Phillies Interested In Melvin Mora

Yikes. One has to be pretty desperate to consider Mora as a 3B option. You'd think that taking a flyer on injury-risks like Joe Crede would make more sense than Mora's big contract, declining bat, and probable involvement in the Gibbons/Palmeiro/Tejada "Vitamin B12" club.

Just speculating here. Maybe the Orioles will take back Eaton's contract? It's about a wash. Of course, I still think the Phillies would be better off just keeping Eaton and hoping he can rebound back to a level of mediocrity.

Crede is overrated, I assume, by virtue of his 2006 stats. If healthy, and that's a big if, you're getting .260/23/75 from him. I guess that's fine, if you can get him cheaply. If not, I'd pass.

Agreed Twitchell. That line is predictable and acceptable as far as I'm concerned. Keep in mind, we have Rollins, Utley, Howard in the lineup. Crede would not be asked to do much more than 25/75.

It is an upgrade over the current platoon and if you are going to make a move to upgrade at 3B, Mora is not the answer. Not saying Crede is the answer either but he is younger, has more potential to do some damage and better defensively.

Mora is also some 8 years older and 6-7 million a year more costly.

Hey bankyconan, I'm glad you went statistics searching but it is still not a good move. The fact of the matter is paying that kind of money for 36 yr. old 3B that has his good years behind him is a bad move for anybody.

Also, I dont know where you want stat searching but Crede's best year is certainly better than Mora's top 3, its a debate. Crede best yr is .283 30/94 - other than 04 which was Mora's best season, Mora 2nd best was .283 27/88. So don't make it sound like Mora has had way better years than Crede dude.

The Phillies want to win now and Mora has a better track record then Crede. If they are trading nothing for him i don't understand how you cant think Mora is a good pickup. Team player who can play multiple positions can't hurt your team.

He'd be better both offensively and defensively than Helms/Dobbs. Word is if a 3b is brought in, Helms is shipped to NYY, where he can go with his buddy Girardi. Not sure why they'd want him, however.

As a White Sox fan I can tell you these things about Crede:

He was a two-time minor league MVP. He is still young and was getting better every year with the Sox. His defense has always been outstanding and in the minors he was always a big hitter. He had trouble with his long swing in the Majors. In 2006 he put it togther with a GG caliber season and a real nice offensive breakthrough. Most people expected him to produce even more offensively in the future but since Sept. 2006 he's had serious back pain. The Sox thought he should have had surgery at the end of the 2006 season but he and his agent, BORAS, refused. So, he stunk it up in 2007 until he couldn't play anymore after about 1/3 of the season.

Bottom line: Crede WAS a great young 3rd baseman. Now, who knows how his back will allow him to play in the future ? And, his agent is still BORAS.

I hope that the Sox find some team to give them a decent return on him and let him go. I think his agent scares me more than his back.

He's a popular fan favorite and he always said that he wouldn't let his agent dictate to him but he made a big mistake by not having surgery in 2006 and that hurt the White Sox 2007 season big time! And, the Sox have been trying to extend him for 2-3 years and even now they are being told that Crede wants to test the market after the season. Good luck.

Wow. Didn't know Melvin was that old.

Assuming that you could get him for some middling prospects to eat the contract, I would like to see him on the Phillies.

He's a pull hitter that would be helped by the Bank. He's an actual 3rd baseman, as opposed to Helms and Dobbs. Adding him would also help the OF by allowing Dobbs to platoon with Werth in right. I think Werth would be exposed in a full season as a starter, he has a long swing and struggles with even decent righthanded cheese.

Doobs could also slide back as the primary PH, a role in which he thrived last year.

I know he's not a difference maker and probably a roid head, but he'd still be a solid addition IF they are willing to eat the contract.

Why are the Phils not in the Miggy stakes? Do they have no one in their system? He's only going to cost 11 mil this year, and solves their 3B problems big time.

Honestly, I'd think about giving up the farm for him.

ajkreider, there isn't much of a farm to give up, and if there was, I don't think a breaking-down Tejada would be a wise investment of upper-tier prosects like Cardenas, Carrasco, etc.

I like a breaking-down Mora better, better defense than the unproven-at-3rd Miggy, somewhat smaller dollar cost, much smaller prospect cost

Phils can have Pedro Feliz

;)

Sorry, by "Miggy" I meant Cabrera. The Phils can afford him this year. But if they don't have enough to trade for Tejada, then they certainly don't have enough for Cabrera.

A Rollins, Utley, Cabrera, Howard line-up sure would look nice, though.

It just goes to show: If you're a baseball team, and your named after a bird, you're probably going to suck ba**s this year.

Seriously, do the bluejays, orioles, or cardinals even have a chance this year?

As a Phils fan, I would trade Kyle Kendrick in a package for Mora. Before you jump all over me, here's my logic:

1) I've seen Kendrick pitch over 10 times. His stuff is average and his command isn't great. I'm convinced that he pitched above his abilities last year, and as a 23 y.o. with ML great numbers last year he's at tippy top trade value in this current market.

If he remains on the Phils, with more exposure and his poor secondary pitches/fastball command, I see him pitching to no better than a 5 ERA in 30 starts.

2) Because of this value, you could probably either get another solid second-tier prospect, a servicable bullpen arm, or get the O's to eat a majority of Mora's contract.

As an Orioles fan, I expect another mediocre year from Mora... but I bet if he traded to a contender like the Phils, he'd be motivated and put together a much better year than Helms/Dobbs, especially defensively where he has turned into a pretty solid 3B.

Mora hasn't been very good the past 2 years, but you can tell that the skills are still there. He is certainly capable of putting together a good season in the bandbox that is Citizen's Pank in that absurd lineup.

If the phillies throw in Kendrick, as one poster suggested, then I'd say that Tejeda would have to be the one coming over, not Mora.

Mora can be had for nothing if we eat most of the contract. I'd rather pay money then lose players.