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Quick Hits: Villone, Moorad, Lidge, White Sox

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Links for Saturday night, as Alex Gordon continues to enjoy a productive spring….

  • The contract Ron Villone signed with the Nationals is non-guaranteed and worth $750K, tweets SI.com's Jon Heyman.
  • Padres chief executive Jeff Moorad has officially vested himself of the portion of the Diamondbacks he owned, reports MLB.com's Barry M. Bloom.
  • Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com profiles a handful of prospects, including a pair of Royals, who could have an impact for subpar teams this year.
  • One scout discussed Brad Lidge with ESPN's Jayson Stark: "If I were the Phillies, I'd be worried. He's having a tough time getting his arm strength this spring." 2011 is the last guaranteed year of Lidge's contract, with the Phillies holding a $12.5MM club option ($1.5MM buyout) on 2012.
  • Ozzie Guillen says he doesn't care who emerges as the White Sox closer, since he has full confidence in both Chris Sale and the recently extended Matt Thornton, writes Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune.
  • For the latest updates on the closer situations in Philadelphia, Chicago, and everywhere else, be sure to follow @closernews on Twitter.

NL East Notes: Rodriguez, Amaro, Manuel, Utley

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Let's take a look at some items on the Mets and Phillies..

Phillies Sign Ruben Amaro Jr. To Extension

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Now that they've locked their manager up, the Phillies have moved on to the front office.  The Phillies and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. have finalized a four-year contract extension, according to a team press release.

The Phillies promoted Amaro to GM after Pat Gillick retired following the team's 2008 World Championship. Amaro, a seven-year veteran of the major leagues, spent ten years as an assistant GM before his promotion (1999-2008). You won't find anyone with deeper ties to the Phillies; Amaro was a batboy for the team and he and his father both suited up for the Phils at the Major League level.

Amaro has traded for Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt since taking over the team and later signed Lee as a free agent. The Phillies won the NL East in both 2009 and 2010, making it to the World Series in '09 and to the NLCS in '10. As MLBTR's Transaction Tracker shows, Amaro has been aggressive with extensions, locking eight players up in two-plus seasons on the job.

Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News reported yesterday that the extension was "virtually done" and that the two sides were putting the "finishing touches" on the agreement.  Bob Brookover of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link) reported that a deal was finalized.

Phillies Notes: Lee, Young, Utley

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Here's the latest from the four-time defending National League East champs…

  • In an interview today on Philadelphia's WIP Radio, Cliff Lee said that his top priority as a free agent was to join the team with the best chance of winning.  After the Phillies, his next choices were the Rangers and the Yankees, in that order.  New York was the third choice since, Lee says, "I felt like with what the Red Sox had done and it seems like some of the Yankee guys are getting older, but I liked the Rangers.”
  • It seems unlikely that the Phillies could manage to take on Michael Young's salary, but Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News outlines how the Phils could conceivably acquire the Rangers' infielder.  Hagen surmises the club can partially pay for Young if they receive some insurance money back from a lengthy Chase Utley injury, and if the Phillies can move Joe Blanton (owed $17MM over the next two seasons) to the Rangers in the trade.
  • Both Hagen and MLB.com's Todd Zolecki point out that the Phillies want to avoid having their payroll reach the $178MM threshold that would cost them a luxury tax payment.  The Philadelphia payroll currently projects to be in the $165MM-$168MM range.  GM Ruben Amaro tells Zolecki that the team believes Utley "will be healthy enough sooner rather than later," but if the team does look outside the organization for help, MLBTR's Tim Dierkes recently looked at some potential second base candidates.

Phillies Release Robb Quinlan

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The Phillies granted Robb Quinlan his release after he asked for it, according to MLB.com's Todd Zolecki (on Twitter). They signed Quinlan to a minor league deal in December.

The eight-year veteran has spent his entire MLB career with the Angels as a backup at the corner infield and outfield positions. He has a .276/.322/.401 career line, but fell off to .121/.171/.182 last year and the Angels released him.

Rangers, D’Backs Discussed Michael Young Again

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The Diamondbacks made another attempt to acquire Michael Young from the Rangers last week, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Though Young has asked to be traded, there’s no guarantee that he would approve a move to the D’Backs, one of the teams to which he can veto trades. However, one source told Rosenthal that Young would be willing to join the D’Backs and play third base.

Young has a list of ten teams to which he would approve a trade, according to Rosenthal: the eight teams that can acquire him without approval plus the Phillies and the Cubs. Young can’t block trades to the Rockies, Angels, Dodgers, Padres, Cardinals, Twins, Yankees and Astros, according to Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports. 

Young is expensive – he’ll earn $16MM for each of the next three seasons – but the Rangers don’t want to compromise their chances of winning in 2011 by dealing him. Young’s contract makes him unattractive to both the Phillies and the Cubs. The Phillies don’t have much room in their budget, so acquiring a $16MM player is unrealistic. The Cubs wouldn’t find it much easier to make the financial side of the deal work.

