Chase Utley recently suggested to the Phillies that he could give third base a try next season, giving them a much needed boost at the position. However, the idea isn't quite the slam dunk that it would appear to be, writes Eric Seidman of Fangraphs. On the surface, Utley would give the club a better upgrade that free agent options such as Geoff Blum, Miguel Cairo, Kevin Kouzmanoff and Scott Rolen. On the other hand, it wouldn't be a true win for the Phillies unless they could find a suitable fill-in for Utley at second. There are a few appealing middle infield options on the open market that could possibly be had on low-cost, short-term deals like Jeff Keppinger and Stephen Drew, but there's not much beyond that. Here's more out of the NL and AL East..
- Derek Lowe says that he doesn't regret signing with the Yankees despite the fact that he likely won't make the postseason roster if the Bombers qualify, writes Zach Schonbrun of the New York Times. The veteran also didn't get the opportunity to make a start while Ivan Nova and Andy Pettitte were sidelined. The 39-year-old isn't sure if he wants to pitch out of the bullpen next season, but recently agent Scott Boras admitted that it would be difficult to find Lowe a starting job with a contender.
- The Mets front office remains committed to Terry Collins beyond this season despite the team's slide, tweets Mike Puma of the New York Post. Puma was told emphatically that Collins is returning next year, which has been the tone of the reports surrounding the manager's future for most of the summer.
- Former Nationals pitcher Livan Hernandez says that if he were in General Manager Mike Rizzo's shoes, he would have shut down Stephen Strasburg too, writes Amanda Comak of The Washington Times. In a recent poll, more than 60% of MLBTR readers said that they disagreed with the Nats' decision.
Id rather the phils just get jhonny peralta for cheap and just make him go back to third and pick up either BJ upton, Hamilton, Swisher or Pagan
They wouldn’t pursue a 2nd baseman beyond a role player type given Freddy Galvis’s presence. Granted he’s a horrible offensive player but he’s an absolute elite defender up the middle and pairing him with Jimmy Rollins and signing a Michael Bourn or BJ Upton type to play Center would really solidify the defense up the middle.
Side note: Imagine if they signed Rolen to play third…
After his fallout here the first time around I don’t think Amaro would be dumb enough to go that route. I also don’t even think Scotty would want to come back
I remember during the playoffs a few years ago he said something about regretting how his time here ended so he might want to pull a Jim Thome and come back to change his perception here.
I doubt it would happen but I thought it’d be interesting if it happened.
A negative to poor fan reaction every time a fan base thinks a player owes them something. It is bad enough when the local media are always negative and invent stories to write about, but when a large part of the fan base gets onto certain players because of a perceived slight on them, for no reason and never lets up? It can hurt the team in the long run.
That same reaction from “fans” chased Dick Allen out of Philly and am sure led to Kevin Burrell wanting out when he did.
Not to mention the poor treatment people like Drew, Varitek, Thome and rolen got for years.
edit:
Pat Burrel.. Always remember that old Winter haven red Sox catcher named kevin Burrell from decades ago and got Pat’s name mixed up with him… Apologies…
I’m not sure that Rolen disliked the media as much as he disliked Larry Bowa.
With you there.. posted here awhile back with regards to the time I met him (Bowa) when he 1st came up and didn’t take long to figure out that Bowa does not have a very nice disposition.
Pat had a pretty solid career. It’s a shame the expectations that were placed on him were really unreachable. He’s loved in the city now though for whatever it’s worth. Not his biggest fan but never really disliked him.
I agree with you though on the other points. Curt Schilling to this day is still hated in Philadelphia for leaving… yet they love Roy Halladay who did almost the exact same thing to Toronto and praise how he truly wanted to win… A lot of that’s Schilling’s personality too… I get that, but there’s no 1993 pennant without him.
Rolen is never gonna happen. I saw an interview where a philly reporter asked Rolen (unexpectantly) “have you given any thought on returning to the orginization that boosted your career?” He said, “Hey, you didn’t tell me you were gonna ask that question” a few times, smiling, then somewhat awkwardly walks away.
I don’t think so
Jeff Keppinger would be a great add in my book. No one on our team, or in free agency (for a reasonable price) could hit out of the 2 hole the way Kepp can, and being that he only cost 1.5 mil this year, a guy like this I would LOVE to have for only 2 mil. He would be the perfect stopgap for 1 year as Galvis develops in the minors for a season.
More on Kepp: he is a somewhat shotty defender. However, he can play 1B, 2B and 3B (along with Frandsen, no need for Martinez [one would think] anymore, plus he can help Chase transition to 3B). He also is righty, who will complement our multitude of Lefties. But most importantly, he can be a two hole hitter. career OBP of .333, with a .363 this year. He also kills the Phils, but thats just icing on the cake.
We also need a true leadoff hitter. I have no problem with Rollins in our lineup, though he can’t leadoff. Bourn is too expensive (and a lefty), BJ is a mere duplication of Rollins, and the rest can’t leadoff. Except for Pagan, which is why I want him. Also a reasonable OBP, can play all 3 OF positions, switch hitter, could have some power. Sounds like Victorino, but this guy can actually hit well leadoff. One more thing, he is affordable.
2013 Lineup
1. S Pagan CF
2. R Keppinger 2B/3B
3. L Utley 2B/3B
4. L Howard 1B
5. R Ruiz C
6. S Rollins SS
7. L/R Brown/Mayberry LF/RF
8. (No idea, maybe Nix involved)
9. pitcher
i can see the lineup working; as a mets fan i wouldn’t WANT to see it, but i can from a Phillies perspective. & if brown plays left and bats 7th, then mayberry bats 8th at right, or visa versa
Does the luxury tax not apply to the Phillies?
Cots has them at 133.1 right now. Schierholz and Frandsen are Arb 2 eligible. Bastardo and Herndon are Arb 1. Pierre and Schneider are free agents. (Figure on Schneider being gone. I’d like Pierre back, but who knows what he wants as far as playing time). So….figure back of the envelope guesstimate, they’ll have 20ish mil to work with. Need a setup guy and some bullpen arms. I’d like a better utility guy (I guess Galvis would work) and maybe take a flyer on a outfielder who’s coming off of injury as a reclamation project. Top flight outfielders (Hamilton, Bourn) are probably not doable. I said a few days ago that I dislike Swisher, but if his years and salary are reasonable-ish, he’s an option. Of course, you could always go into the season with some space and maybe work out a trade at the deadline for an expiring contract. With what prospects the Phillies have, I’m not sure if thats a smart idea or not.
the line up is alright but with a couple differences. we cant assume chooch will have the same season he did this year so the 5th spot is unrealistic. i think the answer to second base lies within the organization in glavis. i could see him becoming our second baseman with chase at 3rd. that would leave room for two reasonable (key word there) outfield pickups and even possibly a relief pitcher. I like pagan too and think he would be a great fit.
galvis hit .220 something with PED’s, imagine him without. Getting Kepp is not expensive, just 2 mil for one year. What this means is that once next year comes, Kepp is gone again, and then Galvis can get his 2014 shot after a year of AAA seasoning. Plus with Glavis in the lineup, who bats #2?
We can’t assume a Ruiz repeat, yes, but even if he’s close to this year, he can still bat #6 with Rollins #5, just play it by ear.
we have about 25 mil to spend. If we invest in Pagan and Kepp (not really an investment) we have much money for a bullpen arm. Preferably Farnsworth, Peralta, Hawkins, there are a lot of options. But lets not rush Galvis to the MLB. He has at least 1 more option and so do we.
Kelly Johnson would be a poassible fit on a 1 year deal.