By Tim Dierkes | at
According to Jim Street of MLB.com, the Phillies have made a five-year, $73MM offer to Alfonso Soriano. Unfortunately, Street was quoting a Philadelphia Daily News article from today that I could not find. Not sure what to make of it right now.
Here is a link to the Phillies section of that newspaper. I’ve emailed Street in hopes of clarification.
Regardless, I think it’s safe to say that Sori will do better than that.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Some interesting info found via the Beerleaguer Phillies blog tonight.
– The White Sox may be talking about bringing Aaron Rowand back. I have also heard of some radio reports indicating that the Sox are again attempting to acquire Omar Vizquel.
– Also, the Phils have contacted Rich Aurilia’s agent, presumably for their third base vacancy.
By Tim Dierkes | at
After reading Jerry Crasnick’s article, I felt the need to point that out.
In the NL, the average left fielder hit .277/.359/.478 in 2006. In the AL it was .280/.347/.449.
Pat Burrell hit .258/.388/.502 this season and .281/.389/.504 in 2005. The guy posts an .890 OPS. That’s very good. It’s comfortably above average for a left fielder. His OPS was 21st in the NL this year. That’s better than Scott Rolen, Todd Helton, or Nomar Garciaparra. Not far behind Alfonso Soriano or Carlos Delgado.
"But Tim!" you’ll say. "He can’t hit in the clutch!" Yes, I acknowledge that Burrell hit just .222/.376/.346 with runners in scoring position. That’s a 153 AB sample. It means nothing. Just one year earlier Burrell hit .313./.429/.598 with runners in scoring position.
This is a solid 5-6 win player. He may not age well and he’s certainly not worth his salary, but he’s still a good hitter. Better than most free agents on the market.
Oh, and while I’m on my soapbox – Daisuke Matsuzaka doesn’t throw the gyroball. We have established this. Prior to March 13, 2006, it was OK to speculate that perhaps Matsuzaka threw this pitch. It seemed that way kind of. But eight months ago, Jeff Passan blew the lid on the whole thing. Sportswriters should know this by now! I’ve read two articles in the past two days claiming he throws this pitch.
By Tim Dierkes | at
I think Giants fans have been pondering this trade for a while: Pat Burrell to the Giants for Armando Benitez. But now Marcus Hayes tells us that Burrell would be willing to waive his no-trade clause to play for San Francisco. Hayes indicates that Burrell could move back to first base for the Giants. Benitez would go to the Phillies as "bullpen help."
If it were just a true swap of these two players and their inflated salaries, it’s a big win for the Giants. They weren’t counting on much from Benitez anyway, so if you subtract his salary you are essentially getting Burrell for two years, $20MM. As maligned as Burrell is, he’s only 30 and he’s posted an .890 OPS for two years running. Yes, Burrell was bad with RISP this season (153 AB sample). Why you shouldn’t read too much into that sample: he hit .313/.429/.598 with RISP in 2005.
Benitez, I don’t think will bounce back. His top comparables, Scott Sullivan and Jose DeLeon, didn’t make it much past age 34. Still, if payroll flexibility is what Pat Gillick is after, one year and $7.6MM sounds a lot better than two years and $27MM.
By Tim Dierkes | at
27 year-old Japanese third baseman Akinori Iwamura is being pursued by both the Phillies and the Indians.
Pat Gillick mentioned today that he has a lot of interest in Iwamura to play third for the Phils. You may recall that Gillick imported Ichiro back when he was GM of the Mariners. Another convenient factor is that manager Charlie Manuel has played in Japan before.
The Tribe is showing interest as well, but are committed to Andy Marte at third base. They would ask Iwamura to convert to second base.
By Tim Dierkes | at
So, who’s to fill the Phillies’ glaring vacancy at the hot corner? According to this report by Randy Miller, it won’t be possible free agent Aramis Ramirez. If you scroll down a bit, Miller mentions that Ramirez "won’t be pursued." It’s not a direct quote from Pat Gillick, though you get the impression Miller spoke to Gillick to write the article. All the quotes from Gillick tipped me off on this. (Link found via Beerleaguer.)
The free agent market is barren, although Rich Aurilia might work. If Gillick wants to make a deal, he could go after Joe Crede, Mike Lowell, Morgan Ensberg, or Adrian Beltre.
By Tim Dierkes | at
People seem to be enjoying these 2007 outlooks I’ve been doing by team, so I’ll keep ’em coming. Check out the new 2007 Team Outlooks link to see all of the past ones.
Here are the current contract obligations for the Phillies. I should also add that I utilized the terrific Beerleaguer Phillies Blog as a resource to learn some details about the team’s plans.
C – Carlos Ruiz – $0.33MM
C – Chris Coste – $0.33MM
1B – Ryan Howard – $0.355MM
2B – Chase Utley – $0.5MM
SS – Jimmy Rollins – $7MM
3B –
1B/OF – Jeff Conine – $2MM mutual option
IF – Abraham Nunez – $2.1MM
LF – Pat Burrell – $13MM
CF – Aaron Rowand – $3.25MM player or $5MM club option
RF – Shane Victorino – $0.33MM
SP – Brett Myers – $3.3MM
SP – Cole Hamels – $0.33MM
SP – Jamie Moyer – $6MM
SP – Jon Lieber – $7.5MM
SP –
RP – Tom Gordon – $7MM
RP – Ryan Madson – $0.4MM
RP – Geoff Geary – $0.35MM
RP – Fabio Castro – $0.327MM
RP – Clay Condrey – $0.33MM
RP – Matt Smith – $0.33MM
RP – Eude Brito – $0.33MM
Current obligations, once raises come in, look to be a touch over $60MM. The Phils began last season with an $88MM payroll, so there should be money to spend this winter.
