Phillies Mailbag: May MVP, Offense, Work Stoppage?

We are back once again with the 97.3 ESPN Phillies Mailbag.  Each week we take your questions and answer them on The Sports Bash with Mike Gill.  Tune in Tuesday afternoons to hear your questions answered on the air.

Who’s the Phillies MVP for May? Better yet, why?
~Ed

To me, this one is pretty easy: Cristopher Sanchez.   I would imagine he will win the National League pitcher of the month award.  If he does not, he deserves it.  But I think that the Phillies being where they are is greatly on his back.

For the last 44 2/3 innings, Sanchez has not allowed an earned run.  That made zero for the month of May.  All told he has a 3.3 WAR for the Month of May.  That's more than halfway toward a season that would be considered elite.

I think that we need to recognize the domino affect here.  With Aaron Nola having both good days and bad days, and with Andrew Painter still throwing some short starts, the bullpen has been able to stay rested and on top of their game.

When Sanchez pitches a minimum of seven innings all month, including a complete game shutout, the bullpen is better off for days at a time.

And, let's not forget the offense is struggling.  Therefore, I think the Phillies owe a lot of that to Sanchez.

So for me, he is the Phillies Month of May MVP.

What is the solution to the Phillies lack of hitting? They are wildly inconsistent.
~@PhilliesFriday

I would agree wholeheartedly that the Phillies are wildly inconsistent at the plate.   The problem is that they have just three really consistent hitters right now:  Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and Brandon Marsh.

Three left-handed hitters usually cannot hit all in a row (unless you are facing a lefty-less Diamondbacks bullpen).

The rest of the lineup?  Oof.

The Phillies have seen really low lows from Bryson Stott and Alec Bohm.   Then they heat up for a while and it seems like the lineup will be fine.  Then they fall back off the face of the earth.

And let's not forget Adolis Garcia, who started out playing well and has completely lost himself at the plate of late.

Add in the aging/fragile J.T. Realmuto, and this is just a mess.

My only answer is that they need some changes of personnel.  This group is not going to get it done on a consistent basis.

David Esser, who has written about the Phillies at times, suggests that the Phillies added pieces like the 2021 Braves did, not expensive in acquisition cost but that you can squeeze something out of.

But yet, he disagreed with me in taking a shot at Andrew McCutchen for the bench.

I would actually take a flier on the bats being cut from other teams right now.  And then, if they find out they got something out of it, they come out ahead.  If they do not, there are other bench pieces just sort of wasting away (the Felix Reyes-Otto Kemp-Steward Berroa spot comes to mind).

But they are in such a tough spot, I think they need to roll the dice some here.

And I think the Phillies will have to spend money.  Saying they payroll is too high will not be a justification.  Do they want to win with this core or no?  They just invested a lot of money to bring Schwarber and Realmuto back.   Was that for naught?

I think they should get to work sooner than later.  All eyes are on Dave Dombrowski.

How confident are you in the Phillies (and the rest of MLB) starting on time in 2027?
~Rob

To be direct: not very confident.   This week we got a look into the two sides of the negotiating table, with the MLB Players Association making their first proposal and the owners making theirs.  They are far apart.

The big issue for me is that the MLB owners appear to be insisting on a salary cap.  The MLB Players Association appear poised to never accept that.  That means a deal may be very difficult to reach.

When I was in Spring Training this year, Phillies staff behind the scenes almost opening spoke as if next Spring was not going to happen on time as a matter of fact.  I understand that there is a fund that will help Phillies employees should there be a work stoppage.

I think that we may have to buckle up for a long negotiation this time.

To me, the Phillies need to really take advantage of the 2026 season.  Hosting the All-Star Game, with the semiquincentennial heavily centered on Philadelphia, all eyes are on the Phillies and Philadelphia.

And wouldn't a World Series victory make a work stoppage much easier to take?