Will B.J. Upton Signing Lead Phillies to Sign Josh Hamilton?

One of the top items on the Philadelphia’ Phillies agenda this winter is signing an outfielder that can make a significant impact in 2013. The Phillies were pushing hard to sign B.J. Upton, but they finished behind the Atlanta Braves in that sweepstakes (h/t Bob Nightengale of USA Today).

Now, the Phillies need to make a decision about which top free agent outfielder they want to focus on. Josh Hamilton is the best player on the market, but his contract demands could be prohibitive. Also still available this winter are Michael Bourn and Nick Swisher.

While both of these players are talented, they would not have the same impact that Hamilton would have on the Phillies lineup. This fact has certainly been recognized by those around the league and both an agent and a scout believe that the Phillies will be a team to watch with regard to Hamilton (h/t Jerry Crasnick of ESPN).

The market for Hamilton seems to be getting smaller and smaller by the day. In addition to the Braves being out of the running, the Washington Nationals will not be pursuing Hamilton after trading for Denard Span (h/t Associated Press via ESPN). The most likely suitors for Hamilton are now Philadelphia, Baltimore and Texas.

Both of these recent moves also put pressure on the Phillies to make a splash. Two of their division rivals have significantly improved their roster and the Phillies will need to find a way to respond.

Signing Hamilton is certainly seen as a risky move because of his past off-the-field troubles and the salary commitment that it will require, but it is a move that could pay great dividends.

Hamilton has dominated the American League over the past five seasons to the tune of a .305/.363/.549 line with 142 home runs and 506 RBI. Moving to the National League could actually lead to an improvement in his numbers even as he ages.

Ryan Howard would provide great protection for Hamilton in the Phillies lineup and that pairing would give the Phillies a formidable middle of the order.

Adding Hamilton to the mix in Philadelphia would not solve all of their problems, but it would put them in a very good position for the 2013 season.

The team will still need to find at least one other outfielder, but after signing Hamilton, they could go after a low-cost option such as Delmon Young or they could attempt to bring Shane Victorino back to Philadelphia.

With the Phillies top-flight pitching staff already in place, it will not take much to get the team back to the postseason. Hamilton would be a huge step in the right direction for the Phillies.

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4 Reasons the Philadelphia Phillies Will Finish off Impossible Comeback

The second Wild Card is certainly making the MLB playoff race much more interesting this year. More teams are in contention as fewer days on the calender remain.

Earlier this season, it would have been easy to write off the Philadelphia Phillies. They were struggling mightily and they did not look like a playoff team.

Entering August 23, the Phillies were 10 games under .500 and 20 games behind the Washington Nationals for the NL East lead. Since then, the Phillies have gone 15-4 and are just three games out of a Wild Card spot.

There is a good chance that the Phillies can keep their amazing comeback going and reach the playoffs.

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MLB Trade Speculation: Should Phillies Deal Cliff Lee, Sign Hamels Long Term?

With the Philadelphia Phillies looking up at the rest of the National League East in the standings, they may make the decision to be sellers at the trade deadline this year. If this is the route they choose to take, then the questions become which players would be willing to move.

One of the players the Phillies may consider dealing this winter is Cole Hamels. He is going to become a free agent after the year, and one agent believes Hamels will be able to get a deal with a higher annual value than CC Sabathia’s contract if he hits the open market (via Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports).

Buster Olney of ESPN has noted that there are a number of pros and cons to both trading Hamels and to keeping him. Trading away a player of Hamels’ caliber would bring back a few elite prospects, but the Phillies would lose almost any chance they had to re-sign him.

There is a way the Phillies could free up some money that they could use to sign Hamels this winter. Joel Sherman of the New York Post has suggested the Phillies could trade Cliff Lee and then choose to build around Hamels.

Lee has $75 million left on his contract for the next three seasons as well as a $27.5 million option with a $12.5 million buyout for the 2016 season. If Lee is dealt, that money could be shifted towards a new contract for Hamels.

There are other benefits of trading Lee. Dealing Lee would allow the Philadelphia Phillies to restock their farm system. The team has a farm system that ranks near the bottom of the MLB, and the prospects acquired in any deal involving Lee would be the type of players who could make an impact in the major leagues sooner rather than later.

A potential issue arises if the Phillies try to trade Lee. He has a no-trade clause that includes nine teams (via NY Post). This could really limit the teams the Phillies can try to negotiate with, since some big-market clubs that can afford Lee may actually be on the list.

Philadelphia is currently in a situation where they need to get younger. Their average age is 31.5 years old, and they need to focus on keeping their younger players and bringing in new talent.

