The writing on the wall has fulfilled itself. The Phillies have designated outfielder Odubel Herrera for assignment. This decision mostly stems from the allegations that Herrera assaulted his girlfriend in Atlantic City.
While charges were dropped on the legal side, Major League Baseball brought the hammer down on Herrera, suspending him 85 games.
MLB must have found some wrong-doing as Herrera’s 85-game suspension was the second-longest ever for a player under MLB’s domestic violence policy.
Now, the Phillies were not allowed to cut Herrera because of a suspension. Instead, they could only separate themselves from Herrera because of on-field performance.
In 2018 after a historic on-base streak ended, Herrera slashed .216/.264/.365. During the streak, he slashed .353/.420/.558. He was discussed as an early MVP candidate. In 2019, Herrera could only muster a .222/.288/.341 slash line in 39 games.
That lack-luster performance allowed the Phillies to DFA Herrera on Tuesday. It comes with a $19.5 million bullet that the Phillies have to bite in order to release Herrera.
The move was the correct one for the Phillies. There was evidence that Herrera did indeed allegedly assault his girlfriend. The only option was to get rid of Herrera. There is zero tolerance for something like that, at least there should be.
With the Phillies DFA of Herrera, they also announced the claiming of outfielder Nick Martini from the Reds. Martini will slide right into Herrera’s old roster spot.
Martini had a down year in 2019 but showed promise in 2018. In his rookie year, he slashed .296/.397/.414 for the Oakland A’s. He’s a low-power high-on-base hitter and average left-fielder.
Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
