Phillies Would Be Foolish to Nab Vernon Wells Via Trade

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports has reported that the Philadelphia Phillies are looking at making a deal for Los Angeles Angels OF Vernon Wells.

The Phillies are in need of a right-handed bat as well as a corner outfielder and have previously been linked to free agent OF Cody Ross.

If a deal between the Phillies and Angels would be done, the Angels would have to absorb the majority of the $42 million owed to Wells over the course of the next two seasons.

Wells has been considered one of the worst acquisitions in baseball history due to the seven-year, $126 million contract he received in 2006 while with the Toronto Blue Jays. Since landing with the Angels, Wells has failed to live up to the salary that he was given by his previous club.

In 2011, Wells batted .218 AVG with 25 HR and 66 RBI. The numbers he posted that year were the worst of his career since he was a former three-time All-Star (2003, 2006, 2010) and a one-time Silver Slugger in 2003.

Last season, Wells disappointed again with a .230 AVG followed by 11 HR and 29 RBI.
Needless to say, the Phillies could do a lot better than Vernon Wells. Among John Mayberry Jr. and Domonic Brown, the two outfielders returning from last season’s team, Mayberry Jr. hit .245 and Brown hit .235.

Such a number is not pretty and the play of both Mayberry Jr. and Brown left the fans in Philadelphia desiring a lot more.

Philly fans have not been clamoring for the club to sign OF Cody Ross but if it trumps a deal for Wells, they have to take it. At this point in time, Ross is much better defensively and offensively.

Making a deal for Wells would be a tremendous mistake and would further cast doubt on whether or not Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is capable of maintaining his employment within the organization.

Pete Dymeck runs his own blog about baseball at PeteDymeck.com.

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Odds of Every Philadelphia Phillies Player Being Enshrined in the Hall of Fame

Voting for the Hall of Fame is about to get a lot more interesting this year. It’s a ballot that writers have been counting down to for years, stuffed with names like Barry Bonds and Roger Clemens and all of the moral dilemmas that they present. 

Regardless of who actually gets the nod, this vote got me to thinking—how many of the current players on the Philadelphia Phillies roster have a shot at making the Hall of Fame when their playing days have come to an end? 

So, how will we decide those odds? Well, let’s be honest here—the Hall of Fame voting has become about numbers and accolades, and each player’s chance hinges on the success he has had in his career. Now, the fun part about this slideshow is that for a lot of players, we are talking about future projections as well.

With that in mind, here is each player currently on the Phillies’ roster and his odds at being enshrined in Cooperstown in the future.

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Philadelphia Phillies 2013: 7 Bold Predictions for the Phils’ 2013 Season

There is a unique feeling for Philadelphia fans entering the 2013 season.  Much of the talent that helped the team win 102 games in 2011 remains, but the bitter taste of the 2012 season remains strong.  Ruben Amaro has quietly filled the team’s needs, avoiding the flashy free-agent signing or blockbuster trade that has marked seasons past.  The team appears poised to compete, but there is more uncertainty surrounding this team than there has been in many years.

With the competition growing increasingly fierce, the Phillies will need to perform up to potential all season long to have a chance to compete in the NL East.  A lot can happen over the course of 162 games and this slideshow will outline some of the key events that I believe will mark the upcoming season.

So without further ado, here are my 7 bold predictions for the Phillies’ 2013 season.

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Looking at the Philadelphia Phillies’ Most Controversial Offseason Move

Before Major League Baseball’s winter meetings took place, the Philadelphia Phillies were without any major offseason moves to their name, which came as a big surprise given their tendency in years past for GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. to strike the market and swoop up one of the top available free agents.

Even after the meetings ended, the Phillies left with only one addition by subtraction from the rotation. Ben Revere, who will be their center fielder of the future and potentially their leadoff man, was acquired from the Minnesota Twins in exchange for starting pitcher Vance Worley and top Phillies prospect Trevor May.

Just a few days later, the Phillies made another move that landed them their third baseman for the 2013 season. After discussing a possible trade near the conclusion of the winter meetings, the Phillies and Rangers struck a deal that weekend, sending Michael Young to Philadelphia in exchange for reliever Josh Lindblom and prospect Lisalverto Bonilla.

