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Ryan Howard Gets $900K

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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

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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?

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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)

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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

Relievers Find Homes (or not)

By | at

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

Phils, Reds Considering Hermanson

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According to Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Dustin Hermanson will throw for teams this week.  It’s likely that the Phillies will have a look at the 34 year old reliever.  Could be a sleeper for saves, for the fantasy baseball-minded.  The Reds will watch him pitch as well.

Salisbury also says:

"Schilling wants a contract extension by opening day or he’ll test the free-agent market. Start those Phillies rumors."

Freddy Garcia and Jon Lieber will be free agents after the 2007 season, so the Phillies will have an opening.  However, if this offseason is any indication, the Phils will have a tough time winning a bidding war.

Phils, Reds Considering Hermanson

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According to Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Dustin Hermanson will throw for teams this week.  It’s likely that the Phillies will have a look at the 34 year old reliever.  Could be a sleeper for saves, for the fantasy baseball-minded.  The Reds will watch him pitch as well.

Salisbury also says:

"Schilling wants a contract extension by opening day or he’ll test the free-agent market. Start those Phillies rumors."

Freddy Garcia and Jon Lieber will be free agents after the 2007 season, so the Phillies will have an opening.  However, if this offseason is any indication, the Phils will have a tough time winning a bidding war.

Phils Sign Brett Myers

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The Phillies gave Brett Myers a three-year deal today, buying out his first year of free agency.  Why do good things happen to bad people?

The contract covers his age 27-29 seasons, and it’s a good deal for the Phillies.  Our old friend PECOTA values him at $36.6MM over that same time period (of course, he wouldn’t have had full leverage for 2007-08).  Myers and Cole Hamels will make a very solid 1-2 punch for the next three years.

Phils Sign Brett Myers

By | at

The Phillies gave Brett Myers a three-year deal today, buying out his first year of free agency.  Why do good things happen to bad people?

The contract covers his age 27-29 seasons, and it’s a good deal for the Phillies.  Our old friend PECOTA values him at $36.6MM over that same time period (of course, he wouldn’t have had full leverage for 2007-08).  Myers and Cole Hamels will make a very solid 1-2 punch for the next three years.

More On Rowand/Linebrink

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Internet rumor, eh?  If there’s one term I’d like to retire, it’s "Internet rumor."  It discredits the many legitimate Internet-based sources and generalizes the entire medium.  Many rumors broke via the Internet this year (blogs included).  In fact, most of them came via the Internet, courtsey of Ken Rosenthal.  I’ve seen a lot of garbage in print, but don’t refer to them all as "newspaper rumors." 

In this case, Paul Hagen doubts the legitimacy of a Buster Olney rumor that first appeared in Olney’s blog on January 26th.  Olney reported that the Padres and Phillies were kicking around an Aaron Rowand for a reliever trade. 

Anyway, Hagen creates a newspaper rumor, speculating that the Phils might entertain trading Rowand because they think they can acquire an outfielder for Jon Lieber.  He also speculates that the Phils would send both Lieber and Rowand to San Diego for Mike Cameron or Terrmel Sledge.  Now that’s one that "appears to make little sense."

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