Baseball’s free agency period has gotten underway, and the Phillies rumors are starting to surface as the hot stove begins to heat up.
Could Ruben Amaro be looking to add a top starter to the rotation? A report from Ken Rosenthal earlier today suggested that the Phillies are interested in pursuing a trade for Tampa Bay starter David Price. Price is due for salary arbitration, and the Rays are reportedly willing to unload him in order to avoid seeing their payroll rise significantly.
A Price trade with be intriguing on many levels. He’s a good, young lefthanded starter who has pitched in a very competitive division and in some big playoff games throughout his career. In 2012, he won 20 games with a 2.56 ERA. Last year he took a bit of a step back, winning only 10 games with a 3.33 ERA.
To get Price, the Phils would probably have to part with outfielder Domonic Brown. Brown would give the Rays an exciting young major-league ready outfielder that could add a bit of pop to their offense. I’d be all for dealing Brown to get Price. Brown has shown that he’s a starting caliber outfielder, but after his hot run in May, he wasn’t quite the same. The Phillies could add to their rotation with this trade, and then replace/upgrade Brown by pursuing one of the top free-agent outfielders.
The other rumor concerning the Phillies has to do with catcher Carlos Ruiz.
Ruiz is currently a free agent, and is drawing interest from multiple teams. The Colorado Rockies are reportedly set to make the catcher a multi-year offer, though the value of such a deal is unclear.
The Phillies don’t have a many options at the catching position right now, and it would be in their best interest if Ruiz returned. However, they can’t afford to break the bank for him, and Carlos has made it clear that he wants to get paid this time around after accepting a team-friendly deal on his last extension several years ago.
With so few options at catcher on the free-agent market, some team is going to overpay for Ruiz and I believe that his time in Philadelphia is most likely over.
3 lefties at the top of your rotation? Does that trade come with a Cliff Lee deal as well? Don’t get me wrong, I would trade Brown for Price in a second, but…
I know three lefties at the top doesn’t seem ideal…but heck, great pitchers are great pitchers, and I’d take my chances with a third lefthanded ace rather than going with Lee, Hamels, and leaning on Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez as my third starter with some combination of Kyle Kendrick/Jonathan Pettibone/a veteran not yet on the team filling out the final two spots in the rotation.
The key more so is that Ruben would absolutely have to land one of the top outfielders…improving the pitching staff is always a plus, but offense and fixing the lineup has got to be the top priority. The inconsistent scoring and month-long team-wide hitting slumps have been a problem for too many years now, and they’ve got to get some batters in here that can bring some power and take advantage of Citizens Bank Park
I DO NOT want KK, anywhere near this team again. Especially after he’s going to be getting overpaid via arbitration. For a 4-5 starter, he ain’t worth the $7M-$9M, he will get.
Does it really matter what we do? As long as Ruin 2morrow is GM, we will suck. 1st off, we don’t have the pieces to get Price, nor Stanton. Brown alone, ain’t getting you $#!T! Other than a month this year, he is virtually worthless. I DO NOT want to trade Franco. As long as we have the Rollins, Howard, Utley, Papelbon, Lee albatross contracts, we can’t properly put together another young, talented, competitive team. This team needs to be rebuilt! Adding more, overpaid, long term contracts, to more veteran players, is exactly, what we DON’T need!
Using my armchair GM skills, this is what I would do-
Sign RHSP Masahiro Tanaka, RHSP Ubaldo Jimenez, RHRP Joe Smith, Closer Edward Mujica, C Jarrod Saltalamaccia (2 years). If possible, trade Brown, Asche, Biddle, + for Stanton. Trade Kendrick (Arb. eligible) to LA Angels for CF Peter Bourjos (Upgrade over Revere). Trade Lee & $$$$ to Rangers for SS Profar (Fits nowhere in Texas), C Alfaro, LHSP Perez. Trade Papelbon, Revere & $$$$ to Detroit, for OF Nick Castellanos, RHRP Bourbon, & RHRP Melvin Mercedes. Do whatever you have to do, to get Rollins to wave his 10-5 rights, & get him the hell out here, for whatever! Bring up Franco & start him at 3rd. I know it’s highly unlikely, that any of those things can happen, but the only way Ruin 2morrow is going to be able to rebuild this atrocity, is think outside the box, be aggressive, & not be afraid to trade your veterans. If my plan works, this is what we have-
1B Howard (Unfortunately)/ Ruf
2B Utley (Inevitable breakdown)/ Galvis/ Frandsen
SS Profar (Young up coming star)/ Galvis
3B Franco (Love him)/ Frandsen
LF Castellanos (Love him)/ Ruf
CF Bourjos (Speed, DF, some pop & RH upgrade, over Noodle arm)/ Hernandez
RF Stanton/ Mayberry
C Saltalamaccia/ Rupp- (Joseph/ Alfaro in the minors).
