PHILLIES: A Team of Ex-Phillies

If you readers have some free time on your hands, take a gander at this.

Nothing like some stats to show how crazy this season has been so far. Instead of seeing the regular names like Alex Rodriguez, Manny Ramirez, or Chase Utley on top of the charts, players such as Jose Bautista, Martin Prado, and Billy Butler are among the league leaders in some of the major offensive categories.

Crazy, right?

After taking a deeper look into these stats, since I had some rare time on my hands and all, it became a bit frustrating. As the current Phillies appear to be just breaking out of a seemingly endless slump, it seems that now more than ever, the names near the top of some of the lists are players who have been spotted in the home dugout in Philadelphia at some point in their career.

This poses an interesting question..

That is, if you put together a team of the best players who have been a part but are no longer affiliated with the Philadelphia organization in any way other than the history books, who would be on it, and how good would they be in comparison to the current (note that I said current) Phillies squad?

Take a look.

(All stats accurate as of June 19th, 2009)

STARTERS

C: Rod Barajas (.253 BA, 11 HR, 30 RBI’s for the New York Mets): After hitting .230 with 4 HR’s in split-time duty with the Phillies in 2007 (he was the opening day starter), Barajas was left of the 25-man roster at the beginning of the 2008 season in favor of Carlos “Chooch” Ruiz and was granted his release from the organization. After two season as a starter in Toronto, Barajas is now with the rival Mets, and is second on the team in HR’s with 11, one behind team leader David Wright.

 

Thome was "The Man" in Philadelphia during his two seasons with the Phillies

1B: Jim Thome (.250 BA, 6 HR, 19 RBI’s for the Minnesota Twins): Thome, who hit 40+ HR’s in both his full seasons in Philadelphia, isn’t on this list because of his stats THIS year. In his time with the Phillies, the future hall-of-famer helped rejuvenate baseball in the City of Brotherly Love, in which fans of the sport like myself should be forever grateful for that. With 570 HR’s ( the last one being against the Phillies), 5 all-star appearances, and one Silver Slugger award, Thome is a virtual lock for the HOF, and will go in to Cooperstown as one of the most genuine personalities in the history of the game. While he has spent almost half of his career at DH, if it weren’t for the utter existance of one Ryan Howard, Thome would have most likely played a couple more year at first base for the Phillies, using the band-box that they call Citizens Bank Park and the short porch in RF as his personal target practice. I’m not complaining (Howard has done pretty well if I can remember correctly), but it’s still okay to wonder what could have been.

2B: Miguel Cairo (.263 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI’s for the Cincinnati Reds): Cairo is in this spot because everyone who has played a middle infield position with the Phillies over the last decade is either still with the team, in the minor leagues, is out of baseball all-together, or has the name Nick Punto (Minnesota Twins). Honestly, it’s a toss up between the two, but I will not put in my starting lineup because I still remember him spurning me for an autograph way back when. Karma.  Not a second-basemen by nature, Cairo has made a 14-year big league career out a utility man, second base being one of the position that he has played. I already made my anti-Punto case, so it was either Cairo or Eric Bruntlett here, and Cairo gets the nod because he is actually playing in the bigs and is hitting over the Mendoza line, two qualities that he has over Bruntlett.

SS: Jason Donald (.253 BA, 1 HR, 8 RBI’s for the Cleveland Indians): Again, not much depth with the middle infield, but Donald is an interesting case. If he was not part of the deal to acquire Cliff Lee last season, he most likely would have made his big league debut with the Phillies this season instead of with the Indians, in which two disabled list stints for Jimmy Rollins would have most likely brought up Donald to the forefront of the organizational depth chart. Donald, who was considered a top-5 prospect for three seasons with the Phillies and this year with the Indians, has performed reasonably well for a struggling team in relief of Asdrubal Cabrera, who was lost for the season in late May after a gruesome arm injury, and is looking like he could be in the big leagues for a long time.

3B: Scott Rolen (.296 BA, 14 HR, 45 RBI’s for the Cincinnati Reds): As the surprise of the year, the Reds, of all teams,  have been in and out of first place the entire season. While Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, and the starting pitching may get most of the credit for it, the MVP of this team and maybe the entire NL at this point of the season is Rolen. With that said, he’s a no-brainer for this spot, as he was one of the only reasons that the struggling Phillies franchise stayed afloat from 1996 to when he was traded in 2002, as he averaged 27 HR and 98 RBI’s in six full seasons with the club, winning a ROY award, 3 Gold Gloves, and making one all-star game in the time span.

 

Love him or hate him, Bobby Abreu was an all-star for the Phillies

RF: Bobby Abreu (.272 BA, 7 HR, 34 RBI’s for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim): Bobby Abreu is the the typical enigmatic Philadelphia athlete. On one end, Abreu was one of the most consistent offensive threats for the Phillies in recent memory,  hitting 20+ HR for six straight seasons with Philadelphia, making two all-star games and winning a HR Derby to add to it. On the opposite side of the spectrum, Phillies fans always had a reason to boo Abreu when he was out on the field, as his superior arm strength was overshadowed by the fact that he rarely used his maximum effort to go after balls in the outfield. At this point, Abreu being 36 years old and all, you have to take into account that his skills are going to have to drop off at some point. However, with three straight 100+ RBI seasons with the Yankees and the Angels, he is still and above-average corner outfielder in the bigs.  Note that I refuse to associate J.D Drew with the Phillies (his back-hand slap to the face of the organization when he refused to sign with the club after he was drafted by Philadelphia in the first round in 1997 still makes him public enemy #1 in my book), so it’s not like there is much competition.

