By Mike Gill
According to Ken Rosenthal of www.foxsports.com, the Phillies have acquired left-handed hitter Matt Stairs, formally of the Toronto Blue Jays.
PCPSports Take: The Phillies get a decent left-handed bat that will replace Geoff Jenkins and take some at-bats from Jason Werth against right-handed pitching. He does have some pop, he is not the type of contact hitter the Phillies need right now.
He has 87 strikeouts in 320 at-bats, thus far and is 40 years old. He did have a real nice 2007 season, hitting .289 with 21 home runs and 64 RBI for the Jays. He has been used primarily as a DH this season, but has been used as a LF, RF and 1B in the past. Look for his impact to minimal at best – thumbs down to this move.
i like stairs’ bat even though he’s gonna retire probably soon. the bench is not ok- dobbs and taguchi are not enough. the bullpen needs help too- durbin and madsen aren’t good at all
This is a typical Phillies move that won’t work.
He’s 40, but had arguably his best year in 2007. He’ll basically fill the exact role of Jenkins and basically mirror his production…or lack thereof.