[jaa36]

"I don't know what to tell you guys," a dejected Bryce Harper said as the Phillies' miserable 2019 came to its conclusion. "I believe in this team. Nothing's changed. I expect we'll be right in it with the Mets and the Nationals and the Braves next year."

Harper had good cause to feel disappointed. While he performed admirably, hitting .282 with a .417 on-base percentage, 34 home runs, and 90 RBI, winning the NL Player of the Month in July along the way, he got very little support from his team. The Phillies ended up losing 101 games- the team's worst record in over 50 years, and that for a franchise that has had more than its share of tough seasons.

"Ultimately, I take full responsibility," said general manager Matt Klentak. "I built this team, and I expected something different than what I got." Klentak entered 2019 having widely been considered to have "won" the offseason. The season itself appeared to have different plans for the club.

Rumors of rifts in the front office percolated throughout the second half of the season. Klentak came under fire for missing out on two international amateurs who had been widely tied to the Phillies, outfielders Alfredo Vargas and Sergio Pimentel. One particularly bizarre bit of info was that owner John Middleton was upset with Klentak for not extending utility infielder Sean Rodriguez's contract; Rodriguez, for his part, hit .162 on the season.

Another notable rumor was that the Nationals offered third baseman Anthony Rendon to the Phillies in a deal to re-acquire Harper. That deal didn't come to fruition, but one wonders whether Harper would have welcomed a return to the Nationals, who won 94 games in his absence. For that matter, he might well have wished he were in New York instead, where the 95-win Mets bested the 109-win Yankees in the World Series.

The team was a disappointment on offense and defense, and the pitching was pretty terrible too. While Aaron Nola was solid at the top of the rotation, veterans Jake Arrieta (6-15, 5.10), Vince Velazquez (3-7, 5.25) and Jerad Eickhoff (3-15, 6.01) provided few chances for the Phils to win.

Klentak unloaded disgruntled veterans Andrew McCutchen, David Robertson and Juan Nicasio at the trade deadline, picking up a few minor prospects in return, including 24-year-old third baseman Michael Chavis, who supplanted Maikel Franco in the lineup. The Phillies should have some money to spend in the offseason, but given their recent track record, they may be wise to hold their wallet for a bit.

It's remarkable that manager Gabe Kapler remains at the helm, given reports that he had lost the clubhouse during this woebegone season, but it appears he'll return for 2020, as will Klentak. Just one season into the Bryce Harper era, the seat couldn't get much hotter for the Phillies' leadership.