CF: Marlon Byrd (.320 BA, 9 HR, 34 RBI’s for the Chicago Cubs): Based on his career, some may view Byrd a surprise pick here, being that he has basically been a platoon player since his arrival to the big league scene in 2002. However, at 32 years of age, he may be in his prime. In his first full season as a starter with Texas in 2009, Byrd hit .283, and set a career high in HR’s and RBI’s. So far this season, after signing a 3-year contract with the Chicago Cubs, Byrd has been even better, as his .320 BA is the best on his team, and ranks third in the NL. And to think, Byrd was at times viewed in Philadelphia as just a defensive replacement.

LF:  Aaron Rowand (.220 BA, 6 HR, 23 RBI’s for the San Francisco Giants): Rowand may be having a down year for the Giants. Ok, a really down year. The fact of the matter is, Rowand makes this team because he beloved by the Phillies fans in his two seasons in Philadelphia, making an all-star game in 2007, and providing the signature defensive highlight in the eight-season history at Citizens Bank Park.

BENCH: OF Pat Burrell (.246 BA, 4 HR, 18 RBI’s with the Tampa Bay Rays/San Francisco Giants), 3B/2B Pedro Feliz (.220 BA, 2 HR, 22 RBI’s with the Houston Astros), 1B/3B Wes Helms (.272 BA, 2 HR, 9 RBI’s with the Florida Marlins), OF Michael Bourn (.253 BA, 0 HR, 11 RBI’s, 21 SB with the Houston Astros), SS/2B Nick Punto (.255 BA, 1 HR, 18 RBI’s with the Minnesota Twins), C Ronny Paulino (.314 BA, 3 HR, 27 RBI’s for the Florida Marlins)

STARTING PITCHER

SP: Cliff Lee (5-3, 2.55 ERA for the Seattle Mariners): For a player who only spent three months with the organization, Cliff Lee made about as big of an impact  in Philadelphia as humanly possible. He was the teams ace for the stretch run in the 2009 regular season, and was even better when it truly mattered in the playoffs and the World Series. That alone makes him the sure-fire starter. The fact that he is the proud owner of a Cy Young award, and is arguably a top 8-10 pitcher in baseball at this point of season (2.55 ERA ranks fourth in the AL) is just a bonus.

REST OF ROTATION: Carlos Silva (8-2, 3.01 ERA for the Chicago Cubs), Freddy Garcia (7-3, 4.94 ERA for the Chicago White Sox), Gio Gonzalez (6-5, 4.21 ERA for the Oakland Athletics),  Randy Wolf (5-6, 5.08 ERA for the Milwaukee Brewers)

BULLPEN: Ryan Franklin (3-0, 2.40 ERA, 13 SV for the St. Louis Cardinals), Brett Myers (4-5, 3.34 ERA for the Houston Astros), Chan Ho Park (1-1, 5.30 ERA for the New York Yankees), Arthur Rhodes (2-1, 0.30 ERA for the Cincinnati Reds), Tyler Walker (1-0, 3.67 ERA for the Washington Nationals)

 

The Billy Wagner era in Philadelphia provided some great memories.

CLOSER: Billy Wagner (5-0, 1.27 ERA, 13 SV with the Atlanta Braves): Even though Wagner may have had an up and down tenure with the Phillies, both on the field and in the clubhouse, he will always be remembered for hitting 100 mph on the radar gun in the first night game at the new Citizens Bank Ballpark in 2004. I was personally one of the fans in the crowd who gave him a standing ovation during that game that seemed like an eternity. With that said, after having great years before Philadelphia with the Houston Astros, and bad years after Philadelphia with the New York Mets, “Billy the Kid”  has seemed to revive his career for at least one more season with the Braves, in which a bid to the 2010 All-Star game might be on the horizon for the 40-year old veteran closer.

THOSE WHO MISSED THE CUT: Matt Stairs, Russell Branyan, Gavin Floyd, Rodrigo Lopez, Kyle Lohse, Robinson Tejeda, Vicente Padilla, Jason Jaramillo, Jack Taschner, Lou Marson, Gustavo Chacin

So, that’s the team. Can they compete with the current Phils?

PHILLIES: The “Halladay” Season

While it has not been finalized yet after being announced just less than 48 hours ago, the deal that has been rumored to go down for the past half a year is actually about to happen.

The deal that I am talking about is something involving the Philadelphia Phillies and them dealing for a former Cy Young Pitcher by the name of Roy Halladay.

Ring any bells?

If it doesn’t, go into the Philly Phour archives and read over ever single post I wrote in the month of July, and then it will refresh your memory.

So, the trade that was destined to take place is actually doing so. Now, I hate writing about posts about issues that are not finalized, but even if one of the players fails a physical (which is rumored to have happened), this trade is going to happen. So with that said, here is what the final trade details look like involving not three, but four teams (opinions to follow).

