Myers signed through '09

The Phillies today signed Brett Myers through 2009 today with a 3 year/$25.75 Million deal.

First off, after Utley's deal, Gillick returned to old form with only a 3 year deal to a pitcher. This move makes sense for a lot of reasons. Myers was arbitration eligible, and he wasn't happy with the Phils offer. He made $3.3 Mil last season, asked for $5.9 and would probably have received just over $5. So take that away from the total and they are essentially paying him $20 over 2 years, or $10 per. With Adam Eaton averaging $8 per, that's not a bad figure.

The Phillies bought out Myers' last two arbitration years and delayed free agency for one more. The only thing I would have liked to see would have been a club option for a 4th year, even if it included a $1 Mil buyout. That's still a relative low risk, considering Myers is only 26, and should only get better.

Regardless, this move keeps their bulldog happy for the next few years and provides an anchor in the rotation (for stability...not the Jon Leiber kind of anchor). This was the perfect move for Gillick and for the Phillies.

Phillies Notes

Alfonseca finally signed his deal at the conclusion of winter ball (look at the sixth finger!). To recap, it's 380k guarenteed, and 700k if he appears on the roster, with incentives up to 1.1 mil. I will not be confident in this team if he is the 8th inning set up guy. At 34, he's a shell of his former self, and only lasted 19 games last season, being shut down with elbow problems and finally deactivated. After putting up a 1.69 ERA through his first 11 appearances, he finished with a 5.63 ERA. He gave up 8 earned runs in his last 5.1 innings. This move was dubbed a low risk, moderate reward signing. The problem is, it's only low risk if this guy pitches well in spring training and surprises people by making the roster. Right now, he's got the most experience in a young bullpen and is a candidate to be the set up guy to Flash. If he makes the team out of spring training, he should be at least 4th on the depth chart behind Madson, Geary, and hopefully a proven guy we get for Lieber.

Speaking of the bullpen, a minor transaction took place recently as the A's sent Kirk Saarloos to the Reds for a 25 yr old AA closer with a decent stuff and a chance to one day crack a major league bullpen as a set up guy. There were players to be named on both sides of this deal. Saarloos is a 5th starter/bullpen arm with average ground ball producing stuff. He won't blow anyone away, nor has great control, instead relying on the defense, especially up the middle, to make outs for him. Now here's the kicker, he only makes 1.2 mil this year. While Gillick has been stockpiling arms, why didn't he take a chance on Saarloos? Once we trade Lieber, we're going to be relying heavily on guys like Eude Brito if a starter gets injured (see Hamels, Eaton). Saarloos would have been a perfect guy to pitch the 6/7th inning, and provide spot starts for injuries. You can never have enough ground ball pitchers at the Bank, either. Unless they are getting a stud back in the "to be named" portion, couldn't we have traded a guy like, say Ryan Cameron (Who? Exactly. Who is David Schafer, the guy traded for Saarloos? Cameron is our AAA closer who projects as a middle bullpen guy and is ranked 42nd on scout.com's Phillies list.) I'd rather pay Saarloos 1.2 mil than Alfonseca 1.1 mil. But maybe Gillick never got wind of his availability. Who knows.

As anxious as I am for the Phils to trade Lieber, I do not want them to give him away. I trust Gillick to "Stand Pat" and wait for the best offer, even if it takes until spring training. If Clemens burns the Yanks, I'd imagine they would take a flier on Lieber, but they don't have much they'd let go from their pen. I would consider Lieber for Farnsworth and a minor prospect. Farnsworth had good years for the Cubbies in '01, '03, and then in '05 split between Detroit and Atlanta when he amassed 16 saves. That puts him on pace to have a good 07, right? But seriously, I would trust him a lot more than Alfonseca, and I would like Geary and Madson a lot more if they both got knocked down a peg on the pecking order.

By the way, I figured this out a while back and shared it with Jeff. In a weird twist of fate...when the Phils signed Lieber from the Yanks, they gave up their first round pick in the following draft. Who did the Yankees draft with that pick? CJ Henry, acquired in the Abreu trade. Funny how things work out. Henry is still only 20 (man I feel old) but he's striking out in a quarter of his ABs (call it the Jimmy Rollins effect), though he did hit .253 while at Lakewood. Even more alarming, he makes an error every other game in the field, with 13 in 25 games at Lakewood and 25 errors in 58 games with Charleston before the trade. The Abreu trade was necessary, and while his salary looks a lot better in the exploded market, Gillick couldn't predict that, and at least we aren't paying any of it.

