Joe Blanton hasn’t even thrown a pitch as a member of the Phillies, but they are already see positive results.  The Phillies have announced that Blanton will take Adam Eaton’s spot in the rotation, meaning he will be relegated to the bullpen.  Eaton obviously isn’t happy about this news, but will do what is necessary to stay a member of the Philadelphia Phillies. 

“As long as I can help this team win, I’m going to do that, regardless of what role it is,” Eaton said. “I’ve got three wins as a starter. J.C. Romero has four or five. I can rack up some wins that way and help the team, as well, fill some gaps to help these guys out, too.”

 Arguably the worst pitcher in baseball over the past season-and-a-half (13-18, 6.06 ERA), Eaton will now spend his nights in the bullpen, eating sunflower seeds and lighting ”hot Foots”.  He’ll be called to pitch a few innings when the game is out of reach or when other guys need a rest.  Essentially he’s become Clay Condrey.

Unfortunately this is still the wrong move in handling Eaton’s situation.  By keeping him in the bullpen, the Phillies now short themselves in that area, and now might have to use Eaton in a crucial spot.  Championship teams don’t keep guys in the bullpen strictly for mop-up duty.  There’s only three ways Eaton can truly help this team.

1 - Take a trip to the disabled list
2 - Accept a demotion to Triple-A
3 - Be designated to assignment

Eaton isn’t going to “work his issues out” in the bullpen and as long as he’s on the active roster he’s a liability to the team.

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Although Jon Atwood made some good points in Strike While the Iron is Hot.  Trade Howard Now, I am of a different mindset.  Trading Ryan Howard might be one of the worst things the Phillies can do.

Howard is the premier power hitter in all of Major League Baseball.  Players like him come once in a lifetime to a baseball franchise.  The fact that he leads the National League in home runs (28), and RBIs (84), while only batting .234 is simply amazing.  Speaking of his low batting average, Howard has had his struggles at the plate, but he also leads the Phillies in batting average with runners in scoring position (.333).  Although he has some flaws, Howard creates runs and there’s no one better in the game at doing that. 

Of course the big knock on Howard is his strikeouts.  In fact if you take away his strikouts this season, and only factor in his at-bats when he put the ball in play, he’s batting .362.  Unfortunately you have to deal with strikeouts.  Strikeouts come with power.  Eight of the top 10 players who are on the all-time strikeout list (Reggie Jackson, Sammy Sosa, Jim Thome, Fred McGriff, Mike Schmidt, Jose Canseco, Willie Stargell, & Dave Kingman), all have at least 440 career home runs.  Outside of Kingman, would you dump any of these players in their prime?  I don’t think so.

Also to be considered when discussing any type of trade of Howard is the draw factor.  Don’t kid yourself, on  team that consists of Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Cole Hamels, and Pat Burrell, people are there to see Howard.  Especially on the road.  It’s not only chicks who dig the longball; everybody digs the longball.  By losing Howard, you lose money at the box office.  That in-turn hurts the front office form acquiring the high-priced players needed to take the Phillies to the next level.

Speaking of money, a situation was blown out of proportion this spring when Howard won his arbitration hearing, and was awarded $10 million.  I never understood this fuss.  Have you looked at baseball contracts lately?  Tell me where you can get a former Rookie of the Year, one season removed from the MVP, and has hit a combine 105 home runs and 285 over the past two season for $10 million?  If anything, he’s a bargin.

I know a lot of the hype surrounding it was the fact he received a $9 million dollar raise, but as much as people don’t want to hear it, baseball is a business.  This is nothing new.  Ty Cobb held out for more money, Dizzy Dean went “on strike” (during a pennant race), and Joe DiMaggio missed spring training on a regular basis while holding out for more money.

Besides, since when is a fan allowed to judge a player on their contract?  I know fans tend to be harder on players with big contracts, as I’m guilty of it myself (my personal line is once Howard strikes out 200 times, he’ll be getting paid $50,000 a strikeout), but is that really right?  Do you look at a guy who works at Kinkos and think “For the money he’s making, he should be photocopying twice as much.”  It’s silly, and to a point, it’s really not your business.

