06/07 Phillies Offseason Thread

[BigEd76]

The fat guy is probably Kevin Cooney of the Courier Times.  When he's not covering the Phillies, he drools over high school football...

[PhillyPhreak54]

Interesting.

Ike doesn't seem the type to do that stuff. Maybe back in the day when he was still young. Trotter too. That's when he was covering the team. BMitch seems the type to do that though.

How does Marcus know the guy sleeps on the edge of the king size bed the guy demanded?

Does he think Wolf comes back or was that him saying no team would give him more than 2 years?

Amaro does seem like a d-head.

[PhillyGirl]

hayes sounds like a whiny shtein

[MDS]

The stuff about the other writers was good natued ribing. He said that they were all friends, they all make fun of each other and what not. Not reading much into that, other than guys just cracking on each other.

Yea, he stopped covering the Eagles back in the early part of this decade. Trotter was a bit of a piece of shtein back then, as was Ike. Obviously, they both matured at this point. But, yea, BBitch fits the mold to expect special treatment from a black writer.

Hayes said he shared a suite with the guy once, but didnt see him sleep like that. Maybe he told them? Maybe Hayes is sharing a secret? Yikes.

He doesnt think Wolf will get more than 2 years from anybody, but reiterated that the Phillies really liked their rotation last year. Most likely the Phillies have the number idea in their head of what they will pay Wolf, if he takes it, fine. If not, they can move on to someone else or let the pups fight over the 5 spot.

When he called Amaro looking for quote about the money in Moyer's contract, Amaro said "yea, we really don't feel like telling you." Ha. funhole.

Hayes came as genuine, profesional and relatable. I'm not slobbering over the guy, but he truthfully answered the questions asked to him. There are to sides to every story, but he didn't come out swinging against guys like talking heads do. Well, except for Amaro. But he's right about that.

[SunMo]

Marcus Hayes black?  ha!

[BigEd76]

[MDS]

Did Jeter win the award for the biggest douche or something?

[PhillyPhreak54]

No, that was given to Bud Selig. Look at that shtein eatin grin on his face. I think its because Hammerin' Hank has his hand on Bud's ass.

[ice grillin you]

ryan howard is not small

[PhillyPhreak54]

Phillies' Autograph 16 Years in the Making
WPVI

October 12, 2006 - There was a special delivery in Bensalem, Bucks County this week. A lifelong baseball fan opened his mail and couldn't believe what he received.
"It's a 1990 topps card of Don Carman," said Doug Ferraro. "Now it's autographed."

An autograph that took 16 years to get. Doug Ferarro was a wide-eyed 7-year-old with a few missing teeth when he wrote a letter to Phillies' pitcher Don Carman in 1989.

"It just says 'Dear Don' -- dear spelled deer - 'My favorite position is pitcher and if you'd sign my car I'd be a fan of you.'"

The card is still in mint condition.The letter is now faded, but it will take you to years past. The letter head reads Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

Carman pitched for the Phillies from 1983 to 1990. He had modest career. He once led the league in losses. Ferraro doesn't even remember him.

"Now that I remember back, it was a project I wrote in 7th grade at elementary school," said Ferraro.

So what happened? Why did it take 16 years?

"He wrote back, 'Sorry about the delay. I lost a box of mail. Just found it. Don.'"

Carman was not a big baseball star, but such a gesture, long after his career had ended, makes him a hero to Ferraro. His message to Carman:

"Thanks. No hard feelings about the delay. It's very nice to see you care about your fans 16 years down he road.

Carman now lives in Naples, Florida. He told us that he cleaned out his garage and found a box with 200 letters in it. Carman says he replied to all of them

I wrote to Pat Combs when I was 11 and he signed my card...

[PhillyPhreak54]

Phils eye Soriano, Sheffield during off-season shuffle
By Todd Zolecki
Inquirer Staff Writer

The moment the World Series ends is the moment baseball's hot stove starts to heat up.

Alfonso Soriano. Gary Sheffield. Pat Burrell.

Phillies fans will read and hear plenty about those players in the coming months because the Phillies will be trying hard to trade Burrell while making a run at Soriano and Sheffield.

"It's already under way," Phillies president David Montgomery said of the off-season shuffling yesterday afternoon. He was at the Embassy Suites Hotel near the Philadelphia airport, where the Phillies hosted their annual Halloween party for young cancer patients at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. "If you're following Pat [Gillick] around, it really started a month ago. Believe me. He's been in Arizona for the Arizona Fall League, taking the kids out to dinner. He visited Jamie [Moyer] a couple times [in Seattle]."

This could be one of the team's more interesting off-seasons in recent years.