Philadelphia gets: Halladay, three Seattle Mariners prospects (Phillipe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, Juan Ramirez), and six-million dollars in cash from Toronto

Toronto gets: Two Phillies prospects (Kyle Drabek and Travis D’arnaud) and Athletics top prospect Brett Wallace

Oakland gets: Phillies prospect Michael Taylor

Seattle gets: Cliff Lee

With all the details out there on the table, here’s my general opinion on the deal, in which my feelings have ranged from excited to bittersweet over the past two days.

THE GOOD

 

The Phillies now have arguably the best pitcher in all of baseball over the last five years

By getting Halladay, and signing him to an three-year extension (with a possible 4th and 5th year option), the Phillies window of opportunity for another World Series title has been opened for another five seasons. As a current Phillies fan, you have to be happy about having a top 3-5 pitcher in all of baseball for the next few years as players like Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard are entering the prime of their own respective careers. With Halladay, those mentioned above, and guys such as Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco, and Cole Hamels, the Phillies will be in contention for a championship every year for the next half a decade. There is no question about that. 

There’s no doubt that the Phillies gave up alot in this deal, but they didn’t just get Halladay in this trade. All three of the prospects the Phillies got from Seattle were highly-regarded (all top 10 in the organization). With Aumont, the Phillies get a pitcher who was former first-round pick in 2007 (same year and round as Drabek) and was the 33rd ranked prospect in all of baseball at the start of the 2009 season. Needless to say, the kid is good, so before you start sending Ruben Amaro Jr. hate letters for dealing Kyle Drabek, take a look at Aumont.

Also in the deal, the Phillies got an outfielder in Tyson Gillies and a pitcher in Juan Ramirez. With Ramirez, the Phillies are getting a guy with a high-ceiling, but still has plenty of room to grow (very similar to Jason Knapp who the Phillies dealt for Cliff Lee). Gillies, who is comparable to Taylor in terms of worth for their respective organizations, was ranked anywhere from 4th the 6th out of all the Mariners prospects, and was the 2nd-ranked outfielder in the organization. In comparison to that, Taylor was ranked anywhere from being the 3rd to the 6th best Phillies prospect, and was regarded as the 2nd best outfield prospect in the organization. While Taylor definitely has the super-star potential that Gillies may not have, he was expendable due to the fact the Phillies have a better outfield prospect in Dominic Brown waiting in the wings behind the three all-stars (Werth, Victorino, Ibanez) that currently patrol the Phillies outfield.

With that said, for those who are claiming that the Phillies traded away their entire future for just 3-5 years of Roy Halladay, think again. Aumont, Gillies, and Ramirez will make an impact on the Phillies organization in both the Minor and Major League level of baseball. Mark my words.

THE BAD

Parting ways with Lee, Drabek, Taylor, and D’Arnaud makes the Phillies look like they are dumping their future for the present. In a sense, they are right. Truth be told, I do question the Phillies virtually trading off Lee for Halladay. Based on track record, there is no doubt that Halladay is the better pitcher, but there will come a time that all the innings pitched by Halladay will start to take a toll on his body.  I sure hope that time comes later rather than sooner, or this deal will be best described as the demise of the Philadelphia Phillies. 

I know a primary reason on why the Phillies in a sense chose Halladay over Lee was because of the ability to sign Halladay to a long-term extension. Each player had a different mentality. Halladay wanted to sign a long-term deal with a contender (Phillies, Yankees, Red Sox, Angels) and Lee, with one more year with the Phillies, wanted to test the open market. The smart decision was to sign Halladay in fear that a year down the road Lee would spurn the Phillies for an absurd offer from the Yankees or Red Sox, and they followed that trail. 

Understandable.

However, the way the city of Philadelphia embraced Lee, especially during the playoff run, can’t be ignored. The Phillies fans loved Lee, and Lee loved Philadelphia, and for good reason. The Phillies gave Lee his best chance to win a World Series in his career, and Lee’s performance (and Chase Utley’s) almost got them past the Yankees to that point. Undoubtably, Lee was spectacular in his term with the Phillies, especially during the playoffs,  which something you can’t say about Halladay, because quite frankly, he’s never been to the playoffs before. 

It’s not just about dealing Lee in this trade. While I’m a little sad to see a possible future ace in Drabek and a potential all-star corner outfielder in Taylor go, I understand, because the Phillies did get two prospects back that have the potential to fill those same roles in the organization. I am though a little skeptical of the Phillies trading Travis D’arnaud. Now, I usually wouldn’t question an organization dealing a player who was in single-A for the majority of the season, but with Philadelphia it’s a little different. In the Cliff Lee deal, the Phillies dealt their top catching prospect, Lou Marson, to the Indians. Combine that with dealing D’arnaud in this trade, it leaves 19-year old Sebastian Valle as the top catching “prospect” in the organization, who is still a good four years away from contributing at the big league level. 

In any event, the need to deal for a relatively young catcher in the coming weeks is very clear, as Carlos Ruiz, Brian Schneider, and Paul Hoover are all on the wrong side of 30 and have limited value when it comes to the future of the Philadelphia Phillies. 

VERDICT

Essentially, the Phillies traded seven of their top-15 prospects (Drabek, Taylor, D’Arnaud, Marson, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp, and Jason Donald) over the last six months for Roy Halladay and three other prospects. Just seeing that on paper, I’d still do it.