Aside from money, a big factor you’d have to consider in trading Howard is who will replace him?  I’ve heard fans come up with brilliant ideas like convert Burrell to a first baseman, and give him an extension.   Let me get this straight.  You want to trade possibly the greatest power hitter in Phillies history so a guy who’s older than Howard and with half the power (lest not forget, he makes more money than Howard), can convert from left field and play first base?  Talk about a a poorly thought out idea.  Burrell at first base wouldn’t even be an upgrade on defense.  The logical option if Howard were to be traded would be trying to sign Mark Teixeira, but that’s crazy talk.  If you think for a second the Phillies, are going to shell out upwards of $20 million a season for Teixeira, you need to lay off the sauce.  It’s not going to happen.  What the Phillies would do is bring in a player like Hank Blalock and work on converting him to first base.    Talk about a downgrade.  Before you trade a player of Howard’s stature, you need to have someone who can replace him (IE - when the Phillies dealt Thome to the White Sox).

By even considering dealing Howard at this point in the season you are taking a giant step back.  You don’t deal your best run producer in the middle of a pennant run.  Unless you are getting equal valued superstars  in return (which you won’t), you’re telling your fan base you are giving up on the season.  If Howard were to be dealt, you wouldn’t be getting the likes to Ben Sheets in return, you’d get a couple blue-chip prospects who can contribute in 2010.

Howard, Utley, Rollins, Hamels, & Brad Lidge all aren’t eligible for free agency until 2011.  There’s a core in place here in Philadelphia so this team can win for multiple seasons.  By dealing Howard your messing with a good thing. 

While Howard could use a little more time with Milt Thompson cutting down on his strikeouts, dealing him to another team because we’ll get more for him now then when he can bolt in 2011 is the wrong move.  Howard needs to stay, and lead the Phillies to victory for years to come.

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The first half of the 2008 Major League Baseball season has been full of surprises, from the Tigers to the Rays to the Padres to the Braves. Most surprising of all, at least to the Phillies faithful, is that at the All Star break the Phillies were in first place atop the National League East. The Phillies are currently a half a game ahead of the Mets and one a half games up on the Marlins.

Lets go through the majors and recap the season so far.

AL East

Perhaps the biggest story in the majors this year is the surprising play of the Tampa Bay Rays, who at the break were just half a game behind the first place Red Sox, and that’s with a seven game losing streak. The Rays have been bolstered by one of the most talented young lineups in the majors in years, as well as some timely defense and a great, young rotation led by ace Scott Kazmir. They are definitely the Cinderella, the darlings of the 2008 season, much to the chagrin to their division rivals the Red Sox.

Boston fans are upset that some of the media focus and the limelight has been diverted from their beloved Sox. The reigning champs continue to be one of the best teams in baseball, despite losing pitcher Curt Schilling for the year (and perhaps for good) and a decline in production from slugger David Ortiz (including a stint on the disabled list). It looks like this could be the first time in years that the New York Yankees won’t make the playoffs. They currently sit six games back of Boston and it just looks like there is too much talent in Tampa and Boston for the Yanks to make up enough ground. That being said, I am loathe to ever count the Yankees out of anything.

Red Sox win division.

If it wasn’t for the Rays, the debacle in the AL Central would be the biggest story of the season. The Tigers, whom I picked to win the World Series, are a disappointing .500 on the season. Even more surprising, the Indians are in last place, 12 games under .500. The Chicago White Sox are sitting pretty atop the Central at 14 games over .500, led by 10 game winner, and former Phillie, Gavin Floyd. Erratic closer Bobby Jenks, despite being on the DL, has 18 saves with a 1.95 ERA. On offense, the White Sox have a tandem of heavy hitting outfielders in Jermaine Dye and Carlos Quentin.

I have to admit, I’m not overly impressed by the White Sox. In large part, I think they have overachieved so far this season. I think they will come back to earth, which will leave an opening for the Minnesota Twins to step in and take the division. The Twins, led by first baseman Justin Morneau, DH Jason Kubel, and catcher Joe Mauer, are right on the tail of the White Sox, just a game and a half back, and with star pitcher Francisco Liriano waiting in the wings of AAA, the Twins are poised to move into the post Santana era.

Twins win the division.

