Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has repeatedly said that the team’s top priority this offseason, now that they have bolstered their bench and replaced third baseman Pedro Feliz, is to sure up a bullpen that bruised and battered for much of last season.
Brandon Lyon and J.J. Putz are both players that the Phillies were said to have had serious interest in coming into this week’s baseball Winter Meetings in Indianapolis.
Both players have since signed with other teams (Lyon with Houston, Putz with the Chicago White Sox). Scott Eyre and Chan Ho Park were integral parts of the Phillies run to the World Series last season (and particularly Eyre, who was invaluable in the team’s 2008 World Series victory), and yet negotiations with both teams appear to be at a standstill. Indications from Amaro are that there is a good chance the Phillies will move on from both players and replace them with younger talent, most likely players currently in their farm system.
So what gives?
The Phillies are …
The Houston Astros have been very busy during this year’s baseball Winter Meetings, signing relievers Latroy Hawkins and Brand Lyon on Wednesday.
Today they announced the signing of former Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million.
He batted .266 with 12 homers and 82 RBIs in 2009, his second season with the Phillies.
FoxSports.com MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Houston Astros have signed reliever Brandon Lyon to a three-year deal worth $15 million, pending a physical.
The news comes on the heels of a trade between Houston and the Florida Marlins that sent reliever Matt Lindstrom to the Astros for right-hander Robert Bono, infielder Luis Bryan and a player to be named later.
Both additions are seen as replacements to closer Jose Valverde, who did not accept arbitration and is not expected to be back, and Latroy Hawkins, who signed with the Brewers earlier in the day.
This is all newsworthy to Phillies fans as they were reportedly aggressively pursuing Lyon to bolster the bullpen as a setup man and possible backup should closer Brad Lidge break down again. However, it has since come out that that may not have been the case, and that the Phillies may have only had preliminary discussion with Lyon.
ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported earlier Wednesday that the Phillies were pursuing reliever Fernando Rodney as …
Tuesday’s blockbuster trade between the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Tigers has seemingly taken New York out of the running for Blue Jays’ pitcher Roy Halladay.
That has led to rampant speculation that the Phillies are now in the best position to pull off the trade that so nearly happened last July.
When asked about the possibility of acquiring a hypothetical unnamed elite pitcher, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. responded to Philadelphia Inquirer Phillies beat reporter Andy Martino:
“Is there any way possible? I guess there is,” Amaro said. “Is there a likelihood of us getting involved in something that’s that big? Probably not.”
Todd Zolecki of MLB.com said in a piece Wednesday that an in “an informal poll of baseball personnel this week at the Winter Meetings, folks think the Phillies have as good a chance as anybody of getting him.”
“They have the pieces,” one AL executive told him. “I would say the Phillies and Red Sox have the talent to make it happen more than the other teams out there.”
If …
The Phillies have completed assembling their new look bench with the addition of former Marlin Ross Gload, erupting in a myriad of bad jokes by sports writers and bloggers alike (see above title).
Gload is likely the final addition to Charlie Manuel’s 2010 bench, which will have a very drastic look than the one that helped win a World Series in 2008. Greg Dobbs is the only bench player left from that team. Gone are Eric Bruntlett, So Taguchi, Geoff Jenkins, Chris Coste and most likely Matt Stairs, although he will probably be offered an invitation to Spring Training on a minor league ocntract.
That squad has been replaced by Ben Francisco, Brian Schneider, Juan Castro, Dobbs and now Gload.
Gload, 33, is a eight year journeyman who has spent time with the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and recently the Florida Marlins. He hit .261 in 125 games last season for the Marlins, and is a career .283 hitter. …
Who says you can’t go home again?
The day after the Sixers announced that Allen Iverson was coming back to Philly, it is being widely reported that the Phillies are aggressively pursuing former second baseman Placido Polanco to replace third baseman Pedro Feliz.
Sports Illustrated’s Jon Heyman reported on his Twitter page that the deal is said to be worth $18 million over three years. According to Heyman, the Phillies like Polanco to move over to third base and bat second behind shortstop Jimmy Rollins. Center fielder Shane Victorino would move down in the lineup to a stronger run producing spot.
MLB.com Phillies reporter Todd Zolecki is reporting that the deal includes a mutual option for 2013.
Polanco played for the Phillies starting in 2002 when he was traded by the St. Louis Cardinals for Scott Rolen until 2005 when he was traded to the Detroit Tigers for Ugueth Urbina. He is a career .303 hitter with a .348 on base percentage.
The deal is expected to be finalized Thursday pending …
According to a report Wednesday by ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick, the Phillies have expressed interest in former All Star reliever J.J. Putz.