Young will enter the final season of his current contract and is expected to serve solely as a stopgap for the Phillies until third base prospect Cody Asche is ready for the majors, presumably by 2014. Asche recently came in as the Phillies’ seventh-best prospect heading into 2013 according to Baseball America.

Following the winter meetings and the wind down afterwards, the Phillies were still expected to make a major move at some point. However, that next move did not come until this past Saturday, when the Phillies made not one but two moves.

After acquiring Revere and Young via trade, the Phils made their first splash into free agency this offseason when they signed veteran setup man Mike Adams to a two-year, $12 million deal. Later that day, they inked non-tendered starting pitcher John Lannan to a one-year, $2.5 million contract. Adams will conceivably serve as the team’s primary eighth inning option and setup man, while Lannan will pitch as the Phillies’ fifth starter behind a combination of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Kyle Kendrick.

Considering that the Phillies traded Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence at the July 31 trade deadline and Joe Blanton via waivers just a few days later, the Phils were primed to make a big splash this offseason, if not two.

With more payroll flexibility available to them than in recent years, the Phillies could have signed Josh Hamilton and B.J. Upton if they really wanted to. Fortunately, they didn’t, and it allowed for Amaro to be more creative than ever in his reign as Phillies GM.

All of Amaro‘s moves thus far are commendable. He has not overpaid for a free agent, and it can be argued that his offerings in trades this offseason have been justifiable. He’s filled holes with practical players who are either young or affordable (or in Michael Young’s case, both—yes, pun intended), and while he may not have struck on one of the top free agents of the year, he didn’t strike out on his compromises, either.

Having said that, there are some drawbacks to each of the Phillies’ four major transactions this offseason.

Revere was acquired for two young pitchers, one of which had demonstrated some success at the major league level (Worley) and one who could have amounted to even more (May). Although Michael Young is a great clubhouse presence, he’s not a guarantee with the bat aside from his right handedness, and his defense is a black hole most anywhere he plays.

As for Adams, his only real drawback is that he’s coming off surgery to correct Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. Though, unless some sort of setback occurs, he’s expected to be ready for spring training. And until John Lannan had been signed, the Revere trade could have been dubbed the Phillies’ most controversial of the offseason because the Phils created a hole in the rotation while filling another in center field.

Lannan should serve as a serviceable fifth starter, but his previous outings in the City of Brotherly Love have not been kind to him. In eight previous starts at Citizens Bank Park, Lannan has posted a 2-5 record with a 6.49 ERA, 1.96 WHIP and has surrendered eight home runs in 34.2 innings pitched.

Those aren’t great numbers for Lannan, whose career ERA of 4.01 suggests he’s slightly better. That, and those numbers were against the Phillies as opposed to being a part of the team.

However, I’m going to anoint Lannan as the offseason’s most controversial signing so far not solely because of his stats. As a left-hander on a cheap one-year deal, you could do much worse; then again, you could do much better, starting pitching-wise.

But even with that said, until the Phillies sign Cody Ross (and I do believe they will), Lannan is my choice for most controversial offseason signing so far because of July 26, 2007.

And I’ll tell you why: On July 26, 2007, Lannan made his major league debut that Thursday afternoon against…the Philadelphia Phillies. Opposing Adam Eaton (cringe) at Citizens Bank Park, the Nationals got out to a 2-0 lead before Lannan surrendered a series of hits in the bottom of the first, giving the Phillies a run of their own.

In the third inning, Lannan served up a go-ahead home run to Ryan Howard, scoring Chase Utley as well and turning the tables to a Phillies 3-2 lead.

Entering the fifth inning, the score remained 3-2 in the Phils‘ favor. After Victorino grounded out to second base for the first out, Chase Utley came up to the plate.

Utley, as is often the case, was hit by a pitch and awarded first base. But this wasn’t any typical Utley beaning. Utley was hit in the hand by Lannan‘s pitch, and though he finished out the game, X-rays afterwards showed a break that sidelined him for just over a month.

However, the fun didn’t stop there: Ryan Howard then came up to the plate, and Lannan beaned him as well, which resulted in his ejection in the midst of his MLB debut. The Phillies ended up losing the game to Washington, 7-6.

Is there some bad blood between Utley and Lannan? Perhaps. Prior to his hand injury, Utley was batting .336 with 17 home runs and 82 RBI, setting himself up for possible MVP considerations and giving eventual teammate and 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins a run for his money.

