Ranking the 25 Most Infamous Moments of the Phillies-Mets Rivalry

Baseball is a sport marked by some of its great rivalries, but few have been as intense as the on-again, off-again battle between the Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets since the 1960s.

It is a rivalry that has involved great players across generations. From Jim Bunning and Tom Seaver, to Darren Daulton and Doc Gooden, to Jimmy Rollins and Jose Reyes.

The rivalry has cooled off a bit and changed over the last several decades, but the fact remains that these are two teams with a pure dislike for each other, and it is easy to forge a rivalry in that manner.

So as the Phillies and Mets battle for another division title in 2012, what better time is there to take a look at what made this rivalry one of baseball’s all-time greats?

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Philadelphia Phillies: 4 In-House Names to Replace Kyle Kendrick in the Rotation

It has always been known that, when you go somewhere, it is not polite to “overstay your welcome.” Well, unfortunately for the Philadelphia Phillies, pitcher Kyle Kendrick does not seem like the courteous type.

It should be obvious to all fans, media and anyone else that Kendrick has overstayed his welcome in Philadelphia. It is time for the team to cut their losses and move forward with a new pitcher to anchor the rotation.

In the past few years, Kendrick has been given chance after chance to stick with the big league club. He has been used as a spot starter and long reliever in the bullpen with some success, but when it comes to cracking the starting staff, KK just can’t seem to put it together.

That’s not to say he’s been completely useless with the Phillies. He has had good seasons in the past, including a stellar rookie campaign in 2007 which helped push the Phils into the playoffs. Kendrick went 10-4, winning 13 of his 18 starts. In the postseason, he was the No. 2 pitcher on the roster.

Ever since then, however, Kendrick has been up and down. He has been to the minors and back more times than one should care to count, and has never been particularly effective.

In all his years though, he has not been as bad as he has in 2012.

Kendrick’s season, as has been his career, is marked with incredible inconsistency. He is 2-8 on the season with 52 strikeouts and a 5.35 ERA. The 2012 season also saw him throw his first ever complete game shutout.

With as many issues as the Phillies have had with their starting staff this year, they need to supplant someone in the fifth spot that can give them consistency and a chance to win—something Kendrick has not done in recent starts.

If they hope to make the playoffs, they need to seek pitching help from someone else, perhaps an arm in the minor leagues.

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Philadelphia Phillies Rumored to Be Shopping Shane Victorino and Cole Hamels

CBS Sports is now reporting that the Philadelphia Phillies are looking at the possibility of trading Cole Hamels. Fox Sports is also speculating that Shane Victorino may be in the same boat. Both are in the final year of their respective contracts.

Losers of five straight and now 11 games behind the first-place Washington Nationals, the Phillies’ chances of a sixth straight NL East championship appear to be fading fast. The Phils are now nine games under .500 and a dismal 17-24 at home.

Decimated by injuries that have hit them from every angle (Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley), Philadelphia has yet to find its stride. 

The return of second baseman Chase Utley this past week, along with the fact that slugger Ryan Howard began his rehab assignment, left room for optimism as the Phillies headed into the last 10 games before the All-Star break. 

But now, having lost all five games since Utley’s return combined with the fact that the timetable for Halladay’s return is uncertain, may be what has them looking to the future and becoming the league’s first admitted “sellers.”

The Phillies have been the East’s dominant force for the last five years, winning each of the last five division titles, earning a trip to two consecutive World Series (2008 and 2009) and winning their first World Championship in 2008.

This year, however, the injury situation combined with a very young and impressive Nationals club and a surprisingly good first half from the New York Mets has left the Phillies reeling. 

While many believe that there is enough veteran talent there to get back in the race, their window of opportunity is ticking away fast. If the reports are true, the NL East may be in the midst of a very competitive race for a new king. And the Phillies could be dusting off the old drawing board.

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Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino for Josh Hamilton? Why It Would Work

Cole Hamels, Shane Victorino and Josh Hamilton are all in the final year of their respective contracts. The Phillies need someone who can drive in runs; the Rangers don’t really need much, but another pitcher could finally give them a World Series ring.  Why not make a deal?

The immediate reaction I’m expecting is, “why would the Rangers ever trade Josh Hamilton?” but think about it.  That lineup is loaded even without Hamilton.  Take him out and you still have Mike Napoli, Michael Young, Ian Kinsler, Elvis Andrus, Adrian Beltre, Nelson Cruz and David Murphy.  Plus, this trade would send Shane Victorino to Texas to replace Hamilton.  

Add Cole Hamels, and the Rangers have perhaps the best rotation in baseball.  Hamels, Colby Lewis, Matt Harrison, Yu Darvish and Roy Oswalt would be the starters and the team could move Derek Holland and Neftali Feliz to the bullpen to join Joe Nathan, Mike Adams, Alexi Ogando and Koji Uehara—forming what could be the best relief corps in the league.  

That is a World Series team if I’ve ever seen one.

The Phillies would get a middle of the order guy who can single-handedly solve their run production problems.  Putting Hamilton in center field would give the Phillies a lineup of Juan Pierre, Chase Utley, Josh Hamilton, Ryan Howard, Hunter Pence, Jimmy Rollins, Placido Polanco and Carlos Ruiz.

A lineup like that would enable the Phillies to find their way back into contention.

Even without Hamels, a rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Vance Worley, Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick would keep this team in most ballgames.  With a little extra run support, these pitchers can finally start putting up better numbers in the win column.

The Phillies have the second highest payroll in baseball, and the Rangers have the sixth highest.  This trade would allow the Phillies to give Hamilton a long-term contract while the Rangers could sign Hamels and find a replacement for Victorino in the offseason.  

The Rangers are unlikely to give up their superstar player before the season ends, but this deal could make them a better team.

Will this happen?  No.  Would it benefit both sides if it did?  Yes.

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MLB Trade Rumors: Phillies Reportedly Shopping Cole Hamels

The day that Philadelphia Phillies fans have been dreading all season long is upon them: The team has begun shopping All-Star pitcher Cole Hamels.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports was the bearer of bad news on his Baseball Insider blog:

The Phillies dropped a bomb on the trade market when they recently began making calls to see about trade interest in Cole Hamels, CBSSports.com has learned.

Hamels is a free agent after the year, and a source with knowledge of his contractual situation, said there has been no progress made in contract talks.

The Phillies are struggling through an injury-riddled first half. They traded Jim Thome on Saturday to the Orioles, but the Phillies suggested that didn’t mark the beginning of the selloff.

Oh, the horror!

Of course, nothing is set in stone at this point. But with Hamels set to become a free agent after this season and no contract extension in place, it was always a possibility that the team—with one of the biggest payrolls in baseball—would look to deal the lefty ace.

And Hamels’ contract expectations probably became more expensive after Matt Cain signed his whopping six-year, $127.5 million contract extension with the San Francisco Giants.

Hamels is having another excellent season for the Phillies, currently 10-4 with 111 strikeouts, a 3.08 ERA and 1.10 WHIP. In a year full of disappointment, Hamels—alongside catcher Carlos Ruiz—has been a bright spot.

He’s also become one of baseball’s elite left-handed pitchers in the past three years, and he’ll long be a hero in Philadelphia after winning the NLCS and World Series MVP awards in the Phillies’ 2008 championship season.

It’s possible that the Phillies are simply doing due diligence and testing the market to see if a team will absolutely blow them away with a deal. But the possibility that Hamels will depart Philadelphia is now very real.

 

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets want Dwight Howard to just get traded already too.

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