30 Teams in 30 Days 2018 16 Philadelphia Phillies

Perhaps the most exciting time to be a fan of a particular team is when that team comes out of a rebuilding period. Teams that are constantly competitive can be more consistently fun to watch, but can produce the possibility of a letdown. And teams that are constantly stuck in the middle may never reach that next level. But for those teams with a plan, after several years in the basement, stocking up good draft picks, there's an exhilaration that comes with the on-field product finally turning a corner. The Phillies hope that they have reached that point this year, judging by the roster they put together over the offseason:

All-Acquired Factor

Phillies GM Matt Klentak has the distinction of striking three-year free agent deals in both the early and late parts of the offseason. First he picked up former Indians first baseman Carlos Santana, pushing budding star slugger Rhys Hoskins into the outfield full time (and Tommy Joseph (618) off the team completely, thinning the Cancer fantasy astrology first base depth chart considerably). Then well into the start of Spring Training, he inked former Cubs ace Jake Arrieta, so late in fact, that he had to start the season on the roster of the Clearwater Threshers, Philly's high A affiliate. Interestingly enough, both of these three-year deals have an option attached, but where Santana's is a team option that could give the club an extra year of control, Arrieta's allows him to opt OUT of the deal after it's 2nd year... unless the club chooses to exercise the TWO club options attached, effectively making it a five year deal.

Philadelphia also made some acquisitions in the middle of the free agent period, and in the middle of their relief corps, bringing in Tommy Hunter (435) who was with the Rays last year, and Pat Neshek (316) who started 2017 with the Phillies, before being sent to Colorado for their stretch run. Neither of these pitchers have seen time this year with the Phil's due to injury, but once they get off the disabled list, they'll form quite the bridge to young closer Hector Neris. The only other new member of this team's Opening Day roster was a former starter from across the state of Pennsylvania, Drew Hutchison, who made the team out of Spring Training after being signed to a minor league deal.

Fifth Starter

The Phillies actually need two starters, since Jerad Eickhoff went down with a lat strain that will take six to eight weeks to heal, but there are plenty of intriguing options lined up. Nick Pivetta (481) and Ben Lively (581) are the two top options - both were rookies going into 2017, when each ranked within the team's top 30 prospects according to MLB.com (12 and 25, respectively - and their performances so far in 2018 reflect the difference in rankings). Meanwhile long relief piece Jake Thompson likely would have been next in line for a rotation spot, but his ranking tanked to 673 post-Arrieta signing - and then he was optioned to the minors when Arrieta was called up to make his first start last Sunday.

Extenisons

Second base prospect Scott Kingery (Philly's #3 ranked prospect, and #35 overall, according to MLB.com) was deemed MLB ready before the season, which would normally spur the usual debates between whether the Phillies should keep him in the minors for a few token weeks to reduce his earning power, or call him up right away to respect the talent level. In this case, the Phils avoided the issue by signing Kingery to an extension that covers the entirety of his years of team control (plus potentially three more years via club options) before he had even made his major league debut, before naming him to the Opening Day roster as a utility player. Some may say that Kingery sold himself short by allowing the team to pay for expectations rather than results, but after the signing, his 2018 ranking went all the way up to 248.

Fantasy Astrology Relevance

There's not one Phillie projected to start for a fantasy astrology contender this year. Carlos Santana might be a safer bet for the Aries 1B or DH over banking on a return to form from Miguel Cabrera, but he's ranked nearly 70 spots higher, and going strictly by the rankings gives me an excuse to start Matt Olson (104) in Santana's place. Now that Jake Arrieta has a job, he's scheduled to join Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander in a scary Pisces rotation, a sign that also has Rhys Hoskins patrolling the outfield. Aaron Nola is a budding co-ace for Gemini, alongside Jacob deGrom, the same sign for which Hector Neris is the backup closer, behind Craig Kimbrel. And Odubel Herrera is the top center field option for Capricorn, but most of these teams are currently mired in a cycle of cosmic irrelevance.

Song

Motownphilly - Boyz II Men

I must admit that my knowledge of the Philadelphia-centric music landscape is not that extensive, so this is one of the teams for which I had to turn to the Internet for help. "Philadelphia Freedom" is a solid groove, but it didn't seem right to associate it with the Phillies, given that Elton John wrote it about Billie Jean King's tennis team, the Philadelphia Freedoms. Turning to the soundtrack from the movie Philadelphia, the song of the same name by Neil Young is decidedly NOT a solid groove, while Bruce Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" ended up winning the Oscar for Best Original Song, but it's weird to have an artist so associated with New Jersey represent a city in a different state. In the end, I went with the grooviest of the bunch, the debut single from R&B group Boyz II Men, as it's a song ABOUT the City of Brotherly Love by a group FROM the City of Brotherly Love.

Colossus

Image from Nomad's Blog

Given their nearness to jumping into competitiveness, as signalled by the emergence of so many medium-to-highly-touted youngers, coupled with several win-soon free agent signings, this team was a popular dark horse pick by many to compete in the NL East. One might say that they're... lurking right under the surface of contention? In much the same way as Colossus #7 swims around the surface of its lakeside home, waiting for some unsuspecting prey to wander in there to get zapped? In this case, Wander obviously represents the expected division-winning Nationals, while the coiling, electric-eel style body of Hydrus represents the Phils. Oh man, I should have gone with the "dark horse" analogy and compared this team to the horse-like Phaedra. But too late, I'm now all out of Colossi.