Had Utley not been beaned by Lannan, he could have finished out the season with better numbers than Rollins and may have won MVP himself. Unfortunately for Utley, we’ll never know.

Is this injury comparable to the feud between Utley and then-San Francisco Giants starting pitcher Jonathan Sanchez in 2010 NLCS Game 6? No.

Does it compare to Victorino‘s priceless reaction to Hiroki Kuroda’s pitch near his head in Game 3 of the 2008 NLCS? Not a chance.

Even the possible lack of sportsmanship when Brandon Phillips dropped his bat to prevent Roy Halladay’s postseason no-hitter in Game 1 of the 2011 NLDS on the final play? Not even close.

But it’s a part of Phillies lore; one that still remains fresh in the minds of many a fan.

Maybe I’m attaching more significance to this this. Maybe not.

If Lannan shakes Utley’s once-broken right hand and apologizes for his prior injury, maybe the bad blood, if there is any, will subside.

Maybe there will be some tension between the two throughout the 2013 season, and maybe Utley was upset at the signing when Amaro and the Phils brought Lannan to town.

But because of his subpar stats at Citizens Bank Park and his previous altercation with Utley, I’m giving Lannan the honor of most controversial move so far for the 2012-2013 Phillies offseason.

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Phillies Rumors: Fact or Fiction on All the Hottest Rumors in Philadelphia

We are at that point in the offseason where it isn’t hard to picture Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. leaning back in his comfy office chair, resting his chin on his folded hands and quietly murmuring to himself, “I love it when a plan comes together.” 

Okay, so maybe that is a little dramatic, and the offseason definitely has not gone according to at least the first three plans that the Phillies drew up, but you can certainly see some plan starting to take shape. 

The Phillies addressed a pair of their biggest concerns at the winter meetings when they acquired Ben Revere from the Minnesota Twins to play center field (via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com) and laid the groundwork to an eventual deal for former Texas Rangers infielder Michael Young to play third base (via Paul Hagen of MLB.com). 

That left the Phillies with a few more needs to address. They found themselves still in need of a corner outfielder with power, a setup man and a back of the rotation starting pitcher. Now, they have addressed two thirds of those needs, signing pitchers Mike Adams (via Ken Rosenthal on Twitter) and John Lannan to contracts (via Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly on Twitter).

Now, the Phillies can use their remaining funds to find that corner outfielder with some pop, and these are all of the hottest rumors in that pursuit.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Free Agents Phils Must Jump on Before They’re Gone Too

The Philadelphia Phillies still have holes to fill and the number of useful free agents is dwindling. Quality free agents are coming off the board in rapid succession.

Further, there is the unshakeable feeling that if the Phillies were positioned to spend a lot of money on a big-ticket free agent, it would have happened by now. That it has not happened suggests strongly that it will not happen.

Center field was long thought to be where the Phillies would spend free-agent dollars this offseason. With the recent acquisition of Ben Revere, though, center field figures to be covered for a few years.

Revere should help defensively, but he adds another left-handed bat to a predominantly left-handed lineup. Additionally, Revere has never hit a major league home run, so he figures to do nothing to address the Phillies’ power shortage.

More and more, it seems that the Phillies will have to make the best of an imperfect situation by settling for free-agent talent that does not exactly fit their needs.

The premier power-hitting outfielder left on the board is Nick Swisher.

He is a switch-hitter, but most of his power comes from the left side. And while he may not end up getting the type of money Jayson Werth got, he was talking about cash like that as recently as August.

The Phillies may be better served reaching down for the likes of Delmon Young, who hit .267 with 18 home runs and 74 runs batted in for the Detroit Tigers in 2012. Young is a right-handed hitter; he is only 27 years old and he’s coming off ankle surgery. He could be signed for short years and/or short money.

Plus, signing Young would presumably keep the Phillies from settling on Cody Ross.

Phillies fans might have a hard time warming to Ross after his two home runs off Roy Halladay in Game 1 of the 2010 National League Championship Series started the Phillies on the course to disaster.

Besides, Ross’ slash line of .267/22/81 is not much different from Young’s .267/18/74. And Ross is four years older.