However, the process is very simple. In the next 3-5 years, or as long as Roy Halladay is with the Phillies, two things need to happen for the trade to be justified.

1. Roy Halladay has to win a Cy Young as member of the Phillies.

2. The Phillies have to win a World Series in that time span.

Of course, one of those two things can also satisfy some critics, but overall, by trading players that were once deemed “untouchable”, Ruben Amaro Jr. is implying that the Phillies future is now.

One final thing.

Roy Halladay, I hope you are ready. Philadelphia is a tad different than Toronto. 

This post will be updated once the trade goes final. 

PHILLIES: The Newest Phil-”lee”

Just 24 hours ago, Phillies fans like myself still thought that Roy Halladay was going to be on his way to Philadelphia at the end of the trade deadline. Now, the only time he will be coming to the City of Brotherly Love is as a visitor or if he secures a spot in the opposing teams’ dugout.

Welcome Cliff Lee. A deal that basically was developed, executed, and finalized before you can clap you hands now will most likely be the trade that defines the 2009 Trade Deadline. Headlines will read “2008 AL Cy Young going to the reigning World Champs.”

Wow, does that sound great.

Or does it?

Here is the good, the bad, and the truth in the biggest trade for the Philadelphia Phillies since they acquired Freddy Garcia (and you know how that turned out).

The Good:

Just look at this trade on the surface. Cliff Lee (2008 AL Cy Young Award winner) and OF Ben Francisco traded to the Phillies for four minor league prospects. Wow. The Phillies got starting pitching help in an ace and the right-handed bat off the bench they’ve been searching for all year without giving up one person from the big league roster that is 18 games above .500 and has a seven-game lead in the NL East. Not only that, the Phillies didn’t even give up any of their three “untouchables”, as Kyle Drabek, Dominic Brown and Michael Taylor are all still members of the Philadelphia Phillies organization. Even J.A Happ, a potential rookie of the year candidate in the NL for the Phillies, was left out of the deal and is, for right now, staying in Philly. That’s a luxury they certainly wouldn’t have had if Roy Halladay were to make his home at Citizens Bank Park. Speaking of Halladay, it’s quite possible that for the Phillies, Lee may have been a better option all together than “Doc”. Lee is younger (30) than Halladay (32), cheaper (5 million a year in contrast to Halladay’s 15.75 million), and demanded far less value than Halladay would (Toronto wanted J.A Happ, Drabek and Brown in return). Even with acquiring Lee over the better overall pitcher in Halladay, the Phillies pitching staff is now certainly better, and is as deep as ever.  A Cole Hamels/Cliff Lee one-two punch combined with Joe Blanton, Happ, Jamie Moyer, and Pedro Martinez finishing out the back end of the rotation will provide the star-power and consistency to be the among the best rotations in the baseball. Add that with the best offense in baseball, and there is no reason that the Phillies shouldn’t be the favorite to represent the NL in the World Series for the second season in a row.

The Bad:

(Note, this is me playing devil’s advocate)

Here is where my pessimistic Philadelphia sports attitude sets in. If the Phillies attitude is to win now, which they showed by traded four highly regarded prospects, why didn’t they just go for the touchdown pass with Roy Halladay instead of going for the field goal in Cliff Lee. Lee’s 22-3 season last year could simply be a case of a “one-year wonder”, as he is below .500 with a 7-9 record this year. For Halladay, who is widely regarded as one of the top-3 best pitchers in the league, and may go down as one of the best pitcher of our generation, Toronto was asking for J.A Happ, the Phillies top overall prospect in Dominic Brown, and the so-called pitching phenom Kyle Drabek. Instead Phillies gave up four prospects for Lee, with fellow pitcher Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson and Jason Donald all ranked as higher prospects than Drabek by Baseball America. Combine that with the loss of 18 year-old flamethrower Jason Knapp (who scouts have compared to Jonathan Papelbon), the Phillies just dealt four players who were thought as the future of the Philadelphia baseball. If last year was just a fluke, and Lee continues his sub .500 performance of this year and basically every other year until his contract with Philadelphia ends in 2010, not only would that close the window of opportunity to bring another World Series parade down Broad Street, but the loss of these integral parts of the organization could set back the Phillies for five year, maybe longer.

The Truth:

For GM Ruben Amaro, this was the perfect trade to make. Lee will obviously solidify the rotation and strike fear in basically every NL team who could face the Phillies in a game, let alone a playoff series. On the other hand, Ben Francisco was a huge part of why the deal is a winner for the Phillies. Francisco provides a right-handed bat off the bench with power (10 HR) and versatility (can play both corner outfield positions), and will allow John Mayberry Jr. some more time to grow as an everyday player at a lower level, as he will most likely be optioned back to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Francisco’s power from the right side of the plate, combined with Greg Dobbs and Matt Stairs from the left side of the plate, gives the Phillies offensive flexibility, as if they needed it.

 

Acquiring Cliff Lee gives the Phillies an "ace" in the starting rotation

While the Phillies did get Cliff Lee, they did in fact give up a lot. Donald, the organizations third ranked prospect, and Marson, the organizations fourth ranked prospect, talent and maturity-wise are ready to play for Indians big league team right now. Also, both are projected to be above-average MLB players for ten years. Knapp had the highest ceiling of any Phillies prospect (more than Brown, Taylor or Drabek), and still has so much room to grow as a teenager. Carrasco, the wildcard in this, is still considered a top of the rotation starter by the Indians after struggling this season. The truth of the matter is that he’s allowed to struggle, he’s 22 years old, people seem to forget that, though the Indians obviously didn’t.

