Organizational report: Phillies slow on rebuilding

Sports Weekly takes an in-depth look at each major league organization during the offseason, from the major leagues to the farm system. We start with teams with the worst records and move up.

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If things looked bleak throughout the 2014 season for the Philadelphia Phillies, the offseason has looked even bleaker.

On the field, the Phillies' once-potent offense managed to hit .242 with 619 runs, both numbers landing them in the bottom half of the National League.

Their pitching staff might have seen progress in the bullpen but the rotation, known as the "four aces" a few years ago, was anything but, even with Cole Hamels as a part of it.

With a minor league system devoid of much talent at its highest levels, the Phillies entered the offseason in rebuild mode after three years of failing to contend with a core of veteran talent. Meanwhile, there have been rumors of a battle for control of the team's ownership between David Montgomery and John Middleton. The Phillies rebutted a report by Philadelphia's Fox 29 News that Montgomery, the team president, was forced out, but the report was an added distraction for a franchise desperately in search of relevance.

All of this has left Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. searching for answers to numerous on-field issues without many ways to improve the current roster.

The first big step was reaching an agreement to trade 2007 National League MVP Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers for prospects.

Rollins has been, in the words of former Phillies left fielder Pat Burrell, the straw that stirs the drink for the past 15 years. Rollins, 36, has seen his statistics slowly decline over several seasons to a .243 average with 17 home runs and 55 RBI in 2014. This is not to say he's done, but his abilities are better suited for a team positioned to challenge for a World Series title than in Philadelphia.

Dealing him leaves the Phillies with perhaps only one big bargaining chip: Hamels. Concerns over whether second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard can still produce make them less likely to be moved, while the Phillies have tried to deal volatile closer Jonathan Papelbon for the past two offseasons to no avail.

"I know with any of these players that Ruben wants a deal that's going to be good for the Philadelphia Phillies going forward," Phillies manager Ryne Sandberg said at this year's winter meetings. "Any way that he can help the process and have players that will help us, not only this next year but in the future, that is the goal.

"There's no way that Ruben's going to just give away a player. I mean, we'd have to be wowed to give up a guy like Cole Hamels, which would be a wow that would help us with the process and go in the direction that we want to go."

That said, Sandberg is left with a roster filled with question marks, and the Phillies don't look to be contenders next season and perhaps for several more.

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POSITION-BY-POSITION (*prospect):

Catcher: Carlos Ruiz will enter the 2015 season as a 36-year-old catcher with a lifetime average of .271 in nine big-league seasons. The Phillies are left with few other choices at this position. Cameron Rupp, 26, is the backup. The 2012 trade that sent Hunter Pence to the San Francisco Giants for Tommy Joseph, among others, has not panned out. Joseph, 23, has dealt with injuries since joining the Phillies system.

Depth chart: Ruiz, Rupp, *Joseph, *Andrew Knapp.

First base: The Phillies are desperate to unload Howard and his bloated contract (he is owed $60 million over the next three seasons) but are finding it hard to locate a trade partner. Howard, who dealt with off-field distractions last season when he was entangled in a family legal battle over his finances, has struggled to stay on the field and produce RBI along the pace he set from 2005 through 2010 when he led the team with 743. Over the last four seasons he has managed to knock in 310 while playing 114 games a season. "It's possible he could be moved just like all the other players on our major league roster," Amaro said at the winter meetings. "But if he's there he'll play, and hopefully he'll perform. It'll be up to him. And it's up to Ryne to decide how much playing time he gets and the role that he plays." The Phillies have shown great reluctance to go full time to Darin Ruf, and the answer doesn't appear to be in the farm system.

Depth chart: Howard, Ruf, Maikel Franco, Utley.

Second base: Utley, 35, appears to be on the downside of his career and struggled in the second half of last season, hitting .235 with three home runs and 32 RBI. But he remains loyal to the Phillies, and, in turn, they are to him, relying on Utley as a key component of the offense and clubhouse. Utley could use days off — whether he wants them or not — so the acquisition of 22-year-old Texas Rangers farmhand Odubel Herrera in the Rule 5 draft was an interesting choice. The Phillies, who have had success in Rule 5 in the past with Shane Victorino, might have another find in Herrera, a .321 hitter in Class AA last season. Utley is owed $10 million this season and has a $2 million buyout for 2016.

Depth chart: Utley, Cesar Hernandez, *Herrera, Freddy Galvis.

Third base: Cody Asche made it to the Phillies in 2013 even as Franco tore up the minor leagues and stayed on his heels. Asche hit .252 in 2014, his first full big-league season, with 10 home runs and might be better suited for third than Franco, who made his debut in September. Franco hit .179 in 16 games and might evolve into the Phillies' first baseman if the other corner ever opens up.

Depth chart: Asche, Franco, Hernandez, Galvis.