AL West

Until the Texas Rangers find someone who can pitch (Vicente Padilla currently leads the team in wins with 10), the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are the prohibitive favorites to win the division for years to come. The Rangers can hit, led by the top individual story of the year Josh Hamilton, Ian Kinsler and Milton Bradley, but their pitching is a joke. They boast a rotation of Kevin Millwood, Padilla, Jamey Wright and Kason Gabbard. Until they can get at least one pitcher, they could have all the offense in the world, they still won’t be able to compete with Los Angeles.

The Angels’ pitching rotation, which boasts John Lackey, Ervin Santana, Joe Saunders and Jered Weaver, not to mention closer Francisco Rodriguez who is on pace to shatter the single season saves record, is arguably the best in the majors. Their offense, while not being the power heavy lineup that Texas or Boston has, plays small ball like no other team in the majors. The obvious offensive leader is Vladimir Guerrero, accompanied by Torii Hunter. But the offense works so well because of intelligent baseball guy like Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick, and Garret Anderson.

The Oakland Athletics have basically traded themselves out of contention and the Seattle Mariners have the worst record in baseball.

Needless to say, Angels win the division.

I think the Rays win the AL Wild card this year. They are too talented to fall behind the likes of the White Sox or Rangers. In the end however, the Red Sox have too much experience and skill to be taken down. They beat the Angels to go on to the World Series.

NL West

Many commentators are calling this the NL Worst, and it’s hard to argue with that. After starting out red hot, division leading Arizona is now one game below .500. That’s right. The division leader has a losing record. Need I say more?

The reigning NL Champion Colorado Rockies are fourth in the division with a record of 39-57, topped only by the San Diego Padres, an incomprehensible 37-58. The Dodgers are one game back of the Diamondbacks, trailed by the San Francisco Giants in third place.

This division is a crapshoot at this point, but the Diamondbacks’ pitching, led by Brandon Webb and Dan Haren is just too good and the offense is not going to continue to struggle in the mighty fashion it has over the past month or so. With up and coming stars like Mark Reynolds, Conor Jackson and Chris Young, the Diamondbacks are going to eventually right their ship.

Arizona wins the division.

NL Central

This is the best division in baseball. The Cubs are tied with the Angels for the best record in baseball. Four and a half games behind them are the Cardinals, with the Brewers just a half game behind them. All three of these teams are going to be better in the second half. The Cubs traded for Rich Harden last week, and the Brewers added reigning AL Cy Young Award winner CC Sabathia. The Cardinals are getting ready for the return of Adam Wainwright and former Cy Young Chris Carpenter. Both pitchers are aces on almost any other team in the majors. The Cubs and Brewers already have bona fide aces on their teams in Carlos Zambrano and Ben Sheets, respectively.

This is, without a doubt, the toughest division in baseball in some time. I think the Cubs are ultimately the most complete team in the league, and certainly the division. Now let me just say, here and now, there is no way Ryan Dempster continues to pitch this well. He just isn’t this good. He will come back down to earth. But even with The Dumpster coming back to reality, the Cubs are bolstered by some serviceable pitching in Ted Lilly and Jason Marquis, in addition to Zambrano and Harden. On offense, the Cubs’ lineup reads like it’s very own All Star roster, led by Derek Lee, Alfonso Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, and Geovany Soto.

Cubs win the division.

NL East

The Phillies came into today with a half game lead over the Mets. The Marlins sit just one game behind the Mets. It is a division up for grabs to say the least. The Marlins boast a talented, young roster rivaled by only Tampa Bay and Arizona. Led by Hanley Ramirez, Mike Jacobs, Dan Uggla and Josh Willingham, they have an offense that puts the in a position to win every night. That being said, their pitching is thin, with Ricky Nolasco leading the team with 10 wins and a 3.70 ERA.

The Braves are most likely looking to scrap this year and go into rebuilding mood, if only temporarily. First baseman Mark Teixeira is a free agent at the end of this year and chances are that the Braves are going to move him before the trade deadline. Their pitching is pretty banged up, and old. John Smoltz, Tom Glavine and Mike Hampton are all currently on the disabled list. Not to mention that they are six and a half games out of first place.