First, this is Gillick's first full off-season as Phillies general manager. His moves last off-season seemed tied to a roster with a handful of no-trade clauses and expensive contracts, but he has more flexibility this time. The Phillies had five players with the right to veto any trade after the 2005 season: Burrell, Jim Thome, Bobby Abreu, Mike Lieberthal and Rheal Cormier.

Only Burrell remains.

"I think he's a very creative person," Montgomery said of Gillick. "I think that creativity manifested itself a few times in the last year, clearly in the Thome deal. He recruited Jamie Moyer to come to Philadelphia. He made some moves at the deadline that gave some younger players the opportunity to play."

Second, despite the St. Louis Cardinals' winning the World Series, the National League is not strong. A few smart moves could catapult a perennial also-ran such as the Phillies, looking to make the postseason for the first time since 1993, into the playoffs.

"I'm excited because the fans are excited," Montgomery said. "I've had more people this off-season come to me and say, 'I really enjoyed watching the club. I love the way they played. I like the energy they have. I can't wait until next year.'

"Really, the people that they're talking about are back with us. We don't have, necessarily, holes to fill. We want to improve the club, but there aren't holes because people are departing. It gives us an opportunity to hopefully build on last year and make '07 special."

So what will Gillick do?

He has offered a few hints about his off-season plans. He said earlier this month that "we know at this point, Pat has had a difficult time protecting [Ryan] Howard. We're going to have to continue to... make an adjustment in that area."

Last week, Gillick said it's "too early to say" whether he sees Burrell in left field for the Phillies next season. "It's certainly a possibility," he said. "It's a strong possibility." But there's no question that the Phillies will try hard to trade him. Gillick pronounced Burrell's right foot, believed to be a season-long hindrance, healthy and not an issue.

The Phillies are expected to pursue Soriano, the Washington Nationals slugger who is a free agent, and Sheffield, whom the New York Yankees are expected to trade. Of course, the common thought is that the Phillies will land Soriano or Sheffield only if they trade Burrell and rid themselves of at least a portion of the $27 million he is owed over the next two seasons.

"I don't think it's a contract as much as it's a position," Montgomery said. "The part of the puzzle is placing people where they can contribute. We have four or five outfielders right now. You're talking about a couple guys who play outfield."

The Phillies signed Moyer, a lefthanded veteran, to a two-year contract extension last week. They also will try to re-sign lefthander Randy Wolf. If that happens, the Phils will open 2007 with a rotation of Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, Jon Lieber, Moyer and Wolf. But Gillick also wants to fortify the bullpen.

The GM said late in the season that perhaps his biggest regret was that the bullpen did not have someone to fill in for closer Tom Gordon. He reiterated that sentiment last week.

It sounds as if he would like to add a closer or former closer to be Gordon's setup man. That way, if Gordon is injured again, the Phillies will be in a better position to handle the blow. Florida righthander Joe Borowski fits that mold. He is a free agent, who went 3-3 with a 3.75 ERA and 36 saves as Florida's closer this season.

Soriano won't come cheap. Sheffield is making $13 million next season. The Phillies expect their payroll to remain in the $93 million range. But could it go higher?

"Yeah, but there's a limit," Montgomery said. "People think there's a number. There isn't."

[PhillyPhreak54]

Soriano targeted; Pat's pact edible?
By MARCUS HAYES
hayesm@phillynews.com

LIKE EVERYONE else in the Phillies family, president David Montgomery gnashes his teeth when he thinks of the St. Louis Cardinals hoisting the Commissioner's Trophy.

Maybe signing Alfonso Soriano, who filed for free agency yesterday, re-signing Randy Wolf, who filed for free agency Saturday, and snagging a couple of relievers will put them over the top.

"Obviously, this was a year of opportunity," said Montgomery yesterday, 2 days after the 83-win Cards became the worst team to win a World Series. The Phillies won 85 games and swept the Cardinals in August. "It's tough to think, 'Geez, but for a couple of games, we could have at least been one of the eight involved.' All teams this year had their flaws; whether they got hurt or not."

The Phillies' flaws - 4 months' worth of poor starting pitching, generally shoddy middle relief and little protection for Ryan Howard - nearly made them a non-factor in September, but a surge helped them finish two games behind the Dodgers in the National League wild-card race.

Leftfielder Pat Burrell was the season's offensive goat. His 29 homers and 95 RBI might be tough to replace, but at $13 million next season and $14 million in 2008 the Phillies might find themselves willing to scuttle their plans for the first overall pick in 1998.

That might mean eating some of Burrell's salary, which they have done just once - a year ago, when they traded Jim Thome to make room for Howard at first base. Will they eat salary again?

"I'll say yes, with this application: The reason we hadn't done it is because we hadn't been in that situation," Montgomery said. "The object is building the best baseball team. If part of the cost of that opportunity is absorbing some salary, sure."

