So, after the Phils' marathon day of organizational meetings, I spoke tonight to assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. Most of this will be in Tuesday's 50-center, and some of it is even on delawareonline.com right now. But I wanted to pass along a few notes here, too.1. Alex Rodriguez will NOT play for the Phillies next season. OK? Got that? No need to keep asking about it. "We will not be pursuing A-Rod," Amaro said.
2. It's all about pitching for the Phillies. Everything else, including upgrading the offense at third base, takes a back seat. Amaro said the Phils already have contacted several of the 57 players who filed for free agency today. Just a guess, but I'll bet Carlos Silva has gotten a call from the Phillies. Francisco Cordero probably has, too. Maybe even Mariano Rivera, though I still think he'll be back with the Yankees. Regardless, the Phillies' focus is clear. "Our priority, really, is pitching," Amaro said. "There's some thought that third base is a priority, but it's evident that pitching, starting and/or relief pitching, is where our mindset is now. We view third base as secondary. If we don’t improve our pitching everything else is a moot point."
3. Aaron Rowand was among the 57 players who filed for free agency. (Jon Lieber, Jose Mesa and Abraham Nunez also filed). Amaro said the Phillies are still optimistic they may be able to work something out with Rowand and some of their other free agents (namely J.C. Romero) during the exclusive 15-day signing period. But they're also realistic. Most players don't sign until they see what they can get on the open market. Of course, even if Rowand and the other Phillies free agents explore their options, they can still re-sign with the Phillies. "They’ve earned the right as free agents to pick and choose the club they want to play for," Amaro said. "What needs to be understood is that if these guys get out on the [open] market it doesn’t mean we’ve cut ties with them. If they declare free agency, it doesn't mean that they’re somebody who’s now lost."UPDATED (Oct. 30): Here's the list of free agents, included those that filed Tuesday. You'll notice Curt Schilling has joined the list. Wonder if he waited at least until after the Sox parade? J.C. Romero and Antonio Alfonseca also filed. So did Hockessin resident Tony Graffanino. Eligible players have until Nov. 13 to file.
Starters (14): Tony Armas (Pittsburgh), Matt Clement (Boston), Bartolo Colon (LA Angels), Livan Hernandez (Arizona), Jason Jennings (Houston), Joe Kennedy (Toronto), Jon Lieber (Phillies), Eric Milton (Cincinnati), Russ Ortiz (San Francisco), Curt Schilling (Boston), Aaron Sele (NY Mets), Carlos Silva (Minnesota), David Wells (LA Dodgers), Kip Wells (St. Louis)
Relievers (25): Jeremy Affeldt (Colorado), Antonio Alfonseca (Phillies), Armando Benitez (Florida), Doug Brocail (San Diego), Shawn Chacon (Pittsburgh), Francisco Cordero (Milwaukee), Elmer Dessens (Colorado), Todd Jones (Detroit), Jorge Julio (Colorado), Ray King (Milwaukee), Scott Linebrink (Milwaukee), Ron Mahay (Atlanta), Jose Mesa (Phillies), Trever Miller (Houston), Brian Moehler (Houston), Mike Myers (Chi. White Sox), Troy Percival (St. Louis), Arthur Rhodes (Seattle), David Riske (Kansas City), Mariano Rivera (NY Yankees), J.C. Romero (Phillies), Rudy Seanez (LA Dodgers), Luis Vizcaino (NY Yankees), Bob Wickman (Arizona), Kerry Wood (Chi. Cubs)
Catchers (15): Sandy Alomar Jr. (NY Mets), Brad Ausmus (Houston), Paul Bako (Baltimore), Michael Barrett (San Diego), Ramon Castro (NY Mets), Mike DiFelice (NY Mets), Sal Fasano (Toronto), Jason Kendall (Chi. Cubs), Jason LaRue (Kansas City), Paul Lo Duca (NY Mets), Damian Miller (Milwaukee), Jose Molina (NY Yankees), Josh Paul (Tampa Bay), Mike Piazza (Oakland), Jorge Posada (NY Yankees)
First basemen (7): Sean Casey (Detroit), Tony Clark (Arizona), Robert Fick (Washington), Julio Franco (Atlanta), Eric Hinske (Boston), Doug Mientkiewicz (NY Yankees), Mark Sweeney (LA Dodgers)
Second basemen (6): Geoff Blum (San Diego), Miguel Cairo (St. Louis), Luis Castillo (NY Mets), Damian Easley (NY Mets), Jerry Hairston (Texas), D'Angelo Jimenez (Washington)
Third basemen (9): Tony Batista (Washington), Aaron Boone (Florida), Russell Branyan (St. Louis), Jeff Cirillo (Arizona), Pedro Feliz (San Francisco), Corey Koskie (Milwaukee), Mike Lamb (Houston), Abraham Nunez (Phillies), Alex Rodriguez (NY Yankees)
Shortstops (6): David Eckstein (St. Louis), Chris Gomez (Cleveland), Tony Graffanino (Milwaukee), Mark Loretta (Houston), Neifi Perez (Detroit), Chris Woodward (Atlanta)
Outfielders (18): Marlon Anderson (NY Mets), Barry Bonds (San Francisco), Milton Bradley (San Diego), Jeff DaVanon (Oakland), Darin Erstad (Chi. White Sox), Shawn Green (NY Mets), Torii Hunter (Minnesota), Geoff Jenkins (Milwaukee), Bobby Kielty (Boston), Kenny Lofton (Cleveland), Trot Nixon (Cleveland), Orlando Palmeiro (Houston), Aaron Rowand (Phillies), Reggie Sanders (Kansas City), Sammy Sosa (Texas), Matt Stairs (Toronto), Shannon Stewart (Oakland), Rondell White (Minnesota)
Any of those names interest you?