As for pitching, following the recent signings of Mike Adams and John Lannan, it is possible that the Phillies are finished looking to shore up their pitching staff.

But as last season proved, no one ever has enough quality pitching. Halladay and Cliff Lee both missed a number of turns in the rotation in 2012, and the starts from the likes of Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley could fairly be called “underwhelming.”

The Phillies are exceptionally unlikely to commit significant money on a fourth starter to back up Halladay, Lee and Cole Hamels (each of whom will earn over $20 million in 2012.) That probably rules out acquiring the likes of Edwin Jackson or even Shaun Marcum.

If the Phillies have any faith at all in Kendrick, Lannan and Tyler Cloyd, they might be better served trying to patch the last two rotation spots with those pitchers.

Signing a stopgap veteran like Freddy Garcia or Kevin Millwood (both ex-Phillies, incidentally) would probably do more to stunt the development of the players already in place than add value to the team.  

An intriguing name is Francisco Liriano. Granted, his split season with the Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox in 2012 was pretty ugly: 6-12, 5.34 earned run average and a WHIP of 1.47.

But he is only 29, and is reportedly receptive to a one-year deal. Liriano is only two years removed from a 14-10 campaign in 2010 where he struck out 201 batters. If he is willing to sign with the Twins for one season, might he consider coming to Philadelphia under a similar arrangement?

One more good bullpen arm would not hurt. Kyle Farnsworth, Francisco Rodriguez and Matt Capps are all available, and they all have histories as closers and other relevant late-inning experience.

As the foregoing illustrates, the remaining free agents all have shortcomings, and none of them are perfect fits for what the Phillies need.

Then again, many of the free agents already snapped up (B.J. Upton, Josh Hamilton) were not perfect candidates, either, and they cost the Atlanta Braves and the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim very serious money.

There is also the possibility that the Phillies are finished making moves this offseason.

If they have a bullet or two left to fire, though, the options are getting more limited by the day.

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Philadelphia Phillies Strive to Strengthen Pitching Staff

The Philadelphia Phillies have potentially signed two key pitchers in recent days.  According to Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports, the Phillies have likely reached a multi-year agreement with free-agent setup man Mike Adams. Then moments later, Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reported the Phillies have potentially signed free-agent starter John Lannan to a one-year deal, pending a physical.

In an instant, the Phillies have upgraded their starting rotation and bullpen.

After their trade for Michael Young, I wrote an article asking what positions the Phillies should focus on filling. The conclusion, starting and relief pitching.

The Phillies did just that.

With the possible addition of both pitchers, the club would be keeping pace with the Washington Nationals and Atlanta Braves for supremacy in the NL East. 

Earlier in the week, Matt Gelb of Philly.com reported Ruben Amaro Jr. was looking for a low-risk, high-reward pitcher and Lannan fit the bill. The lefty starter would serve as a possible fourth or fifth starter with an ability to eat innings. Any major league team would benefit from this talent.

It was also no surprise the club pursued a reliever, specifically a setup man. Many Phillies’ fans expressed interest in Mike Adams and the organization delivered.  The former Texas Ranger had one of his worst seasons last year, but the Phillies saw potential to strengthen their pen. Adams and Phillies’ closer Jonathan Papelbon would be a filthy one-two combo.

The Phillies still have money to sign a veteran corner outfielder and should continue to pursue the spot, but we have to commend Amaro Jr. for filling holes in the lineup and not breaking the bank. All moves this offseason have been precise and indicate the team’s direction—chasing a championship next season and in the seasons to come. 

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25 Big Moves the Philadelphia Phillies Can Make in the 2013-2014 Offseason

There is a strange fascination with the future in the baseball world. A huge portion of each team’s time and resources are dedicated to how good the team can be at a later date—through prospects, through trades, through potential free-agent signings. 

2014 is going to be a huge offseason for the Philadelphia Phillies. It could very well be the year that the Phillies dismantle their “core,” with both Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz becoming free agents. Roy Halladay could be finished in Philly.

And while the Phillies still have a number of players under contract, there have been few opportunities over the last couple of seasons to improve that roster like there will be in 2014. 

In this slideshow, I am going to take a look at some of the “big moves” that the Phillies could make next offseason. Is there a player who can be signed as a big free agent? Is there a big trade to be made? Will certain prospects be ready to make the jump to MLB? 

