Klentak’s Out!

Matt Klentak Reaches Strike Three and Is Out of the GM Position

Shane Olexa, Reporting Journalist

This week Matt Klentak stepped down from the general manager position for the Philadelphia Phillies. Fans have called for Klentak to be fired for a while, and now their wish has been granted. He has made some good trades and had some marquee signings such as Philly superstar, Bryce Harper, who signed a $330 million deal and has 13 years on his contract. However, there have also been several negatives. Klentak hasn’t given Joe Girardi, the manager, any support when it comes to supplying him with a bullpen. The bullpen’s Earned Run Average is 7.17, which is outstandingly terrible.  Two teams in MLB history have ever had an ERA over 7.00. They’ve blown what seems like thousands of leads this season and it’s only a 60 game season! The fans place the blame on no one else but Klentak, and their call for action against him has seemingly succeeded.

Back to a positive: Klentak did trade Sixto Sanchez to the Miami Marlins for catcher JT Realmuto, who is a free agent at the end of the season. Across the city, there have been exclamations for the Phillies to resign Realmuto. People are constantly saying “SIGN JT!”, to which Phillies owner John Middleton recently said: “We figured he’s gonna be heading to free agency.” This doesn’t bode well for the Phillies. Marquee teams such as the Yankees, Dodgers, Mets, Braves, and Nationals are expected to be in play for Realmuto. He’s also great pals with Bryce Harper, who has made it clear that he needs JT to be the Phillies catcher in the upcoming seasons. In his eyes, Realmuto is the best catcher in baseball and yet Klentak has made no progress in trying to sign him.

Fans are relieved that Klentak is gone from the GM position, but the Phillies said that he will be moved to another position somewhere in the organization. This will leave a void for the next GM, who the Phillies are already reportedly searching for. The team hasn’t made the playoffs since 2011 and they need to get back to their winning ways if they want their fans to remain loyal and dedicated.