Phillies Fire Sale: Team Actively Shopping Second Baseman Ahead of Opening Day
The Philadelphia Phillies have made some final decisions on their 26-man roster with opening day just around the corner.
The first decision the Phillies had to make was whether or not to let Justin Crawford make the opening day roster. Rather than Crawford, though, the Phillies opted to allow Johan Rojas to make the big league roster out of spring training.
The next decision was between Kody Clemens, the son of Roger Clemens, and Buddy Kennedy.
That decision has just been made. Per Todd Zolecki of MLB.com, Clemens will be added to the 26-man roster. Because Kennedy has no options left, the team will look to trade him before opening day. If there are no takers, he will be designated for assignment.
Clemens is having a much better spring than his competition.
The left-handed hitter is batting .308/.357/.500 with two home runs, one triple and two doubles this spring. Additionally, he has scored nine runs and drove in seven in his 20 games played.
Kennedy, on the other hand, is not having the success he has hoped for.
The second baseman is slashing .162/.347/.432 in camp. The positive note on his spring is he has hit three home runs and walked 10 times in 21 games played.
Defensively, the 26-year-old has played multiple positions this spring. He has spent time at first base, second base, third base and left field. It is not easy to jump around position to position, but he has made just one error.
He has the versatility on defense, it is just his bat that holds him back.
In his MLB career, the former fifth-round pick has slashed just .203/.295/.313 giving him an OPS well under the Major League average. Additionally, he has a decently high strikeout rate while slugging just two home runs.
If a team were to take a chance on him, it would be because they need the depth on the bench. The right-handed batter is not an everyday player, but he can provide some flexibility with his ability to play all over the diamond. Teams would need to be okay with him not being the best hitter, though.
In return for him, the Phillies would most likely just be getting cash. A low-level prospect might be added in there, but there is not much demand for Kennedy right now considering his lack of offense.
There are a few days left until the Phillies take on the Washington Nationals on March 27, so a whether or not Kennedy remains a part of the organization will be figured out soon.