Werth-less?

I'm really glad that Pat Gillick is getting the chance to keep his former draft picks in the majors, but what is he doing? Jayson Werth, who Gillick drafted with the Orioles in 1997, did not play in 2006 because he was injured, but in 2004 he hit 16 home runs in 290 ABs for the Dodgers. Of course, in 2005 he hit 7 home runs in 337 ABs. You know who can also do that? Jeff Conine (10 HR, 489 AB between Baltimore and Philly last year). OK, I know Conine isn't your speedster off the bench, but we also have Bourn waiting around so we can see what he can do. I understand wanting a replacement for Dellucci, but is the RIGHT-HANDED career .245 hitter the answer? Don't think so.

The Phillies are also apparently close to signing Rod Barajas to back up Ruiz. Well it isn't like we had anyone else on the active roster who could do that. Barajas hit .256-11-41 in 344 ABs for Texas last year. Chris Coste hit .328-7-32 in 198 ABs last year. Sure, I understand having a veteran tutor for Ruiz, and I understand the bench flexibiliy that Coste, who can play 1st and 3rd, brings to the team. Then again, Howard is going to play 160 games with Conine to back him up, and we already have two crappy third basemen. So Coste is your #1 pinch hitter, a role held in 2006 by (wait for it) David Dellucci.

So what is Werth doing here again?


To clarify the original post: it is the combination of what they say they are doing and these two signings that bothers me. Coste will pinch hit, so what does Werth do? He is the defensive replacement for Burrell/Conine (Conine won't play much unless Burrell is awful again). Well, I don't know why we need to bring someone in when we have Roberson and Bourn. If it is those 3 guys competing for the last roster spot, then that's fine, but if it is Werth's spot based on what he did in 2004 before being injured, that is crap. Either way, they don't replace Dellucci because Werth isn't as good and isn't a lefty (whether we needed a lefty or not).

Gillick is aquiring every pitcher he can...who's next, Wayne Gomes?

I apologize to anyone who will have nightmares about my Wayne Gomes comment. But Gillicks seems to be attempting to set the record for spring training invitees.

Speaking of Gomes, he was a former first round pick by the Phils (#4 overall!?!) in 1993. He pitched for the Phils for five years before bouncing around and finally quitting after being cut by several teams. In his career, he made just under 2 million dollars.

His career line: W-L 30-23, 29 Saves, 4.60 ERA, 1.53 WHIP

Oddly enough, those stats would be good for what, 3 or 4 million per for 3 years in this market?

Following the Freddy Garcia trade, the Phillies have been active with minor transactions. Here's a recap of the past few days:

• The Phillies netted three players in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 draft, two pitchers and a catcher. They also took one player, Victor Hall, OF from the Yankees, in the AAA portion.
  
• The Phillies announced 19 players invited to spring training. The list includes nine pitchers, five catchers, three infielders and two outfielders.
• Just today, the Phillies announced the acquisition of left hander Bobby Livingston from the Devil Rays for cash.
  

The two pitchers from the Rule 5 draft are Jim Ed Warden, a 6' 7" side arm throwing righty out of Cleveland's AA and Alfredo Simon, a former Phillies prospect, acquired from San Franscisco via a trade with the Orioles during the draft. Simon pitched in A and AAA for SF last year, and the Phillies took him on reports that he has been hitting 98 mph on the gun in winter ball, though there have always been questions about his control. The other player taken was catcher, Ryan Budde, who, if he made the roster, would allow flexibility in playing Ruiz and especially Coste, who can also play first and third.

There weren't many surprises in the spring training invitations. Jason Jaramillo, AA catching prospect will be there, along with 31 year old Randall Simon who was a left-handed bat on the Phils' bench last year. Young lefty J.A. Happ, who spent time in A, AA, and AAA last year was invited. Happ will probably be ready for his first big league taste by the All-Star break, and will likely be one of the first pitchers called up if a starter (see Adam Eaton) is injured. Last year's first rounder, Kyle Drabeck gets an invitation because of his contract, he is very far from the big leagues. Young outfielder Greg Golson will also be there.

