Phillies Rumors

Lieber Showcase Goes Well

By Tim Dierkes | March 6, 2007 at 8:52am CDT

One of the most likely players to be traded this spring is 37 year-old starter Jon Lieber. He tossed a couple of scoreless frames yesterday in front of plenty of scouts. Liebs makes $7.5MM in the last year of his deal. If he can come up with 180 innings of 4.50 ball, he’s worth it as a fourth starter. Were I the Phillies, I would not be in any rush to make a deal. Use Adam Eaton out of the pen, sit on the surplus and enjoy it. How many teams keep all five of their starters healthy the entire year?

A Lieber trade does appear inevitable though. Aside from the Blue Jays, who else might be interested? How about the Astros? They’ve got a couple of decent relievers and the need for a solid starter. The Rangers could get involved if Eric Gagne is healthy. And the Twins might be a decent fit as well.

Phils Covet Rios

By Tim Dierkes | March 5, 2007 at 2:00pm CDT

Blue Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi was pretty clear on his intentions: "we’re not trading Rios." But what else is he going to say? Jeff Blair of the Globe and Mail has a source that says despite that declaration, Pat Gillick still wants him for the Phillies.

Blair says the Jays won’t trade Rios unless they’re getting Brett Myers or Cole Hamels in return. We’ll label that as educated speculation on Blair’s part. Such a trade would make about as much sense as using Myers as closer.

The much talked-about scenario involves the Phils somehow wresting Rios from the Jays without giving up either frontline starter, and then shipping Aaron Rowand to San Diego for Scott Linebrink. I’m all for speculation, but the Jays know what they’ve got in Rios. He doesn’t get traded if Jon Lieber is the centerpiece.

Your Opinion On Ryan Howard

By Tim Dierkes | March 4, 2007 at 12:35pm CDT

The Ryan Howard post yesterday sparked quite a debate. Now is your chance to see how your peers feel about his comments and contract renewal. Click here to vote on whether you feel he was out of line.

Howard Looking For Pujols Money?

By Tim Dierkes | March 3, 2007 at 2:49pm CDT

Jim Thome’s contract forced the Phillies to keep Ryan Howard in the minors after he had proven he was ready for the big leagues. The situation is currently paying off, as they are capturing Howard’s peak seasons very cheaply.

Yesterday they handed the zero-leverage Howard a record-tying contract, and he does not sound happy. If you read between the lines of his comments, it’s obvious he feels he deserved more money. Howard’s rejection of a one-year deal for more than $900K (as opposed to the renewal sans incentives he received) sends a bitter message. Randy Miller, unlike some of the other Philly papers, snagged a more direct quote:

"Go ask them," Howard blurted out in a raised voice. "They’re the ones with all the money."

Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer notes that Howard is probably looking to exceed the seven-year, $100MM deal Albert Pujols has (which is a bargain for him). Howard’s agent Casey Close told Baseball America they expect to surpass Chase Utley’s 7/85 contract if they go long-term.

Howard is an offensive superstar, no doubt, but there seems to be an unjustified sense of entitlement here. Whether it’s driven by his agent or Howard is uncertain, but agents work for players. Players with 1.5 seasons in the bigs have to pay their dues; the reward is being overpaid upon reaching free agency. My gut says Howard will not sign a long-term deal or be a Phillie five years from now.

That’s not to say the Phillies shouldn’t consider locking him up despite the fact that Howard turned 27 last November. They just have to be careful about projecting the 2014 performance of a player whose top comparables are Mo Vaughn (large decline at age 31, out of baseball at 35) and Travis Hafner (a DH). Howard can become a free agent after the 2011 season, when he’s 31.

One final thought: I think the Phillies should’ve renewed Howard at $1.5-2MM; it would’ve sent him and the public a much better message about getting a long-term deal done. $900K might tie a record, but only if you ignore inflation. Jim Salisbury agrees, saying even another $100K would’ve made a symbolic difference.

Alex Rodriguez And The Cubs

By Tim Dierkes | March 2, 2007 at 11:00pm CDT

UPDATE: In a related story, Jon Heyman of SI.com lists a slew of teams that inquired about Rodriguez’s availability this winter: the Angels, Dodgers, White Sox, Cubs, Giants, Phillies, Diamondbacks, and Indians. Heyman says the White Sox and Dodgers were the most persistent. None of the offers went anywhere given Rodriguez’s unwillingness to waive his no-trade clause.

Bob Raissman of the New York Daily News has an imposing mustache as well as some insight into Alex Rodriguez’s next possible destination. The article involves Lou Piniella in his underwear as well as a lot of crying and one tender kiss. I found it touching.

