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The Good Phight

https://www.thegoodphight.com/ | 423 entries published

Small victories, large defeats.

Latest Entries

2025 Player Review: Taijuan Walker

Everyone’s favorite pitching target for negativity had another “typical” season in the eyes of the fanbase. Each of his outings was viewed through fingers and hands placed in front of eyes, or they weren’t viewed at all. Many people might choose to go out on a date night the times when Walker was scheduled to […]

about 2 months ago | 4 reads

Smarty discusses Christmas songs

Every year we hear the debate about what makes a movie a “Christmas movie” and specifically whether or not Die Hard qualifies. (Yes, it does, BTW) But for whatever reason, we give a lot more leeway when deciding that something is a “Christmas song.” Winter Wonderland, Let it Snow, and Baby, it’s Cold Outside are […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Phillies tread water in the outfield with Adolis Garcia signing

To say the Phillies’ 2025 outfield was a black hole of productivity isn’t quite accurate. At least black holes have power. With Brandon Marsh, Max Kepler, Nick Castellanos, Weston Wilson and Otto Kemp getting the majority of the playing time through the first four months of the season, the outfield was one of the least […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Report: Phillies sign Brad Keller to a two-year deal

In the continued search for bullpen help, the Phillies have reportedly settled on Brad Keller as the best option to provide reinforcement. Once a starter in the Royals’ system, Keller went to the relief role last year with the Cubs where he flourished. He saw jumps in all of the good stats one wants to […]

about 2 months ago | 5 reads

Justin Crawford, welcome to the pressure

When the offseason started, the speculation that followed was one that most could have anticipated. The team was looking to upgrade and set their sights on the outfield as a place for improvement. It made sense. With Harrison Bader departing via free agency and Nick Castellanos basically persona non grata in the organization, there were […]

about 2 months ago | 6 reads

What do you make of the Braves’ moves so far?

The Phillies-Braves rivalry seemed to take a nap last year, thanks both to a down year from the Atlantas and the increasing threat of the Mets. But rivalry never dies, and neither do the Braves. They’ve been active in the free agent market, signing Mike Yastrzemski, Robert Suarez, and Ha-Seong Kim (well, a re-signing in […]

about 2 months ago | 6 reads

2025 Phillies player review: Max Lazar

To continue my celebration of the Festival of Lights, I chose one of the team’s Jewish players to review today. Righthanded reliever Max Lazar was originally drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in 2017, but due to COVID and an injury requiring Tommy John surgery, he lost the 2020 and 2021 seasons. He was able to […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Happy Smarty-Days!

A couple years back, I posted something on this site every day of December. My ambition has decreased since then, but for this year, I’ve decided to provide you a post on every day of the festival of Chanukkah, which began Sunday evening at sundown. For those unfamiliar, Chanukkah is actually a minor holiday in […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

REPORT: Phillies sign Adolis Garcia

With the Phillies in need of multiple outfielders for next season, they have reportedly come to terms with free agent Adolis Garcia, formerly of the Texas Rangers. The Cuban-born Garcia got a late start in MLB, playing his rookie season at age 28 in 2021. But he quickly acclimated, making the All-Star team that year, […]

about 2 months ago | 4 reads

2025 Player Review: Jose Alvarado

He was good. Then he was disappointing. Then he got hurt. One could also say that Alvarado’s injury was a major inflection point for the 2025 Phillies season and not really in the good way. 2025 stats 28 G, 26 IP, 7 SV, 28.1 K%, 6.1 BB%, 1.38 HR/9, 3.81 ERA (3.60 FIP), 0.3 fWAR […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

What about Luis Robert, Jr.? Yay or nay?

