Philadelphia Phillies’ $85 Million Offer to Cole Hamels Last Year Is Small Now

Do you think Detroit Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski is sitting in his office today, feet up on the desk, hands behind his head, smiling the smile of a man who knows how smart he was?

Seattle Mariners GM Jack Zduriencik might also be feeling some relief, perhaps staring out a window, appreciating the wonders of nature as he ponders how the universe worked in favor of him and his team.

(I’d paint the same image for former Los Angeles Angels GM Tony Reagins, but since he no longer holds that job, it doesn’t quite apply. Reagins may be feeling smart, but he’s probably not striking the pose of the contented man today.) 

Each of these men dodged a financial bullet, signing their aces before the development of a market for starting pitching that appears ready to explode after Matt Cain and the San Francisco Giants agreed to a six-year, $127.5 million contract. Or maybe these GMs just had the fortune of good timing.

Before the spring of 2010, Dombrowski and the Tigers signed Justin Verlander to a five-year, $80 million contract. He would’ve been eligible for free agency after last season.  

Just a few weeks earlier, Zduriencik and the Mariners locked up Felix Hernandez with a five-year, $78 million deal. The 2011 free agent market was deprived of yet another superstar pitcher.

Last August, Reagins and the Angels signed Jered Weaver to a five-year extension worth $85 million. Without the new deal, Weaver would’ve become a free agent following this season. It was the last big move—and probably his best one—for Reagins, who resigned last September. 

Those deals weren’t exactly bargains, of course. At the time, they were fair market contracts.

That market is what the Philadelphia Phillies had in mind toward the end of last season when they made a contract offer to Cole Hamels. According to CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman, in fact, the Phillies offered the same deal the Angels gave to Weaver: Five years, $85 million. 

No one would’ve criticized Hamels for accepting the Phillies’ offer. As mentioned, that was the market for starting pitching at the time. Turning it down was a risk. But Hamels now looks pretty smart for declining and waiting for a better offer. 

As so many have pointed out in light of Cain’s contract, if he’s worth almost $130 million, what kind of a deal might Hamels receive? (That is, if he hasn’t already agreed to one. If so, Ruben Amaro might get to join the contented GM club.) 

The two sides don’t appear likely to agree on a new contract before opening day, though Hamels hasn’t set a deadline like Cain did. It’s just as well, because the bar for starting pitchers has been significantly raised. 

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Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Burning Questions Heading into Opening Day

Being without Chase Utley and Ryan Howard to start the season, the Phillies have more uncertainty than usual. That being the case, they’ll need to be more creative, but also that they’ll have more moving parts than usual.

With that come questions, and here are ten they will face heading into Opening Day.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Second-Guessing Charlie Manuel’s Roster Decisions

Let me start by saying that Charlie Manuel is the man. He’s the bees knees. He’s the perfect manager for this club.

You also have to love his interviews after the game. Not only is he as candid as it gets, but when listening to Charlie Manuel talk after games, I’m convinced that someone just took Foghorn Leghorn and slapped a baseball uniform on him.

With all due respect to Charlie though, he has made a couple decisions with the roster this Spring that leave some room for second-guessing. I’m not necessarily saying Manuel made the wrong choice in any of these situations—I just want to highlight how tough each decision was, and how these five in particular could possibly have gone a different way.

Also, keep in mind that as I write this article the entire 25-man roster is not quite fully determined, so for one of the “second-guesses”, I speculated and analyzed what is most likely going to happen. 

All stats used in this article are current up to April 2, so the Phillies‘ last couple exhibition games against the Pirates aren’t included.

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Philadelphia Phillies: The Left Field Position Battle

The Philadelphia Phillies have an interesting position battle developing in left field. Juan Pierre has had an amazing spring training and has started in left field frequently. On the other hand, John Mayberry Jr. busted out in 2011 and should hopefully continue to improve and develop into an even stronger power hitter.

According to a report by Jay Greenberg on Phillies.com, Charlie Manuel seems to be favoring Mayberry as the eventual everyday left fielder. However, Pierre should receive substantial playing time as well right off the bat. Manuel told Greenberg:

“He [Mayberry] may not be an everyday starter starting out, but he’s going to play a lot and he’ll be given every chance in the world to be an everyday player.”

The reason this is such an interesting battle, however, is because both of these players are talented, but they definitely bring different offerings to the table.

Last season, Mayberry demonstrated some major power as he hit 15 home runs in 267 at-bats. Also, he had a pretty decent .273 batting average with eight stolen bases. Power will be at a premium for the Philadelphia Phillies given the absences of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley. Mayberry has a decent all-around set of tools highlighted by his power.

On the other hand, Pierre is all about speed. In his career, he has stolen 554 stolen bases. His batting average normally hovers around .280 and he puts the ball in play. He barely draws any walks, but he also barely strikes out. Overall, he has had a strong major league career, and he will add an element of speed alongside Shane Victorino and Jimmy Rollins.

Therefore, even though it does appear that Mayberry has the upper hand in this battle, the Phillies have two strong yet different options. This might be valuable and allows for some flexibility that many other teams might not have.

 

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Bold Predictions About the 2012 Season

The Philadelphia Phillies season is ready to open up Thursday against the Pittsburgh Pirates, and I feel it appropriate to make five bold, controversial statements about the upcoming season.

I’ve watched five spring training games in person, so I feel like I have a decent grasp on how certain players are feeling and the overall direction the team is headed in. 

Looking back at the offseason, the NL East got much stronger with the acquisitions Miami made and the return of Stephen Strasburg and the addition of Gio Gonzalez to the Nats rotation.

