Phillies To Trade Away Stars?

10 05 2012

by Jim Salisbury csnphilly.com

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. witnessed the verbal spanking that Charlie Manuel gave his sleep-walking team after it fell victim to an ugly sweep at the hands of the New York Mets on Wednesday night.

Was it needed?

“Most undoubtedly,” Amaro said Thursday. “It was deserved.”Cole Hamels Philadelphia Phillies

Was it overdue?

“Maybe,” Amaro said.

Did Amaro feel compelled to jump in and say anything to his stumbling team?

“I didn’t have to,” he said. “Charlie handled it very well.”

As GM, Amaro charts the team’s course with his handling of personnel matters, and, as he pointed out Thursday, “Sometimes change is good.” But for now, Amaro said he was not planning any wholesale changes. A bullpen tweak — the promotion of lefty Jake Diekman — appears on the way, but the bulk of the responsibility of turning around this downbound train lies with the players.

And if things don’t turn around, Amaro said, it could be another busy July for him. Only this time, instead of adding talent — as he did with Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Hunter Pence — he could be looking to sell it off. Read the rest of this entry »


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Phillies Passed on Brandon Morrow

9 05 2012

Anybody remember when the Phillies passed on taking Brandon Morrow as part of the Cliff Lee deal with Seattle a few years back? I groaned about it then and wonder if anybody else would like to groan with me now. He is arguably the best pitcher in Major League Baseball through the first month and a half of the season. Good thing Phillippe Aumont, Tyson Gillies and Juan Ramirez. have all panned out.


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Rollins Inks Three Year Deal To Stay With Philadelphia Phillies

18 12 2011

by Scott Miller

Jimmy Rollins, the heart of the Philadelphia Phillies for the past several seasons, will continue to provide the pulse: He is returning to Jimmy Rollins resigns with Philadelphia PhilliesPhiladelphia on a three-year, $33 million deal, according to a source with knowledge of the negotiations.

The contract includes a vesting option for a fourth year that is described by one source as easily obtainable that likely will make the entire package worth $44 million.

The Rollins-Phillies deal has been a foregone conclusion in the industry for much of the winter, though the Milwaukee Brewers did inquire and show some interest in prying him away from Philadelphia early. However, once they signed Alex Gonzalez, and with St. Louis re-signing Rafael Furcal last week, there were few teams left looking for shortstops.

Which works well for both the Phillies and Rollins, because given perhaps the best run in Philadelphia baseball history over these past five seasons, the shortstop is back where he belongs.

Though the Phillies have seen some decline since Rollins’ sensational 2007 NL MVP season, they also watched him produce a solid bounce-back season in 2011 after he played in only 88 games in 2010 during a season in which a nagging calf injury limited his production.

In 142 games last season, Rollins batted .268/.338/.399 with 16 homers, 63 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.

That’s a far better fit for a Philadelphia team primed for another run at the World Series behind Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and the gang than, say, Freddy Galvis or Wilson Valdez would have been.

At 33 and still in terrific shape, Rollins should be able to play shortstop adequately through the duration of this contract. And despite Chase Utley‘s injury-checkered past couple of seasons, Rollins and Utley still give the Phillies a very solid — and often potent — middle infield.

With Rollins done, Philadelphia’s biggest issue heading into 2012 will be at first base, as Ryan Howard‘s continues his recovery from the torn left Achilles tendon he suffered on the final play in the Phillies’ final game last October against the Cardinals.

Howard is expected to miss the first few weeks of the season, given his original diagnosis of a five- to six-month recovery process. The Phillies this winter have traded for Ty Wigginton and signed free agent Jim Thome, and each is expected to help patch the void at first until Howard returns.
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Philadelphia Phillies Add Ty Wigginton

20 11 2011

Ty Wigginton Traded to Philadelphia PhillesThe Philadelphia Phillies acquired utility man Ty Wigginton from the Colorado Rockies in exchange for a player to be named or cash according the Rockies’ official Twitter feed (link).


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Philadelphia Phillies Ink Jonathan Papelbon

11 11 2011

By Jay King

Free agent closer Jonathan Papelbon has come to terms with the Philadelphia Phillies, according to Jim Salisbury of Comcast Sports Philadelphia. Sources tell Salisbury that Papelbon’s contract will approach $50 million for four years, pending a physical. The Jonathan Papelbon Philadelphia Philliessoon-to-be 31-year old closer has compiled a 2.33 ERA and 219 saves during seven big league seasons, all spent with the Boston Red Sox. He had a 2.94 ERA and 31 saves during the 2011 season. The Phillies had reportedly been very close to retaining closer Ryan Madson on Monday, but ESPN cited sources who said the negotiations with Madson splintered. The team had been in contact with Papelbon since the free agency period began at 12:01 a.m. on Nov. 6, and their interest in Papelbon reportedly “never waned.” Because of Papelbon’s status as a type A free agent, the Phillies will need to surrender their top draft pick to Boston.


