#Miguel Tejada

In stretching out Trea Turner's $300 million contract over 11 years, the Phillies diluted the average annual salary for luxury-tax purposes and payroll flexibility. It's the approach they took four years ago in signing Bryce Harper. The length of Turner's deal, like Harper's 13-year pact, was predicated on economics, not baseball. But the Phillies…

While there continues to be little to write home about for this team, a brief history lesson may be in order. 20 years ago, the Oakland A's went on a 20-game consecutive win streak, with the help of gritty players and a then-newly minted term "analytics." This A's strategy - in the Moneyball era - arguably changed the game of baseball forever. This…