Mike Lieberthal’s finally off the books, and it does not seem like the Phils will bring him back in a part-time role. Pat Gillick hasn’t fully committed to it, but he is open to the idea of going with the low-cost Ruiz/Coste tandem. Ruiz will be 28 next season, and he hit a robust .307/.389/.505 at Triple A this year. He’s gotten only 59 big league ABs to prove himself this year. Coste is a minor league lifer who bombed in a Triple A stint this year but had a great July and August for the Phillies.
The Phils have a great infield core, but have lacked a league average third baseman since David Bell’s 2004. They’ll probably look to the free agent market for their next 3B. Options include Pedro Feliz, Aubrey Huff, Joe Randa, Nomar Garciaparra, Shea Hillenbrand, and perhaps Aramis Ramirez. Not all of those guys can post an .820 OPS (league average) as well as handle third base regularly. Gillick will just have to do the best he can; I can see him ending up with Hillenbrand. If Ramirez hits the market, it will be tough to outbid the Angels and Dodgers. The longshot solution: trade for Alex Rodriguez.
Pat the Bat has an untradeable contract and a no-trade clause, so the Phillies will have to be happy with Burrell in left. Maybe Gillick can get creative and make something work, but the odds are against it. Though Burrell’s 2006 may seem disappointing, it’s been very similar to his ’05. He’s still hitting better than the average NL LF.
Some Phils fans envision Victorino in center and Rowand moving to right, but the above arrangement seems most likely. Gillick will have to choose between using Victorino as a subpar offensive RF or a very good fourth outfielder. In a perfect world, he’d sign a better RF and choose the latter option. The market does contain some useful right fielders like Jose Guillen or Gary Sheffield. This could be a creative way to compensate for the weak 3B market.
Pitching staff: the current version of Jon Lieber isn’t a great way to spend $7.5MM, but it’s been an inflated pitching market for years. You could do worse for your fourth starter. A front two of Myers and Hamels is impressive. When he traded for Moyer, Gillick worked out a mutual option for 2007 with him. I guessed around $6MM. Right now it’s just a possibility that Moyer returns. Given the short-term commitment and Moyer’s success, the Phils really need him to stay.
If Moyer stays, the Phillies can get by trying Brito, Gavin Floyd, or a retread in the fifth starter slot. Carlos Silva’s name has also been mentioned. If Moyer leaves, they need to hit the market and spend some money. The market offers options aplenty, depending on what Gillick wants to spend. Big names, medium names, former Phillies, it’s all there. The club could opt to retain Randy Wolf, but I don’t see it.
The bullpen looks fine to me. Gordon, the emergence of Geary, the re-establishment of Madson – they should be OK. Maybe one low-level signing.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Found via RotoWorld, FSN West is reporting that the Phillies have traded for 43 year-old southpaw Jamie Moyer.
In 25 starts this year, Moyer’s been just about league average. He makes about $6.5MM this year and has been a Mariner since 1996. Last year, Moyer used his no-trade rights to block trades to Houston and Atlanta at the trading deadline.
The changeup artist has remained effective into his early 40s. Here and there, he’s been stricken by home run problems. He’s given up a lot this year while playing half his games in a ballpark that’s neutral for home runs. Safeco does deflate right-handed homers by 12%, though, and Moyer is a southpaw. Citizens Bank Park inflates home runs by 21% overall, 20% for righthanders.
The Phillies are fourth in the wild card standings, 2.5 games behind the Reds.
By Tim Dierkes | at
Phillies’ southpaw starter Randy Wolf makes $9MM this year in the last of a four-year deal. This makes him an ideal candidate for a waiver trade before August 31st.
Wolf turns 30 this month. He made his first start since June 12, 2005 last Sunday due to Tommy John surgery. His return was also delayed a bit because of a broken hand bone from a line drive. As you would expect with a recent Tommy John guy, Wolf’s control was lacking in his ’06 debut. He probably won’t get his walks down to below 3 per nine innings until 2007. For what it’s worth, Wolf says his arm feels "incredible" now. His velocity still hasn’t fully returned despite 25 rehab innings.
Still, like Kip Wells, Wolf could be a helpful addition as a fifth starter for a contender. His next few starts (against the Mets and Braves) will be crucial in building up some trade value. Teams like the Red Sox, A’s, Braves, and Reds could have interest in Wolf assuming they are still in contention in a few weeks.
By Tim Dierkes | at
In case you forgot, there is an actual baseball game going on today. Jon Lieber has been taken out of today’s game after just four and two-thirds innings, but not because of an impending deal. He was yanked because the Marlins destroyed him with eleven hits and nine earned runs. Looks like Lieber’s staying put.
At this point, if David Dellucci or Pat Burrell is pulled from the game, it may just be to rest them because it’s become a blowout. With Burrell, I think there’s little sense of urgency because his contract would probably pass through waivers.
UPDATE: My knowledgable colleague Matthew Pouliot of RotoWorld reminds me that Burrell has a no-trade clause, so he has the option of rejecting any waiver claim made on him. Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer recently discussed this very topic in regards to Burrell and Mike Lieberthal.
MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com
Do not Sell or Share My Personal Information
hide arrows scroll to top
