Philadelphia Phillies "World farging Champs" 1 Week for Pitchers and Catchers

[mpmcgraw]

Not offering Burrell arbitration makes no sense if they are going to go out there and downgrade to Ibanez while giving him a multi year deal at the very least $10 million per.   

I want to say decisively that we are not getting Ibanez because of this, but this whole scenario sounds just dumb and infuriating enough for Amaro to do it.

[ice grillin you]

theres not even a small chance they go after much less get ibanez....any ibanez to phillies talk is a plant either by his agent to drum up competitive interest in his client or by amaro to make the phillies appear more aggresive than they actually are

[Wingspan]

The ibanez talk is a total smokescreen. no doubt about it. But you don't offer Burrell arbitration for one reason...the fear that he might have accepted it. The only way the phils should bring back Pat is if it is at a discount. They have some big money to hand out over the next 2 or 3 years and they have their own self imposed budget. You don't waste money on Burrell. You can get his numbers from any number of available outfielders.

Although i am as against Ibanez for a 2 year deal as some are... as long as you ditch Jenkins in the meantime.

DeRosa would be a good fit.

I still think they're going to sign Baldelli to take over the roll Taguchi was supposed to fill last year.

[rjs246]

Isn't Baldelli some sort of sleepy cripple?

[Wingspan]

Yes, but he's good enough to come in for 2 innings every other night or pinch hit. He would fit into the role So Taguchi was used this year.

But you hate baseball.

[rjs246]

I'm not sure why you're so bitter about my dislike of baseball. It's still a competition of sorts which makes it more tolerable than most things. But compared to actual contact sports it's boring as shtein.

Let me explain in small words. Baseball is boring, but I follow it. I rarely, if ever watch games because they are boring. I prefer hockey or football or just about any other real sport to baseball, but I still know the game well enough to chime in every now and then.

So you should probably settle down. Freakshow.

[Wingspan]

I know, right?

[PhillyPhreak54]

I'm cook with DeRosa, he would be perfect for this team. I am not sold on Ibanez though. Maybe on a 1yr deal with an option.

I saw today that the Cubs ownership problems and the questions related to payroll could derail the deal.

[MDS]

Werth destroys lhp. you hit him 5 and ibanez 6.

bitchin rotation if they get lowe

king
myers
lowe
fatty
happ

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

• The Phillies and manager Charlie Manuel continue to work toward a three-year extension, as first reported this week by the Philadelphia Inquirer.

"We're still working on it," Manuel's agent, Pat Rooney, told ESPN.com. "They want to do something. So we'll see what they do."

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. wouldn't address the negotiations directly, saying: "I don't really want to discuss his status. All I can tell you is, we want Charlie to be our manager for years to come."

• Baseball people who have spoken with the Phillies say that, while the Phillies have interest in acquiring Mark DeRosa as part of the multiteam Jake Peavy extravaganza, they have no plans to tread water to see if that deal goes down.

They continue to express interest in free agent Raul Ibanez. And one friend of Ibanez's said the outfielder told him the Phillies are his first choice.

• Meanwhile, the Cubs wouldn't be interested in trading DeRosa unless they first acquired a left-handed-hitting outfielder, who, ironically, might also turn out to be Ibanez. The Cubs are trying to balance their lineup. So adding a left-handed hitter in the outfield and installing left-handed-hitting Mike Fontenot at second base in place of DeRosa would accomplish that.

[SD_Eagle5]

Manuel was extended

Some interesting stuff from the Daily News:

In a variation on that rumor that surfaced late last night, the Phillies would get righthander Jason Marquis from the Cubs and righthanded-hitting outfielder Scott Hairston from San Diego. The Phillies get a platoon leftfielder in Hairston and an innings-eating fifth starter in Marquis. And since Marquis is in the final year of a contract that will pay him $9.875 million in 2009, that would still seem to leave the door open to re-sign Jamie Moyer.

Amaro did not rule out trying to sign righthander Derek Lowe, despite reports he eventually will get $80 million over 5 years. "We like Derek Lowe. Our people like Derek Lowe. But he's not the only pitcher we're looking at," he said.

Two other Phillies-related rumors: One is that the team is looking into the possibility of signing free-agent reliever Brandon Lyon (3-5, 4.70 with 75 hits allowed in 59 1/3 innings for the Diamondbacks). The other is that they have had discussions with free-agent infielder Nick Punto, which presumably would take them out of the market for DeRosa.


Phillers

The Phillies apparently have some cursory interest in free-agent reliever Russ Springer . . . An Internet report yesterday suggested the Phillies might get outfielder Ryan Ludwick from the Cardinals for a top reliever, presumably righthander Ryan Madson. Sources said that's unlikely, pointing out that moving Ludwick would leave the Cardinals with an all-lefthanded-hitting outfield and probably would want more for a .299-37-113 hitter. *

Link

[Wingspan]

Hopefully this means Manuel will be fired by June

[ice grillin you]

he should have been fired in june of 06

[MDS]

marquis and hariston are about as mediocre as they come. you can find their equivalents for next to nothing on the fa market.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Would you say that their VORP is lacking?