For the first time since 2008, the NL East has more than two teams fully capable of making runs at the division title, which should make this season that much more interesting with the Phillies missing key pieces. 

So, without further ado, here are my five bold predictions about the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 2012 season!

Read more of my work here.

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Philadelphia Phillies: How Matt Cain’s Signing Effects Cole Hamels

The bidding war for the services of LHP Cole Hamels is set to begin, and it isn’t going to be pretty.

Starting price?  Five years, $112.5 Million.

That’s the price the San Francisco Giants paid to extend RHP Matt Cain through the 2017 season, with a vesting option thrown in for 2018 that could kick the deal up to $126.5 million.

Not the news you were hoping for if you’re Ruben Amaro Jr., GM of the Philadelphia Phillies who has been working on a deal to extend Hamels for the whole offseason.

The six-year veteran is due to be a free-agent this upcoming winter, and the price to keep him in town has been steadily rising for years now.  The Matt Cain signing, however, has been the biggest blow to the Phillies’ efforts.

With Cain out of the picture, Cole Hamels is now unquestionably the biggest free-agent prize due to be available this coming offseason.  And the 28 year old is showing every sign he’s ready to cash in.

So, what’s this mean for the Phillies?  Don’t expect a hometown discount.  Earlier reports said that the Phillies were hoping to lock up Hamels on a Jered Weaver type extension for four years at around $20 million a year.

Those hopes were just tossed out the window.  The stats between Hamels and Cain are close, but Cole has the edge in almost every category.  And after watching his home team splurge on Cliff Lee’s five year, $120 million contract, a Weaver-esque deal was never that likely in the first place.

What this all adds up to is that the Phillies should consider the Matt Cain contract a starting point for Hamels, not a parallel.  In addition to being a better overall pitcher, Hamels also knows that practically every team in the league will be looking for his services should he make it to free agency.  The Yankees, the Cubs and the newly-owned Dodgers would all love to make a run at the two-time all-star.

What would it cost to keep Hamels on the mound at Citizens Bank Park then?  All things considered, I’d put six years for $140 million with an option for a seventh as a tentative template for a deal.  A little more per year than Cain, with a long term commitment every pitcher loves.

Will the Phillies pay up though?  The club already has an insane amount of cash tied up over the next few years, and Cole would be their third starting pitcher at over $20 million a year.  Should the Phillies balk at such a deal, however, you better believe there’ll be plenty of other teams this offseason willing to capitalize.

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Domonic Brown and 7 Philadelphia Phillies Trade-Bait Prospects

The Philadelphia Phillies set a franchise record last season with 102 wins—yet the season ended way too early for Phillies fans.

To make matters worse, the final out of the season left Ryan Howard hobbling down the first base line after tearing his Achilles tendon during the final swing. At the time, Howard appeared to be doubtful for Opening Day 2012. Jim Thome—the man who Howard replaced—is back, but it could only be a temporary solution.

In addition, Chase Utley’s whole season is in doubt and Placido Polanco’s health is always a question these days. In order to make a trade, the Phillies will have to use prospects to entice other clubs in giving up some of their top talent.

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Philadelphia Phillies Players Fans Should Reserve Judgment on

The Philadelphia Phillies have arrived in the City of Brotherly Love and are ready to embark on the 2012 season. The on-deck series games will give Phillies Nation just a glimpse of what to expect from this team in the early-going.

The three and four hitters are out for the foreseeable future, but the starting pitching staff is still brilliant. Don’t be surprised to see many low-scoring games until Utley and Howard can come back and pack some punch in the center of the order.

While this team is relatively the same, there are new pieces that have been added to the championship puzzle.

Here’s some Phillies we should reserve judgment on at this point.  

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Philadelphia Phillies: Spring Training Grades for Every 25-Man Roster Player

The equipment truck is on the road to Philadelphia, the Opening Day roster is all but set and the Philadelphia Phillies are just about ready to wrap up their Grapefruit League schedule and head north.

Those are some of the universal baseball signs that spring training is just about ready to come to a close and the regular season is just around the bend. Though I’m sure leaving the warm Florida sunshine won’t be easy for some, playing games that actually count toward the ultimate goal should ease that pain all the same.

So as the Phillies prepare themselves to leave Clearwater, Fla. behind until February of 2013, it’s time to grade their spring performance yet again. Each grade will be the result of a full analysis of each player’s spring training.

Who answered their biggest question marks? Who performed the best, and who performed the worst? Who excelled in all areas of the game, and who excelled in just a few areas?

To grade each player, we’ll use a simple system of five grades:

– A: Said player had a stellar spring.

– B: Said player had a very good spring, but not an incredible camp.

– C: Said player had an average camp. Could have been worse, but certainly could have been better.

– D: Said player had a below average spring and needs to make adjustments.

– F: Said player had a terrible spring and has become a major cause for concern.

*Note: All spring training statistics are through Saturday, March 31, 2012.

For news, rumors, analysis and game recaps during spring training, check out Greg’s blog: The Phillies Phactor!

Follow @Greg_Pinto

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Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Infield Options They Can Still Acquire Via Trade

Injuries and the Philadelphia Phillies’ infielders seem to find each other too often as of late.

Infielders such as Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Placido Polanco combined to miss 90 games last season while on the disabled list.

This season, Ryan Howard, Utley and Michael Martinez are likely to begin the season on the disabled list, while Polanco missed time during spring training due to a finger injury.

Between questions of depth at the position and uncertainty as to the timetables for the return of some players from injury, the Phillies may be on the lookout for infield options they can acquire via trade prior to Opening Day.

The Phils may be able to get by with their current infielders, but prolonged absences could force the team to scan the trade market.

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