Joaquin Benoit to Phillies: Latest Contract Details, Comments, Reaction

The Philadelphia Phillies took a big step toward shoring up their bullpen with the addition of Joaquin Benoit on Monday. 

According to Jon Heyman of Today’s Knuckleball, the 39-year-old reliever signed with the club after Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reported the two sides were close Sunday night.

Benoit had two very different seasons in 2016, struggling to the tune of a 5.18 ERA with the Seattle Mariners before eventually being traded at the deadline. He was lights out with the Toronto Blue Jays, however, allowing just one run in 23.2 innings. 

Unfortunately, the right-handed pitcher tore his calf attempting to run in from the bullpen in a late-season, bench-clearing brawl. He missed the last week of the regular season and the entire postseason, unable to help the Blue Jays in their eventual loss in the American League Championship Series.

“It’s a big loss, no doubt about it,” manager John Gibbons said at the time of the injury, per ESPN.com. “He’s been so good.”

According to sports broadcaster Hazel Mae (via Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet), he was off crutches and throwing off flat ground by mid-October, so the issue shouldn’t be a concern going forward.

Assuming he is healthy, Philadelphia should get a big contribution from one of the more consistent relievers in the league. Even with his struggles in Seattle, Benoit has finished the season with a sub-3.00 ERA in six of the last seven seasons and had over 50 strikeouts each year.

The pitcher has spent over 15 years in the major leagues with six different organizations, accumulating 57 wins, 51 saves and a 3.79 ERA.

Benoit could be a major boost for a team that finished with the third-highest bullpen ERA in 2016 at 5.05.

While he is getting up there in age, Benoit has shown he can still be an effective reliever and should make an impact right away with his new team.

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Jonathan Papelbon Rips Entire Philadelphia Phillies Organization

A long losing streak usually brings out the worst in players. It also leads to them making statements they might later regret. 

This is exactly what happened Sunday with the always-vocal Jonathan Papelbon, who believes the Philadelphia Phillies require a lot of change going forward. Following his team’s 12-4 loss to the Detroit Tigers, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports on some of the closer’s very negative opinions about his team:

Asked what he thought about the direction the organization is headed, he sighed.

“Oh, man,” he said. “We could be here all day.”

So then what about this team’s ability to turn things around, if not this season, then next season?

“It’s going to take, in my opinion, a lot,” he said. “And in my opinion, I think it’s going to have to be something very similar to what the Red Sox went through a couple years ago. From top to bottom.”

At least when he was asked about possibly being traded, he declined by saying, “No, I would like to stay here. But if I’m going to have to put up with this year after year, then no, I don’t want to be here. Why would you? Why would anybody?”

This is obviously not what you want to hear from anyone on the team. While no one enjoys losing, the closer called out all of his teammates, as well as other members of the organization, by saying they needed to be replaced in order to be successful.

Of course, this type of attitude is almost understandable from Phillies players, as the team is in the midst of an eight-game losing streak. The latest loss drops it to 49-56 on the year, which is 10.5 games back of the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

If the year continues to go in this direction, it will be the first losing season for the organization since 2002. 

As for Papelbon, he is in the second year of a four-year, $50 million contract that he signed after the 2011 season. He has been solid with a 2.27 ERA and 0.88 WHIP, but he also has five blown saves in 25 opportunities.

Despite this success, it is unlikely his latest comments are making him any new friends in the Phillies clubhouse.

 

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for the latest breaking news and analysis.

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Shane Victorino to Dodgers: Trade Analysis, Grade and Twitter Reaction

After a disappointing season, the Philadelphia Phillies have decided to part ways with a key piece to their five-year run atop the NL East by trading Shane Victorino to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Tim Brown of Yahoo! reported the trade and says that the Phillies will get reliever Josh Lindblom and pitching prospect Ethan Martin in the deal.

 

Phillies have traded Victorino to Dodgers for Lindblom and Ethan martin

— Tim Brown (@TBrownYahoo) July 31, 2012

 

Victorino has been relatively steady this season, but the team as a whole has simply disappeared. 

Philadelphia enters the day with a record of 45-57, good for 16.5 games behind the division-leading Washington Nationals. The Dodgers, on the other hand, are in the middle of a playoff race and can use all the offensive help they can get.

 

Twitter Reaction

The overall reaction from Philadelphia is not positive, as Victorino was a beloved member of the organization and the fans are sad to see him leave. 

A typical fan shows her emotion.

 

The phillies really traded Shane victorino.. Excuse me while I go cry in a corner.. 🙁

— Danielle D’Alonzo (@itsdaniellexoxo) July 31, 2012

 

Joel Sherman, columnist at the New York Post, puts his career in perspective.

 

Victorino leaves for #Dodgers, but key member of best run in #Phillies history so will spend post-career as honored member of that family

— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) July 31, 2012

 

Matt Swartz of FanGraphs mathematically put a monetary figure of the All-Star’s worth during his time with the team.

 

Victorino’s production as a Phillie would have cost $130MM on the free agent market. Got paid $23MM. Those savings helped fly those 5 flags.

— Matt Swartz (@Matt_Swa) July 31, 2012

 

However, Howard Eskin of NBC Philadelphia does not seem to mind watching the outfielder leave town.

 

Don’t cry or complain that S Victorino is gone. No crying in baseball. And good for #phillies to start changing approach at plate 4 team

— Howard Eskin (@howardeskin) July 31, 2012

 

As far as the trade itself, New York Yankees beat writer Rob Abruzzese believes the Dodgers overpaid compared to the deal for Ichiro.

 

The Yankees got a much better deal for Ichiro than the Dodgers got for Victorino. Nice job by Cashman.

— Rob Abruzzese (@RobAbruzzese) July 31, 2012

 

 

Grade: A for both teams

For the Dodgers, the team adds a top-of-the-order hitter that can actually get on base, unlike Dee Gordon. Victorino is a threat to steal a base at any time and will improve the lineup immediately. 

Los Angeles enters the day second to last in the National League in slugging percentage and 10th in runs scored. The team needs to find a way to manufacture runs, and Victorino can do that as well as anyone in the game, regardless of his current numbers.

The Phillies did not want to break up the team, but they really had no choice. They were spending too much money on the roster and would not be able to afford re-signing Victorino after the season anyway.

In return, they get a solid prospect in Ethan Martin that could enter the rotation in the next couple of years.

They also get a valuable reliever that will be under team control for a while. Considering the bullpen has the fourth-worst ERA in the majors, any addition will help.

 

What Comes Next?

The Phillies will likely continue moving other pieces of their team, while the Dodgers now look to acquire starting pitching, possibly Ryan Dempster.

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