Posts Tagged ‘Phillies Rumors’

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The “All In” Mentality

May 24th, 2016 by Mike H. | Comments Off on The “All In” Mentality | Filed in Baseball, MLB, Phillies

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After Monday’s 5-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers, the Phillies sit at 25-20, good for third in the division, but just 2.5 games out of first place. As each day passes and hope gets brighter, I keep getting reminded of how impatient this town and its fan can get. More and more I hear that the Phillies should acquire a bat in order to “go all in”, “make a run”, or the ever clichéd “catch lightning in a bottle”. I don’t want to seem like a Debbie Downer, but Christ, can we be more naive? Everybody wants to believe that this team is a move or two away from the World Series. I couldn’t disagree more. If the Phillies want to be a perennial power house, GM Matt Klentak needs to stay the course and let the team evolve naturally.

The Phillies success is not sustainable. The young pitching has been outstanding, or has it? The Phillies pitching staff is tied for seventh best Batting Average on Ball In Play (BABIP). For those who aren’t familiar, that means opposing teams have been “unlucky” facing Phillies pitching. Basically, opposing teams are hitting balls, for the most part, right at the Phillies defensively. There is a lot promising talent on the team right now, but not sustainable enough to be a playoff contender…..yet. The offense on the other hand, while better as of late, has been fairly horrible. The Phillies have the 7th worst run differential in MLB. Only two other MLB teams have a winning record and a negative run differential: The Miami Marlins (23-21, -10) and the Kansas City Royals (22-21, -13)  The Phillies, on the other hand, have a run differential of -32. Almost three times worse than teams fighting to stay above .500.

Enter the “Get a bat” conversation. This, in my humble opinion, is one of the worst ideas you could conceive. Let’s start with who are you going to acquire. Is there a player that can significantly increase the Phillies offense without strip mining the farm? For a while, there were rumors wondering if the Angels should considering trading Mike Trout. Sure he’d be an instant favorite, and not even because he’s the local product, but that would require more long-term talent than what its worth considering salary you’d have to commit as well.

A better idea is to let the farm produce a bat. I mean there are some legitimate prospects that could be long-term solutions. At AAA Lehigh Valley alone, Cameron Perkins is hitting a solid .304 albeit with an unimpressive .327 on-base percentage. Nick Williams has struggled recently, but has the tools to succeed. The Phillies top position prospect, J.P. Crawford, was just recently promoted, but most likely isn’t anything more than a September call up short of a series of catastrophic injuries. At AA Reading, Jorge Alfaro is looking like the real deal hitting .355 with a .371 on-base percentage. Alfaro could definitely be helpful to the offense, but a promotion to AAA should be first. It would be no surprise to see him get promoted after the Eastern League All Star Game. Outfielder Dylan Cozens is showing promise. While hitting a rather pedestrian .276, he does have a .348 on-base percentage and .558 slugging percentage with 11 home runs.

So the Phillies do have options to bring up and potentially be long-term solutions, but none of which are currently ready to make the impact that the team would need to be “All In”. At least not in 2016. The Phillies are returning from baseball obscurity and moving any pieces right now would just be foolish. With all the money the Phillies will be gaining with the new TV contract, the top draft picks, and top international signing bonus pool, the future of the franchise is about to become the present.

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Following The 40: Off-season Primer

October 12th, 2015 by Mike H. | Comments Off on Following The 40: Off-season Primer | Filed in Baseball, General, MLB, Phillies

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As the Phillies off-season begins, the first order of business was to pair down the roster to 40 players including ones that would be coming off of injured status. Earlier last week, the Phillies outrighted Justin De Fratus (who recently elected free agency), Jonathan Pettibone, Adam Loewen, Ken Roberts, Erik Kratz, Jordan Danks, and Chase d’Arnaud. The roster currently stands at forty, but with a strong likelihood that Cliff Lee, Chad Billingsley, Aaron Harang, Jerome Williams, Brian Bogusevic, Jeff Francoeur, and Andres Blanco all head to free agency.