Here are 25 “big moves” the Phillies should consider if they want to contend moving forward.

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10 Players Still Within the Philadelphia Phillies’ Reach

The Philadelphia Phillies have sunk their teeth into the 2012 offseason by bringing in center fielder Ben Revere and third basemen Michael Young.

Unfortunately, those acquisitions sent starting pitcher Vance Worley and bullpen arm Josh Lindblom out of town along with minor league prospects Trevor May and Lisalverto Bonilla.

These trades have helped fill some of the Phillies’ most significant needs, but they also added a void to the starting rotation. There are several quality free agents left on the market and hopefully the Phillies will be able to shore up a corner outfield position, a bullpen arm and a back-end starting pitcher.

Here are 10 players that are still within the Phillies’ reach to acquire this offseason in hope of bringing another World Series title back to Philadelphia. 

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Philadelphia Phillies: Dumbest Move of the 2012 Offseason Thus Far

With the offseason now in full swing and the winter meetings having come and gone, the Philadelphia Phillies still have some work to do. They could use a veteran setup man, a starting pitcher and a corner outfielder (or two).

Fortunately, the Phillies have put themselves in a position to obtain all three from outside the organization without any financial distress. After acquiring their center fielder of the future in Ben Revere from the Minnesota Twins and their third baseman for 2013 in Michael Young from the Texas Rangers, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. has, for once, made savvy moves that prevents the club’s offseason from ending after one giant splash as it has in previous offseasons under his reign.

According to The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Matt Gelb, the Phillies now have $20 million or so to work with before they begin to rub against the $178 million luxury tax threshold.

Compared to recent offseasons, that’s excellent news.

Having that much room to acquire three players to fill the three aforementioned remaining needs is always a good thing, and it’s fairly doable as well, as long as Amaro continues to make creative moves like he has thus far. 

According to Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Amaro already talked to the Cleveland Indians about acquiring shortstop Asdrubal Cabrera to be the Phils‘ third baseman. We also learned that he’s talked to the Chicago Cubs, via CBS Sports’ Jon Heyman, about trading Domonic Brown for Alfonso Soriano; so to suggest that something else creative is in store wouldn’t be out of the question.

However, there’s also been some chatter about the Phillies making one big splash as opposed to a handful of lower-profile moves. Manager Charlie Manuel would like to see one, and as Yahoo!’s Jeff Passan tweeted this past Saturday, a source told him that the Phillies are expected to make one more big, bold move:

 

 

Source believes Phillies still primed to do something “big.” Anything from pursuing Hamilton to a late Greinke run to trade for outfielder.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 8, 2012

 

Nevertheless, Amaro and the Phillies have taken the conservative approach to the offseason thus far, which is never a bad thing. However, it doesn‘t mean that the offseason has been perfect, including the two major moves Amaro has executed.

First of all, the Phillies’ offseason started with free-agent center fielder B.J. Upton as their primary target, but that didn’t work out when the division-rival Atlanta Braves upped the ante and signed him to a five-year, $75.25 million contract.

According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies then tried luring another free-agent center fielder to the City of Brotherly Love, Angel Pagan, though he opted to re-sign with his most recent club, the reigning World Series champion-San Francisco Giants, on a four-year, $40 million deal.

And before all of this, the Phillies tried acquiring Houston Astros closer Wilton Lopez to be their setup man, though that fell apart for undisclosed reasons.

That’s when Amaro got creative and pulled the trigger on a couple of trades. Revere came to Philadelphia in exchange for fan-favorite starting pitcher Vance Worley and a top prospect—right-handed starting pitcher Trevor May. Young then was swapped for right-handed reliever Josh Lindblom, whom the Phillies received in exchange for Shane Victorino from the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline, and right-handed pitching prospect Lisalverto Bonilla.

However, these deals don’t come without their flaws, and I’m inclined to say that both of them have glaring issues.

In the case of the Revere deal, the Twins acquired two young starting pitchers. Worley has already made his mark in the big leagues, though his sophomore season in 2012 was marred by pesky bone chips in his elbow. His ceiling at best is a No. 3 starter, though it’s more likely he’ll end up being a No. 4 or 5.

In that regard, the Phillies did well in trading Worley while his value was at what will likely be its highest, and as of now, he is the staff ace for the Twins.