The Mets pose the biggest threat to the Phillies’ playoff hopes. Winners of nine straight coming into the break, the Mets are batting .320 as a team during that time. They also only gave up a total of 19 runs over the same span. They are hot, no doubt, led by Carlos Delgado, Carlos Beltran, and Fernando Tatis. But therein lies the problem for the Mets. They have been winning in large part as a result of the contributions of usual bench players like Tatis, Endy Chavez, and Damion Easley. The Mets’ pitching is also suspect after you get past Johan Santana and John Maine, neither of whom have been stellar this season. After having a impressive season last year, Oliver Perez is 6-5 with a 4.44 ERA. His record is somewhat deceiving, as he has been wildly inconsistent this year. Pedro Martinez continues to battle being really old. Originally set to return this week, his next start is being skipped.

I just don’t think the Mets have the talent to overcome a Phils team with a much more potent offense and what could end up being a more stable pitching rotation. The Phillies acquired Joe Blanton from the Athletics Thursday, and while Blanton has not had much of a year so far this season (5-12, 4.96 ERA), he has show some real talent and a change of location could be all he needs to break out. More importantly, the addition of Blanton means that Adam Eaton is out of the starting rotation. Brett Myers is progressing nicely in AAA and is set to return to face the Mets on July 23rd. JA Happ threw a no hitter today in his minor league start and it is only a matter of time before he is brought up to the major leagues for good.

The biggest cause for concern for the Mets is that the Phils’ struggles have in large part been due to a lack of offense. This coming from one of the most offensively talented teams in the league. Jimmy Rollins, Chasey Utley and Geoff Jenkins are eventually going to turn things around. Ryan Howard continues to lead the league in home runs and RBIs. Pat Burrell is going to eclipse his usual 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. And that’s without the possible addition of another bat, like Matt Holliday or Jason Bay.

I say this with the caveat that I generally have no faith in the Phillies in ever winning anything, and at the risk of tempting fate, I pick the Phillies to win the division.

I pick the Brewers to win the NL Wild Card this year. I’m going to be very cliche and pick the Cubs to win the NL Pennant over the Brewers. I think unless the Phillies add a serious starting pitcher, ala Erik Bedard, they are not going to be able to compete with the Brewers in the playoffs.

That will bring us to the ESPN’s ultimate dream, a Red Sox Cubs World Series. Bristol could fawn all over the lovable losers from Chicago and Boston. Seriously though, just thinking about it makes me want to throw up. Boston wins, again. (Just threw up again)

Should be a very exciting second half. Continue to check out Hot Stove Philly as we bring you all the latest scores, trades, rumors, and general sports drama.

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Some rumors actually pan out.  Multiple media outlets are reporting the Phillies have acquired pitcher Joe Blanton from the Oakland Athletics for Adrian Cardenas, Josh Outman, and Matt Spencer. 

Blanton has struggled this season going 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA, and his ERA away from McAffee Stadium is less than desirable 5.73, so the Phillies definitely rolled the dice with this move.

Cardenas is considered the second best prospect by the Phillies.  A supplemental first-round pick in the 2006 draft, Cardenas is hitting .309 with 4 home runs and 23 RBI’s for Class A Clearwater.  He’s a prospect with a bright future ahead of him, but he’s blocked by Chase Utley, who’s signed with the Phillies until at least 2011.

Outman was once projected as a mid-rotation starter, but initially struggled after being converted to the bullpen.  Spencer appears to be a throw-in.  The outfielder possess some power, but has struggled this season at Clearwater batting a meager .249.

I like this trade.  While the Phillies gave up one of their better prospects in Cardenas, they land a mid-rotation starter who consistantly get deep into games.  While Blanton has had struggles this season, he’s only twenty-seven, and has a bright future ahead of him.  He also is a groundball pitcher, possessing a 1.30 GO/FO ratio, and doesn’t give up home runs (his career average is 19).  He is also under arbitration control until 2010, so they just didn’t add a starter for two months, but two-plus seasons.

By making this deal, the Phillies also keep their “Big 3″ prospects, Carlos Carrasco,Greg Golson, and Lou Marson, so if the Phillies want to make another deal before the deadline they have the chips.  It also spells the end of Adam Eaton.

I know some fans will not like this deal, based on Blanton’s current struggles, but remember this: If this deal was made prior to the season, Phillies fans would have loved it.

Blanton was scheduled to start Sunday for Oakland, so his probable debut will be Tuesday in New York against the Mets.