Trading Lee will allow the Phillies to do this, because they can go all out to offer Hamels the money that he wants. Hamels will be in a position to serve an ace on the Phillies staff for years to come, and he will be a piece to build around.

There is also a chance the Phillies trade Lee and then are unable to sign Hamels. The Los Angeles Dodgers could have Hamels at the top of their list this offseason and may be willing spend whatever it takes to sign him (via Twitter).

Philadelphia should try to sign Hamels to an extension if they deal Lee, because there is a legitimate chance they will lose Hamels if he hits the market. The Phillies would be in a very rough spot if they lost both Lee and Hamels.

Championship teams are ones that are not afraid to take risks. Without risks there are no rewards. If the Phillies want to set themselves up for the future, they should deal Lee and then put all their effort into bringing Hamels back.

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Cole Hamels: 7 Massive Effects of Not Re-Signing with Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies and Cole Hamels began contract negotiations before the season began, and they have not been able to come to an agreement about a new deal for Hamels as he gets closer and closer to becoming a free agent.

Jon Heyman of CBS Sports now believes that it would be an “upset” if Hamels wound up in a Phillies jersey next season. The Phillies are likely going to continue working to re-sign Hamels, but they may end up seeing him sign somewhere else.

Losing a pitcher of Hamels’ caliber always has major implications. The Phillies will certainly be affected, and there will also be a ripple effect throughout the National League East. Whichever team signs Hamels will immediately improve and could turn themselves into division or World Series favorites. 

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Philadelphia Phillies: 4 Possible Replacements for Jimmy Rollins

Jimmy Rollins is a free agent this offseason and he apparently wants a five-year deal. The Philadelphia Phillies may not be willing to give that type of deal, and it would not be hard to blame them.

Rollins is no longer an MVP-caliber player and he will be 33 years old at the end of November. He has also said that he is willing to leave the Phillies, a team that he has spent his whole career with. It will be very interesting to see how this scenario plays out during the winter.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 3 Prospects Who Can Make an Impact in 2012

The Philadelphia Phillies are looking toward the 2012 season. They have a few prospects who can make an impact in 2012 and help them return to the playoffs.

These young players could play and important role for the Phillies in 2012 and beyond. They need to replace Ryan Howard for the duration of his injury, and the Phillies also have a few other holes that they can fill.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Possible Ryan Howard Replacements for 2012

When the final out was made in Game 5 of the NLDS, the Philadelphia Phillies lost more than just the series. The team also saw their star first baseman, Ryan Howard, rupture his Achilles.

Howard will be out for at least 5 to six months and could miss most or all of the 2012 season if his injury lingers like many Achilles injuries do. The Phillies will need to change their approach to the offseason. The Phillies will now need to find someone who can fill in for the year at first base.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Ranking the 4 Most Blamable Phillies in This Series

The World Series favorites, the Philadelphia Phillies have shockingly been eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by the St. Louis Cardinals.

There will be a lot of time to think about what went wrong for the Phillies this series during the offseason.

A number of players deserve the blame for the Phillies’ demise. They had a chance to win the series but instead, their season is over. Here are the four players most responsible for the Phillies’ shocking end.

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Philadelphia Phillies Acquire Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros

After much talk and speculation, the Philadelphia Phillies have made a deal for Hunter Pence. The deal has been confirmed by Jon Heyman of Sports Illustrated.

The Houston Astros outfielder was removed from the dugout during the game against the Brewers according to Brian Taggert of MLB.com. He was seen giving his teammates hugs.

Jon Morosi has reported that both Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart were included in the deal. The Astros are also going to be getting two players to be named later according to Ken Rosenthal.

Coming into the season, Singleton was the Phillies’ second-best prospect according to Baseball America, and Cosart was the team’s fourth-best prospect.

Singelton is a powerful first baseman who is one of the best prospects in baseball. He was ranked as the 39th best prospect in the game before the season by Baseball America. This year, he has hit .282/.386/.411 as a 19-year-old in High-A. He has nine home runs and 47 RBI.

Cosart was also a top-100 prospect coming into the year. As a 20-year-old in High-A, he has gone 9-8 with a 3.92 ERA.

The Astros have also pulled J.D. Martinez from his game at Double-A, so it appears that he may be the player replacing Pence on the Astros’ roster.

You can keep up with the latest trade rumors right here on Bleacher Report.

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Roy Halladay Postseason No-Hitter: 10 Greatest MLB Playoff Pitching Performances

Roy Halladay’s performance against the Cincinnati Reds during his postseason debut was one of the most impressive pitching performances we have ever seen in MLB playoff history. It was just the second no-hitter that has ever been thrown in the postseason.

Halladay was dominant, but is his performance at the top of the list?

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