We are expecting this to be a busy Phillies offseason, with major free-agent and trade additions and subtractions that turn the team into a legitimate 2019 contender. We did not expect their first major move to be the one they made Wednesday.
The news came in the form of a late-morning tweet from The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal: Chris Young has been promoted from Phillies assistant pitching coach to head pitching coach, and Rick Kranitz, the 2018 pitching coach, is free to find work elsewhere. It was a move the Phillies believed they had to make, because other teams, including one from their own division, were interested in hiring Young as their pitching coach.