 

The truth is though, if the Phillies were to give up any of the highly regarded prospects, these were the ones they wanted to give up. It’s nothing against the four of them, it just seems like they made the pieces of the puzzle fit perfectly. Donald, behind Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley for another five years, would just be a career backup for the Phillies and would have no value and diminished skill when Rollins and Utley are past their prime. Marson, probably the most costly of the departed, was viewed as the catcher of the future for Cleveland, as they are also shopping Victor Martinez and Kelly Shoppach. He was the huge centerpiece of the trade. Knapp, the other centerpiece of the trade, is at least three years away from making an impact at the big league level, which conflicts with the Phillies three-five year window to win another World Series. Lastly, Carrasco, while highly regarded, struggled in Triple-A and was upset at the organization in June when they promoted fellow Triple-A teammate Antonio Bastardo instead of him to replace Brett Myers in Philadephia. A change of scenery was probably the best scenario for Carrasco.

With all that said, it was worth it. By trading for Cliff Lee instead of Roy Halladay, the Phillies retaining their top prospects in the organization while keeping their entire big league nucleus intact. That seems like a good combination for success.

Or so we hope.

PHILLIES: Carrasco Scratched From Start, Trade Completed

Carlos Carrasco was supposed to pitch Wednesday for Lehigh Valley in a rare 11:05 morning start time. At approximately 10:00 AM, he was scratched from his start, giving way to LHP Jake Woods. There are no lingering injury concerns with Carrasco, so either he came up with a sudden stomach bug, or something provoked the Phillies organization to lift him from his start.

That something may very well be a trade.

Jason Donald and Lou Marson are also not in the lineup for the Iron Pigs for today’s game. While on the surface this may seem like a big deal, Marson and Donald were both expected to get the day off today because they both played in a night game on Tuesday, just 13 hours removed from Wednesday’s 11:05 starting time.

Blue Jays and Indians scouts are in attendance today, and the Blue Jays scouts in particular looked pretty shocked when they found out Carrasco was scratched, even though reports have said that the Blue Jays have soured on the idea of trading Carrasco.

With that said, signs are pointing towards Cliff Lee, not Roy Halladay, the likely candidate to come to Philadelphia via trade.

Another quick note, the Phillies have showed reported interest in Baltimore RP George Sherill, and Orioles scouts have been present for Carrasco’s starts over the past month. The Phillies, will three bullpen members sent to the D.L this week, have obvious bullpen issues. Just something to think about.

Either way something seems to be brewing..

Updates will be given throughout the day.

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UPDATE (1:05 P.M): Phillies reportedly “on the verge” on making a trade with the Cleveland Indians. The trade would be to acquire LHP Cliff Lee.  The deal would be Jason Knapp (18-year old hardthrowing single-A prospect), Carlos Carrasco, and two of Jason Donald, Lou Marson and Michael Taylor. Taylor is still on the field as the game at Lehigh Valley continues, and Marson and Donald are both not playing because of a scheduled off-day. At this point, I think Taylor will be the one left out of this trade, and Marson and Donald along with Carrasco may be having a clubhouse meeting in the near future.

_____________________________________________________________

Update (4:41 P.M): Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports.com has said that the Phillies and the Indians agree to terms on a trade.  LHP Cliff Lee and OF Ben Francisco to the Phillies for Jason Knapp, Lou Marson, Jason Donald and Carlos Carrasco. The trade will become official pending physicals and distribution of medical records.

_________________________________________________________________

UPDATE (7:45 PM): The Phillies confirmed it in a press release distributed to the public in the past hour. Everything (medical history, physicals) checked out ok, so it’s official. Cliff Lee and Ben Francisco are going to Philadelphia for Carlos Carrasco, Jason Donald, Lou Marson, and Jason Knapp.

 

Reaction post coming in the next couple hours.

PHILLIES: Trade Deadline Options

As I write this, it is Monday, July 27th. On Saturday morning at 12:01, August 1st, as it has been for every year in the past two decades, the trade deadline will have been completed. For people who have minimum math skills, that means in less than five days, the public will know if Roy Halladay, or anybody else for that matter, will be added to the Phillies roster via trade. If J.P Richardi’s inclination after the Blue Jays rejected the Phillies offer on Sunday is correct, and Halladay is not dealt, here are some other players who could see themselves heading to Philadelphia.

Plan B?

Cleveland Indians SP Cliff Lee: The Phillies “Plan B” if a trade for Halladay doesn’t work out. Lee, the 2008 AL Cy Young Award winner, has pitched very well this year even though his 7-9 record doesn’t show it. While his record is under .500, his 3.14 E.R.A has proved that he still has the stuff that made him the ace of the Indians staff last year. In contrast to Halladay, he’s a much cheaper option (only due just over 4 million next year), and would be more willing to sign a long term deal with the Phillies. Unlike his current team the Indians, the Phillies are a contender to go to the playoffs every year with guys like Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, and Ryan Howard a lock to play behind Lee for the next three years if he is headed to Philadelphia. While the Phillies would probably still have to give up a lot for Lee (my prediction is J.A Happ, Carlos Carrasco, and Jason Donald), this trade would allow the Phillies to keep their top two prospects, Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown.

