The Phillies front office seems to be a problem this offseason, with the President of Baseball Operations openly admitting that he essentially does not want the position anymore.
Andy MacPhail, who has served as the Phillies President of Baseball Operations since 2015, said during his end of season presser that he is not interested in returning to the club after his contract expires following the conclusion of next season.
More interesting – he went as far as saying that if managing partner John Middleton found a suitable replacement before his contract expired he would step down early.
The question is – why doesn’t MacPhail just step down if he doesn’t want the position anymore?
There could be several answers to this question, but none of them make sense. If MacPhail is currently petitioning John Middleton to find a replacement, there should be no reason that he is currently holding the position.
With several roster problems that the Phillies have to address this off-season, having a President of Baseball Operations who is seemingly no longer interested in the job anymore is quite the distraction.
It also doesn’t bode well for the ongoing J.T Realmuto saga. While teammates and fans are like continue to do everything in their power to show the Phillies that they’re making a mistake in playing coy with the 2x All-star, security is obviously an important factor. If MacPhail is disinterested and not invested in the long-term future of the club, why would he dedicate so much time, energy, and funding into keeping Realmuto around? It’s just one of several heartbreaking factors playing into a departure that nobody wants to see.
Not to mention, the team is currently searching for a general manager, pitching coach, and bullpen coach.
Currently, there are several noticeable MLB executives that are free that could potentially take over as the President of Baseball Operations.
Earlier this week, MacPhail reportedly recommended former co-worker and Cubs executive Jim Hendry to John Middleton to be considered as a replacement when he leaves the job.
It could certainly be interesting to see how this plays out. It’s not like MacPhail has several more years to his contract. Having MacPhail step down earlier could be seen as beneficial to the club as it’s just one less problem to deal with.
Regardless, the Phillies will have to begin a search for a new president soon.
Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