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The Phillies have been actively working the phones over the past several weeks trying to make a trade that would bolster their pitching rotation. The Phillies lack of serious starting pitching was made to look even weaker after the Milwaukee Brewers traded for Indians’ ace CC Sabathia and the Chicago Cubs traded for Oakland star Rich Harden last week. The Phillies were one of a number of teams that were in negotiations with Cleveland to acquire Sabathia’s services, but in the end they just didn’t have enough to offer. Instead of being able to trade for Rich Harden, who when healthy is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, it looks like the Phillies will wind up acquiring Joe Blanton from the Athletics. Blanton is Oakland’s number two starter and despite showing some serious talent in previous years, has really struggled this season, going 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA.

The Phillies have reportedly been negotiating with the Seattle Mariners over the past couple weeks in an attempt to acquire their disgruntled ace Erik Bedard, but it appears that they’re not going to be able to pull off that deal, and Bedard is currently on the DL and wants out of Seattle. Even more importantly, Seattle wants Bedard out of Seattle. And all indications point to the Phillies not bringing him back to the East Coast.

Why are they having such a hard time bringing in a legitimate quality starting pitcher? Because the Phillies have a very weak farm system. As you have noticed, I’m sure, by reading Jay’s On The Farm columns, the subject of his pieces are the same handful of players over and over again.

This is not to say that the Phils don’t have any talent in the minors. There are several highly touted players in their farm system, most notably Carlos Carasco and Adrian Cardenas. Carasco is the Phils’ most highly touted prospect. He has been rated as the number one pitching prospect in organization two years in a row by Baseball America. Cardenas is the most likely prospect to be traded as his primary position is second base, which is in all likelihood going to be occupied by Chase Utley for many years to come. Cardenas is ranked the number two prospect in the organization, and is batting .309 with 16 stolen bases.

Other prospects are SS Jason Donald, C Lou Marson, LHP Josh Outman, 2B Brad Harman, OF Greg Golson, and LHP Antonio Bastardo. Other than Carasco or Cardenas, no one really blows you away, although the upside potential is definitely there will all of them.

Nevertheless, the farm team is not teeming with trade bait. But the Big Show is.

Ryan Howard is prime trade bait. In Howard’s short career he has been named the NL Rookie of the Year, NL MVP, Home Run Derby Champion, and he has led the league in home runs and RBIs over the past three years. He also broke the single season record for strikeouts last year and is on pace to shatter that record this year. Howard, in his second year, demanded that the Phillies pay him $1 million. The Phillies wanted to give him $900,000, which was the record for a second year player. The two sides went to arbitration and Howard was awarded a $1 million contract. The next year he demanded $10 million, the Phillies offered $7 million. The two sides went to arbitration again, and again Howard won. It appears that Howard is going to take the Phils to arbitration to each off season until his contract is up in 2011, at which point he is going to demand (and command) a ridiculous contract.

This is not the Phillies of old. This team is no longer afraid to shell out some money to bring or keep talent to Philly, but within reason. The Phillies are not going to be able to pay, or willing to pay, the kind of money that Howard is going to demand. And I do not entirely fault Howard for demanding the money he is, or will. How many players have the record that he does? If he continues to hit the way he did the last month before the all star break (.284, 11 HR, 30 RBI, .965 OPS), then he will right in the mix for his second MVP award. The man can hit, no doubt about it. When Howard doesn’t strike out, he is hitting over .450.

That being said, that stat is part of the problem. Howard has also struck out 129 times this year. He struck out a total of 199 times last year. He has only walked 48 times. That means he strikes out almost three times as many times as he walks. You also have to take into consideration that Howard continues to be among the tops in the league in intentional walks, which decreases the amount of walks that he gets through patience and a good eye. Let’s face it, Howard is a one dimensional player, perhaps the most one dimensional player in the majors. He either strikes out, or hits a home run. In the past month, Howard has one double and one triple. So out of 13 extra base hits, 11 of them are home runs. That is terrible.

Nevertheless, Howard is absolutely a key part to this team and its offense. You can’t ignore the power numbers, which are the best in the game since he’s been in the majors. That is why I think it is the perfect time to trade him.