According to a recent report by Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies are back interested in acquiring Luis Robert, Jr. from the White Sox. This makes some sense as the team continues to look for ways to upgrade their outfield. Center field is still probably the most glaring weakness the team has, probably a bit less son […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Phillies news: Kyle Schwarber, MLB draft, Merrill Kelly

Well, the Eagles are back on track and now the Phillies can make a move. Maybe they should consider finishing up that pesky Realmuto business that lingers around the club, but there are still a few fish in the sea to bring back. Even if it means they have to spend a little money to […]

about 2 months ago | 1 read

It looks like one of the next moves is a trade; what should it be?

If we’re to read the tea leave correctly, it looks like the next move the team makes (after the Realmuto sweepstakes conclude) is some kind of trade. There have been rumors of Alec Bohm being moved, of Matt Strahm being moved, of the team literally “begging” for Nick Castellanos to be taken off their hands. […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Phillies news: J.T. Realmuto, Andrew Painter, Tyler Rogers

The hot stove is definitely heating up, but the Phillies are still waiting on their former catcher to decide if he wants to come back into the fold. Strange that they kind of refuse to do other work until that situation is cleared up, but if they have a certain amount of money earmarked for […]

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

Phillies potential trade target: Steven Kwan

I’ve been looking around the majors at players rumored to be on the trade block this offseason and determining if they would be an ideal fit for the Phillies. Today, I will look at Cleveland Guardians outfielder Steven Kwan. The background Drafted in the fifth round of the 2018 draft, Kwan quickly rose through the […]

about 2 months ago | 4 reads

What do you make of the Mets’ moves so far?

While the Phillies bringing back Kyle Schwarber is obviously big news for any sort of baseball related conversation, the domination of the various news cycles so far this offseason has been by the Mets. Taking an aggressive approach to their desire to get more athletic and better at defense, the team has thus far dismantled […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Phillies news: Kyle Schwarber, J.T. Realmuto, Ketel Marte

The NHL has a player freeze period during Christmas where teams cannot make moves during the holiday. Seems like a good deal for the players where they don’t have to worry about their holiday being upset by a trade or release happening. Something for the players to think about during CBA negotiations, though one wonders […]

NFL

about 2 months ago | 3 reads

2025 Player Review: Tim Mayza

The team was in need of an arm once Jose Alvarado went down to injury. So they picked up Tim Mayza. That was something, wasn’t it? 2025 stats (w/ Phillies) 8 G, 7 1/3 IP, 20.6 K%, 11.8 BB%, 1.23 HR/9, 4.91 ERA (5.04 FIP), 0.0 fWAR What went right Mayza was perfectly cromulent while […]

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

The Notes: Offseason Check In 2 1/2: The Schwarb of Fear

It is not hard to see why the Phillies paid Kyle Schwarber. He’s the leader inside their clubhouse, hit 56 home runs, and finished 2nd in MVP voting. Despite his age, at least two other clubs offered him either five years or 30 million dollars per season. With that said, his contract is going to […]

about 2 months ago | 4 reads

How are we feeling after the Winter Meetings?

Baseball’s offseason, just like its regular season, is a marathon not a sprint. But there are some checkpoints along the way that spur action, and one such checkpoint is the Winter Meetings. It’s usually the first time of the offseason when action really picks up, and this year has been no different. With the meetings […]

MLB

about 2 months ago | 2 reads

Phillies News: Kyle Tucker, Kyle Schwarber, Winter Meetings Wrapup

Another Friday. Another day closer to the holidays. Links aren’t as good as holidays, but they’re almost as good. So here they are. Phillies news Which teams are the best fits for Kyle Tucker? Given what section this is appearing in, you can guess one of the clubs on the list. Jay Jaffe of FanGraphs […]

MLB

about 2 months ago | 1 read

Kyle Schwarber is back! Yay! However…

The news that broke on Tuesday that Kyle Schwarber has agreed to return to Philadelphia for the next five years was met with the appropriate levels of exuberance, cautious optimism and casual pessimism. There is nothing wrong with having a little bit of all three. It’s natural to feel like this is going to be […]

MLB

about 2 months ago | 1 read