Phils Crave 5th OF
Randy Miller wrote an article yesterday quoting Phils GM Pat Gillick's desire for a lefty outfield bat off the bench. Miller didn't throw out any names, so I thought I'd dig around a bit to see who might be on the radar. According to my best Phillies source:
On B.J. Surhoff: "I got a lukewarm response from a high ranking club official when i asked about him a week ago. Not saying it won't happen, but i didn't like the guy's body language."
On Bobby Higginson: "I got a thumbs down when I asked about Higgy a month ago."
On Josh Kroeger (already a member of the team): "They could go from within with this Kroeger kid, but I'm sure they will keep looking."
Just throwing out a name here, but how about trading for Jorge Piedra? Young lefty stick with pop who can hit righties and is buried on the Rockies' depth chart. I have a feeling the Phils wouldn't be setting their sights that high for a fifth outfielder, however.
Is Higginson still under contract with Detroit?
Posted by: Craig | February 24, 2006 at 12:14 PM
Nah he's a free agent.
Posted by: RumorMonger | February 24, 2006 at 12:18 PM
They can have Kearns or Pena for Brito or Tejeda
Posted by: David. | February 24, 2006 at 01:03 PM
Hey Rumor,
What about Craig Wilson...he seems to be out of a job...I think he makes between 3-4 mill....could be 4th or 5th outfielder and give the Phils a righty for 1st base on Horwards' off days. I think he's actually too good to sit but he could be a nice power source off the bench. Maybe the Phils could work a deal w/ the Bucs during spring training.
Your thoughts?
I never do scenarios like this....so be gentle.
Posted by: st.PETE ROSE | February 24, 2006 at 04:02 PM
I like it...but probably more likely if he was slotting in as a 4th OF or something. If he's behind Victorino on the depth chart it might not be worth doing. But Burrell and Abreu might miss some time so it's not a bad idea...
Posted by: RumorMonger | February 24, 2006 at 04:07 PM
Kearns or Pena for Brito? Lol, ok, Ill drive Eude to Cinci myself.
Posted by: xxJamesxx | February 24, 2006 at 05:21 PM
Wilson's a righty bat - I think he wants a lefty bat off the bench - I thought the same thing!
Remember the guys has to have some pop, be a lefty and Cheap.....and be willing to come off the bench...
So, what about (in trade for Brito) either Ricky Ledee or Jody Gerut
Not that I dont like Brito but I think he is buried behind "Stuff" guys like Hamels, Gonzalez, Mathieson, Tejeda even, etc...
Posted by: SteveH | February 24, 2006 at 05:29 PM
I still think the Phillies are going to be stupid (yeah, yeah typical negative Philadelphian attitude...) and go into the season with one of their 4,000 utility infielders knowing enough of the outfield to qualify as a backup IF/5th "OF." That's just what I think they'll do. What I'd like to see them do is completely different.
The example of Jorge Piedra is an excellent one and falls perfectly in sync with my line of thinking on how to fill this hole on the roster. Piedra may be, as stated by RM, too good a player for the Phillies to target as their 5th OF - something I agree with as I happen to like Piedra quite a bit. The idea of checking the AA and AAA rosters of teams and trying to swoop in and grab a prospect who is either blocked at the ML level or stalled in development appeals to me. Some names of varying quality that jumped out at me...
Jason Botts, switch hitter, OF/1B type, Texas - 26 years old in July
Raj Davis, switch hitter, OF, Pittsburgh - 25 years old
Doug Deeds, lefty, OF, Minnesota - 25 years old in June
Tyrell Godwin, lefty, OF, Washington - 27 years old in July
Freddy Guzman, switch hitter, OF, San Diego - 26 years old in August
Dave Krynzel, lefty, OF, Milwaukee - 24 years old
Freddie Lewis, lefty, OF, San Francisco - 25 years old
Dan Ortmeier, switch hitter, OF, San Francisco - 25 years old in May
Jerry Owens, lefty, OF, Washington - 25 years old
Jeff Salazar, lefty, OF, Colorado - 25 years old
John-Ford Griffin, lefty, OF/1B, Toronto - 26 years old
Casey Rogowski, lefty, 1B/OF, White Sox - 25 years old in May
Not all of those guys fit the mold exactly - some have less pop than desired, some are probably still valued by their current club more so than in my dream, etc. - but it's just a sampling of the AAAA talent that is perfect for that last bench role, even on a contending team.
Oh and yes, I know that was way too long, but I'm hoping to use some of this (and hopefully some good feedback too) as a post on a different site as well. So I'm not that big a baseball dork...but I really kinda am.
Posted by: xxx | February 24, 2006 at 07:49 PM
It's very difficult to be a Phillies fan and NOT be negative, given the club's history, and especially given the monumental disappointment of this off-season. I agree with xxx that this big-thinking franchise will probably start the season with Matt Kata or the other generic sixth infielder, whose name escapes me at the moment, as their fifth outfielder.
Posted by: MichaelZ | February 25, 2006 at 09:11 AM
Alex Gonzalez, or less likely, Tomas Perez
Posted by: Mattro | February 26, 2006 at 06:39 PM
Brito for Kelly Johnson or a outfield prospect from Atlanta
Posted by: Kyle S | February 28, 2006 at 09:38 AM