06/07 Phillies Offseason Thread

[Rome]

I didn't have a problem with Scott Graham.  Wheeler, on the other hand... 

[ice grillin you]

dropping Graham > getting soriano

holy ish by far....it actually rivals getting rid of burrell


fwiw conlin is right...soriano would not be a good fit here and its down the list of things they need

[Wingspan]

i actually thought scott graham was worse then wheels. much worse.

and i could care less about soriano. i'd rather the money be spent on pitching

[SunMo]

and i could care less about soriano. i'd rather the money be spent on pitching

you're not the first, and certainly not the last to say this, but who?  Zito?  Schmidt?  those guys are going to get monster contracts and I think Soriano does more to deserve an overpaying contract than those two pitchers do.

[ice grillin you]

its not just the pitching argument.....they dont need more strikeouts and errors in the lineup

but as far as the pitching they need a bullpen overhaul and to properly do that they cant be giving 17 mil a year to soriano...because once they do that you can bet that they are going cheap at every other spot they need to improve

[SunMo]

im assuming that if they sign Soriano, they are trading Burrell, so the impact of Soriano's contract this season won't be enough to force them to cheap up when it comes to the bullpen.  if they sign Soriano and keep Burrell?  yeah, i agree with you then.

[SD_Eagle5]

I never thought Graham was that bad. As far as Soriano I can't believe there's people out there that don't want him. If we sign him its not like we can't or won't sign or trade for another pitcher and some bullpen help.

[Wingspan]

and i could care less about soriano. i'd rather the money be spent on pitching

you're not the first, and certainly not the last to say this, but who?  Zito?  Schmidt?  those guys are going to get monster contracts and I think Soriano does more to deserve an overpaying contract than those two pitchers do.

maybe so, but overpaying is the way of the league for FA pitchers, and if you want it, shtein or get off the pot. i dont dislike soriano at all. but he isnt a need. pitching is.

6 years at 100+ million for a lifetime .280 hitter...and last year hit .230 with RISP. he is a moderate upgrade to burrell. if they were going to sink that kind of money into the outfield, i would rather have kept abreu.

it's just a fact of the matter. if you want better pitching, you have to overpay, and if the phils are going to play with a budget, i would rather spend it where they need it, which is pitching, and to a little lesser extent 3B.

[SunMo]

but there is a reason why supposed #1 pitchers reach free agency, AJ Burnett is a perfect example.  you don't get a #1 pitcher through free agency, you get them from within your system.

[ice grillin you]

ill believe that when i see it...soriano at 17 mil...having to pay for thome and burrell on other teams...when and if they get soriano they are essentially done getting impact players imo

but even if they werent they dont need soriano...hes not the kind of player they should be going after...hes basically burrell (tons of k's...bad fielder....low risp avg) with more rbis and hr's....and they need to be preventing runs not scoring them and they also need a more solid hitter...a guy that can move runners...hit for a high average and hit in the clutch

[Wingspan]

but there is a reason why supposed #1 pitchers reach free agency, AJ Burnett is a perfect example.  you don't get a #1 pitcher through free agency, you get them from within your system.

i didnt say they needed the #1...but they need a good one. #1 or #2 pitchers are FA's all the time when their small market original franchises are too poor or cheap to sign them. Pedro Martinez, Curt Schilling, Greg Maddux (the first time), etc... i am not comparing Zito/Schmidt to those guys. But signing a Zito or Schmidt would be a bigger upgrade to the phils than signing Soriano.

A hypothetical rotation of Zito-Hamels-Myers-Leiber-Moyer is better than an outfield of Burrell/Victorino-Rowand/Victorino-Soriano

[PhillyPhreak54]

Really? Graham might have wanted out. He does a lot of college ball in addition to the Phils. Either way, good. He sucks. And I'm glad Wheels is back. His baseball insight is amazing.

The way Big Daddy, who is boys with him, was acting last night sounded like the Phils just told him to go farg himself.

As for the "but we need pitching" argument. I'm all for spending the money on pitching but as several have said, there is no one out there to spend it on. Zito ain't coming here. They can overhaul the BP and sign Soriano.

[Wingspan]

if the pitching isnt upgraded...next year will be exactly the same as the last 2

[PhillyPhreak54]

Well, 4/5th's of the rotation is set. They are going to get another starter. The major problem is the BP and Gillick knows it. I would hope that he gets 2 more guys out there.

FWIW...Iwamura was reportedly awarded to the Devil Rays. No word on how much they bid on his rights

[Wingspan]

he knew it last year. and got ryan franklin and arthor rhodes.