Shortstop: With the trade of Rollins to the Dodgers all but completed, the Phillies found themselves with a huge hole to fill on the left side of the infield. Galvis is the heir apparent, but it's impossible to fill Rollins' shoes in Philadelphia. Galvis is a strong defensive player and has shown he can hit at the major league level, but Rollins was stronger in both categories and takes his leadership skills to Los Angeles. The Phillies' top prospect, J.P. Crawford, looks to be a few seasons away, but on a team that probably won't contend until 2017, the youngster might arrive sooner rather than later.

Depth chart: Galvis, Hernandez, *Crawford.

Left field: Domonic Brown has endured growing pains over his first five major league seasons. Brown, 27, had a stellar minor league career and has shown flashes of brilliance at the big-league level, including being named to the 2013 National League All-Star team during a season in which he hit 27 home runs. That said, he hit .235 with 10 home runs last season, but without any real competition for his job, he'll be given plenty of leeway again this season to get himself going.

Depth chart: Brown, Grady Sizemore, Ruf, Brian Bogusevic.

Center field: Ben Revere appears to be healthy and ready to return to the top of the Phillies lineup. Revere challenged for the batting title late into the season in which he hit .306 and led the NL in hits but was limited to 22 extra-base hits in 151 games. The choices are slim as Aaron Altherr, 23, is a talented farmhand but only hit .237 last season between Class AA Reading (Pa.) and high-A Clearwater (Fla.) and appears a few years away from making true contributions.

Depth chart: Revere, Hernandez, *Alther.

Right field: The Phillies desperately need to upgrade the outfield, and nowhere is that more apparent than in right field, after the Phillies traded veteran Marlon Byrd. Kelly Dugan, 24, will try to make the jump up from Reading, where he hit .296 last season. Veterans Sizemore and Jeff Francoeur could now be competing for starting roles.

Depth chart: Sizemore, Francoeur, *Dugan.

Starting pitchers: As long as he wears the uniform, Hamels is likely to be the Phillies' ace. That said, he's the best candidate to be dealt since he's the team's only tradeable asset. With Hamels, last season's rotation racked up substantial innings (1,013 1/3, ranking third in the NL) but posted the 11th-best ERA (3.88). After Hamels, the rotation is a mess, starting with veteran Cliff Lee, 36, who was limited to 13 starts last season because of an elbow injury. They signed RHP Aaron Harang in January as a possible No. 3 starter. Two names to watch will be Aaron Nola and Joely Rodriguez. Nola was the Phillies' first-round draft pick last season out of LSU and was immediately set on the fast track to the major leagues, which shows a certain amount of desperation from an organization known for taking it slow with prospects. Rodriguez, 23, was picked up in a trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates for reliever Antonio Bastardo. He went 6-11 with a 4.84 ERA in Class AA last season, but his velocity continues to trend upward.

Depth chart: LHP Hamels, LHP Lee, RHP Harang, RHP David Buchanon, RHP Jerome Williams, RHP Miguel Gonzalez, RHP Jonathan Pettibone, *RHP Nola, *LHP Jesse Biddle, *LHP Rodriguez, *RHP Severino Gonzalez.

Bullpen: The bullpen was a strength a season ago (3.64 ERA), and the Phillies have a solid chance to build on that. Papelbon enters as the closer even though Ken Giles (12.6 strikeouts per nine innings in 2014) appears to be the heir apparent. The Phillies picked up Andrew Oliver (nearly 12 strikeouts per nine innings in Class AAA last season) from Pittsburgh in the Rule 5 draft, and he should depth to a solid group.

Depth chart: RHP Papelbon, RHP Giles, LHP Jake Diekman, LHP Mario Hollands, RHP Justin De Fratus, RHP Luis Garcia, LHP Cesar Jimenez, LHP Oliver.

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PROSPECTS TO WATCH

SS J.P. Crawford: The crown jewel of the Phillies organization looks to become even more important with the trade of Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers. Crawford, 19 is a spray hitter who is advanced defensively and might be put on an accelerated pace. A first-round draft pick in 2013, he hit .285 with 11 homers and 48 RBI between low Class A Lakewood (N.J.) and high-A Clearwater (Fla.) in 2014.

RHP Aaron Nola: Nola was the Phillies' top pick out of LSU in June. The 21-year old made five appearances with ClassAA Reading (Pa.) after a stop at Clearwater to begin his professional career. With Reading, he went 2-0 in five starts with a 2.62 ERA. Nola, who has struck out 7.3 hitters per nine innings in 12 minor league games, commands three pitches and could arrive in Philadelphia this summer.

3B Maikel Franco: The 22-year-old made his big-league debut to mixed results in September. Franco is a .275 career hitter in five minor league seasons and has plenty of power, as he hit 16 home runs with ClassAA Lehigh Valley (Allentown, Pa.) last season. While Franco is a solid defender, the Phillies might opt to move him to first if he does not win a battle with Cody Asche for the full-time role at third.

OF Roman Quinn: After he battled a broken wrist in 2013, the 21-year old got back on track in 2014 to a certain degree as he hit .257 in 88 games with Clearwater. Quinn has the speed to cover ground in the outfield and create problems on the basepaths (94 steals in 221 career minor league games). For a franchise desperate for help in the outfield, he appears to be several years away from making an impact at Citizens Bank Park.