Winter Meetings: The Phillies Make A Small Splash

While the Phillies were unable to conjure a tidal wave during the Winter Meetings this year, they did make a few smaller splashes.  Free-agent left-handed reliever Dennys Reyes, 33, has been signed to a one-year, $1.25 million dollar contract, pending a physical.  Reyes is a 14-year, well-traveled veteran that now joins his 11th major league club.

While the signing is relatively small in terms of impact, Reyes is anything but small.  This six-foot, 3-inch 250 pound reliever goes by the nickname, “The Big Sweat.”  In other words, he will add both depth and width to the bullpen. 

On the other end of the size spectrum, the Phillies also picked up a five-foot, nine-inch, 145 pound infielder from the Nationals AAA system in the Rule 5 Draft.  Michael Martinez, 28, had better watch himself around Reyes who is liable to mistake him for dinner.

Martinez’s small size has made him a versatile player who can handle both shortstop and second base as well as the occasional stop in centerfield.  He hit a combined .272 with 21 doubles, six triples, 11 home runs, 56 RBI’s and a .408 slugging percentage in 522 plate appearances with Double-A Harrisburg and AAA Syracuse.

When asked about the pick-up of Martinez, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. joked, “We figured with this Rule 5 Draft we would get back at the Nationals. They got Werth. We’ll take Martinez and call it even.”  While the attempt at humor is admirable, Amaro should probably not quit his day job.

The Phillies picked up a few other players in the Minor League phase of the Rule 5 Draft: Colorado outfielder Chris Frey and Oakland righty Justin Friend.  While these are not real impact moves, it does give the Phillies a little more depth in the minor league system.

Overall, the Phillies had a quiet week at the Winter Meetings.  However, with rumors flying about a possible deal for the Royals righty Zach Greinke, the Phillies may still have a big move on the horizon.

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MLB Rumors: 10 Pitchers the Philadelphia Phillies Will Court To Fix the Bullpen

The Philadelphia Phillies are a great team with very little flaws.

After losing to the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 NLCS, Phillies fans were devastated on what happened.

They sat in the stands, at their homes, or at the local bar in shock and could not believe the defeat they faced.

Well, now we are entering the 2011 MLB season and we as Phillies fans must put the past behind us. We must try and make ourselves a better team for the near future.

As I said earlier, the Phillies have very little flaws. On paper, our only weakness is the bullpen.

Lucky for us, the 2011 free agent list is infested with relievers.

The majority of our entire pitching staff are right handers, so I think we should focus on hauling in lefties to make our staff more dynamic.

Ruben Amaro Jr. has proved he can be successful in the business of baseball and I have faith in him again.

Without a due, I give you 10 free agent relievers that the Phillies and Ruben Amaro Jr. will try to grab off of the free agent wire.

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Make Way for “The Big Sweat:” Phillies Sign Left-Handed Reliever Dennys Reyes

The Phillies made some progress in their offseason crusade to revamp their bullpen today by signing left-hander Dennys Reyes to a one year contract worth $1.1 million, with a mutual option for 2012 worth $1.35 million, according to Enrique Rojas of ESPN Deportes.

Reyes, 33, spent the 2010 season with the St. Louis Cardinals, where he appeared in 59 games as a left-handed specialist, and threw a total of 38 innings. Over that span of time, Reyes was 3-1 with a 3.55 ERA.

Reyes had a streaky campaign with the Cardinals last year. After posting an ERA of 0.71 over the first three months of the season, he struggled in June, posting an ERA of 12.46 in 4.1 innings.

After bringing his ERA back down to 3.24 in July, Reyes saw limited action in the final months of the season, posting an ERA of 6.08.

What is sure to interest the Phillies the most about Reyes is his continued success against left-handed hitters. In 2010 alone, Reyes threw 19 innings combined versus left-handed hitters, striking out 20, walking 11 and allowing a total of six earned runs. He posted a K/9 percentage of 9.21 against left-handed hitters, but also walked 5.21 lefties per nine.

His streaky control is sure to be his biggest concern entering the 2011 season, but the Phillies have traversed this path before—he is very similar, statistically, to former Philly J.C. Romero.

In total in 2010, Reyes walked 4.17 batters per nine. While that is an improvement over Romero’s 7.12 BB/9 percentage, the Phillies would like to see Reyes bring his walks down so that he could be relied on in late innings against tough left handed hitters.