Putz, coming off season ending elbow surgery last year with the New York Mets, saved 40 games for the Seattle Mariners in 2007. The Phillies believe that he could help sow up the back end of the bullpen and provide some insurance should closer Brad Lidge relive his 2009 season.
Putz doesn’t come without some risk though, as he has yet to prove that he is fully recovered from an injury that ended his season after just 29 1/3 innings.
That being said, he fits perfectly into what Phillies’ GM Ruben Amaro is looking for as he is willing to accept a one-year, incentive laden deal. It would allow him to re-establish himself as a premier reliever, and the Phillies could rid themselves of him if he repeats his own disappointing 2009 season.
If Amaro did pursue Putz, he would face stiff competition, as Pittsburgh, Houston, Tampa Bay, Detroit …
Consider your suffering eased, I have returned. After a month and a half hiatus, I am back at Hot Stove Philly, and you may all now breath a collective sigh of relief. Woo. Good.
Unfortunately, it seems I may have returned to the Philly sports world with little to be excited about. The Phillies season is over. The Eagles are inconsistent at best, and embarrassing at worst. The Sixers make the Eagles look good. The Flyers are the best thing going, and they’re in fourth place in their division. Could it be possible that the Phillies’ off season is the most interesting thing in Philly sports right now?
As the kids say today, wtf mate?
Despite another incredible season that saw the Fightins get to their second straight World Series, they were clearly outmatched by a superior Yankees team. The Bronx Bombers had better hitters, better starting pitching and a better bullpen. Hard to win when under those circumstances.
The series put into sharp contract the glaring holes that need to be addressed by GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and …
The Philadelphia Phillies pair off against the Colorado Rockies today at 2:37 pm EDT to begin their bid to win back to back World Series. This creates an interesting match because the last time these teams played the winner, not the Phillies, made it all the way to the World Series, where they lost to Boston Red Sox in a demeaning fashion. As your calling out sick, updating ESPN feverishly, or scouring twitter for updates (while you’re there make sure that you’re following Hot Stove Philly). Here are some things to watch for during the game:
Your Boss/Manager: It’s unlikely that your relationship with your superior will have any effect on the outcome of the game unless you’re answering to Charlie Manuel. This does not mean you should ignore the likely ire that your watching baseball during work will ignite! This is the first game in a long play off that is becoming infamous for oddly timed games, largely blamed on Baseball’s waning audience; you don’t want to get caught on first day. I …
One debate about the postseason roster ended Wednesday as veteran left hander Jamie Moyer was officially declared done for the season.
The 46-year old pitcher suffered three torn tendons in his groin and lower abdomen on the final pitch of his win over the Houston Astros at Citizen’s Bank Park on Tuesday. Moyer got four outs in the sixth and seventh innings of the Phillies 7-4 victory, setting up Ryan Madson for a six out save.The injury occurred when Moyer fell awkwardly to the ground on a pitch that got Houston’s Jeff Keppinger to fly out to deep centerfield to end the inning, and for Moyer, the season.
The injury will require surgery, and team doctor Michael Ciccotti said he was optimistic that Moyer would be ready to return by the start of spring training. He also noted that this was a timetable common for all players suffering this injury, and had little to do with Moyer’s age.
“This is an injury that does occur at all …
The Phillies will defend their World Series championship this October as they won their third straight National League East division title with an 10-3 win over the Houston Astros at Citizen’s Bank Park Wednesday.
The game was started by Pedro Martinez, who threw 84 pitches through four innings, allowing three earned runs. He got into trouble early, loading the bases in the first inning. But he managed to get out of trouble relatively unscathed, only allowing one run in the inning. He was lifted after four innings as a precaution. He left his last start early with stiffness in his neck.
The biggest story of the night belonged to the bullpen, who threw a combined five scoreless innings. Kyle Kendrick replaced Martinez and continued pitching like the 2007 pitcher that went 10-4 with a 3.87 ERA. Kendrick pitched three scoreless innings, allowing just two base runners while striking out four. He continues to look like he has turned things around from a rocky 2008 and is making a case to be on the big league squad in …
The Phillies announced Friday that Pedro Martinez would skip his scheduled start on Saturday, and would be replaced by right hander Kyle Kendrick.
The announcement was made before the team’s Friday night game against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Martinez left his last start, last Friday in Atlanta, in the third inning with stiffness in his neck. He did not throw a bullpen session during the week, which is unusual for most pitchers, but not Martinez.
“A lot of times I don’t throw a bullpen,” he said. “I only need it if there is a pitch that I need to work on.”
His neck has not totally healed, obviously, but Martinez says that it is improving.
“It’s still sore, but it feels better,” he said.
He is expected to only miss Saturday’s start against the Brewers, and will pitch Thursday against the Houston Astros. The move appears to be more of a precautionary measure than a cause for alarm. With the Phillies likely to wrap up the division over the next couple days, manager …
