rule 5 draft.
• Jose Alvarado - lhp (12/29/20) - Acquired from the Tampa Bay Rays with the Dodgers receiving Garrett Cleavinger in exchange.

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And finally, barring a major trade over the next few days, that's going to do it for another year of blogging at The Phillies Room.  I thought it fitting that the last card posted for 2020 should be a checklist.  Thanks for following along and I'll see you next year!

2020 Chachi #57

2020 Chachi #25 Trevor Kelley

#67
Trevor Michael Kelley
Relief Pitcher

Bats:  Right  Throws:  Right  Height:  6'2"  Weight:  200
Opening Day Age:  26
Born:  October 20, 1993, Providence, RI
How Obtained:  Claimed off waivers from the Boston Red Sox, December 2, 2019
Contract Status:  Arbitration eligible in 2023, free agency eligible in 2026
Major League Teams:  Boston Red Sox 2019; Philadelphia Phillies 2020

First Phillies Card:  N/A
First Phillies Minor League Card:  N/A
First Phillies Team Issued Card:  N/A

Newest Card Added:  N/A

Topps Flagship Set Appearances (0):  N/A

0 - Kelley baseball cards in my collection per The Phillies Room Checklist as of 8/11/20.

Complete Chachi Checklist
2020 Chachi New Additions #6
2020 Chachi #25

Kelley was added to the 40-man roster in early December as a waiver claim from the Red Sox.  He was subsequently designated for assignment on January 31st when his roster spot was needed for fellow waiver claim Reggie McClain.  Less than a week later, Kelley was officially back in the mix as a non-roster invitee.

Kelley is a rarity in today's day and age as his only baseball cards to date are from Red Sox minor league team sets.  There's nary a Bowman-related card to his name.

He joins Mauricio Robles (2013) and Jose Pirela (2019) as the third player in team history to wear #67.  Designated for assignment on August 11th, Kelley cleared waivers and was outrighted to Lehigh Valley.

2020 Virtual Phillies Wall / 2020 Season Summary Index / 2020 Chachi Set Checklist

Non-Roster Invitee List Climbs to 29

2019 Topps Heritage #635

2019 Topps Total #387

2020 Chachi New Additions #6

2019 Topps Heritage #132

In the apparently never-ending process of adding players to try-out in Clearwater beginning next week, four more non-roster invitees were added to the mix on Tuesday.

Trevor Kelley lost his 40-man roster spot to Reggie McClain last week, but he'll still come to camp as a non-roster invitee.  Blake Parker is also back, after appearing in 23 games for the Phillies late last season and pitching to a 5.04 ERA.

Righty pitcher Anthony Swarzak was added too.  Swarzak is a veteran of 10 big league seasons, and he appeared in 44 games last season for the Braves and 15 with the Mariners, pitching to a decent 4.31 ERA with the Braves.  Finally, infielder Logan Forsythe will get a chance to earn a bench spot.  Forsythe is a 9-year veteran who appeared in 101 games last season for the Rangers.  He's a career .246 hitter and he hit a career-high 20 home runs with the Rays in 2016.

Player (position) - 2019 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance

1.  Phil Gosselin (inf) - Phillies - 2017 Topps Heritage #135 (Diamondbacks)

2.  Josh Harrison (inf) - Tigers - 2019 Topps Heritage #552 (Tigers)

3.  Mikie Mahtook (of) - Tigers - 2019 Topps #477 (Tigers)

4.  Matt Szczur (of) - Diamondbacks - 2018 Topps Heritage #528 (Padres)
5.  Christian Bethancourt (c) - NC Dinos (Korea) - 2017 Topps #697 (Padres)
6.  Ronald Torreyes (inf) - Twins - 2019 Topps #537 (Twins)
7.  Francisco Liriano (lhp) - Pirates - 2019 Topps Update #US61 (Pirates)
8.  Bud Norris (rhp) - Blue Jays - 2018 Topps #686 (Cardinals)
9.  Drew Storen (rhp) - Royals - 2017 Topps Heritage #573 (Reds)
10.  Neil Walker (inf) - Marlins - 2019 Topps Update #US132 (Marlins)
11.  Logan Forsythe (inf) - Rangers - 2019 Topps Heritage #635 (Rangers)
12.  Blake Parker (rhp) - Twins/Phillies - 2020 Topps #286 (Phillies)
13.  Anthony Swarzak (rhp) - Mariners/Braves - 2019 Topps Total #387 (Braves)
14.  Trevor Kelley (rhp) - Red Sox - N/A