Unless Howard has indicated otherwise to Phillies GM Pat Gillick, it does not appear he is really planning on staying here. He wanted to sign a long term deal after his rookie season and instead the Phils offered him a one year deal worth the $900,000, which at the time was the record for a second year player. This disappointed Howard (and for the record, I think the Phillies should have bit the bullet and signed him for at least close to whatever he was asking for) and now I think he is just going to price himself out of Philadelphia. Instead of going year to year through arbitration, the Phils should deal him to either the Yankees or Red Sox. Both teams have the money and the record of giving huge contracts to their players, and both are going to have a void in the next couple years that Howard is perfectly suited to fill.

Howard is a mediocre first baseman at best, but he isn’t on your team for his defense. He is a player built for the American League and their stupid DH. Both the Yankees and Red Sox are going to be in need of a DH in the next couple years. The Yankees current DH platoon of Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui are about as banged up a bunch of highly paid veterans as you’ll find anywhere in the majors. By 2011, at least two of these guys will be gone, whether through retirement or free agency. He would be the perfect replacement to fill the void that would be left by Giambi’s bat.

An equally compelling team are the Red Sox. Current Boston DH David Ortiz (33 years old) is not getting any younger and has had a somewhat disappointing year. His power is down this year, and there has been some speculation that this could be related to the release of the Mitchell Report this past off season. Whether Ortiz’s power is down due to steroids or because he is having an off year or because he is starting to decline, he is getting older and is not going to start getting significantly better. To the contrary, Ortiz is going to start declining over the next few years, if he hasn’t already started. Howard is young enough to play first base for a number of years in Boston, or New York, while the current DH plays out the rest of his career.

Howard would bring the Phillies a serious number of prospects that they could use to a) bolster their farm system and help them build for the future or b) turn around and trade them for a serious starting pitcher that is on the same level as Sabathia or Harden.

They should trade for Matt Holliday, who would help fill the void left by trading Howard. They can give up some of those prospects in the farm system right now for Holliday. Then by trading Howard, they can use those prospects for a starter. Yes, that depletes the farm system for a number of years, but this team is young enough right now to contend for the World Series for years to come. They don’t need the farm system to be bountiful right now with the exception of using those players as trade bait.

If Howard does actually want to stay here and will take a deal that won’t make it impossible for them to sign and trade for other important pieces, then that’s fine. Keep him here. I have no problems with Howard spending his entire career in Philadelphia. But I believe the Phillies are going to lose him eventually to free agency, so they should try and get the most for him that they can before he bleeds them dry and prices himself out of a trade. The time is now, they need to strike while the iron is hot. This is the best opportunity the Phillies have had to make it to the World Series in years and they need to take their shot now.

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The day after the Midsummer Classic is always the slowest day in sports. With only the AAA & AA All-Star games going on, it’s one of the few days of the year where there’s not one major sporting event.  It doesn’t stop the trade rumors from flying around.

The Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting the Phillies have begun to look at the Athletics Joe Blanton.  Blanton has had disastrous 2008 campaign going 5-12 with a 4.96 ERA.  I’ve always felt Blanton was a pitcher who had more hype surrounding him then actual ability.  Entering 2008, Blanton was 42-34 with a 4.09 ERA.  Although those numbers aren’t terrible, they hardly support the hype that surrounds him. 

Given his current rough first half, Blanton would come at a cheaper asking price then what he was shopped for last off-season, but I honestly don’t see him being traded by the deadline.  Athletics GM, Billy Beane, only trades players when he knows he’ll get the most value out of them.  Since Blanton is under organizational control until 2010, there’s really no reason for the A’s to trade him, unless they get blown away by an offer.  Given how he’s performed this season, I cannot see a big offer coming their way.

Randy Miller of Philyburbs is reporting the Phillies are also exploring the availability of Giants pitcher Matt Cain.  At twenty-three, Cain has had some struggles after his 13-12 rookie season in 2006, going 12-23 since (including 5-7, 4.06 ERA in ‘08).  While his record isn’t pretty, he’s only twenty-three, and is still prone to mistakes.  These should correct themselves with experience.

Since young pitchers with the type of talent Cain has don’t come along every day, and given the fact he’s under organizational control until 2011, I cannot see the Giants making a move here.  Should they be willing to part with Cain, Pat Gillick needs to see what the Giants want, and meet their demands.  Cain is a stud, and is only going to get better.