Francoeur and Blanco are expected to be asked to return, but will both certainly be given offers with other clubs. Domonic Brown may have seen his last inning as a Phillie as he has a very strong chance of being non-tendered a contract. Jesse Biddle and David Buchanan are both likely to be outrighted in the near future due to their respective injury statuses. That sets the Phillies at 30 players.

Whoever the next General Manager may be, while they have the resources, there probably won’t be any huge splashes for 2016. In fact, the Phillies acquisitions will most likely be role players and players coming off of injury looking to establish value. The rotation will most likely consist of Aaron Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, and Adam Morgan as pitchers three thru five with Alec Asher and Severino Gonzalez given opportunities.

Matt Harrison, whom the Phillies acquired at the trade deadline in the Cole Hamels deal, could also be an option if he is healthy enough to compete. The Phillies could also add from within with Zach Eflin and Ben Lively as potential candidates. My personal targets for the Phillies to add from free agency: Mat Latos or Doug Fister.

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Jonathan Papelbon Trade News

July 28th, 2015 by Sam Shipley | Comments Off on Jonathan Papelbon Trade News | Filed in Baseball, MLB, Phillies

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*Note: This page will strictly have updates regarding Jonathan Papelbon. 

Bookmark this page for all the latest Jonathan Papelbon trade news.

7/28/15 (11:31 AM):

According to Jim Salisbury, there is a growing confidence that Jonathan Papelbon will be traded.

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Report: Phillies and Cubs talking Cole Hamels deal

July 24th, 2015 by Sam Shipley | Comments Off on Report: Phillies and Cubs talking Cole Hamels deal | Filed in Baseball, MLB, Phillies

The MLB Trade Deadline is officially one week away and the big question in Philadelphia is whether Cole Hamels will still be a member of the Phillies after July 31st.

As of now there have not been many reports indicating that a Hamels trade is in any kind of advanced stages, and quite honestly there haven’t been many reports indicating a lot of trade talk for the former World Series MVP.

However, talks are likely to pick up as we get closer to the deadline. One team who has interest in trading for Hamels is the Chicago Cubs.

According to CSN Chicago’s David Kaplan, the Cubs and Phillies are in conversations about a deal that would send Hamels to the Cubs:

“MLB sources confirmed to me this afternoon that the Cubs have been in discussions with the Philadelphia Phillies on a deal for Cole Hamels who has three years left on his current contract plus an option year. While he is an expensive piece he fits the needs of the team to upgrade their rotation while adding a player who would be a part of the team beyond the rest of this season. The Cubs will probably add an additional starter for depth perhaps as a rental type but that is not expected to be a significant acquisition.”

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Is Cole Hamels The Prize Of The Deadline?

July 21st, 2015 by Mike H. | Comments Off on Is Cole Hamels The Prize Of The Deadline? | Filed in Baseball, Phillies

Will the Cole Hamels’ next start in Chicago be for or against the Phillies?

Every year, whether it be at the GM Winter Meetings or the Non-Waiver Trade Deadline, there’s always that one big name that holds up the rest of the market. This summer is no different and it very well could be Cole Hamels that has become “that guy“. Sure there are sexier names like David Price and Johnny Cueto available, but ultimately they are bigger overpays. First of all, they are rentals. Outside of the Cubs trading for Price, I highly doubt either pitcher will start 2016 with the team they end 2015 with. Second of all, they would be no doubt about it Qualifying Offer candidates, meaning that if they were to stay with their current team and no sign a one-year tender and sign with another team, the current team would be entitled to draft pick compensation in next year’s draft. That being said, the Reds and Tigers are going to be looking for a package that includes additional compensation for losing that draft pick.