Nicknamed “The Big Sweat” for obvious reasons, Reyes brings a standard repertoire of pitches to the table. He throws a straight, four-seam fastball that averages 90mph and loves to throw a tailing slider away from left-handed hitters off of that.

Over the course of his career, he has also been known to mix in a two-seam, moving a fastball, changeup and average curveball.

We first learned of the Phillies interest in Reyes around noon yesterday, when reports from the Winter Meetings in Florida indicated the Phillies had met with his agent, and showed strong interest in the left-hander, along with the Florida Marlins.

The Phillies emerged as the favorite to sign Reyes last night, and Ruben Amaro Jr. and Co. hammered out the contract details this afternoon.

Even with Reyes and fellow left handed reliever Antonio Bastado aboard, the Phillies will continue looking at different ways of upgrading their bullpen.

They have been in touch with the agent of free-agent right-hander Chad Durbin, and made an offer to left-hander George Sherrill before he signed with the Atlanta Braves this afternoon.

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Aaron Rowand: Will He Return To the Phillies?

The Phillies made two moves on Tuesday that may indicate a few deals are in the works at the Winter Meetings.  Pitchers Jesus Sanchez and Yohan Flande were released from the 40-man roster, likely to make room for a few additions.  One of those additions is rumored to be ex-Phillie Aaron Rowand.

Rowand has two more years and $24 million left on his contract with the SF Giants.  After a down year in 2010 and losing his starting spot, the Giants have implied that Rowand is no longer in their plans going forward.  If the Giants are willing to eat most of his salary, Rowand could possibly return to Philly.

Best known for smashing his face against the centerfield wall at Citizens Bank Park to make a game-saving catch in 2006, Rowand was also the leader in the clubhouse and well loved by players and coaches alike.  He was never afraid to call out a teammate who was slacking. This kind of fire is what Charlie Manuel loves about Rowand.  It may also be motivation to bring him back.

In 2007, Rowand had a career year with the Phillies, batting .309 with 27 homers and 89 RBI.  He also made the All-Star team that year.  Since departing for San Francisco, Rowand’s numbers have steadily declined.  At the time, critics said the move to a larger ballpark might affect his production and that appears to be the case.  On the flip side, a return to the smaller confines of Citizens Bank Park may give new life to Rowand’s bat.

In addition, Rowand will have something to prove wherever he lands.  This is a guy who plays the game hard and takes pride in his performance.  Losing his starting job may have been the kick in the backside he needed. 

Another upside is that Rowand can play either center or right field, just as Jayson Werth was able to.  Neither Domonic Brown or Ben Francisco would likely be effective in center in the event that Shane Victorino is hurt or needs a break.  And right now, Victorino is the only true centerfielder on the roster.  Even if it is just coming off the bench, Rowand could fill that role while Brown and Francisco patrol right field.

Whether or not the Phillies decide to work out a deal with the Giants for Rowand is still unknown.  But if the price is right, Rowand could be a real asset and maybe inject new life into this Phillies team.

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Carl Crawford: Is He the Perfect Fit To Replace Jayson Werth in Philadelphia?

Since Jayson Werth’s surprise signing with the Washington Nationals on Sunday, Philadelphia has been left with a giant void to fill in the outfield. 

Many rumors have been thrown around as to how the Phillies are looking to replace Werth.  Some rumors include signing San Francisco’s Aaron Rowand and moving top prospect Dominic Brown into the starting position.  However, with Jayson Werth out, the Phillies have a lot of freed-up money.  Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford is the top outfielder available since Werth signed on Sunday. The Phillies seem to be passing him by with very little interest.

Why?

Werth brought speed, great defensive ability and a powerful bat to the club.  Crawford possesses these same abilities, and to a point may be able to surpass Werth’s talent.  Over the past five seasons Crawford has 71 home runs, 372 RBI, 240 stolen bases and hit .301. 

In the same time frame Werth has 102 home runs, 343 RBI, 71 stolen bases and hit .268.  While Werth has more power than Crawford, Crawford has more RBI, stolen bases and has a higher batting average than Werth. 

The Phillies already have power in their lineup in the form of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and the occasional power streak of Raul Ibanez.  Their only true base-stealing threats left after the departure of Werth are Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino.  Should the Phillies pursue Aaron Rowand, the only speed in the outfield would be Victorino in center field. 

Rowand has clearly lost some speed over the years and Ibanez is relatively slow thanks to age.  Crawford can help stabilize the outfield and also add a very strong arm. 