One more name to keep an eye on is Alexis Gomez, lefthanded batting left fielder who was released by the Tigers today to make room for recently acquired, former Phillie, Jose Mesa. The Phillies are still looking for a left handed bat off the bench to replace Dellucci, and that's exactly what Gomez was for the Tigers last year. Despite being taken off the roster twice during the season, Gomez was added to the playoff roster. He responded by going 4-for-9 in the ALCSs, including a 2-for-4 HR, 4 Ribbie performance in Game 2.

For the season, Gomez hit .272 with five doubles, two triples, a home run and six RBIs in 62 big league games. In AAA, he hit .288 with 11 homers, 18 doubles, three triples and 36 RBIs in 58 games.

I wouldn't be surprised to see Gillick pick him up and give him a chance to make the team out of spring training. And yes, the name Gomez did spark my memory of the long forgotten, Wayne Gomes. If nothing else, the Phillies will have a lot of compeition in spring training. Hopefully, there are some pleasant surprises in this bunch.

Garcia trade was good, not great

Let's get this out of the way from the top: Freddy Garcia is not an ace, and he is not the answer. However, the Phillies are better a better team with him, and in a better trading position after making the deal. So let's give some credit to Pat Gillick.

A lot of fans are complaining about this deal. Of course, a lot of fans complain because they think that it is their job, or that they have to maintain that Philly sports fan image. So let's get the negatives out of the way:
1) Gavin Floyd's potential. He is only 24, some pitchers put it together late, and he's got great stuff that a lot of the organization did not want to lose.
2) Gio Gonzalez is going to be really good. The White Sox hated losing him, the Phillies hated losing him, and everyone who sees him is impressed with him. Plus he's only 21.
3) Some of Garcia's peripheral stats aren't beautiful (all 2006 numbers for CWS): a 4.53 ERA, and 40! bases stolen against. Really, these numbers aren't bad, but the problem is that they've been getting worse over the last few years (as have the WHIP, K/9, and K/BB numbers), which is a bad sign for a guy who is 30. And they aren't the numbers of an ace.
4) Garcia has one year left on his contract.

In reality, though, this was a good move.
1) Floyd has a lot of potential. So did Madson as a starter. So did Brandon Duckworth. These things are not sure fire hits, especially when they have struggled at all levels for two seasons.
2) Gonzalez is closer to a sure fire hit, but remember when Floyd was completely untradeable? What the hell is Duckworth doing these days? Anyone remember how upset people were when the Phils traded a hot prospect to the Padres for Andy Ashby? That was Adam Eaton.

Besides that, we got Gonzalez from the ChiSox in the first place. Put the two trades together, and we got Rowand and Garcia (plus Fabio "don't call me Fidel" Castro by way of Texas for Daniel Haigwood) for Floyd and Thome. Thome is a hero, and had a great season...but Ryan Howard was the MVP and, frankly, is a beast. Gonzalez is a null value in the two deals.

3) Like I said, Garcia's stats are pretty good, putting him in the top 25 of AL starters last year. And they figure to improve given that he is moving to the NL and in a contract year. 18 of 33 Garcia starts were Quality Starts, or 55%. You'd like to see that number improve, but only Myers was better on the Phils last year. And guess what? Myers is your ace, whether you like it or not.

4) Garcia having one year left on the contract is a problem. You just can't say that he isn't good and that it is bad he is only here for one year - pick one. I choose that I wish he had a longer deal, but maybe we can sign him, and maybe we can sign someone else. But the big thing he does for us is allow us to trade Lieber (or go back in time and not sign Eaton?). I don't have a problem with Liber staying, but the team still has holes in the bullpen, and with no quality and cheap pitching out there, we should be able to make a good deal.

Look, it isn't a perfect trade. And I'm not sold on Gillick, because I don't agree with Wes Helms or Adam Eaton. But Garcia is a good picther who will be a great upgrade over last year's rotation; view the trade as a companion to the Thome deal, and all we gave up was Floyd; and remember that it gives us the room to manuever to trade a starter for the other problems with the club. Overall, it is a good trade, and shows that Gillick is willing to take a risk for the team. Before you jump on this trade, think of how badly you would be all over Gillick for doing nothing with the rotation all winter. It's a good deal.