By Shelly Selover
Last spring the Phillies were the favorite to win the NL East, and the hype train went completely off the rails.
After signing/stealing away Bryce Harper from the Nationals and picking up players like Andrew McCutchen and J.T. Realmuto, all signs pointed to the Phillies to be back in the thick of the playoffs.
Well, sometimes “on paper” means nothing and the Phillies were a prime example of that as nearly every player underachieved in his new surroundings. McCutchen got hurt 59 games into the season while SS Jean Segura lost the pop in his swing that made him such a hot commodity when the Mariners were ready to deal him.
RHP Zack Wheeler might be able to stabilize a starting rotation that relies far too heavily on Aaron Nola every five days but it might be too much to overcome. It wouldn’t shock me if the Phillies are in contention but I think they ultimately fall short unless they make more moves.
| NL East Odds | World Series Odds | Win Total |
|---|---|---|
| +300 | +2000 | 85.5 |
