Philadelphia Phillies Free Agent News: 5 Available Players Who Fit Needs

With the offseason gradually winding down and the beginning of spring training creeping closer and closer, many transactions around the league have been completed and most teams have a good sense of what their Opening Day rosters will look like. Prince Fielder and Edwin Jackson being exceptions, most free agents have also signed with either their teams of old or have left familiarity and have signed elsewhere.

The Philadelphia Phillies, for once, seem like they have most of their Opening Day roster in place. They had an opening at closer and filled it with the best available in Jonathan Papelbon. They had to find some bench bats and signed Jim Thome and Laynce Nix, and traded for Ty Wigginton. They needed to find a shortstop; they re-signed Jimmy Rollins. A backup catcher and lefty specialist were needed, and Brian Schneider and Dontrelle Willis were brought back and welcomed in, respectively.

While one could contest that the Phils’ roster is set and ready to go for April, there are still a few holes that could be filled. For starters, the team needs a fifth outfielder after trading Ben Francisco to the Toronto Blue Jays. They also have a potential need of another reliever—especially a set-up man—if Jose Contreras isn’t ready for Opening Day and/or if the team wants to add an external seventh reliever. And while they don’t need one, another backup infielder sure wouldn’t hurt, either.

This slideshow will cover five potential free agent options the Phils could use to fill their remaining vacancies. Again, while there isn’t a pressing need for the Fightins at this time, these are 10 moves that would be appropriate should they be pursued.

Without further ado…

Begin Slideshow

Bold Predictions for Every Phillies Player

The ancient Mayans weren’t very fond of the year 2012.

Looking thousands of years into the future, they believed that the year 2012 would be the last. Their famous “long count calendar” ended with this year. So while those fanatical about their predictions prepare for the end, we baseball fanatics look forward to another great year of baseball.

The real question is whether or not the Mayans, one way or another, were on to something with their calendar of the end. Will 2012 be the end of the Philadelphia Phillies reign over the NL East?

While those questions won’t be answered for another seven months or so, it certainly is not too soon to let loose a few predictions for each of the members of the Phillies’ roster for the upcoming season. With questions abound surrounding health, performance, and success, let’s take a crack at predictions for the upcoming Phillies’ season.

For up to the minute Phillies’ coverage, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor

Follow @Greg_Pinto
.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: 4 Untrue Stereotypes About Phillies Fans

Not even the Philadelphia Phillies leading the major leagues in attendance last season was enough to erase certain stereotypes about Phillies fans.

Of course, not all stereotypes may be bothersome.

Philadelphia sports fans have long been thought of for booing Santa Claus, cheering as players lay injured and even watching as police Tasered a fan on the field.

But these events may not be accurate for characterizing an entire fanbase.

For a fanbase that has previously been ranked as one of the worst in sports, 204 consecutive regular season home sellouts may beg to differ.

Phillies fans may be proud of some stereotypes, but others are not true.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Sports: Best Sports Quotes in Philly History

Philadelphia has had its fair share of interesting athletes throughout the years. Along with interesting characters, Philly sports figures have also been known for their infamous quotes.

Whether it was directly after a loss, or a miraculous fourth down reception or at a World Series parade, some Philly sports stars really knew how to blow a gasket or pump up a crowd.

No matter if it’s the Phillies, Eagles, Flyers, 76ers or Big 5 basketball, these quotes will definitely bring back some memories.

So without further ado and/or eloquence, here are the best/most ridiculous/most passionate quotes in Philadelphia sports history.

Warning: Some quotes have rather distasteful language

Begin Slideshow

The 5 Best Things About Citizens Bank Park

Since its opening season, in 2004, Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has completely changed the face of the Phillies organization.

In 2003, the Phillies ranked 24th in the MLB in attendance. After the inception of Citizens Bank Park in 2004, they rose all the way to fourth. The Phillies have now led all of baseball in attendance for the past three seasons. They are now working on a 204-game sellout streak going into the 2012 season. The stadium sells out every single night, and the atmosphere is perpetually electric.

Not only does this state-of-the-art, $336 million stadium draw in massive crowds, but it supplies them with everything that a baseball fan could possibly dream of. 