Crawford could be a strong fit in Philadelphia if they are willing to pay the money now.  Philadelphia has always been a team that focuses on the present more so than the future and the addition of Crawford could help them make another run for the World Series in 2011. 

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‘Tis The Season: 5 Crafty Ways For Phillies to Score at Annual Winter Meetings

In past years, the Phillies have been huge players at the Winter Meetings. In 2009, they shocked the baseball world by acquiring Toronto’s ace, Roy Halladay, and sending another former Cy Young, Cliff Lee, to Seattle. In 2008, the team signed free agents Jamie Moyer and Raul Ibanez to multi-year deals, and in 2007, the team signed outfielder Geoff Jenkins to a two-year contract. So what do the Phillies have in store for 2010?

According to Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki, it could be a quiet winter for the Phillies.

Despite losing free-agent outfielder Jayson Werth to the division-rival Washington Nationals, the team will look to replace him on the cheap. The Phillies and their fans have known for quite a while that Werth would head to the highest bidder and, in the long run, the Phillies simply didn’t feel that Werth was worth (no pun intended) the $126-million dollars the cellar-dwelling Nationals gave him, so maybe it didn’t sting as bad.

With $146 million already committed to the payroll in 2011, the Phillies aren’t expected to be big players at this year’s annual Winter Meetings. That hasn’t stopped them in the past, however.

Last year, just a day after General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told the media  that his team wasn’t interested in acquiring Toronto Blue Jays’ ace Roy Halladay, the Phillies became one of four teams that struck the offseason’s biggest blockbuster, with the Phillies acquiring Roy Halladay and prospects Phillipe Aumont, Tyson Gillies, and JC Ramirez, and trading Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners. The fact of the matter remains that the Phillies like to do things under the radar.

So while the team postures as though it isn’t willing to make any big moves this year, I’ll speculate otherwise. After all, the Phillies have an odd knack for catching people off guard and pulling the trigger when least expected.

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Money Aside, All Lose with Jayson Werth’s Departure from the Phillies

Yesterday, conjecture became reality.

After months of speculation that Jayson Werth would leave the Phillies when his contract expired, it became official when the Washington Nationals signed him to a mega-deal.

Most everyone would agree that the terms of the contract widely exceeded expectations.

Even Nationals GM Mike Rizzo admitted as much by implying that the seven-year, $126 million deal had to be inflated to attract a high-profile free agent due to the team’s less-than-stellar track record. 

Beyond the obvious financial windfall benefiting Werth and his agent Scott Boras, all parties involved seem to lose at some level.

Although the Phillies abundance of remaining talent, headed by the Big Three, will still position them as strong contenders in 2011, the team is clearly worse off without Werth. 

It is apparent to most all observers that the club loses its one big, right-handed power bat to break up its lefty sluggers. More peripherally, though, they lose the type of patient hitter that runs up pitch counts and on-base percentage.  

And, for Phillies fans who suffered through watching the Bobby Abreu era, Werth’s defensive range, aggressive baserunning and all-out hustle were highly valued.

In fact, these qualities, along with his work ethic, make him the type of player that Philly fans embrace—although not now that he has jumped ship. 

In anticipation of “J-Dub’s” exit, most pundits and fans have envisioned replacing him with a platoon scenario.

Names such as Ben Francisco, John Mayberry Jr, Matt Diaz, and Jeff Francouer have surfaced to pair with left-handed rookie phenom Domonic Brown.

Unfortunately, none of them possess Werth’s combination of speed, range, arm or gamer mentality—let alone batting capabilities.  

Aside from securing a five-tool player, the Nationals lose on many fronts with this deal.

Even if they can shrug off the scorn from most every other GM and team owner around baseball for raising the bar by handing a 31-year old player with a history of injury a seven-year contract at an average annual salary of $18 million, they still have issues. 

Should Werth’s production start to fade as he moves out of his prime, their return on investment will nosedive.

Even worse, if the injury bug returns, it could happen sooner. 

Part of Rizzo’s rationale for overspending right now is that his club needed to acquire the type of centerpiece necessary to build a winner and signal to other players around the league that Washington has a bright future. 

This seems particularly risky considering that Werth never played that role in Philly.

The free-spirited right fielder resided more in the supporting cast behind big name stars such as Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, Brad Lidge and Cole Hamels.