The next tier includes guys like Mike Leake, Ian Kennedy, James Shields, and Jeff Samardzija. None are a bad pitcher, but none are tried and tested aces. In fact, not even Price or Cueto have the playoff pedigree that Hamels has. Do I doubt that many teams look to the second tier guys for depth? Any team in the playoff hunt would be crazy not to. Any of these pitchers could easily be an upgrade over what a team currently has, but are any of them worthy of being that go to guy in a one game playoff? They’d definitely keep you in the game, but probably won’t win it for you like Hamels can.

So let’s be honest, there are probably some sleeper teams out there looking at the long-term that don’t get discussed in the “Hamels Sweepstakes”, but the ones most discussed about are the Cubs, Dodgers, Red Sox, Rangers, and Orioles. Right off the top, I’d cross off the Orioles just based on the fact that they don’t have much to offer in return. Sure teams like the Pirates, Astros, and Blue Jays have kicked the tires on Hamels, but that seems to be just due diligence. I could be dead wrong, but I highly doubt he ends up in any of those uniforms. I’d probably cross off the Dodgers as well. They have two things going against them. One is that they appear to be trying to pull the “I’m gonna low-ball you an offer just because I’m willing to eat all the remaining contract” card. The other is that, in my opinion, no team is going to trade you a top 30 ranked prospect in all of baseball. So that probably means no Seager and no Urias. Which I’m okay with. Both are great and I wouldn’t say no to either one, but I’m excited with what the Phillies have in those positions.

While in the off-season, my main destination was clearly the Red Sox, my in season target has been slowly drifting towards the Chicago Cubs. With Miguel Montero’s recent injury, I don’t know what the availability of Kyle Schwarber would be, but he’d be my center piece around Mark Zagunis and Billy McKinney. The deal may have to expand due to Chicago’s need behind the dish (Carlos Ruiz anyone?) or involve a third team. Either way, the Phillies need to get this one right.

What if the Phillies don’t end up moving Hamels? Well, simply put, they’d have an increasingly hard time moving him before next July 31st to gain a proper value. With Cueto and Price basically guaranteed to be moved, they’d be the prizes of the offseason with guys like Jordan Zimmermann and  Zack Greinke not falling too far behind. Yeah all of those guys, would cost a lot of years and money, but that’s all they would cost. Not a large contract AND prospects to boot. So at best, Hamels would be the 5th most desirable pitcher this winter.

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Phillies 2015 Draft Review

June 16th, 2015 by Joe Buscemi | Comments Off on Phillies 2015 Draft Review | Filed in Baseball, General, MLB, Phillies

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Some draft classes are full of prospects that bloom into phenoms such as Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Trout.  That was not the case for this year’s draft, which was a good thing for the Phillies who had the tenth pick in the first round. Typically speaking the tenth pick is a slightly above average player with potential to improve, unlike the first five picks who are expected to make an immediate impact. This allowed the Phillies to have the opportunity to land a player with just as much talent as those drafted between four and nine.

The Phillies wound up drafting Cornelius Randolph, a highly touted short stop from Griffin High School (Georgia). According to MLB.com Griffin has produced a pair of big league infielders in Jeff Treadway (retired, drafted by Expos in 1981) and Tim Beckham (Current SS/2B for TB Rays), and many analyst believe Randolph could be the third in recent years.

It has been reported that he is Griffin High School’s best prospect since Beckham and is portrayed as more of an impact hitter than Beckham has turned out to be. He has the tools to hit for power and average and can spread the ball throughout the entire field. He finished his senior year with an average of .528, an OBP of .605 and had twenty stolen bases. Despite those stats coming from a high school level, which do not mean a lot in comparison to pro level ball, he still shows signs of a well-rounded player with the potential to do a lot of the damage in the future. Randolph is the kind of player the Phillies lineup has lacked in recent years.  He would be quite the difference maker if he is able to maintain his skills at the major league level.

For now we’ll have to wait and see how Randolph pans out as he begins his journey to eventually being a starter for the Phillies. What do you Phillies fans thing about the Phils drafting Randolph? Sound off your opinion in our comments section below or on twitter @Joey_Boosh & @talksportsphila!