The Philadelphia Phillies have created a model of success for other teams to follow in Major League Baseball. Over the past decade, they have gone from the basement of the National League to a perennial powerhouse. This turnaround all began with the introduction of the baseball paradise that is Citizens Bank Park

Begin Slideshow

MLB Free Agency 2012: Why Ryan Madson Would Be Wise to Return to Philadelphia

There have been numerous huge deals this offseason. From Heath Bell getting $27 million for three years with the Miami Marlins, to Jonathan Papelbon signing with the Philadelphia Phillies for four years, $50 million, it’s clear teams have been throwing cash around to secure closing pitchers.

In the midst of the offseason signing frenzy though, one player’s name has been mysteriously absent from the news: former Phillies closer Ryan Madson.

A client of top agent Scott Boras (whose other clients include Prince Fielder and Jayson Werth), Madson has remained unsigned after his 32 saves and 2.37 ERA in 2011. It’s not as if he’s a product of a down market, though: Of the 13 free agents considered closers by MLBTradeRumors.com, Madson is one of only four still available (others are Francisco Cordero, Francisco Rodriguez and David Aardsma).

Joe Nathan, who only had 14 saves to match his 4.84 ERA in 44.2 innings last year, signed a 2-year, $14.75 million contract with the Texas Rangers. While $7.5 million a year might be too little to match Madson’s asking price, it is obvious that he is the better closer. Another inferior closer, Frank Francisco, who saved 17 games with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2011, signed with the New York Mets for 2 years, $12 million.

So what does this mean for Ryan Madson? To put it bluntly, he’s lost this offseason. There aren’t many other openings for closers now, and at $11 million per year, Madson’s asking price is just too high for teams still looking. Madson needs to realize that he isn’t going to sign a mega-deal this offseason, and if he’s smart he’ll sign a one-year deal with the Phillies and wait for next year.

Madson, who is only 31 years old and put up the best numbers of his career in 2011, would be best suited as the Phillies’ set-up man behind Jonathan Papelbon. Not only does Madson already have a life and a dedicated fanbase in Philadelphia, he knows the system and the other players on the team.

The Phillies have relief pitchers, but none of whom would be ideal in the set-up role. As it stands now, injury-prone 40-year-old Jose Contreras is the best option.

Payroll estimates for 2012 place the Phillies at about $170 million, eight million under the dreaded luxury tax. They could afford Madson at about $6-7 million, a more than fair price considering Madson’s circumstance. After 2012, Madson would be able to try his luck again in the market, and he’s more likely then to get the money he wants.

It’s last call at the MLB Hotstove bar, and Ryan Madson is desperate. He came into the night (this offseason) thinking he would do well, but now he’s scouring the bar for anyone who would take him home. It may leave a bad taste in his mouth the next morning, but the best option for him right now is to go home with Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies one last time. 

Read more Philadelphia Phillies news on BleacherReport.com

Philadelphia Phillies: 6 Worst Ideas During Ruben Amaro’s Tenure as GM

What a start Ruben Amaro Jr. has put together in his career as general manager. He’s acquired All-Stars more than annually, often multiple times per season.

Amaro has maintained the winning mantra that was created in Philadelphia when Pat Gillick was in charge, and arguably has added to it by being able to have players such as Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt and Jonathan Papelbon all want to come to Philadelphia to play.

He has not been without his errors, though; and for all his brilliant moves that put the team in a tremendous position to succeed, he has often prevented his team from being well-rounded enough to completely capture that World Series title.

Here are the six dumbest moves of Ruben Amaro’s tenure.

Begin Slideshow

Comparing Every Current Philadelphia Phillie to a Former Player

We live in a very materialistic world where the focus of our daily lives is based on the here and now and very rarely on the future, and even more rarely, the past. The Philadelphia Phillies are certainly not exempt from this thought process. Over the last few seasons, the idea has been to “win now.”

Those guys are prospects for a reason, so we’ll trade them for a proven player. That pricey free agent would sure look nice in red pinstripes, but the depth on the bench is certainly going to suffer if we sign him.

That’s been the thought process for the last few seasons, and will be as long as the Phillies have a core of players intent on winning a World Series and calling any other result a failure. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. First and foremost, it means the Phillies are winning.

The dangerous situation is getting caught up in the here and now and turning a blind eye towards the future. We must look at the past for information and interpret it towards the future. I thought that comparing each player on the Phillies’ roster would be an interesting way to apply that idea.