17 comments:
Scott,
1. Any chance the Phillies bring in Scott Linebrink?
2. Do you think we will upgrade mostly through trade or free agency?
3. Romero is going to re-sign......isn't he?
Scott-
Thanks for the quote from Amaro. Having had as much interaction with him as you've had, do you take them to mean that we're going to sign pitching and then worry about the rest? Or how do you take them?
My concern is that is sounds as if third base will be a Helms-Dobbs platoon and that we're going to see what Rowand gets on the market and try to match it. If we aren't going to upgrade at third, don't we still need the production from centerfield?
Thanks, Scott. Great post to get me thinking.
stockerfan19: Great questions. Some answers:
1. I think they'll look at a bunch of pitchers. Linebrink may be one of them. Certainly, they had some interest in trading for Linebrink last winter. Good thing they didn't, though. It would've cost them Rowand.
2. It'll be a combination of the two. They have some (not a lot) of money to spend, but there isn't much to spend it on. Trade-wise, they have little excess on the 25-man roster to deal.
3. In the end, I think Romero will sign. But it won't be as easy as I initially thought, and the Phils may have to sweat it out a little.
Anonymous: Yes, in this situation, I think you can take them to mean exactly what Amaro is saying. They want to address pitching, first and foremost. That doesn't mean they'll pass up a deal for a third baseman if it should come along tomorrow. But their focus will be on pitching.
Agree completely with you that a Helms-Dobbs platoon isn't good enough, especially if they don't re-sign Rowand. But I don't think Lowell will be in their price range, leaving them to probably have to trade for a third baseman (Joe Crede may be available). I think it's clear that Rowand wants to test the market. But, as Amaro says, that doesn't mean he won't return to Philly, assuming the Phils make a fair, competitive offer (four years, $40 million will probably be the going rate).
your column isn't worth 50-cents
Matt Stairs strikes me as a low risk, high reward kind of guy. He's old, but his bat speed is tremendous. He could back Howard up and be a pinch-hitter with some actual clout, unlike the pansy-hitting Abe Nunez. At any rate, I'd like to see them take a look at him.
Pitching-wise, Jeremy Affeldt of course strikes me. So do the names Cordero, Rivera, Linebrink, and Percival. Any combination of those guys would be awesome.
I'd also love to see the Phillies get Lowell AND Rowand -- I can dream, can't I?
Torii Hunter, Francisco Cordero, Scott Linebrink, move Myers back to the rotation, re-sign Romero, trade for Garland...
See ya in October.
When you look at Silva's numbers they are very similar to Kendrick's, low K's, low BB's and a lot of ground balls. He would be helpful but only if we also picked up Schilling, because Silva would be helpful over a long season but not very dominating in big games. Will we lose a draft pick for signing Silva and Schilling? That could also be a factor as well. One option that they have not used before, but maybe after a good experience with Iguchi it could be a possibility, are the Japanese free agents. 3 of these who do not require a posting fee that are available include 2 pitchers, RH SP Hiroki Kuroda who scouts say could be a "3 or a 4" SP. and RH RP Masahide Kobayashi who Bobby Valentine said "looked better everytime out".The third guy is a LH hitting RF named Fukodome who is considered the best JFA this year. So what do you think the chances are that Gillick might go in this direction since he does have some history in that market from his Seattle days? Or is this an area that we actually want him to look at?
...next October...
Just a few points to add
I really hope the Phillies live up to their word of prioritizing pitching. It is something the team has preached about needing to do, but they never seem to come up with quality pitching. As has been suggested, the Phillies need to adapt to what is available on the market. They need to move Meltdown Myers to the starting rotation and sign Cordero. The starting pitching available is pathetic. So, I can't justify giving out an Adam Eaton contract to another medicore starter.
I would also like to add what I believe is a crucial element to the Phillies off season plans. With all of this talk going on about the Phils trading to improve their roster, I think it would be a monumental mistake to trade their front line pitching prospects. While they do have about a half dozen really solid pitching prospects (all of which will be at AA or below next year) you can't get enough pitching as we've seen. Additionally, I think Adrian Cardenas could be a future stud and is a classic Philadelphia blue collar player, should also be kept.