Anyway, Raissman believes, based on an upcoming HBO interview with Rodriguez, that a reunion with Lou Piniella in Chicago would be a dream come true for him. Rodriguez responded to the idea thusly:

"He’s on a different team in a different league. My memories of Lou are in the present and the past, not the future."

This is not the first time Rodriguez has been connected to the Cubs. Last July, later confirmed by other sources, Bleed Cubbie Blue broke news of the team’s trading deadline interest.

I would imagine that Rodriguez would not play shortstop for the Cubs for the duration of his 5+ year contract. More likely to me: A-Rod plays shortstop for three seasons, through 2010. At that point, Derrek Lee’s contract will be up and Aramis Ramirez might be ready to shift to first base. Ramirez is a Cub through 2011 or 2012.

Tim’s take – Chance of Alex Rodriguez signing with the Cubs in the ’07-’08 offseason: 15%.

Ryan Howard Gets $900K

By Tim Dierkes | March 2, 2007 at 3:18pm CDT

A reader recently wrote:

Could you guys comment on the Ryan Howard contract? He was signed today for 900k. I know he’s only in his second full year, but that seems cheap for a 50+ HR guy. I guess I’m unsure of his arbitration status, I assume he is not eligible and this contract is just a sign of good faith?

It is a sign of good faith; the salary ties Albert Pujols for the largest ever for a guy with less than two years service time. Howard is not yet eligible for arbitration, though the Phils have talked about signing him to a long-term deal to cover those years. The Phillies had no obligation to pay Howard more than the minimum salary of $380K. Plenty of young guys earn $400K or less (Scott Kazmir, Robinson Cano, and Garrett Atkins come to mind).

As MLB.com’s Ken Mandel says, Howard had no leverage. Just like when he had his agent, Larry Reynolds, demand a trade from the Phillies in the spring of 2005, when he had less than 30 days Major League service time but was blocked by Jim Thome. (That article actually talked about moving Howard to left field – ha!) Howard later fired Reynolds (Harold’s brother) in favor of Casey Close.

Gillick Visits Ricciardi

By Tim Dierkes | March 1, 2007 at 1:47pm CDT

Phillies GM Pat Gillick swung by the Blue Jays’ camp yesterday to talk some baseball with J.P. Ricciardi. The Globe and Mail’s Jeff Blair writes that the Phils like Alex Rios and Dustin McGowan and are trying to trade Jon Lieber. Reed Johnson could be a more reasonable bounty for Lieber.

As Blair says, the Jays want to see what they’ve got first. And I’m not sure why the Phillies would be actively trying to acquire an outfielder with Burrell, Rowand, and Victorino under contract. That looks like a decent outfield to me. The Phillies are weak in the bullpen.

If the Jays are to part with Rios, a star in the making, they need a frontline starter. They were asking for quite a bit back in January – Brett Myers or Chad Billingsley and then some. A month before that, Buster Olney first mentioned that Rios could be available for Brad Penny or Joe Blanton.

The only name I’ve heard here that really makes sense is Myers, and the Phils probably didn’t just sign him with the intent of trading him. Billingsley would certainly be a nice return for Toronto, but the Dodgers don’t need Rios.

Does This Paper Have Editors?

By Tim Dierkes | February 22, 2007 at 9:42am CDT

Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News continues to run wild with misinformation regarding the Phillies’ offer of Aaron Rowand for Scott Linebrink. I’ve been watching this one from the start; it’s just strange. Hagen insists on belittling this particular Buster Olney rumor and Internet reporting in general; he already took a shot on February 1st.

Today, he leads with these unflattering remarks:

"Rumors are cheap and plentiful during the offseason. Anybody with a vivid imagination and access to a computer can launch a blind item that will circle the globe in seconds and circulate for weeks. At first glance, then, the Internet whisper that the Phillies had offered centerfielder Aaron Rowand to the Padres for righthanded setup reliever Scott Linebrink seemed far-fetched."

To which Olney responded today:

"To clarify, it was not an Internet rumor, ever. It was written, originally, as something that was discussed between the two teams."

When is Hagen going to print a correction? I think he owes Olney an apology, though Buster is handling it with class.

Relievers Find Homes (or not)

By Tim Dierkes | February 14, 2007 at 3:57pm CDT

More minor league deals:

Cliff Politte has signed with the Indians. I would imagine he’ll start the year in Triple-A, but as veteran insurance for a 11th or 12th pitcher goes, teams could do a lot worse.

Kerry Lightenberg has signed with the Reds. He’ll also probably end up in Triple-A, and he’s an example of how teams could do worse than Politte.

Dustin Hermanson tried out for several teams, but the Phillies were unimpressed. That leaves the Reds. If you want to do worse than Politte or Lightenberg…well, here’s your man. Wayne Krivsky, get on the phone!

By Jeff Sackmann
www.BrewCrewBall.com