This slide show will observe a player’s career to date, take his statistics, and compare them to a past player who followed a similar career path. Just for fun, maybe that player’s career can give us some insight into what the future holds for the Phillies.

For up to the minute Phillies’ news, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

Follow @Greg_Pinto

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: How Long Can They Keep Halladay, Lee, Hamels Together?

As the Philadelphia Phillies’ offseason breaks into the new year and heads for the homestretch, the team has little left to accomplish. They’ve already taken care of all their top priorities—they’ve re-signed Jimmy Rollins, added a power bat off the left side in Jim Thome, found a versatile, slugging backup in Ty Wigginton and have strengthened their outfield depth by signing Laynce Nix.

Not to mention, the Phils have also bolstered their bullpen by adding All-Star closer Jonathan Papelbon and (possible) lefty specialist Dontrelle Willis.

However, arguably the biggest question mark of the Phillies’ offseason still looms among the team’s current uncertainties, and that is whether or not Cole Hamels will receive a contract extension sometime before the start of the 2012 season.

Hamels, who is slated to become the best left-handed starting pitcher and perhaps the best overall starter on the open market next offseason, could make upwards of $100 million should he reach free agency after the 2012 season. It’s now GM Ruben Amaro, Jr.’s job to take care of business and do whatever he can to lock up Hamels for the most affordable contract possible.

Speaking of the Phillies’ ace starting pitchers, Roy Oswalt is currently a free agent and his chances of re-signing in Philadelphia are presently slim to none. It rekindles the fire that was set off last offseason when Cliff Lee returned to Philly—the team had four ace starters, the best starting rotation in baseball and possibly even the best rotation of all time.

Fans and media reporters alike wondered how long the “Four Aces,” or “R2C2,” would last. Well, it looks like right now it will have lasted only one year, and the urgency to keep Hamels under contract becomes even more dire with a decrease in starting pitching depth following the seemingly inevitable departure of Oswalt.

It also begs the question as to how long the trio of Halladay, Lee and Hamels, three of the top five finishers in the 2011 NL Cy Young Award voting, will last.

Should Hamels not receive or turn down a contract extension offer from the Phillies, the likelihood of him returning shrinks significantly upon reaching free agency.

In this slideshow, we’ll examine all possibilities of how long the current top of the Phillies rotation could last, and we’ll make a prediction for each of the three starting pitchers and speculate how long they (and the trio itself) could remain in Phillies’ pinstripes.

Begin Slideshow

Philadelphia Phillies: Handing out Their Payroll Based on Success

It’s time for the obvious fact of the day: Baseball players make a lot of money.

With the ratifying of MLB‘s new collective bargaining agreement, no player that will don a Major League uniform in 2012 will earn a salary of less than $480,000. Yes folks, that is the minimum salary for big league baseball players.

That’s just the beginning, however. The polar opposite of the minimum salary would be the deal that Albert Pujols signed just this winter, netting the new Los Angeles Angels‘ first baseman $250 million over a 10 year span, or the 10 year, $275 million deal that Alex Rodriguez signed with the New York Yankees.

The point is this: Whether you’re talking about a first-year player or one of the best athletes in the game, baseball players are well compensated.

That makes managing the payroll all the more important, and the Philadelphia Phillies have one of the biggest budgets to manage in the game. Needless to say, there are a few great deals on that payroll and a couple of albatrosses.

Managing a payroll is difficult. With the spending limit for most teams being the $178 million luxury tax threshold, teams have to make tough decisions, and the Phillies are no different. A lot of times, a number of variables come into play: The market for a player, his marketability, the depth of his position, his value to your team weighed against his value to other teams.

We live in a day in age where teams rarely pay for past success, but instead, projections of what a player’s statistics will look like moving forward, and that isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But it makes us wonder: What would a player’s salary look like in 2012 if we took into account, first and foremost, his success from the previous year?

This slideshow will attempt to divvy up the Phillies’ payroll, handing out the most money to its most successful players. A number of variables will be taken into consideration for each player, described on his respective slide.

What would the Phillies’ payroll look like if it were based on past success?

For up to the minute Phillies’ coverage, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor.

Follow @Greg_Pinto

Begin Slideshow

« Previous Page — Next Page »