Phillies, Charlie Manuel Sign Two-Year Extension

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The Phillies signed a two-year deal with manager Charlie Manuel, the team announced. Manuel, who was already under contract for 2011, is now signed through 2013 on a two-year extension that is expected to be worth $7-8MM, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. says Manuel has been "an integral part" of the team's recent success.

The Phillies are 544-428 since Manuel took over in 2005, best among National League teams during that period. Philadelphia has won four consecutive division titles (2007-10), two pennants (2008-09) and the 2008 World Series title under Manuel.

Manuel has four aces helping him bid for a fifth consecutive NL East title, but Chase Utley's injured right knee has dampened the mood in Clearwater.

Heyman On Phillies, Davis, Molina, Mets

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The Phillies are concerned about Chase Utley's injured right knee but, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com they hadn't called the Rangers about Michael Young as of this morning. Here's the latest on the Phillies and notes from around the league:

  • Phillies scout Charley Kerfeld had been watching the Rangers and may have been scouting Young.
  • Chris Davis has an option left, so the Rangers are expected to send him down to start the season in the minors, despite his strong spring performance so far.
  • 22-year-old Dodgers prospect Rubby De La Rosa is impressing with his upper-90s fastball and command.
  • Though the Padres would like Bengie Molina to return to action at a bargain price, they're under the impression that the backstop is in "retirement mode." The Padres expressed interest in Molina earlier in the week, after Gregg Zaun retired, but they don't have much left in their budget.
  • It remains unlikely that Oliver Perez or Luis Castillo will break camp with the Mets, even though the team doesn't have tremendous depth from the left side out of the bullpen or at second base.

Phillies Close To Extension With Charlie Manuel

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3:17pm: Manuel told MLB.com's Todd Zolecki that there's a "good chance" the sides announce a deal before the end of the weekend. "We're close, but it's not official," Manuel said, acknowledging that this could be his final deal as a manager.

1:13pm: The Phillies are close to an extension with manager Charlie Manuel, reports Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.  It's expected to be a two-year deal for $3.5-4MM per year.  Manuel was reportedly hoping to get something done before Opening Day.  He's already signed for 2011.

Possible Plan Bs For Chase Utley

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Phillies team physician Dr. Michael Ciccotti released a statement this morning regarding second baseman Chase Utley; here's an excerpt:

An MRI was obtained that demonstrated his prior tendinitis, chondromalacia, and bone inflammation.  His chondromalacia symptoms persisted in spite of focused non-operative care, including a cortisone injection.  A subsequent cartilage-specific MRI was obtained confirming the initial diagnosis.  Continued non-operative treatment is being carried out and additional opinions will be obtained.

Additionally, here are comments from GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and head trainer Scott Sheridan, passed along by MLB.com's Todd Zolecki.  Amaro at least is not considering the idea that Utley could miss the season.

ESPN's Buster Olney presumes the Phillies are at least considering which second base candidates might become available this season.  We'll start with his two speculative ideas, and add a few more.

  • Chone Figgins, Mariners:  Figgins' value is at a low point, he's owed $26MM over the next three years at the least, and switching him to second base again would be questionable.
  • Jeff Keppinger, Astros:  He's making $2.3MM this year and is under team control for 2012 as an arbitration eligible player.  He could be a good fit.    
  • David Eckstein, free agent:  SI's Jon Heyman made this suggestion on Twitter.  On a minor league deal, there's no harm in adding Eckstein or a similar free agent.  Others include Willy Aybar, Julio Lugo, Bobby Crosby, and Cristian Guzman, although Guzman will miss at least the first half due to family issues.
  • Michael Young, Rangers:  Between Young's contract and Adrian Beltre's injury, this is difficult to picture.  Plus it'd create another uncomfortable situation when Utley is ready to play.  Heyman tweets that while the Phillies have not been in contact with the Rangers lately, top scout Charley Kerfeld is following them and Young.
  • Felipe Lopez, Rays:  Lopez is battling with out of options Elliot Johnson for the Rays' utility infielder job.  Johnson is dealing with a quad injury currently.  It's possible Lopez has an opt-out if he doesn't make the team.
  • Luis Castillo, Mets: If Castillo is released the Phillies could take a look, but they might prefer their internal options.  Castillo would only cost the league minimum.
  • Ramon Santiago, Tigers: He "could be a possibility" for the Phillies, tweets CBS' Danny Knobler.

Internally, the Phillies have Wilson Valdez and Brian Bocock on the 40-man roster and Josh Barfield and Pete Orr as non-roster invitees. 

Six days ago, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said regarding Utley's injury, "I'm not going to be doing anything else because of this.  I mean, we'll watch some of the other guys play, but we expect (Utley) to be our second baseman."  Look for the Phillies to make a minor addition at most unless Utley's condition takes a turn for the worse.

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