This is not to say that Werth is incapable of stepping up to be “The Man,” but placing a nine-figure bet on that happening makes a former, round, Philadelphia hoops star’s gambling look like child’s play.    

Lastly, the Nats have been accumulating some nice young talent, but still appear to be a year or two away from serious contention.

The return of Stephen Strasburg from Tommy John surgery and the development of fellow phenom Bryce Harper seem to point to 2012 or 2013 as the season for Washington to emerge from the bottom-feeder depths.  

The signing of Werth does not quite align with that timeline. 

And, importantly, despite now being financially set for life, Werth loses a lot by inking this contract. The next seven years will likely never rival the fun and excitement that he experienced while in red pinstripes. 

It all starts with the chemistry in the clubhouse, created by a rare mix of talented, selfless and winning ballplayers. The Phillies have the intangibles to go with the skills that translates into an enjoyable environment and ultimately success. 

As for today’s Nats—not so much. 

When he steps out of the clubhouse onto the field, it is highly unlikely that Werth will experience the same electric atmosphere that was a constant throughout his stay in Philly. 

Philadelphia’s NL-leading attendance last season was more than double the numbers in Washington.

Nats fans occupied 53.9 percent of the stadium each game, while Phillies fans over-stuffed Citizens Bank Park at 103.5 percent of capacity. 

Perhaps an even more important difference can be found in the DNA of each set of fans.

Washington fans don’t exactly come to mind when terms like “passionate,” “knowledgeable” and “vocal” are thrown around the baseball world— but those are almost synonymous with the fans residing in the City of Brotherly Love.  

Werth’s switch of red uniforms also brings a ramped-up set of expectations and pressure. It remains to be seen how he will respond to it, but history suggests that those two elements often rob some of the joy of playing a kid’s game as your everyday occupation. 

Wrapped around all of this is the fact that the Phillies are still built to win now.

No matter how much money is sitting in a bank account or portfolio, winning is always a lot more fun.  

Washington might have a bright future. But, if the Phillies can figure out how to patch the gaping hole left by his departure, it may be a tortuous couple years for Werth watching his former teammates strive for historic excellence. 

Some have reacted to Werth’s contract with anger and disdain, incensed that he would choose money over winning.

Although it is disappointing to see one of my favorite and most admired Phillies players leave town, it is virtually impossible to begrudge him accepting a deal of the magnitude that was offered. 

If recent reports have been true, the Nationals’ offer was three or four years longer and $62-78 million greater than what Ruben Amaro extended to Werth. 

That goes way beyond the range of a hometown discount and vaults into the category of “an offer that can’t be refused.”

It’s sad, but true that Werth is no longer a Phillie and is now a National. As a result, it will be a little bit less fun for Phillies fans when they head to the park next season.  

And, I suspect, the same will hold true for Werth—perhaps even more so.   

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MLB Winter Meetings: 5 Things Ruben Amaro Jr. Must Do for Philadelphia Phillies

With the Jayson Werth Sweepstakes closed, the Philadelphia Phillies now set their sights on other matters this winter.  The Winter Meetings just commenced today and Ruben Amaro Jr. has been relatively quiet since the Phillies’ stunning playoff exit in late October.

What the Phillies will be looking to do from here on out is anyone’s guess.  RAJ hasn’t made any noise so far this offseason—expect that to change soon.  The Phillies ought to be looking to fill a few voids this winter in order to reclaim their stake in the NL.  

The Phillies will look towards a replacement for Jayson Werth first and foremost.  Although it appears to be Domonic Brown, only time will tell.  Brown has just left Winter Ball after compiling a .069 average over nine games.

Something still tells me that RAJ won’t “stand pat” for too much longer.  Never count him out of the running—that’s one thing that Philadelphia has learned over the past few years.

Here are five things that Amaro Jr. should do for the Phillies this offseason.   

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Jayson Werth Isn’t the First OF the Philadelphia Phillies Have Had to Replace

Jayson Werth became a fan favorite in his four seasons with the Phillies, be it because of his great production on the field, his blue-collar attitude and hard work, or his beard.

Werth his 95 home runs, batted in 300 runs, and stole 60 bases. He was the power right-handed bat that balanced a lefty-dominated middle of the lineup. He also was very good defensively, both with his fielding and his arm.

He was very productive for the Phillies. So productive, in fact, he became too pricey to keep.

A free agent, Werth signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Washington Nationals, numbers the Phillies were in no way going to compete with.