Player (position) - 2019 Organization - Last Card Added to Collection

15.  Alec Bohm (inf) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #1

16.  Connor Brogdon (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #44

17.  Kyle Dohy (lhp) - Phillies - 2019 R-Phils Phillies Top 25 Prospects #5

18.  Tyler Gilbert (lhp) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Lehigh Valley IronPigs #10
19.  Darick Hall (1b) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #7
20.  Spencer Howard (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Topps Heritage Minor League #27
21.  Damon Jones (lhp) - Phillies - 2018 Choice Lakewood BlueClaws #13
22.  Henri Lartigue (c) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #12
23.  Austin Listi (1b-of) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #13
24.  Nick Maton (ss) - Phillies - 2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #6
25.  Mickey Moniak (of) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #15
26.  Ramon Rosso (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #19
27.  Addison Russ (rhp) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #20
28.  Zach Warren (lhp) - Phillies - 2019 Grandstand Clearwater Threshers #33
29.  Luke Williams (inf-of) - Phillies - 2019 Choice Reading Fightin Phils #23

Infield Reboot: Maikel & Cesar Non-Tendered

2020 Chachi Departures #18

2020 Chachi Departures #19

On Monday night, up against an 8pm deadline to tender contracts to eligible players, the Phillies announced they had not tendered contracts to long-time third baseman Maikel Franco and second baseman Cesar Hernandez.  Both are now free agents and the Phillies are tasked with revamping half their infield over this offseason.  The graphic below from Meghan Montemurro's story in The Athletic shows where Franco and Hernandez rank in games played together among Phillies teammates since 2009.  They're the only tandem on this table to depart at the same time.  (Note that the games together tally is as of September 29th, so add a few more games to their total.)

Hernandez came up first, making his debut on May 29, 2013.  His departure makes Odubel Herrera (for now) the longest tenured position player on the club.  Hernandez peaked with the Phillies in 2016 and 2017, enjoying his two best seasons, and he departs with a .277 lifetime average over seven seasons.  He was maddeningly inconsistent on defense and baserunning.

Franco, a favorite of my younger son Ben, was a September 2014 call-up and despite flashes of brilliance he never quite reached what was hoped to be star status.  He departs having hit .249 over 656 games and with a career home run total of 102 - averaging a little less than 23 per his 4 1/2 full seasons with the Phillies.  Looking through Franco's Complete Chachi Checklist below, it's remarkable to me how many times we interacted with him over the years either at the annual Phillies Phestival or during Photo Day/Night.  Even though he never quite lived up to expectations, he's earned a place as a Phillies Room favorite for his always cordial interactions with my sons.

Hernandez Complete Chachi Checklist
2013 Chachi #42
2014 Chachi #15
2015 Chachi #12
2016 Chachi #1
2016 Chachi Archives #6
2016 Chachi Photo Day #10
2016 Chachi #65 Batting Leaders (with Odubel Herrera and Maikel Franco)
2017 Chachi #1
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #13
2017 Chachi #64 Team Leaders (with Aaron Nola)
2018 Chachi #1
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #1 (with Jose David Flores)
2019 Chachi #7
2020 Chachi Departures #22

Franco Complete Chachi Checklist
2014 Chachi #62
2015 Chachi #40
2016 Chachi Preview #1
2016 Chachi Preview #6
2016 Chachi #3
2016 Chachi #55 - Triple Play
2016 Chachi #65 Batting Leaders
2016 Chachi #66 RBI Leaders
2016 Chachi #67 Home Run Leaders
2016 Chachi Archives #3
2016 Chachi Photo Day #35
2017 Chachi Preview #4
2017 Chachi #4
2017 Chachi Phillies Phestival #10
2017 Chachi Archives #12
2017 Chachi Photo Night #16
2018 Chachi #7
2018 Chachi Phillies Phestival #14 (with Pedro Florimon)

2019 Chachi #8
2019 Chachi Phillies Phestival #16
2019 Chachi #50 HL (with Jean Segura)
2019 Chachi Friendly Encounters #13
2019 Chachi #54 HL
2019 Chachi Photo Night #17
2020 Chachi Departures #21

The Phillies seem very interested in former Yankee Didi Gregorious, with new manager Joe Girardi publicly lobbying for his former player to come to Philly.  A Gregorious signing would most likely move Jean Segura to second base with Scott Kingery taking over at third.

* * *

2020 Chachi New Additions #6

Also on Monday, the Phillies claimed reliever Trevor Kelley off waivers from the Red Sox.  In 10 games with the Red Sox last season, Kelley was 0-3 with a 8.64 ERA over 8 1/3 innings.  A product of the University of North Carolina, he's had more success at the minor league level.  Kelley's baseball card appearances are scarce to date as he's only appeared in various Red Sox minor league team sets dating back to 2017.