The Phillies deserve tons of credit for pulling off the move that seemed like wouldn't happen as recent as Thursday morning, only hours before the news broke and Philadelphia went into jubilation because superstar Bryce Harper was coming to ton.
Related: Former GM: 'Phillies are going to sign Trout in 2 years'
John Middleton spent "stupid money" and Matt Klentak completed his "objectively excellent" off-season by locking Harper up with a reporter 13-year, $330 million dollar contract that surprisingly features no opt-out clause and includes a full no trade clause. All of those elements signify that Harper indeed wants to be in Philadelphia, contrary to what some reports indicated.
And while the honeymoon and giddiness will last at least until Opening Day March 28, and likely longer than that, it's important to set expectations for a team that improved drastically from last season, which for the most part was a pretty good summer considering the Phils competed for a division title.
The 2019 Philadelphia Phillies need to make the playoffs, or the season is a bust. And that playoff birth needs to be a division championship.
You don't even need to look at the rest of the National League East, which other than the Marlins is going to be very good. The Harper-less Nationals improved in areas, other than outfield. The Mets got better. The Braves are defending champs. That being said, the Nationals were expected to win the NL East last season with Harper and they didn't. It was considered a disappointing year for Washington, and for Harper, who was obviously trying to prove he was worth a record setting deal, which he received. But, just because Harper and the Nats failed to reach their 2018 goal, doesn't let the Phillies off the hook if they can't make it to October, especially since they added Harper.
Not only did they add Harper, a five-tool generational talent who's only 26 and has played well at Citizens Bank Park, but they landed arguably the best catcher in baseball in J.T. Realmuto. They signed former Most Valuable Player Andrew McCutchen to upgrade the outfield. They traded for All-Star shortstop Jean Segura and they improved their bullpen with a number of moves, most notably "Houdini" David Robertson.
The rotation after Aaron Nola is certainly a question mark. Jake Arrieta should be better because he's healthy, but he's also on the downward end of his career. Zach Eflin, Nick Pivetta and Vince Velasquez showed spurts of greatness last season, but their youth was exposed during the Phillies massive collapse. If Matt Klentak can make a move at some point to add a starting pitcher, that would suit the Phillies well. But even if he doesn't, it's a rotation that can win them a division.
Players aside, it's also up to manager Gabe Kapler to sharpen his strategy and take advantage of a much improved roster. The Phils won 80 games in Kapler's first season even though their lineup and bullpen was inconsistent, their rotation wore out and their defense was abysmal. The Phillies should eclipse 90 wins this season, and even flirt with 95. That should be enough to win the division, which was a goal last season, and needs to be a "must" this time around.
Related: Gabe Kapler: "I embrace the pressure"
One thing is for certain--it's going to be a lot of fun. Strap in. Baseball is back in Philadelphia.