Rotation
Hamels
Jimenez
Perez
Tanaka
Gonzalez- (Pettibone/ Morgan)
BP
Mujica+
Bastardo+
Bourbon+
Smith+
Adams (Might not play, entire year).
Diekman?
Defratus?
Martin?
Stutes?
Rosenberg?
Aumont?
Pie in the sky, I know. Let’s hope Ruin 2morrow gets an epiphany, & learns how to be creative & proactive, instead of being reactive, & throwing unwarranted, overpaid $$$$ to declining, old, injury prone, underachieving players & veterans. No to the likes of Beltran, Ellsbury, Granderson, McCann, Cruz (I like, if not overpaid), Johnson, Kasmir, etc, etc. I really wish Middleton, would convince Mr. .300 Monty, to fire Ruin 2morrow. I have a feeling, we are going to be bad, for a loooong time, until he is gone, the AARP members are gone, & another nucleus can rebuilt. We are barren in the minors, & the scouting department is horrid too! Oye vey! SMMFH!!!!
1- Bourjos- BRH.
2- Utley- BLH.
3- Stanton- BRH.
4- Howard (Debatable)- BLH.
5 or 6- Franco- BRH.
5 or 6- Catellanos- BRH.
7- Profar- BSH.
8- Saltalamaccia- BSH.
9- Pitcher
Good, younger, talented, balanced lineup. My words, to the big mans mouth.
Contracts
1B Howard- $25M
2B Utley- $15M
SS Profar- $490K
3B Franco- $490K
LF Castellanos- $490K
CF Bourjos- $1.1M
RF Stanton- $4.5M
C Saltalamaccia- $11M
LF/1B Ruf- $490K
C Rupp- $490K
OF Mayberry- $1M
IF Galvis- $490K
IF Frandsen- $1M
IF/OF Hernandez- $490K
LHSP Hamels- $22.5M
RHSP Jimenez- $13.5M
RHSP Tanaka- $10M
LHSP Perez- $750K
RHSP Gonzalez- $4M
BP
Mujica- $5.75M
Bastardo- $2M
Bourbon- $490K
Smith- $4.25M
Adams- $7M
Diekman- $490K
Defratus-$490K
Martin- $490K
Stutes-?
Rosenberg-?
Aumont?
Good Work DCar..
I would be gaily if one of those trades/scenarios occurred..
I see Carlos Ruiz gone for Sure..
I see Amaro going hard and heavy after
OF’s Carlos Beltran and Michael Morse
And of course Bullpen Help and a 3B
Hopefully not! That’s the way he shouldn’t go.
Catcher Brisn McCann as well who has always hit well and gas hurt the Phils at CBP , though e is weak Defensively as a Cat her as is Saltamacchia,
Neither one have strong arms and are not know for calli g great games behind the Plate..
Early Phillies Prediction for 2014
78 Wins – 84 Losses for 4th Place in NL East
Excellent work DCAR. The problem is that Amaro doesn’t have that kind of overhaul in him. He cannot see past the next move. He thinks that he can just add FA and be done.
That trade for Stanton actually makes a lot of sense for both sides and if you get to keep Franco, so much the better.
actually the problem is that those trades are unworkable… in the real world you need trading partners willing to agree to those deals. the marlins have repeatedly said don’t even bother calling about stanton.
You may be right Cigar, but then everyone says that until they get offered a deal that makes the most sense for them. How do you know until you try?
Besides the fact that there will be interest in Lee if he was made available.
What is your counter plan? No one in this FA class blows my skirt up as just an addition to the lineup with what will have to be paid to get them here.
I truly don’t have one… the plan above would be epic and even he said pie in the sky… i think you have to do your best to get a power of bat and it comes down to just like the last couple…HOPE– mainly on howard… you have no choice. you have to deal in reality, the market etc.– all that salary stuff works it self out…. every long term contract bites teams in the ass– every one! but that is the reality of the market…
Boy has that been proven over the last couple of years and now someone (the Yanks) are gonna lock up Cano for 10 years and someone (Seattle) is gonna lock up oft injured Elsbury for many years and get burned again.
The lineup is outta whack now. The OF spots are not solidified and they have Cesar Hernandez who can’t get into a starting position even though I think that he could be an every day player. With the Utley signing, and Revere in CF, he has no place to be. There is a lot of work to be done. I do think that it is sad that the bullpen is a need every single off season.
It will be interesting to see how Ryno handles the lineup. Will he be as loyal to Rollins/Howard if those guys struggle or will he be more willing to move them around.
