Ruben Amaro's To-Do List (12/7)

On Thursday, December 6th Ruben Amaro completed a trade with the Minnesota Twins in which the Phillies received center fielder Ben Revere in exchange for right hander Vance Worley and prospect Trevor May. With Revere now in pinstripes, fans are beginning to speculate what this 2013 lineup will look like. This Minnesota trade appears to be a move designed to free up money that can be better spent elsewhere. When looking at the current state of the team here in December, it is fairly obvious that there are other holes on the roster that need to be addressed.

1.     Corner Outfield- While the Phillies have Domonic Brown, Darin Ruf, and John Mayberry Jr., it seems as if Amaro’s goal in bettering the offense may come in the signing of a corner outfielder as the position seems to have the highest number of quality bats in the market.

Potential Candidates: Nick Swisher, Cody Ross, Josh Hamilton

2.    Starting Pitcher- Before the Ben Revere trade, starting pitching did not appear to be an issue. Now without Worley, the back of the rotation would most likely consist of Kyle Kendrick and Tyler Cloyd. While some may see those two fitting in nicely, there is already speculation that Amaro is on the lookout for a veteran starter.

Potential Candidates: Ryan Dempster, Shaun Marcum, Kyle Lohse, Edwin Jackson

3.      3^rd Base- While the 3^rd base market seems to be getting smaller by the day, the Phillies are currently set up to play a platoon of Kevin Frandsen and Freddy Galvis at the hot corner. There is no doubt that Amaro would like to improve at the position but there are very few options for the Phils GM.

Potential Candidates: Michael Young, Kevin Youkilis, Chone Figgins

On Friday, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com said he had
a good vibe that the deal for Michael Young will in fact get done

     While it is unlikely that Ruben will be able to address all three holes, it seems feasible that at least two of them could be sufficiently filled. The thought of bringing in extra bullpen help has probably diminished for the time being but don’t be surprised if Amaro finds someone before the Phillies head to Clearwater for Spring Training. Only time will tell what the final pieces of this team will look like, but Ruben has a reputation of being sneaky when going about his business, and the outlook of the 2013 Phillies has potential to drastically change in an instant.