New exec Andy MacPhail faces big challenges with Phillies

PHILADELPHIA -- The Philadelphia Phillies introduced Andy MacPhail as the new big man on campus Monday, and two fundamental organizational talking points emerged from his first news conference with the club.

Starting immediately, the Phillies will do everything in their power to combat the perception that they're a horse-and-buggy-driven, trust-in-the-scouts, sabermetrically hostile organization. Principal owner John Middleton, club president Pat Gillick and MacPhail all spent considerable time trumpeting the importance of the "S" word in their give and take with reporters at Citizens Bank Park.

Beyond that, the organization is committed to making moves with an emphasis on the long-term, even if those moves require some short-term pain. The more Phillies executives can talk about dynamic young third baseman Maikel Franco, elite shortstop prospect J.P. Crawford and the exploits of the Lakewood BlueClaws and Williamsport Crosscutters -- and less about the talent-impaired, 27-50 major league roster -- the better.

So much for 2016 and beyond. On the question of how MacPhail's arrival will affect the Phillies in July, August and September, the franchise is sending some mixed signals.

MacPhail, 62, returns from three years of world traveling and life away from baseball sounding very much like Gillick, the man he'll assist for the next three months before he takes over as club president after the season. MacPhail is refraining from any talk of bringing in his own people or putting his "stamp" on the organizational hierarchy. Instead, MacPhail will spend July, August and September doing a top-to-bottom assessment of the organization and the moves it needs to make moving forward.

MacPhail is so hesitant to put pressure on employees or appear to have any preconceived notions that he doesn't feel comfortable when people say he'll be "evaluating" the Phillies' organization. He prefers to say he's in "learning" mode.

"I have to assume that this game has evolved two times over in the three years that I've been gone," MacPhail said. "I think my three main functions are going to be to read, to watch and to listen. And then, hopefully within three months, I'll have a clear idea on what I think is appropriate that needs to be done."

That's a nobly open-minded sentiment, except the Phillies have some pivotal decisions to make in the coming weeks, as they prepare to dig themselves out of a hole that has produced baseball's worst record and ninth biggest payroll. Cole Hamels, Ryan Howard, Jonathan Papelbon, Ben Revere and Aaron Harang are all veterans who have value on the trade market and could fetch the kind of young talent the Phillies need to acquire to hasten their overhaul.

Who will be making the calls between now and the July 31 non-waiver deadline? Not MacPhail, who concedes he needs to do a lot of work to get up to speed before making any momentous judgments. He'll contribute strictly in an advisory capacity.

Gillick looks like the obvious choice to sign off on trades. But he deferred to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., the man who has been at the helm during the team's slide into oblivion and has become a lightning rod for fan discontent.

"Ruben is the general manager, and he's going to be the general manager through the end of the season," Gillick said after Monday's news conference. "Consequently, he's going to make any deals that we make regarding any of the personnel we have.

"Ruben still has that authority. That's his job -- to change personnel -- and that's not going to change. We'll seek Andy's opinion. But as far as making the ultimate decision, that lies with Ruben."

It would be an understatement to describe the past few days in Philadelphia as chaotic and a trifle bizarre. When manager Ryne Sandberg submitted his surprise resignation Friday, he said it was in part because the organization was about to make leadership changes and he didn't want to get in the way. Yet Amaro, who is more reviled in Philly than Sandberg could ever dream of being, pronounced himself anxious to work with MacPhail and play an active role in the rebuilding process.

"I believe in being a Philadelphia Phillie for my life," Amaro said Monday. "I've bled Phillies red for a long, long time.

"I can't worry about what decisions Andy or Pat are going to be making, as far as my personal status is concerned. We've made some decisions that worked and some decisions that haven't. This is a cyclical game -- I understand that. At the same time, I think we're on a very good path right now, and I'm hopeful that I'll be a part of getting us back where we need to be."

The Phillies' current state of flux is reminiscent of the past season in Arizona, when Tony La Russa's May arrival as chief baseball officer immediately cast GM Kevin Towers' future with the franchise in doubt. After both sides tried in vain to make things work, the Diamondbacks fired Towers in September and hired Dave Stewart as his replacement. Then the Diamondbacks switched managers, from Kirk Gibson to Chip Hale, over the winter.

If the Phillies want to pacify a disgruntled fan base and sell season tickets for 2016, it's virtually impossible to foresee MacPhail conducting an exhaustive, three-month review and then committing to Amaro as the long-term answer. But for the moment, MacPhail isn't dropping any breadcrumbs about his vision for the organization. On his first day in town, he spoke mainly in generalities while mixing in some blunt talk and an overall sunny outlook.

"I know we all tend to look at things in the snapshot of time," MacPhail said. "That's only natural. And right now the Phillies' snapshot is not all that great. For all the great things this franchise has accomplished in the not-too-recent past, it sort of fades in memory looking at the current times.

"But I have to applaud this organization for the path it's taken recently. I think it's the right path. I think any team that really devotes itself to a rebuild gets rewarded in the end. Teams like Kansas City, Tampa [Bay], Pittsburgh and Baltimore have shown that if you stick with it, you're ultimately going to be rewarded."

The Phillies have put their ultimate faith in MacPhail as the man who can lead them out of the wilderness. But he won't be calling the shots in July, when the organization hopes to make some moves to hasten the rebuilding process.

On the first day of the new regime, the Phillies are selling analytics, budding young talent on the farm, a long-term commitment to excellence and plenty of hope. That's pretty much all they have.