Seattle Mariners SP Jarrod Washburn: A once-ace for the Angels in the early part of the decade, Washburn has resurrected his career this season with the Seattle Mariners. Just one year removed from going 5-14 and contemplating retirement, Washburn is 8-6 with an impressive 2.71 E.R.A this season with Seattle, and has overtaken Eric Bedard (someone the Phillies were interested in before he went on the D.L last week) as the second-best pitcher on the Mariners starting rotation, making a potent 1-2 punch with ace Felix Hernandez. While Washburn has been impressive this season, his age (35 in August) will make unlikely that he is dealt to Philadelphia for a couple of young prospects (Happ, Drabek, Carrasco ect.). But hey, crazier things have happened.

Pittsburgh Pirates SP Zach Duke: We all know how Pittsburgh loves trading away talent. The Pirates have dealt basically their entire core, including players Jason Bay, Nate McLouth, Najer Morgan, and Adam LaRoche in deals during the past year, so I would not be surprised if they trade 2B Freddy Sanchez or Duke by July 31st. The Phillies would be a good destination for Duke, considering that it was Phillies manager Charlie Manuel who selected Duke to his first all-star game this season. Duke is still young (26 years of age), and it obviously wouldn’t take as much to acquire him as it would for Halladay or Lee. With that said, I wouldn’t give up Happ for him, and if the Phillies did acquire him for a couple mid-high level prospects, I doubt the Phillies would be able to make room for him in the starting rotation.

Arizona Diamondbacks RP Chad Qualls: The Phillies bullpen has taken a mighty hit over the past couple days, as three relief pitchers have been sent to the disabled list. However, even before that, the Phillies reportedly had interest for Qualls. Most of the trade rumors have said the Phillies are mostly in the market for starting pitching, but with recent injury concerns of J.C Romero, Clay Condrey, and Chad Durbin, the hard-throwing righty Qualls will certainly garner some attention from the Phillies branch.

Washington Nationals OF Josh Willingham: In the off-season, when the Phillies were in the running to sign then free-agent OF Gary Sheffield, a big fuss was made about how the Phillies need a solid right-handed bat off the bench. Well, three months into the season, the Phillies still have that problem. Eric Bruntlett may be one of the worst hitters in baseball when it comes to position players (.128 BA) and John Mayberry Jr. has looked quite overmatched at times in the past month in his first stint against big league pitching. Willingham is having a pretty solid offensive season (.291 BA, 14 HR), even though hasn’t been a full-time starter all year, but has expressed his desire to play for a contender, something the Nationals obviously aren’t. Earlier this week, some reports were saying that the Nationals were interested in sending Willingham to Philadelphia for the much maligned Kyle Kendrick, but as of right now, it seems that the Phillies will need to give up a little more than that for a guy who his on pace for 25 HR’s.

 

Of course, other names could come up within the next 72 hours or so, but these are the players who have been targeted by the Phillies.

More to come over the next couple days as the trade deadline comes closer.

PHILLIES: Blue Jays Reject Phillies Offer for Halladay

Just one day after the Phillies decided against a trade that would send J.A Happ, Kyle Drabek and Dominic Brown to Toronto for Roy Halladay, the Blue Jays reacted in similar fashion, denying a formal offer proposed by the Phillies.

Instead of dealing both Happ and Drabek, the Phillies took Drabek, and Brown for that matter, off the table, and counter-offered with J.A Happ, Michael Taylor, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Donald. The Blue Jays followed the Phillies tune from Friday, and immediately rejected the trade, as Blue Jays J.P Richardi reacted by bluntly saying “that’s not going to work.”

Obviously, the two teams are still far apart on working out a potential deal that would send Halladay to Philadelphia. While the Phillies are still in discussions with the Blue Jays, and are still likely the favorites to land Halladay because of the pieces they have in the form of prospects, the Angels, Red Sox, Rangers, and Dodgers have all entered the mix. 

Even though the MLB trade deadline is July 31st, the Blue Jays organization has issued a self-imposed trade deadline for Halladay on July 28th.

Should we start the countdown?

Two Days.

PHILLIES: Drabek Impresses at 2009 Futures Game

Philadelphia Phillies prospect Kyle Drabek has been in this blog a lot as of late. Widely known as one of the best prospects within the organization, Drabek’s name has been brought up for a variety of reasons. When Antonio Bastardo went down, fans wanted to see the 21-year old flame thrower up in the big leagues. When Toronto Blue Jays GM J.P Richardi decided to put pitcher Roy Halladay on the trading block, Drabek was mentioned as one of the centerpieces of the a potential proposed trade. With all the notoriety surrounding the 21-year old kid flamethrower, it was no surprise seeing Drabek in the Futures Game when it took place Sunday night in St. Louis as a part of the 2009 All-Star festivities. 

For baseball fans who have never heard of the Futures Game, you’re missing out. It’s no ordinary all-star game. It’s the best prospects from all around minor-league baseball meet to play in a game on the eve of  the MLB All-Star festivities, truly the most accurate look into what baseball will be like 20 years into the “future”. If you don’t believe that, here are some of the recent MVP’s of the game. Alfonso Soriano, Jose Reyes, Grady Sizemore, Aaron Hill, all guys who have been in the MLB All-Star Game in the past two years and were featured in the Futures Game. It’s a pretty big deal if you haven’t noticed after reading this last paragraph.