So you might be asking.. If you don't want the Phillies to trade their quality prospects, how would you like them to improve the roster? Well, I know I will take a ton of heat for suggesting this, but here goes. I believe the Phillies should trade Ryan Howard. Ryan has put up monster numbers for two years, but he's a strikeout machine (He set the record this year for strikeouts in a season). He seems totally aloof to what pitchers try to do to him (i.e. No fastballs down the pike, All off speed pitches down). Instead of going up there and being patient and trying to drive the ball the other way he swings for the fences every single at bat. But, his weaknesses are not the issue. The Phillies can trade a player at his maximum value point. They can turn around and get some quality major league pitching as well as some solid prospects for him.
Also, it's unfortunate that Iguchi is not able to play 3rd base. I think the guy really understands the game and plays hard every single out. Hopefully, for him, he lands in a good situation. The guy was a pleasure to watch this year.
Matt, if they trade Ryan Howard everyone, including me, would burn the stadium to the ground. They need to be creative, not destructive.
Out of those names, I like the idea of signing either Doug Brocail, David Riske, or Troy Percival. I thought we looked at Percival last season before he signed with the Cards, but came away unimpressed with his workouts.
I was just checking up on some baseball news and saw the Royals declined their option on Odalis Perez. Now granted, he had a very Adam Eaton-esque ERA of 6.20 last season, but he's only 30 years old and would probably greatly benefit from a return to the NL. Plus, it doesn't always to hurt to have too many lefties. If we could bring him in on a one year incentive-laden deal to be our swing pitcher (#5 starter/long reliever), I say it'd be worth the risk.
Forgot to put many name in!
Hi Ed,
I understand that. I realize what I am suggesting seems a little off the wall to most, but here are some additional reasons that I did not put in my last post because I didn't want to be too long winded.
1. It doesn't seem like Ryan Howard is very adaptable. He seems totally content to go up to the plate and look fastball every single pitch and swing out of his shorts at breaking pitches. He doesn't realize that now that he has proven he can hit that pitchers will not groove pitches down the middle like they did in his first year.
2. He is one of the worst defensive first basemen I have ever seen. First base is supposed to be an easy position to play. This guy makes it look like he's playing 3rd base or shortstop.
3. The thing that I found most discouraging this year was his lack of effort. Is there any reason the guy can't run out ground balls? How can he sit there and watch guys like Utley, Dobbs, and Victorino break their rear ends running out routine grounders and he can't even rev it up to 75% speed down the line?
Every player has a point where they reach their peak. Ryan Howard's numbers declined this year. His defense was even worse this year. It's the same deal with Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell. I'm sure the Phillies would have loved to turn back the clock on those guys and make better deals/trades. But, they didn't have the foresight to see how those players would pan out.
Also, I had read mid-season that the Giants were willing to offer Lincecum and Lowry for Howard. Can you imagine adding those two guys to the pitching staff? Sure, Lowry had some injury issues at the end of the season, but he's still light years better than the dregs of the free agent market. Lincecum proved all the scouts who said he was small wrong this year. The guy has a very bright future in this league.
Finally, this is just my opinion. I realize it is going to be highly contested by 99.9% of fans, but I just wanted to throw it out there.
Matt in Philadelphia: You raise a VERY interesting issue with Howard. There's no question he had an inconsistent 2007. And while I don't think the Phils will trade him (breathe easy, Ed S.), I believe they'll think long and hard before they make a long-term contract offer. Keep in mind: Howard is bound to the Phillies through the 2011 season. By the time he's eligible for free agency, he'll be on the verge of turning 32 and perhaps will have exited his prime years.
This is a topic for another post (and I promise to continue our position-by-position analysis with first base later this week), but I love the comments and debate. Keep it coming, and stay tuned for that first base post.
Scott,
Your blog is great. Thanks for the excellent info.
A lot of us are counting the days to spring training. So any and all Phillies news is greatly appreciated.
I know the Phils need a 3rd baseman. The Red Sox are looking to dump Mike Lowell. I think I heard he would be willing to play in Philly.
Any thoughts?
-Griffin from Dover, DE-
Griffin from Dover, DE: Thanks for the note.
Actually, the Sox want to keep Lowell. But, from everything I keep hearing, they're reluctant to sign him to a long-term deal because he'll already be 34 by opening day. The Yankees are now in the market for a third baseman. Lowell would be a good start toward replacing Alex Rodriguez, and as well all know, the Yankees can out-spend everyone.
Having said that, the Phils will discuss what it will take to get Lowell. Their primary concern, though, as assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. told me this week, is pitching. And, at last check, Lowell doesn't pitch.
Thanks again for the note.
Post a Comment