While the fan base is disappointed they won’t be keeping their bearded right-fielder, they must remember that the team has lost fan-favorite outfielders before, replaced them without missing a step, and watched the decline of the by-gone outfielder’s career.

It all started in 2006, when the Phillies traded Bobby Abreu to the Yankees. Abreu was the Phillies star player, hitting as many as 31 home runs in a season and batting as high as .335. In seven full seasons with the Phillies, Abreu hit .300 or better in six of them.

In the four seasons after the trade, he hasn’t hit over .300 and has averaged 17.8 home runs a season.

Not terrible numbers, but the Phillies did a good job of replacing him with Shane Victorino.

In the four seasons Victorino has been a full-time starter, the Phillies have made the playoffs each year. He’s won three Gold Glove awards, and has been selected to one All-Star game. He’s got tremendous speed on the basepaths and in the outfield, and he provides a ton of energy.

Aaron Rowand was the team’s center-fielder in 2006 and 2007 and he cemented himself in Phillies’ lore by running into a fence to make a catch against the Mets. He suffered a broken nose, but he made the catch, saved at least one run, and the Phillies went on to win the game 2-0.

His contract year of 2007, he finished career highs in home runs (27) and RBI (89). He signed a five-year, $60 million contract with the San Francisco Giants that offseason.

Rowand has not hit more than 15 home runs, batted in more than 70 runs, or hit higher than .271. In August of this previous season, he became a platoon player.

While he has fallen off the radar in San Francisco, the Phillies moved Victorino to center field and put Werth in right field.

And then there is Pat Burrell. Even though his last three seasons in Philly he couldn’t hit higher than .258, he still had a lot of pop in his bat, hitting 29, 30, and 33 home runs. After finally winning a World Series after nine seasons with the franchise that drafted him first overall, he was not brought back and he moved on to Tampa Bay.

Burrell continues to struggle with his average, finishing 2009 with a .221 average and 2010 (with both Tampa and San Francisco) with a .252 average, and he also doesn’t have the power numbers he used to put up, hitting 14 and 20 home runs with only 64 RBI both seasons.

The Phillies replaced Burrell with Raul Ibanez, who in his first season in Philadelphia hit 34 home runs, 93 RBI, and had a .272 batting average, along with being named to his first All-Star game. His home run total dramatically dropped last season to only 16, but he still drove in 83 runs and hit .275.

Maybe the change in ballpark goes into these players’ numbers dropping once they leave Philly, but none of those players were more popular on a national scene then when they were a Phillie. And when they left, their replacement rose to stardom.

So with Werth gone, who will take his place?

It could very well be an in-house candidate—most likely Ben Francsico, who came over from Cleveland in the Cliff Lee trade, or farmhand Domonic Brown.

Francisco has been a solid contributor off the bench for Philadelphia, and he could, like Werth, get even better if he became an everyday player. Brown was named Major League Baseball’s top prospect by Baseball America in 2010, and like Werth, is considered a five-tool player.

So while it may be disappointing to see Werth leave, the fans should trust that the organization will properly fill his spot in the lineup.

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Jayson Werth: Why the Washington Nationals Are Misguided in Their Efforts

So the Washington Nationals are trying to become a contender.

That’s great. Who doesn’t love some parity?

But, someone might want to let them know they’re going about it the wrong way.

Jayson Werth is not the answer to your problems.

Consider this: The guy played for your division rival, the Philadelphia Phillies, and they showed little interest in bringing him back. 

That should have been a hint to the Nationals.

Now don’t get me wrong. Werth is a good player, and a tremendous upgrade to the Nationals’ outfield.

But at what cost?

At $18 million a year, for seven years, the Nationals are overpaying and burdening themselves with a huge contract.

Werth has only played two full seasons in the majors, has never had more than 100 RBI, and has never broken .300. And that was in a lineup where pitchers had to throw to him. 

Now throw in the fact that he was playing half his games in Citizen’s Bank Park, and it really calls into question the legitimacy of Werth.

At the end of his contract he will be 38. Major league baseball players generally begin to tail off around 35, so the final years of this deal could be downright awful.

Jayson Werth is going to be a burden for the Washington Nationals, and it’s a shame. 

Maybe not immediately, but eventually.

His best year came in a contract season, which always raises suspicions.

More than likely the Nationals will get the .270 career hitter that they paid for, along with 20 homers, and 75 RBI a season.

Is that worth $18 million?

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