In my opinion, a Worley-for-Revere swap in and of itself would have sufficed. However, including May in the deal seemed to be redundant. Sure, the Twins want young pitching, so on their side it’s a bonus. But was it really necessary for the Phillies to include May and Worley?

Coming off his best season yet in 2011, May entered the 2012 season as the Phillies’ best prospect and the 69th-best prospect in baseball, according to Baseball America’s 2012 Prospect Handbook. Unfortunately for May, 2012 saw him regress. His ERA jumped from 3.63 in 2011 to an ugly 4.87 in 2012 and his walks elevated to a 4/7 BB/9 rate.

In addition, May’s K/9 rate plummeted from 12.4 in 2011 to 9.1 in 2012, thus resulting in a 3.10 K/BB rate in 2011 falling to just 1.94 this past season. (Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.)

With May’s primary weapon being his ability to miss bats, seeing his strikeout totals dip from 208 to 151 over one season’s time is incredibly disconcerting. In that aspect the Phillies, did well to ship him off now before he potentially fell even further.

However, the argument could be made that Revere himself was the product of the Phillies not being crafty enough. Prior to the acquisition of Revere, CBSSports.com’s Danny Knobler reported that the Phillies were targeting five center field options: Josh Hamilton and Michael Bourn on the free-agent market, and Curtis Granderson, Dexter Fowler and Revere on the trade front.

The case could be made to pursue any one of the five, but according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Phillies kicked the tires on Fowler before ultimately deciding on Revere.

But was Revere the right choice?

In his major league career, Revere has yet to hit a home run, and though he was acquired for his speed and average more than anything, chances are he won’t be utilized in a leadoff role. As MLB.com’s Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki speculates, Revere is more likely to be slotted in the eighth spot of Charlie Manuel’s batting lineup, which defeats the purpose of his 40 steals and .294 batting average from 2012 (Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com.)

According to Matt Gelb of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Manuel is apparently not high on the idea of batting three left-handers in a row, assuming he placed Revere in the two-hole in front of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, which is understandable.

Acquiring Revere should be enough motivation to move Jimmy Rollins down in the batting order as he’s no longer a leadoff-type hitter and doing so would alleviate the issue. However, Rollins bats worse outside of the leadoff spot than he does in it, so that in itself is a problem as well. Nevertheless, Revere should be hitting leadoff, but unless Manuel is replaced or Rollins shows a willingness to bat elsewhere in the lineup, it’s not going to happen.

If Revere’s not going to be used correctly, then trading for him is a mistake in itself, and creating another hole in the Phillies starting rotation defeats the purpose.

Even so, trading Worley was forgivable, but even with May’s 2012 struggles, giving up a top prospect and a starting pitcher when all the Washington Nationals had to do to get Denard Span from the Twins was trade one top prospect, Alex Meyer.

Granted, Meyer is better than May as a prospect and has a higher ceiling than both May and Worley, but with Span being arguably the better of the two (himself and Revere), it should have either taken more to acquire him or less for the Phillies to nab Revere.

On to the Young trade. As was mentioned, Lindblom and Bonilla were traded to Texas in exchange for Young to be the Phillies third baseman for the 2013 season. Young, who will earn $16 million in the final year of a five-year, $80 million contract extension he signed with the Rangers before the 2007 season, will still be receiving $10 million of that from Texas.

As for the Phillies, they will be on the hook for the remaining $6 million in addition to a $1.2 million incentive Young earned for waiving his 10-and-5 rights (contract information courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts).

My issue with this trade is not who the Phillies gave up for Young.

As a primarily flyball pitcher, Lindblom struggled immensely upon moving out of the pitcher-friendly confines of Dodger Stadium into the hitter-friendly Citizens Bank Park. Consequently, Lindblom endured a horrible August, as his flyball rate climbed to a season-high 55.2 percent and his ERA for the month stood at 5.68.

In addition, three of the four home runs he allowed as a Phillie came in August, and while his September saw him settle in a bit more, it was still far from fantastic (stats courtesy FanGraphs.com).

Bonilla, the Phillies’ 12th-best prospect heading into the season according to the 2012 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, doesn”t appear as someone who would be a game-changer, either. The prospect handbook suggests that while he could end up being a mid-rotation starter, a late-inning relieving job could also be in his future. Either way, he’s expendable for the Phillies, who have incredible young pitching depth throughout their organization, both in the rotation and bullpen.