That does not necessarily mean that they need to trade Burrell to afford Soriano, in whom the Phillies are known to be interested. Remember, the Phillies cleared $15.5 million in salary next season when they traded Bobby Abreu to the Yankees on July 30, so they had planned on featuring an expensive outfield, anyway.

Montgomery said the team's salary budget would remain in the $88 million to $95 million range it has been in since 2004.

If the Phillies can't trade Burrell, they would gladly assign Soriano to rightfield with Aaron Rowand in centerfield. Soriano, a righthanded hitter who hit 46 homers for the Washington Nationals, could hit fourth in the lineup. That would move Howard to third, where Barry Bonds, Albert Pujols and David Ortiz hit. It would move Chase Utley to fifth.

Rowand, whose $5 million team option the Phillies are expected to pick up before the middle of the month, could hit second and Burrell sixth. The Phillies also still have a question whether smallish Shane Victorino can start every day.

If the courtship of Soriano proves too challenging for the Phils, they could hope that Aramis Ramirez does not re-sign with the Cubs and pursue Ramirez as an upgrade over Abraham Nunez at third base.

A real upgrade needs to come in the bullpen, where Ryan Franklin and Arthur Rhodes cost the Phillies dearly in 2006.

League sources indicated that the Phillies are intrigued by Miguel Batista, the 35-year-old righthander who went 11-8 in 33 starts with the Arizona Diamondbacks last season after pitching exclusively in relief for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2005. They could pursue him the way they pursued Franklin last season, with incentives for relieving and starting.

Other relievers they could seek include the Jays' Justin Speier, the Mets' Guillermo Mota, the Yankees' Octavio Dotel, the Florida Marlins' Joe Borowski and the Atlanta Braves' Danys Baez, though Borowski and Baez both could seek closer spots and Dotel is coming off right elbow surgery.

Therein lies the intrigue with Wolf's situation. He proved himself healthy in 12 starts to end the season, though he dealt with expected issues with his control. The Phillies are believed to consider him worth between $6 million and $10 million for 2 years with vesting options. Wolf filing for free agency was a foregone conclusion even as the sides began to talk before the season ended.

"We'd like to have Randy back. We've given what we think is food for thought, but it's too early to tell where that road will lead," Montgomery said. "He said, 'Hey, this is an opportunity I've not had. Let me see what else could be out there.'

"Oftentimes it's very difficult for the club who has had the player to deliver the message that may be a different evaluation than another team's. In Randy's case, it's the last 2 years he just hasn't been healthy."

Manager Charlie Manuel called Wolf last week to reiterate that he remains very important to the Phillies. Montgomery sent the same message to Utley and Howard, team MVP candidates who made a combined $855,000 this season for their 90 homers and 251 RBI. Neither can be a free agent any time soon.

"What we have to do is make sure we understand how strongly we feel about them. We want to let them know how important they are," Montgomery said. "I don't know how that will manifest itself. It may be done to some degree through contracts. It may be done in other ways."

That likely means a deal for the pair that more generously compensates them for their contributions. It could keep Utley from arbitration, for which he is eligible the next three seasons, beginning this season.

It won't necessarily mean keeping Howard from arbitration, which he won't qualify for until after next season. Instead, Howard could see something like the contract Rowand got from the White Sox after his strong 2004 season. Rowand was locked up for two seasons of arbitration with a player option and a team option for the third season.

Montgomery knows that, while they are not the sole featured players, Utley and Howard are the face of the club, and his paying customers like them.

"Our fans are excited. This year, more than any, people on the street are saying, 'Let's get going!' " Montgomery said. They came close: "That has people realizing there aren't many subtractions from that team."

The additions could make all the difference in a postseason of regret.

Phillers

Lefthanders Randy Wolf, Arthur Rhodes and Aaron Fultz, righthander Rick Whiteand catcher Mike Lieberthal filed for free agency Saturday, the first day they could file... Outfielder David Dellucci, first baseman Randall Simon and infielder Jose Hernandez have until Nov. 11 to file.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

It's a great time for some hope, then the team won't make many of these moves at all, but the homers will still cling to some sort of ridiculous idea of what this team is capable of.

85-75 at best.  I'm calling it right now.

[Geowhizzer]

Carman now lives in Naples, Florida. He told us that he cleaned out his garage and found a box with 200 letters in it. Carman says he replied to all of them

I wrote to Pat Combs when I was 11 and he signed my card...

Don Carman's my neighbor?  I wonder if he lives near Bob Seger or Larry Bird...

Oh, and I got a Carman card signed way back when as well.  Perhaps not the best pitcher in the world, but seemingly a good guy.

[SunMo]

i hate seeing Soriano's name in the articles because i know they won't sign him, but i can't help but get my hopes up.