Everywhere Charlie Manuel went last winter -- even to a fund-raiser at his niece's college in Virginia -- he talked about the Phillies' need to improve their bullpen. This year, he's singing a different tune.
I took a drive up to Reading last night and caught up with Manuel before the latest banquet on the Phillies' promotional tour. With new closer Brad Lidge sitting across the room, Manuel talked about the bullpen being stronger in 2008. "I'm more confident than I was last year," he said. "We're better now than we were this time last year. If we can keep Flash [Tom Gordon] healthy, with Lidge and Gordon and [J.C.] Romero and [Ryan] Madson, from the seventh inning to the end of the game I think we're pretty good."
Here's the thing about Manuel: He's an eternal optimist. He can see the sunny side of a blackout. And while the late-season success of Gordon and Romero and the addition of Lidge has him thinking even more positively than usual, the Phillies' bullpen is loaded with questions.
1. Can Gordon, who is pitching with a partially torn labrum in his right shoulder, stay healthy?
2. How will Madson recover from a shoulder strain that ended his season in July?
3. Will Romero be the tough lefty who finished the 2007 regular season with 15-2/3 scoreless innings or the erratic lefty who was designated for assignment by the Red Sox in June?
4. Who will fill the final three spots in the bullpen? Is Scott Mathieson ready? Are Chad Durbin, Clay Condrey, Francisco Rosario, Travis Blackley, Fabio Castro or Mike Zagurski?
5. And what about Lidge's surgically repaired right knee?
Lidge told me last night that he'll be ready to pitch when spring training begins, although he said he'll be cautious during agility drills. It's possible, he said, that he initially won't be able to do as much running as some other pitchers.
How confident are you in the Phillies' bullpen? Do they need more help in this area?
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A few days ago, Pat Gillick was talking about how the Phillies will miss Abraham Nunez's defense at third base in the late innings. Well, Nunez has signed a minor-league deal with the Brewers. Milwaukee GM Doug Melvin said Nunez hadn't received other offers and is willing to open 2008 in triple-A, if necessary.
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Ironically, Rod Barajas has signed with the Blue Jays. It's ironic because Barajas backed out of a deal with Toronto last winter before signing with the Phillies. Somewhere in North Dakota, Chris Coste is breathing a sigh of relief.
1 comment:
I think the Phillies need one more pitcher, and although the relief market was very inflated earlier in the winter, if you look at some of the more recent signings, guys who could've helped the Phillies signed low budget deals. The Red Sox just signed 2 veteran relievers, and the Reds got Jeremy Affeldt for $3 million for one year. Depth never hurts. That being said, the best bullpens year after year are the ones where guys come out of nowhere, not those where the average fan recognizes all of the names at the beginning of the year.
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