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Philadelphia Phillies Bring Back Jim Thome

5 11 2011

Nov. 5, 2011, 9:12 a.m. EDTJim Thome Philadelphia Phillies
The Mercury

PHILADELPHIA — Throughout the 2011 season it was clear the Phillies needed to find some pop for their bench, particularly from the left side of the plate.

On the last out of 2011, it became clear they would need to find a short-term solution at first base, since Ryan Howard suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon.

Four days into baseball’s free-agency period, the Phillies went to an old friend to fill those gaps.

Jim Thome, whose signing eight years ago brought on a baseball renaissance in Philly that has led to filled seats at Citizens Bank Park and raised expectations that largely are met, has signed a one-year deal with the Phillies, according to a source familiar with the negotiations.

Thome, 41, spoke at the City Club of Cleveland two weeks ago and was unspecific about staying in the game.

“I’ll keep playing,” Thome said last month. “I just need teams to call me. I can’t go play in the backyard by myself. I don’t know the demand for a 41-year-old DH, but my passion is I want to continue to play.” Read the rest of this entry »


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Amaro: Brown Still An Untouchable

31 07 2011

from Philly.com

Domonic Brown is once again the Phillies’ top minor-league prospect, but you can rest assured he’s in no mood to celebrate that distinction.

Nine weeks after the Phillies promoted Brown to be their starting rightfielder, he is starting over again as a leftfielder at triple-A Lehigh Valley following Friday night’s blockbuster trade that brought two-time all-star Hunter Pence to the Phillies.

Had the Phillies not traded pitcher Jarred Cosart and first baseman Jonathan Singleton to the Astros for Pence, it could be argued that Brown would be the third best minor-league prospect in the organization.

A baseball source said Saturday that the Astros thought they could have had Brown, but they were more interested in the 19-year-old Singleton because they project him as a guy who could one day hit 30-plus home runs with a very high on-base percentage.


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Hunter Pence-sylvania

30 07 2011

by Todd Zolecki on mlb.com

Hunter Pence had heard the speculation he could be traded to Philadelphia, so he approached Roy Halladay earlier this month at the All-Star Game in Phoenix and asked him about everything Philly.

Halladay happily obliged.

“I didn’t think of it as a sales pitch at the time, but I think I did a pretty good job,” Halladay said. Read the rest of this entry »


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Phillies Exploring Three Team Deals To Get Hunter Pence

29 07 2011

Hunter Pence of the Houston Astrosby Jayson Stark on ESPN.com

There was a flurry of action revolving around the Astros’ 28-year-old energizer (Hunter Pence) Thursday or, at the very least, a whole lot of breaking news stories that told us that flurry was engulfing the Astros as relentlessly as a midsummer Texas mosquito attack.

But by late Thursday night, there was evidence the Red Sox, Reds, Pirates and Indians had peeled off after hearing the price tag, leaving only the Phillies and Braves. And by Friday, indications were the Phillies were essentially the last team standing.

The Braves, according to sources, offered a package that included prospects they weren’t willing to dangle in front of the Mets on Carlos Beltran — but got shut down. One source who spoke with the Braves’ brass Friday came away convinced they were out of it and moving on.

So that leaves the Phillies, who have made Pence far and away their No. 1 target. But because the Phillies and Astros haven’t been able to agree on players beyond the Phillies’ initial offer, other clubs reported Friday they’re now exploring potential three-team deals to put the pieces together.

The reason for that: The Phillies initially offered their two best prospects, pitcher Jarred Cosart and first baseman Jonathan Singleton, and were told that wasn’t enough. The Phillies then offered to include their right fielder, Domonic Brown. But the Astros, according to one team that spoke with them, would prefer to spin Brown elsewhere for multiple prospects than take him themselves.

So both clubs have been contacting other teams, trying to construct a creative enough deal to work for everybody. According to an official of one club that got drawn into those talks, the chances of that happening are “50-50.” But it sure won’t be because they aren’t actively trying.


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Phillies Turn Attention To Carlos Quintin

28 07 2011

The Phillies, who lost out to the Giant in the Carlos Beltran sweepstakes are reportedly interested in Chicago White Sox outfielder Carlos Quentin, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports latest tweet. The Phillies and White Sox were reportedly linked in trade talks for Quintin prior to the 2011 season. Philadelphia apparently has renewed interest.

The Phillies rivals, the Atlanta Braves, have been the team most rumored to be going after Quintin and the Sox have been scouting the Atlanta farm system for potential trade candidates for weeks now. Quintin has a .265/.356/.516 line with 20 homeruns this year. Quintin will be arbitration eligible for the final time following this season.


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