Rather, I’m on the fence about this trade because of what Young is currently bringing to the table.

His 2011 season was sensational as he batted a career-high .338 with another career-high of 106 RBI and posted a .380 OBP and .474 SLG that equated to an .854 OPS. Although his home run count dropped from 21 in 2010 to 11 in 2011, he led the league in hits with 213. Young made the All-Star team for the seventh time in his career in 2011 and placed eighth in the AL MVP voting (stats courtesy Baseball-Reference.com).

However, 2012 was a different story.

This past season, Young batted just .277, though what’s worse is that his OBP dropped to .312 and his SLG was .370, topping (or should I say bottoming) out to a career-worst .682 OPS. He only hit eight home runs last year, and while he hit 27 doubles, it was a far cry from the 41 two-baggers he slugged in 2011.

My biggest concern, though, isn’t even Young’s hitting regression. Yes, the odds may be that his hitting will decline even more in 2013 to the point that it’s barely serviceable. On a one-year deal, I’m actually willing to take that chance.

But what scares me most is Young’s defense, or rather lack thereof. Despite a Gold Glove at shortstop in 2008, Young has never been known for his defense. In fact, in that Gold Glove year, Young’s fielding percentage at the position was just .984 and he committed 11 errors.

It was 2009 when Young first starting manning the hot corner for Texas. After Elvis Andrus was promoted to the major leagues, Young moved over to third base where he’d be unseated once again by free-agent signing Adrian Beltre two years later.

Nonetheless, his fielding percentages in those two years were .969 and .950, respectively, far from noteworthy (at least for a good reason). His UZR/150 those seasons? Minus-9.6 and minus-5.9, respectively.

Once again, not even close to being major-league caliber.

Perhaps the biggest indicator of Young’s uselessness in the field at the hot corner is his DRS, or total defensive runs saved. In Young’s case, those values in 2009 and 2010 came in at minus-15 and minus-11, respectively, indicating that Young actually allowed 15 and 11 runs to cross the plate as opposed to preventing them.

Offensively regressing or not, his defense is clearly not an upgrade over a Kevin Frandsen/Freddy Galvis platoon that otherwise would have been the case (stats courtesy FanGraphs.com).

As for the dumber of the two moves, it’s a tough call because both of these trades, though beneficial, have significant drawbacks. Revere is an above-average defender and should be a great, young, speedy presence in the Phillies lineup. Sacrificing a maxed-out Worley and a regressing May for him doesn‘t bother me, though it would have been better if one of the two could have been saved for another potential deal in the future.

Young was not an overpay by any means, and if I had to have chosen any of the Phillies’ major league relievers to give up, Lindblom would have been near the top of my list.

My fear was that one of Justin De Fratus or Phillippe Aumont could have been the guy shipped off, but if it wasn’t Michael Schwimer, B.J. Rosenberg or Joe Savery destined to be traded, Lindblom would have been my next choice. However, Young’s declining offense and already-terrible defense do give me some concerns.

Decisions, decisions. Prior to writing this article, I thought it was a foregone conclusion that I would have dubbed the Revere trade the bigger bust of the two due to the gross overpay the Phillies handed over to Minnesota.

However, I’ve since had a change of heart, and I do believe that the Young trade will ultimately be the deal that is the bigger detriment to the Phillies by the end of the 2013 season.

As the lone right-handed bat in the lineup that is semi-reliable, I’m just not comfortable enough relying on Young at the plate despite a fresh start. His defense will allow runs galore to score, which is a huge issue for me. Without a half-decent bat or glove, what’s Young’s worth to the Phillies aside from being a veteran and clubhouse presence?

He’s certainly not worth $7.2 million for that—let alone $16 million. The Phillies certainly could have done worse, I’ll give them that, but if third base is as big of a waste as it was in 2011 before Kevin Frandsen was promoted, I’m not going to be a happy camper.

Let Young prove me wrong. If he does, I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t give him enough credit before the season began. The key aspect here, though, is that because of these two deals, Ruben Amaro isn’t quite finished. And the move he ends up making in light of that could be his stupidest one yet.

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