How close are the Phillies?

Going into the 2011 season, the Washington Nationals had been coming off three seasons in a row of losing at least 93 games. That's why it shocked so many that one of the biggest free agents of the offseason, Jayson Werth, signed with Washington for 7 years and $126 million dollars. But what Werth saw was the direction the Nationals were going in. It's hard to look at a team that had just lost at least 93 games in 3 straight seasons as a good direction, but he saw what was developing. They were developing a young Jordan Zimmerman on the hill, Ian Desmond was solitifying their needs at shortstop, and Ryan Zimmerman was becoming one of the stars of the league at a young age. With the number 1 picks in 2009 and 2010, the Nationals also selected the two biggest prospects at the time, in Stephen Strasburg and Bryce Harper.

Jayson Werth and the Nationals were able to see that potential come to fruition. Since 2012, the Nationals have become one of the best teams in the major leagues and continue to knock on the door to the World Series year after year. Now looking back, Werth was able to predict the future and take a contract with a lesser team than sign again with the Dodgers and stay where they were at the time.

Fast forward now to 2018 and the Philadelphia Phillies have put themselves in the same situation. Since the glory days of winning the World Series in 2009 and winning as many as 102 games in 2011, they've fallen on hard times. In the last 5 years, the Phillies have lost at least 89 games in each year and have finished in last place in the NL East 3 times. Last season they took a step backwards from 2016 and finished the season 66-96.

After a dismal season again they were able to sign two highly coveted free agents. Carlos Santana was a shocking signing, going from the Cleveland Indians who were in the World Series two years ago and won the most games in the American League last year to the 66-96 Philadelphia Phillies. Obviously money is an issue for any team and that could be a reason why Santana decided to leave the tribe, but I see many similarities with the Phillies now to the Nationals in the early 2010's. Jake Arrieta seemed to be a guy trying to find his big payday and Chicago wouldn't give that to him, but Arrieta had to see the potential in this up and coming Phillies team.

The Phillies have some key pieces that make them appealing. They have a slugger in Rhys Hoskins, a cornerstone piece in Makiel Franco, two consistent studs in Odubel Herrera and Cesar Hernandez and have young stud arms with Aaron Nola, Vince Velasquez and Jared Eickhoff. They also have one of the top farm systems in the majors, headlined by Sixto Sanchez and Scott Kingery.

Adding the consitent veteran pieces like Arrieta and Sanchez, the Phillies look primed to be like the mirror image of the Washington Nationals. They don't have the franchise superstars that Bryce Harper or Stephen Strasburg have turned out to be, but they have All-Star caliber pieces shooting their way up through the minors to one day impact the major league roster. The Phillies are not far off and I wouldn't be surprised if they contend for a Wild Card berth in 2018.