So for Drabek, the Phillies 1st round draft pick in 2006, to be able to go to St. Louis and play in this game with the best prospects in baseball, is a huge step forward in his career. This is a kid who was destined for greatness when he came out of the womb. That’s what happens when you have a Cy Young Award winning pitcher, Doug Drabek, as your father. 

Needless to say, that’s a lot to live up to, and Drabek must have felt pressure doing so. A bad temper, a few minor bouts with the law, and general immaturity issues led to Drabek falling to the Phillies in the middle of the first round. It’s was too tough to pass up, the pedigree, the genes, the 97 mph fastball and knee-buckling curveball, all of it. The Phillies selected him 18th overall in the 2006 draft.

Three years later, after shedding the spoiled rich kid mentality, Tommy John Surgery,  and a humbling 2008 season in the minors, Drabek finally looks like the kid who was regarding as the top high school prospect in the country in 2006. After being promoted from Single-A Williamsport to Double-A Reading in June, Drabek’s domination (9-1 overall record, 110 K’s) earned him a bid to the Futures Game. Finally, he was going to be able to showcase ability on a national level, as fellow Phillies prospects Carlos Carrasco, Lou Marson, and Jason Donald have been able to do in years past.

 

Drabek's demeanor is starting to match his talent

As he has done all year, Drabek continued to impress. On Sunday though, it all came together. As the second pitcher for the U.S team, he pitched a 1-2-3 second inning. Baseball fans from around the world were now able to see that his once-cocky attitude has now turned into a quiet confidence, a symbol of the maturation process he has gone through over the past three years. 

Talent has never been an issue for Kyle Drabek. However, now that he has learned to become a good professional athlete and a better man, his “future” is brighter than ever. The only question now is whether that “future” will be with the Phillies or some other team.

Read more about Kyle Drabek’s standout performance at the 2009 Futures Game here.

PHILLIES: “Doc” Halladay to Philly?

The rumors are swirling. Toronto Blue Jays G.M J.P Richardi came out to the media yesterday saying that he is willing to listen to offers for their ace, Cy Young award winning pitcher Roy Halladay. The Phillies, in the market for a right-handed pitcher, obviously have interest in Halladay.

 

Acquiring Roy Halladay may make the Phillies the favorites in the N.L to return to the World Series

 

He is currently a top-5 pitcher in baseball, a category he has been in for the past four years. He is 32 years old, still in his pitching prime, and his 141-68 record is amazing considering he has been pitching in the American League for his entire career. If Halladay is traded to an N.L team, he will provide a impact greater than the C.C Sabathia trade for the Brewers last season, no questions asked.

In fact, it already has been speculated that the Phillies may be the leaders to get Halladay at this point. According to SI’s Jon Heyman, Halladay would only accept a trade to three teams, Philadelphia being one of them. So, deal done right? The Phillies are built to win now, as Raul Ibanez, Chase Utley, and Ryan Howard are all in the middle of the prime of their career, so Ruben Amaro needs to go out and get Halladay to ensure a “win-now” philosophy. Not so fast.

In order to get Halladay via trade, the Phillies will have to give up at least four young, highly-regarded players, similar to what the Milwaukee Brewers traded to get Sabathia last year. One of those prospects, Jason Donald, seems to be a trading chip, as the Blue Jays are in the market for a middle-infield prospect for the future. So, with all the elements that trading for a top-5 pitcher would entail, here is my breakdown of what the Phillies would have to give up to get Halladay. 

(To look a similar breakdown, here is David Murphy’s “High Cheese” column from the Philadelphia Inquirer)

Jason Donald, a top young pitching prospect (Jason Knapp, Kyle Drabek, Carlos Carrasco, Yohan Flande), a top young position player (Dominic Brown, Michael Taylor, Lou Marson), and a pro-ready prospect (John Mayberry Jr., Andrew Carpenter, Kyle Kendrick, Joe Savery)

A lot of these combinations the Blue Jays wouldn’t take for Halladay, as I’m sure they will need to be blown away with an offer to trade away arguably the most valuable player on a team who is still in a playoff race. To eliminate a couple options, Savery doesn’t have enough value yet to be a piece of a blockbuster trade, Kendrick has lost too much value since losing his spot in the starting rotation a year ago to be a part of a trade to acquire a top-flight starter, and Flande is too raw for the Blue Jays to gamble on him at this point of his career. Also, it will be tough to include more than one of the outfield prospects (Mayberry, Brown, Taylor) in an offer because the Blue Jays already have Vernon Wells, Alex Rios, and Adam Lind. With that said, here are a few combinations that the Blue Jays may have to consider.