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Reality Check: Examining the Phillies Trade Market for Cole Hamels

June 11th, 2015 by Ryan Waterman | Comments Off on Reality Check: Examining the Phillies Trade Market for Cole Hamels | Filed in Baseball, General, Phillies

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We’re a little over two months into the season, and the Phillies are cellar dwellers as expected. With July 31st slowly approaching, it is widely believed that the Phils are expected to be amongst the most active sellers in baseball. This team currently holds some attractive assets, although the majority are a little bit past their expiration date, to put it nicely. Among the most attractive options, Cole Hamels is the head of the class. The 31-year old southpaw has been viewed as one of baseball’s elite pitchers. He’s been the anchor of the Phillies rotation for his entire Major League career. However, as the Phillies chances of winning became almost miniscule, so did “Hollywood”s chances of ending his career in red pinstripes. Over the span of the next seven days, I will take an in-depth look at the trade market for the Phillies most desirable assets, beginning tonight with our ace Cole Hamels.

Last July was when Hamels really “hit the market”. It became painfully obvious that the Phillies were going through a rebuild, yet GM Reuben Amaro Jr has refused to believe that. He has insisted that the team can still compete, despite not having the means necessary to do so. As a result, the team hung on to Hamels. That move led experts to believe that Hamels would be on the move in the offseason. Amaro dropped the ball in that aspect, as well. This issue has been strung along for going on 11 months now, and there are no signs of it ending soon. It has been reported many times this season, that the Red Sox (rumored to be long interested in Hamels) were not willing to include either of their top prospects in Blake Swihart and Mookie Betts. The focus then turned to the young arms in Boston’s farm system. Henry Owens and Eduardo Rodriguez, the top pitchers down in the farm, immediately sprung to mind. However, nothing has materialized with the Red Sox, and recent reports have suggested that they’re almost out of the race for Cole.

Next up on the list of interested suitors are the St Louis Cardinals. The Cards were dealt a devastating blow earlier this season, when they lost star ace Adam Wainwright to a torn Achilles. St Louis has survived just fine during life without “Waino”. The emergence of Michael Wacha as their ace of the future has been of significant help to the NL Central leaders. They’ve also gotten solid production out of veteran John Lackey, and young upstart Carlos Martinez. Jaime Garcia has even provided excellent production in his handful of starts off of injury. That leaves one open spot in the rotation, which could be utilized for Hamels. Early on in the season, the Cardinals seemed like an almost longshot for Cole. Even with the injury to Wainwright, the St Louis still doesn’t look like an optimal landing spot.

That brings me to the overwhelming favorite, the Los Angeles Dodgers. Los Angeles seems like an almost no-brainer to land Hamels. Coming into the season, they were working with an assumed three-headed monster of Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, and Hyun-Jin Ryu. Brandon McCarthy and Brett Anderson were slated to fill out the rotation, on the backend. Unfortunately, season-ending injuries to Ryu and McCarthy have left the Dodgers rotation in turmoil. LA has relied on spot start names like Mike Bolsinger and Carlos Frias to bring some stability to a shaky staff. While they have filled in admirably, significant regression is expected. With the Dodgers favored to represent the NL in the “Fall Classic”, they will likely need another good pitcher to offset the shakiness on the backend. Back in November it was widely suspected that Amaro wouldn’t settle for anything less than one of the Dodgers “big three” in their prospect system (Joc Pederson, Julio Urias, and Corey Seager). But, the Dodgers “balked” at Reuben’s request. It has proved to pay off for LA, as Pederson has burst onto the scene, playing his way to becoming the favorite for NL Rookie of The Year, and Seager is making a major case to take over the keystone for the struggling Jimmy Rollins. Meanwhile, Urias is expected to crack the Dodgers rotation at the beginning of 2016.

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