Albeit logical at the time, the Phillies’ Matt Moore gamble hasn’t worked out

While it may not really seem like it at the moment, the Philadelphia Phillies decision to ink LHP Matt Moore to a one-year contract this past offseason was one rooted in logic. A former All-Star back in 2013, Moore didn’t have the simplest of MLB careers.

Once penciled in above the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout when it came to prospect rankings, Moore took the league by storm upon debuting with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2011. He became a main piece to the organization’s rotation, even starting a playoff game during his rookie season.

However, Moore’s career took a turn following his departure from Tampa in 2016. He bounced around the league quite a bit in the following years, eventually knocking himself completely out of American baseball altogether following a disastrous 2019 with the Detroit Tigers.

Moore returned to Japan (where he grew up), and began rebuilding himself as a starting-caliber pitcher. He threw 85.0 innings for the JPL in 2020, recording an ERA of 2.65.

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Following his impressive tenure overseas, Moore started eyeing up a return to Major League Baseball. He had a handful of realistic suitors – not only for his ability as a pitcher, but also for his overall stamina. Just three MLB starters threw 80+ innings in 2020 due to the shortened season.

Possessing a need at the back of their rotation, Dave Dombrowski and the Phillies pounced on the opportunity to bring in Moore. Not only did Moore look like a rebuilt version of himself, but the Phils desperately needed a left-handed arm in their rotation.

Between the Phillies need for a southpaw and the manner in which Moore took down innings over in Japan last year, it was genuinely an addition that made sense on paper. If Moore could somewhat replicate the performances that he was putting up in the JPL, the Phillies would have themselves one of the best rotations in all of baseball. It was undoubtedly a gamble, but a gamble that Dombrowski felt comfortable making.

The Phillies Matt Moore gamble has already backfired.

Just three Matt Moore starts into the season, and it’s becoming pretty evident that said gamble is one that Dombrowski is going to regret all season long.

Despite a relatively encouraging debut start against the Mets, Moore has been flat-out disastrous since. He allowed 5 runs through 5.0 innings against the Braves on April 11th, and then followed it up with nightmare start against the Cardinals. Through just 2.2 innings of work, Moore allowed 6 runs and 5 walks. Moore’s ERA currently sits at 9.82 on the season.

Not great!

While the initial risk is one that Dombrowski would likely agree to again, the Matt Moore experiment is all but over moving forward. He’ll likely get one or two more starts to right the ship, set to be replaced by someone like Vince Velasquez if he can’t figure anything out.

For a team that’s desperately trying to make the postseason this year, “Vinny Velo” returning to the rotation is a borderline death sentence.

As is true with every sport, free agent signings are never a sure thing. Dombrowski pretty clearly struck out with this particular move, and all eyes will be on him around the MLB trade deadline when it comes to potentially adding a more reliable #4 starter.