1. Donald, Drabek, Marson, Mayberry

2. Donald, Knapp, Marson, Taylor

3. Donald, Brown, Marson, Carrasco

4. Donald, Drabek, Taylor, Carpenter

All these options give the Blue Jays pretty good value for Halladay. Donald is the centerpiece, a middle-infield prospect ranked 4th overall in the Phillies organization. In every combination, the Blue Jays will get four of the top 11 prospects in the Phillies organization. Some my consider this the price the Phillies have to pay to repeat as champions, but I don’t buy that. The Phillies won the World Series last year with Cole Hamels going 13-10 in the regular season, an in-experienced J.A Happ, and an ineffective Kyle Kendrick in the rotation, and an inconsistent Pat Burrell in the lineup instead of an all-star in Raul Ibanez. Also,  Jayson Werth, Shane Victorino and Pedro Feliz have elevated their play to a borderline all-star level this year, giving the Phillies are more potent and consistent lineup than even last year. The Phillies CAN win without Halladay.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying the Phillies shouldn’t go out and get Halladay. As I said before, he is a top-5 pitcher in baseball, and will most certainly vault the Phillies towards the top of the National League. But is trading the entire front-end of a farm system worth it? Is sacrificing ten years in the future for one year worth it? It may be, if the Phillies can get Halladay, who will be a huge demand on the the payroll (due $15.75 million), for the right price.

PHILLIES: Q&A With Assistant GM Benny Looper

Sitting in the home dugout early Monday night at Coca-Cola Park, home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, Phillies Assistant GM of Player Personnel Benny Looper did a press conference with about 6 reporters, and two television networks. Dave Montogomery, Ruben Amaro, and Chuck Lamar are the names fans normally hear in regards to the front office, but Looper plays an extremely important role in the organization. Here are some of the important soundbites regarding the Phillies from a interview that lasted a little over 18 minutes.

 

It seems like Michael Taylor has proven all that he needs to in Reading, is there serious talk about moving him along at some point?                                       

 Looper:  ”An important decision for us to make with players like Michael (Taylor), Freddy (Galvis), and Dominic (Brown) is what’s the best place for them, especially at the middle of the season. It’s not just about Michael Taylor here, it’s about all our prospects as a whole.”

 

Does it look like John Mayberry Jr. is going to be up with the Phillies for good?    

                                                                                                                                               

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Looper:  ”A couple of things go into that. Do we aquire anybody? Does Raul Ibanez come back the way he is supposed to? So, right now, I can’t really answer that. He’s played really good defense, and he’s hit a couple homeruns for us. Didn’t really play particularly good in the series against Toronto, but I watched Sunday’s game, and while he went hitless, he had one or two at-bats where he hit the ball hard. That, and he’s playing good defense in the outfield, and that’s good to see.”

 

Have you heard anything about the progression of Jason Donald?                        

Looper: “He’s progressing very well. It’ll still be a couple weeks, but we have three kids down in Florida, Freddie (Galvis), Dominic (Brown), and Jason (Donald), and they are all progressing well.”

 

Is there any chance Raul Ibanez comes up to here (Lehigh Valley) for a rehab assignment?

       

Looper: ” He’s been out long enough that he’s going to need some at-bats to get back into things. He will go somewhere to get those at-bats, but it depends on which team is playing against someone who has the DH in effect, so I can’t tell you where that will be, but he will be going somewhere.”

 

What’s the status on Brett Myers and his rehab?                                                              

Looper: “He’s progressing (pause). He’s in Jacksonville right now with a rehab guy down there. It’s still too early to tell on his status for later in the season.”

 

What is the timetable for Scott Eyre and Clay Condrey to come off the D.L.?    

Looper: ” Scott (Eyre) has been working really hard. He’s been down there at are complex in Florida rehabbing, getting fairly close. With Clay (Condrey) though, it’s going to be a little longer.”

 

Looper was surprisingly forthcoming with the media, as he answered most of the questions to the best of his knowledge. With that said, the one subject that he did avoid was the Carlos Carrasco vs. the rest debate on who will replace Antonio Bastardo’s spot in the rotation. ” While his answer was along the lines of ” You are just going to have to wait and see,”  he raved about Carrasco for a solid minute, while complementing Andrew Carpenter and Rodrigo Lopez for their impressive pitching over the past month. I think the organization still hasn’t made a decision yet, other than a starter will be promoted for Thursday’s game against Atlanta.

In regards to Ibanez, it seemed that Looper was hinting that he will be out longer than his 15-day DL stint, as he is at the 11 days  now and has not had one rehab stint. With that said, it appears that Ibanez will get a chance, to at least hit, sometime very soon, my guess in the next 2 or 3 days.

Donald’s progress coming from Benny’s mouth is surprisingly important. Looper statement about Mayberry hinted that the Phillies are still looking to make a deal for a right-handed hitter off the bench, most likely a veteran outfielder. For that to happen, and to have a possible bargaining chip to inquire about a starting pitcher, Donald is the guy in the Phillies organization that could be dangled to teams, and eventually, could be a huge piece of the trade.  He’s the Phillies top middle-infield prospect, that sadly has minimal use in Philadelphia because of guys such as Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins (Yes, Jimmy Rollins), who are going to be turning double-plays together at Citizens Bank Park together for a long, long time. However for Donald, who is the Phillies 4th ranked prospect overall, will have some worth to teams who are potential playoff contenders like the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, and the St. Louis Cardinals, who all have something in common. They all need added depth in the infield, or in some cases, a starter.  Donald could be that guy, especially if he shows that he’s healthy around the time of the MLB all-star break, which is 2 1/2 weeks before the July 31st trade deadline.