My take on all the daily trade rumors might be different then most.  Although I do think the Phillies will make a move, by the July 31st deadline, they’re in no hurry.  Most of these offers they’ve reportedly made to clubs appear extremely insincere, considering their unwillingness to part with Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, or Greg Golson.  If the Phillies do want to add a pitcher of any caliber, they’re going to have to sacrifice some of their top talent.

Part of the reason they are keeping their top three prospects “off limits”, is because of Brett Myers.  Myers will get two starts before July 31st.  Should he be impressive in both starts, don’t expect the Phils to make a push for a bigger named pitcher (out of the group that is available).  Phillies fans might not want to hear it, but if Myers can find some dominance, he’ll be the number two pitcher the remainder of the season.  Should he struggle, look for the Phillies to push the panic button.  To me that’s not the mentality an organization looking to win the World Series should have.  Even if Myers returns and is dominant, adding a pitcher of substance should still be a priority to strengthen the rotation down the stretch.

The other reason the Phillies will hold off for now is they want to see the health of Erik Bedard.  He’s been the dark horse through the weeks of trade rumors, and is the guy the Phillies would like to land if healthy.  Bedard is scheduled to start next week (although his initial July 21st start was pushed back), and he would be the pitcher Gillick & Co. would part with a Carrasco.  Honestly he’s the only true impact pitcher (attitude perception aside), that had the ability to make a true difference on the mound.

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Instead of recapping what happened last night (The AL won, they now have home field advantage in the World Series, again. End of recap.), I am going to take this opportunity to rant about the absurdness of the game.

Well, maybe I’ll do a little recapping. First of all, it actually was not a bad game, as all star games go. It wasn’t an obscene slugfest with no defense (Dan Uggla aside) and shotty pitching. There were actually some really exciting defensive plays, like Nate McLouth’s game saving throw to the plate, and catcher Russell Martin’s superb catch and tag on the same play. Not to mention the delightful meltdown of closer Billy Wagner in the eighth inning, giving up the tying home run to Red Sox outfielder J.D. Drew, the All Star MVP. In classic Wagner fashion, with the game on the line, he choked. The greatest thing that Ed Wade ever did for the Phillies was bring Wagner to Philly, allowing Brad Lidge to become the new closer in Houston, then allowing the idiot Texan (Virginian) go irritate the Mets, and then trading Lidge to the Phillies for mediocre trash.

Yea yea, Mets fan, I know what you’re saying. Wagner may have blown the save, but my boy Lidge lost the game. Yes, you are correct. Lidge did load the bases in the 15th inning and did give up the winning pop fly to Rangers’ shortstop Michael Young. But here is the ever important difference: Wagner had a normal warm up time and was perfectly healthy and strong when he went out there and blew the save. Lidge, on the other hand, had been warming up for five innings and threw over 100 pitches before he went out on the mound. Lidge doesn’t throw 100 pitches over the course of three games, let alone warming up for one. He was worn out by the time he came into the game, not that that was of any concern to our brilliant commissioner Alan “Bud” Selig.

According MLB.com,

“This game was going to be played to its conclusion,” Commissioner Bud Selig said about the 79th All-Star Game. “I hope you understand that. I know everybody understood that. There was no doubt about it. All’s well that ends well. It was a terrific evening and I feel pretty good right now. But we were going to keep playing, and both managers knew that.”

When asked what if Lidge had to pitch two innings, or Rays’ ace Scott Kazmir (who had thrown over 100 pitches on Sunday and was not supposed to pitch last night) had to pitch beyond what he was strong enough for, Selig responded,

“You know what? Then they would have had to use the last pitchers as long as they needed,” Selig said. “But it turned out we didn’t have to do it. And we can talk about those scenarios forever.”

What an arrogant, self righteous….this is a family site and I am not going to say what I really think of Mr. Selig. I didn’t have great feelings towards him before, but now I have absolutely no respect for him. He didn’t care if Lidge or Kazmir overthrew and wore out their arms over a stupid exhibition game. The commissioner refused to be humiliated and mocked again like he was in 2002 when the All Star Game ended in a tie. Selig’s inability to take criticism is what led to the abomination that is the current All Star Game system. Selig’s arrogance is what has led to the degradation of the World Series, the championship of America’s pastime.

Commissioner Selig, you have made a mockery of baseball and you deserve to be fired.

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Disgruntled Eagles‘ cornerback Lito Sheppard has hired infamous super agent Drew Rosenhaus to represent him in his attempts to negotiate a new contract.

