So here we are, less than a week after the Cardinals won the World Series (still can't believe it), and already, the hot stove is blaring. That means it's time to get our Phillies Blog cooking, too.Beginning tomorrow and continuing each Wednesday until the winter meetings start Dec. 4, we'll take a look at a position the Phillies need to improve. Up first will be the bullpen.
And, as always, I encourage your responses, feedback and input.
Meantime, we'll grease the stove with this partial list of players who have filed for free agency. The list, which includes the Phillies' Randy Wolf and Mike Lieberthal, stands at 122 players through Monday night, and it's going to grow. The filing deadline isn't until Nov. 11.
So far, the surprise is Aramis Ramirez (above), who could have renegotiated with the Cubs but instead filed for free agency. He'll draw significant interest from the Phillies, and keep this in mind: Team president David Montgomery told me he expects payroll will remain in the $90-95 million range, which means, the Phillies should have money to spend.
Starting pitchers: Barry Zito (Oakland), Jason Schmidt (San Francisco), Randy Wolf (Phillies), Woody Williams (San Diego), Ted Lilly (Toronto), Kerry Wood (Cubs), Vicente Padilla (Texas), Orlando Hernandez (Mets), Jason Marquis (Cardinals), Tony Armas Jr. (Washington), Wade Miller (Cubs), Adam Eaton (Texas), Gil Meche (Seattle), John Thomson (Atlanta), Steve Trachsel (Mets)
Relievers: Joe Borowski (Florida), Danys Baez (Atlanta), Miguel Batista (Arizona), Guillermo Mota (Mets), Chad Bradford (Mets), LaTroy Hawkins (Baltimore), Aaron Fultz (Phillies), Arthur Rhodes (Phillies), Rick White (Phillies), David Weathers (Cincinnati), David Riske (White Sox), J.C. Romero (Angels), Rudy Seanez (San Diego), Justin Speier (Toronto), Roberto Hernandez (Mets), Alan Embree (San Diego), Steve Kline (San Francisco), Jamie Walker (Detroit), Octavio Dotel (Yankees), Matt Herges (Florida), Ryan Franklin (Cincinnati)
Third basemen: Aramis Ramirez (Cubs), Aubrey Huff (Astros), Shea Hillenbrand (San Francisco), Aaron Boone (Cleveland), David Bell (Milwaukee), Julio Lugo (Dodgers), Scott Spiezio (Cardinals), Tomas Perez (Tampa Bay), Geoff Blum (San Diego), Jeff Cirillo (Milwaukee)
Outfielders: Alfonso Soriano (Washington), Carlos Lee (Texas), Barry Bonds (San Francisco), Juan Pierre (Cubs), Gary Matthews Jr. (Texas), Shannon Stewart (Minnesota), Cliff Floyd (Mets), Jose Guillen (Washington), Trot Nixon (Boston), Jay Payton (Oakland), Moises Alou (San Francisco), Rondell White (Minnesota), Luis Gonzalez (Arizona), Frank Catalanotto (Toronto), Mark DeRosa (Texas), Dave Roberts (San Diego), Ricky Ledee (Mets)
Catchers: Mike Lieberthal (Phillies), Rod Barajas (Texas), Gregg Zaun (Toronto), Todd Pratt (Atlanta), Einar Diaz (Dodgers), Chris Widger (Baltimore), Sandy Alomar (White Sox), Doug Mirabelli (Boston)
3 comments:
Scott on comcast sportsnet tonight i heard the phillies will reportedely offer Soriano a deal next week. They also said that Pat Burrell listed teams that he would want to be traded to and there was a possibility of him going to Arizona for Estrada. Have you heard anything about these rumors? And also, do you believe the Phillies could and would go after both Soriano and Ramirez?
Bullpen: There's a rumor going around that the Phils are interested in Miguel Batista, who moonlit as a bullpenner whilst a starter for Az this season. I assume the Phils would use him as either the fifth starter should Wolf not resign, a long sixth starter similar to what Darren Oliver was to the Mets this year should Lieber falter, or a bullpen arm who may or may not help in a setup role. Truly, I have no idea where he'd fit in, or even if he'd be needed. He doesn't give up too many HRs, which is key at CBP, but he does hurl too many walks. And I'd hate to look at him every time he takes the mound and think of Roberto Hernandez, Arthur Rhodes, Mike Jackson, yada yada yada.
The younger guys haven't pitched all that bad, and names like Geary Fultz and Madsen could become household. Fabio Castro should start the season in the minors, but like I've always said on this blog, I think he's got the talent to be a pretty good big leaguer. He just needs the experience. It's obvious that Gordon needs a reliable set-up man who can not only bring the game to him in the 8th, but also fill in for the ninth when needed due to Gordon's age and stamina. He showed both when Rhodes had to spot-close. A guy like Baez might fit that bill closely.
We all know what Rhodes can show us.
If you remember, at one point the Phils bullpen was considered to be on of the tops in the league last year, (even top 3 if if you look at NL ERA) but how many games did we lose in the 6th, 7th, and 8th innings because of them? The final three series basically proves this. It was their inability to keep close games close, and the offense couldn't score enough runs to support the 5-6 innings the starters could barely manage to give us.
We need late inning protection from the pen. It's that simple.
As an aside, what do you think about trying Gavin Floyd in the bullpen? If he can get through one scoreless inning at a time, thats one scoreless inning he can add to his confidence chart, which I think he lacks out there. Try the same approach with him that they tried with Madsen, just reverse the SP and RP.
Anon: I think Comcast is jumping the gun a bit. The Nationals have exclusive negotiating rights with Soriano until Nov. 11, so the Phillies can't make any official offer until Sunday, Nov. 12. Sure, they can hold informal talks with Soriano's agent, Diego Bentz, but they can't offer any deals until the Nationals' exclusive window is closed.
I think the Phillies will make an offer when their time comes. I'm hearing numbers in the neighborhood of $80 million for five years. That's about what it's going to take. But there's going to be a serious bidding war for Soriano. The Angels are VERY interested, and although they're playing it coy right now, I think the Mets will get involved in this before it's over. Don't forget: The Mets need a second baseman and a left fielder, and Soriano can play both.
Regarding Burrell-for-Estrada, it's a possibility. Right now, as I've written in the newspaper and on this blog, the Phillies will listen to any offer for Burrell, and they'll give him away for salary relief. If they can get a player like Estrada, it would be a phenomenal trade.
Don't get greedy: Getting both Soriano and Ramirez (Aramis) would be a tall order. Not sure where the Phillies would find the cash for that. As a Phillies fan, you should be happy if they can get one of those guys.
Paul: I'll address the bullpen stuff in my next post, which will be later this afternoon.
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