A number of veteran free agent infielders could help the Phillies improve their depth

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Veteran Jose Iglesias could help the Phillies infield depth

Most of the talk surrounding the Philadelphia Phillies and the pursuit of further free agent help rightfully surrounds the big names of outfielder Bryce Harper and infielder Manny Machado.

However, the club could still use a more veteran option as a reserve infielder. That would cease to be the case if Machado is signed and both Hernandez and Franco remain with the team, but that scenario seems like a long-shot at best.

As things stand today the Phillies starting infield would be made up of first baseman Rhys Hoskins, second baseman Cesar Hernandez, shortstop Jean Segura, and third baseman Maikel Franco.

Manager Gabe Kapler has also announced that Franco would be directly challenged in spring training by Scott Kingery, who remains blocked at his natural position by the presence of Hernandez, who is in the final year of his contract.

Only two other infield options are currently on the Phillies 40-man roster. One of those is 21-year old Arquimedes Gamboa, who is not likely to see big-league action this season, and who isn’t much of a prospect in any event. The other is Mitch Walding, a 26-year-old corner infielder who has 19 big-league plate appearances to his name.

The club has a handful of players with infield experience who are signed and participating at spring training as non-roster invitees: Malquin Canelo, Phil Gosselin, Austin Listi, Gift Ngoepe, Gregorio Petit, Austin Romine, and Sean Rodriguez.

Rodriguez was probably the most attractive of those options, the one with the best chance to actually help the Phillies at the big-league level. The 33-year-old has 11-years of experience in Major League Baseball and has played every position on the diamond except catcher and pitcher.

Unfortunately, Rodriguez has now reportedly suffered a torn right meniscus (knee tendon) and may require surgery. Depending on the severity and the pace of his recovery it could mean that he won’t be able to play until later in the summer.

There do remain some veteran free agent options should the Phillies decide to look outside of the organization for infield bench help. One of those is former two-time NL All-Star Josh Harrison, who has started in MLB at both second base and third base, and who has also filled in at shortstop and the outfield. I wrote about him here at Phillies Nation almost exactly one month ago.

Angels miss another opportunity as Francisco Lindor leads Indians to victory

Lindor's record-setting bomb continued Angels struggles

The Los Angeles Angels continue to miss out on golden opportunities to grab control of the final postseason spot in the American League.

In Anaheim, a two-run homer off the bat of Cleveland Indians star shortstop Francisco Lindor was the pivotal blow as the Tribe knocked off the Halos by a 6-5 score.

The result was a third consecutive defeat for the Angels, the eighth loss in their last dozen games. It left them a game and a half behind the Minnesota Twins in the race for that final AL Wildcard spot.

The Twins were pounded 11-3 in the Bronx by the host New York Yankees, a third straight loss for Minnesota. With the win, the 'Magic Number' lowered to just 3 for the Yanks to clinch their own postseason berth.

"We're trying to go out there and get as many wins as possible so we can make it to the playoffs," said Angels second baseman Brandon Phillips per Maria Guardado for MLB.com. "But we have to do the key things in key situations to make that possible."

Phillips had a pair of doubles and scored a run to pace the LA attack. Both Justin Upton and C.J. Cron also chipped in with a pair of hits, Cron driving his 16th home run of the season out in the 5th inning.

The Angels produced eleven hits and walked twice on Wednesday, and left just six runners on base, which is not usually a lot. But their pitching was unable to contain the NL Central champion Indians in those key situations.

Detroit Tigers deadline deals are Justin time

Justins Verlander and Upton dealt from Tigers to contenders

The Detroit Tigers dealt away a pair of Justins in big trades with contenders on Thursday. Detroit sent away ace Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros. The Tigers also dealt slugging outfielder Justin Upton to the Los Angeles Angels.

August 31 was the deadline for MLB teams to acquire players who had passed through waivers, and also have those players automatically eligible for participation in the postseason.

In the first trade, Upton was shipped to the Halos. In exchange, the Tigers received Grayson Long, a pitcher in their minors system, and also will receive cash considerations or a player to be named.

Upton is signed through the 2021 season at $22 million per year. The 30-year old, 11-year big league veteran also has a contract opt-out following this season. The Angels did not request that he waive that option as part of the deal.

This wasn’t the only deal for the Angels. They also acquired second baseman Brandon Phillips from the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are also sending cash to help with the Phillips contract, while receiving catcher Tony Sanchez in return.

The Angels are currently 1.5 games behind the Minnesota Twins and also are 2.5 behind the New York Yankees in the race for one of two American League Wildcard playoff berths.

The two deals from the Angels perspective are certainly aimed at getting the club back to the postseason for just the second time this decade. The club was swept out of the 2014 ALDS by the Kansas City Royals.

Especially relevant is that this is an attempt to demonstrate to superstar Mike Trout, who can leave via free agency in a few years, that they are willing to do what it takes to win. That 2014 ALDS is the only playoff appearance of his career.

In Cincy, 'V' is for 'Votto', and 'Victory'

It has been 73 years since St. Louis Cardinals' Hall of Famer Joe 'Ducky' Medwick hit .374 with 31 homers and 154 rbi to lead the National League in all three categories, in the process becoming the last man to win the 'Triple Crown' in the senior circuit.

It has been 15 years since the Cincinnati Reds won their only NL Central Division crown, and 20 since their last National League pennant and World Series titles in 1990. In fact, it has been a decade now since their last winning season, when the 2000 club led by returning-hometown hero Ken Griffey Jr led the club to a 2nd place finish.

In short, it's been a mostly long, hard ride for the fans of the Redlegs out in western Ohio since the days when Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, Tony Perez and the rest of the 'Big Red Machine' under manager Sparky Anderson were dominating the National League during the 1970's.

But in 2010, the winning is back in the Midwest. Victories have piled on top of victories, and the team woke up this morning in first place, 20 games over the .500 mark, 4 games in front of the previously favored St. Louis Cardinals. But the letter 'V' does not only stand for those 'victory' totals this summer in Cincy. The letter also stands for 'Votto', as in Joey Votto, the team's 1st baseman and leader whose performances are MVP caliber, and also have him challenging to win the Triple Crown.

Votto woke up on Saturday morning with a .327 average, 31 homeruns and 91 rbi. He has also scored 90 runs and even stolen 11 bases. Votto's average has him 7 percentage points ahead of fellow Triple Crown contender Albert Pujols and Colorado Rockies' phenom Carlos Gonzalez at the top of the NL leader boards. The 31 homers have him tied for 2nd in the league with Adam Dunn, 4 behind Pujols. The rbi total leaves him 3 behind Pujols.

The fact that both Votto and Pujols are legitimate Triple Crown and Most Valuable Player contenders in the NL is, in fact, being bolstered by the competition to get their respective teams to the top of the NL Central standings at the finish.