Get used to it… because now with the TV contract we are the Angels or dodgers… like it or not. I personally don’t but thats the economics of the game. As for a total rebuild I would assume that ownership wants the seats full and are trying for a ‘red sox’ like turnaround…remember the sox were a bigger longshot to win the WS than the phils…
But the key to the Sox rebuild was the fact that they got rid of some very bad contracts which is more along the lines of what DCAR was suggesting. Not just adding in FAs.
well the gonzalez trade netted them nothing in the way of contributing players for the WS team i believe… it netted them salary to go out and get Victorino at $13, Napoli at $13 and Gomes for $5. I’m hoping that halladay
s salary dump can do the same….
The Halladay salary dump, will have little affect on being able to add salaries, especially with the raises to Hamels, Lee, Utley, Howard. It practically evens out. But the luxury tax raises to around $180M+. We’ll have $$$$ to spend, but it should be spent wisely, & trades & more salary dumps need to happen, or we will have more seasons, like the past 2. Can’t keep expecting to add high salaried AARP members, to the current Cocoon clan, & expect to compete, let alone win anything. Plain & simple, we have to at least partially rebuild. At the very least. Any other way is stupid, & pointless.
young at 3b, lf and cf–
dcar here is why you call me an apoligist and why i bust yoiur balls. July 28th (or maybe 29th) 2011–
“the greatest day in philly history ” July 27th ish “get it done amaro brown, sigleton and golvin’–
asmo and pence don’t work out and you blast the organizations that pulled off the biggest day in philly history ( your words) makes you quite fraudulant
I never had a problem with the Pence deal. I had a problem loosing him for nothing, after a year. So try again!
PLEASE GOD NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro has been in contact with Roy Halladay’s agent, Greg Landry, recently and remains interested in re-signing the right-hander.
After dealing with shoulder issues this season, Halladay might not sign until late this winter and seems likely to have to settle for a one-year, incentive-laden deal. The veteran right-hander put up an ugly 6.82 ERA across 13 starts in 2013.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News
Nov 8 – 9:12 A
If Ruin 2morrow does that, he needs to be ran the f^#@ out of town by a lynch mob!
Even I, don’t think he’s that stupid! Then again!!!!
While my ideas, like I said is pie in the sky, Ruin 2morrow doesn’t have the brains, or balls to pull something like that off. Out of all the ideas I suggested, the Stanton trade, is the only 1 that I think can’t be pulled off, only because the Marlins new GM, is refusing to trade him. But, if he voices his displeasure to leave again, you never know. Rollins is a selfish dick, & he won’t wave his 10-5 rights, so that is unlikely to happen. I’d purposely tell him, he’s being platooned with Profar, so he doesn’t make his option, & maybe that would change his tune. Kendrick for Bourjos is very likely. Bourjos & Trumbo, are on the market. Lee trade is very doable. I’m tired of hearing about the BS TV contract. If & when we negotiate it, it won’t come into affect, or be able to be used, until 2015-2016. So what we do now, how no affect on that. It’s a BS excuse, to continue the ineptness! If Ruin 2morrow doesn’t change his ways, & fields a good TEAM, & continues his current waste of $$$ with AARP members, that’s going to affect attendance. Only the lemmings are stupid, & will keep going. If last years attendance drop, didn’t show them, that they have to change, nothing will. They continue to take us condescendingly for granted, & think we are stupid!
Word is Phils/Amaro wants to Re-Sign Michael Young, Matt Stairs, Scott Eyre and has sent Spring Camp invites to Catcher Mike Lieberthal, Jaime Moyer and Chan Ho-Park to help with the Bullpen…
and Dontrell Willis
Phillies finalizing a 2 year deal with Marlon Byrd. Ruin 2morrow needs to be fired, f^#@ing now! Enough, is a f^#@ing enough! This is his answer for the starting outfield, right-handed, power bat, a 36 year old retread, 2 year wonder, who was suspended for PED’s! GTMFOH! I don’t want to here $#!t from his butt muncher! This mother f^#@er must go!
2 years, $16M. BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!
Ibanez and Juan Pierre both turned down the deal looking for 10 million a year instead of 8, LOL—
This better be a prelude to a big trade, or something. If not, the fans better stay away!
Byrd signing isn’t going to induce a run to the ticket window, went shopping for a right handed bat. Phils showed no faith in John Mayberry and/ or Ruf, one or both won’t make the team now.
3 years in a row now, hoping on the fountain of youth! GTMFOH!!!!! F^#@ you Ruin 2morrow, f^#@ you Montgomery!
Horrible signing. Set the market by paying a guy who made 700k last year 8mil.
Phils have reached out to 3B Pedro Feliz on a 2 Year $11 Deal..
GM Amaro, says that Feliz is in Great Shape and Loves to play the Game of Baseball…. Also Catcher Mike Leberthal has accepted a Spring Training Offer by the Phils as has LHP Jamie Moyers
The Phils 2014 Club is now know as the “Wheeze Kids”..