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Fixing the Phillies, Part 1: Infield

A team in decline, the Phillies could try to overhaul by either trading or releasing Ryan Howard.

Ryan Howard’s production has declined dramatically in the last 3 years.
Ryan Howard’s production has declined dramatically in the last 3 years.Read moreYONG KIM / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

JIMMY ROLLINS, who has been in a Phillies uniform long enough to accumulate more hits than any player in franchise history, experienced a first in 2014:

He spent the entire season on a team that would finish in last place.

"It's not a place anyone wants to be," Rollins said. "But it is the place we ended up. And that's all I can say about it."

Given his team's place in a big market with a big payroll and big expectations, Rollins understands that last place is unacceptable. "Things are going to be different," the veteran shortstop said, recognizing that change was inevitable and probably necessary, too.

But will change finally come to an area of the field that has seen the least amount of turnover since the Phillies began to break bad as a team? Is it even possible for the front office to alter its veteran-laden infield, cluttered with no-trade clauses and cumbersome contracts?

There are no easy answers.

Rollins, for example, was one of the top shortstops in baseball in 2014. His .717 OPS ranked sixth among major league shortstops, his 17 home runs ranked fourth and his stolen bases (28), runs (78) and WAR (3.9) all ranked third.

But Rollins - and longtime middle-infield partner Chase Utley, too - will play the 2015 season at age 36. Roy Halladay played in just six games after his 36th birthday, Brad Lidge never pitched past 35, Pat Burrell was finished at age 34, Brett Myers at 32.

Eventually, Father Time will come calling for Rollins and Utley, too. But since both are under contract for 2015 (Rollins can be a free agent after the season, Utley has three vesting options after the season) and have full no-trade clauses, with no intentions of leaving, change almost certainly will not be coming in the middle of the infield.

It isn't likely to come behind the plate either, since the front office just extended Carlos Ruiz 11 months ago and have no viable replacements ready on the farm. At third base, Cody Asche warrants a longer look and top prospect Maikel Franco's short stint in September revealed little, other than that the team surely wants to see more of him, too.

So the change in the infield will come where? Perhaps with the subtraction of the guy with the immovable contract at first base.

Ryan Howard, who turns 35 next month, has seen his skill set deteriorate with his health in the last 3 years. Since rupturing his Achilles' 3 years ago this month, Howard has an unattractive slash line of .233/.309/.412 (batting average/on-base/slugging).

Howard has hit 48 home runs in that time period (304 games), or, also the same number of home runs he hit in 162 games in 2008. But it's not 2008 anymore.

In 2014, Howard played his first full season in 3 years, but he's no longer the same player physically, with his gap power all but gone. He had 42 extra-base hits in 153 games, 22 fewer than he had in his last healthy season (64 in 2011). Howard's foot speed makes him a liability on the basepaths.

Add in the $60 million still guaranteed to him and Howard is arguably the most difficult player in baseball to trade. But that doesn't mean the Phillies won't try (while eating money in the process).

Perhaps an American League team (the White Sox no longer have Adam Dunn or Paul Konerko) would take a flyer on Howard as a designated hitter if they only have to pay, say, $10 million total over the next two seasons. If the Phillies are unable to find a taker in a trade, they could also consider the more drastic option of releasing Howard.

Either way, the Phillies are going to have to pay Howard. Because that's what they signed up for 4 1/2 years ago.

But that doesn't mean the Phillies should let that prevent them from improving the team. (Ryne Sandberg tried to make that point by benching Howard for three games in July.)

There is no guarantee, of course, that some combination of Darin Ruf, Franco and Utley at first base in 2015 would be an upgrade over Howard. But there's also no sense in delaying the inevitable.

Eventually, Rollins, Utley and Howard will follow Burrell, Myers, Lidge, Halladay and many of their other former teammates into retirement. Eventually, the Phillies have to replace the three players, who along with Mike Schmidt are the four best infielders in franchise history at their respective positions.

The Phillies have to filter younger players into their everyday lineup; they need to see if the Asches, Rufs and Francos are capable of being everyday major league players. They have an opportunity to make room for those players by finding a way to subtract Howard.

For a franchise in dire need of a face-lift or culture change - something to get disenchanted fans interested again - moving on from Howard might be the most significant way Ruben Amaro Jr. and Co. can fix what ails the Phillies this winter, at least cosmetically.

On the farm

The organization's top prospect, shortstop J.P. Crawford, could be one of baseball's top dozen prospects within the year. Crawford is still at least a couple of years away from being major league-ready, however, and there is little other help in the minor league system for the 2015 big-league roster.

Maikel Franco already has arrived onto the big-league roster. The top bat in the minor league system in the last two seasons, Franco was summoned to the Phillies in September.

The 22-year-old didn't show a whole lot in limited playing time (.179 in 16 games), but will almost certainly be a favorite to win a starting job on the Phillies' roster in March, either at third base (competing with Cody Asche) or at first (if the team can move Ryan Howard). Franco compiled 47 home runs and 69 doubles in the last two seasons in the minor leagues, power production that would be a welcome fit into the major league lineup if his bat can keep up with big-league pitching.

Cesar Hernandez and Freddy Galvis have remained the organization's other top minor league infield options for the last two seasons. Both figure to come into camp as favorites for bench jobs, where they'd back up 36-year-old vets Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. Galvis' sturdy defensive skill set is an asset.

Crawford, meanwhile, who doesn't turn 20 until January, hit .285 with a .781 OPS, 11 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 123 games between low-A Lakewood and Class A Clearwater in his first full minor league season after being selected with the 16th pick in the first round of the 2013 draft. Crawford earned a promotion to Clearwater in the summer, before making an appearance in the MLB Futures Game at Minneapolis in July.

As long as his bat continues to show, Crawford is likely to reach Double A at some point in 2015 and could find himself on the major league radar at some point in 2016. Coincidentally, the Phillies figure to have a vacancy at shortstop in 2016; Rollins' contract expires after the 2015 season.

Tommy Joseph, the unofficial heir to Carlos Ruiz when he was acquired in the Hunter Pence trade in July 2012, has failed to progress as a prospect since joining the organization. The injury-ravaged, 23-year-old catcher has played just 91 games in 2 1/2 seasons in the Phillies' system. He hit five home runs in 21 games at Double A Reading last spring but was limited to six games after May 9.

Free agents

Almost worth writing "not applicable" here, since the Phillies are very unlikely to hit the free-agent market for infielders. Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley remain entrenched in the middle infield, Cody Asche and Maikel Franco give the team two options at third, and whether or not Ryan Howard returns, there are internal candidates at first (Darin Ruf, Franco).

But on the off chance the Phils seek help on the open market, here are the most notable free-agent infielders this winter: Hanley Ramirez, Pablo Sandoval, Victor Martinez, Asdrubal Cabrera, Chase Headley, Billy Butler, Michael Cuddyer, Kendrys Morales, Michael Morse, Stephen Drew, Emilio Bonifacio, Mark Ellis, Casey McGehee.