It’s a move that will likely provoke bad memories amongst the Eagles’ faithful.

According to news reports, the two sides had an initial meeting Wednesday and look forward to getting a deal done and avoiding the ugliness that occurred the last time that Rosenhaus held negotiations with the Eagles when he represented Terrell Owens.

Sheppard is due to earn a base salary of $2 million in 2008.

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The Los Angeles Clippers traded for Denver Nuggets’ center Marcus Camby Tuesday. In return, Denver receives the option to trade second round picks with Los Angeles in the 2010 NBA draft. Camby is considered one of the premier defensive players in the league, leading the NBA in blocks with 3.61 a game last year.

More importantly, this means that the Clippers are no longer in a financial position to pursue restricted free agent forward Andre Iguodala. The Clippers were the most active team pursuing the Sixers‘ star.

Last off-season, Iguodala rejected a five year, $57 million offer from the Sixers. He is reportedly asking for a five year, $65 million deal.

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Everyone knows that the Phillies are in the market for a legitimate starting pitcher, especially after their National League rivals the Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers made serious acquisitions last week. They have been trying to work out a deal for Erik Bedard from the Seattle Mariners, and have expressed interest in A.J. Burnett, Bronson Arroyo, Jarrod Washburn, and Randy Wolf. As you can tell, there isn’t a lot out there in terms of premier pitching talent, with arguably Bedard being the only bona fide ace. Phillies GM Pat Gillick has publicly stated that the Phillies are not willing to part with the few top prospects they have in their farm team for less than acceptable pitching. That basically means they are going to make a deal for Bedard, or they’re just going to stick with the pitching they have, unless they can convince a team to deal a “B” or “C” list pitcher for lesser prospects.

It appears that as a result the Phillies have turned their sights onto acquiring a significant offensive upgrade. One name that has been out there as being on the block is Pirates’ outfielder Jason Bay, who has struggled over the past two seasons but has shown that he is capable of some serious offensive numbers. However, it was reported Wednesday on ESPN Radio 950 Philadelphia by host Jody Mac that the Phillies are in talks with the Colorado Rockies about what it would take to bring stud outfielder Matt Holliday to Philadelphia.

Before you get excited, if the Phillies were to make a trade for Holliday, it would most likely require most, if not all, of the team’s top prospects, including Carlos Carasco or Adrian Cardenas. That being said, a guy like Holliday could be worth it. This year he is batting .337 with 14 home runs and 51 RBIs. In addition, he has 13 stolen bases and 42 walks. Last year Holliday was the runner up to Jimmy Rollins for the NL MVP when he hit .340 with 36 home runs and 137 RBIs. The addition of Holliday would solidify the Phillies offense as the best in the majors.

Unfortunately, adding Holliday will do nothing to help the Phillies’ pitching needs. Opening day starter Brett Myers is set to return to the Phillies on July 23rd and former No. 1 pick Kris Benson continues to progress through the majors and could join the Phillies in early August. In a deal for Holliday, the Phillies could also acquire former Rockies’ closer Brian Fuentes. He would provide the much needed second left arm in the bullpen and would serve as the team’s primary set up man. Fuentes could also give closer Brad Lidge a day off every few games. He has 99 career saves in his seven plus year career.

One possibility is that the Phillies could try to trade slugger Ryan Howard for a premier pitcher. By putting Howard on the market, it would open up the market to players not previously available for a trade. Howard has shown, to me at least, a glaring lack of interest to stay in Philadelphia after his contract expires in 2011. He has taken the Phillies to arbitration the past two seasons, winning a $10 million contract this past off season. Howard is currently leading the league in home runs and RBIs. Over the past month he hit a very respectable .284. This is the best opportunity to trade Howard as the Phillies will get the biggest return on him. If they wait, they’ll end up losing him with no return, or having to trade him with a gun to their head with a much less significant return. I say trade Howard now for that premier pitcher, or a set of top prospects to replace those lost by trading for Holliday.

The time is now for the Phillies to win. The National League is the weakest it has been in years. There are only a handful of legitimately good teams, such as Chicago, Milwaukee, Arizona, the Mets, and maybe the Cardinals. The Phillies need to strike while the iron is hot and get done the deals that will put them in a position to compete and win this year.

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