MLB Free Agency: Phillies No Longer Chasing Aramis Ramirez

According to Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies are no longer actively going after Aramis Ramirez and are no longer shopping Placido Polanco as potential trade bait. I think that this was honestly the correct move.

Ramirez would be an upgrade over Polanco in terms of offensive production. He has quite a bit more power but does not have to sacrifice his average to hit the ball hard. However, I am not exactly sure how much his contract could have been worth in Philadelphia, but I think that there are other ways that they could spend their money that would make a bigger impact.

Polanco is a solid option at third base providing he is able to overcome his injury for quite a bit less money.

How do I propose they spend this money? I would definitely finish this contract with Jimmy Rollins even though it is “unrelated” according to Rosenthal. As I have written many times this winter, the Phillies are committed to winning right now. They have an aging roster that is all going to potentially decline at roughly the same time. Unfortunately, that does come with age.

However, that time is not now. Granted, all of the Phillies will be one year older, but they do not appear to be declining yet. Because of this, it is very important that they try to win right now before they hit that hypothetical downhill slide.

Freddy Galvis would definitely be the better long-term answer at shortstop. He is young, and he seems to have a lot of potential. However, by the time that he realizes his full potential and produces perhaps as much as Rollins does, the rest of the Phillies will be older and the team might be rebuilding.

This next season, Rollins would most likely be more productive simply because he has quite a bit more experience and success in the major leagues.

Like I said before, with the roster the Phillies have right now, they are still in that window of time where they are most likely to win another World Series. That time may be slipping away though. Because of that, they obviously need maximum production right now to win another trophy.

I agree that in the long term, it would definitely be better to introduce Galvis as the starting shortstop right now, but I think that given the Phillies commitment to winning right now, Rollins would be the choice that is most consistent with what appears to be the front office’s mission.

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MLB Trade Rumors: Gio Gonzalez Could Be a Target for Philadelphia Phillies

A few days ago I wrote an article about what the Phillies could have looked like if they hadn’t traded Gio Gonzalez in that Freddy Garcia trade. What I didn’t realize when I wrote that article was that according to Ken Rosenthal, the Phillies are now in the mix to acquire the left-hander from the Oakland Athletics.

Rosenthal makes the point that if the Phillies acquire Gonzalez, it would make Cole Hamels expendable. Essentially, they would be able to use Hamels to reimburse their farm system from the hit it would take while acquiring Gonzalez.

I do understand this point in theory, but I do have some concerns about the perceived swap. Gonzalez has had a few very good years. However, he has been pitching in Oakland which has been historically friendly to pitchers. Therefore, his numbers might be a little bit inflated.

I know that the other side of that argument is that he is pitching in the American League, so if he came to the National League, his numbers would also improve.

However, I think that my biggest concern about any type of set up like the one presented above is what I have been saying about the Phillies all along. They are getting older very quickly, and in a few years, the Phillies might look entirely different than they do right now. I do not know how good they will be in a few years.

The Phillies need to be in the best position to win right now because that is how they have positioned themselves. I think that Hamels, even though he is not under team control for as long, puts the Phillies in the best position to do that. Even though he had slightly fewer wins than Gonzalez, Hamels had better numbers across the board while pitching in a hitter’s ballpark.

I know that it might be shortsighted, but the Phillies seem to be in a position to win right now. Because of that, they need to make decisions that are consistent with that goal. In this case, Hamels is better right now, and should thus remain a part of the team.

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Jose Reyes to Miami Marlins: How Does Signing Affect Jimmy Rollins?

Jose Reyes just signed a very nice contract to take his talents to South Beach. However, how does this impact Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies?

First, according to Buster Olney on Twitter, the Milwaukee Brewers are probably the Phillies’ biggest competition when it comes to signing Rollins. Last season, Yuniesky Betancourt held down the position for the Brewers, and he hit .252 with 13 home runs and 68 RBI. He is now a free agent though, so it does make sense that the Brewers would be looking for an upgrade.

Rollins would provide that. Last season, Rollins hit .268, 16 home runs, and 63 RBI. While this doesn’t look like substantially more production, Rollins is also a much better fielder than Betancourt and is a proven winner.

However, the Phillies have the option of bringing Rollins back. They have signed Jonathan Papelbon, but they have also reduced their payroll by not bringing back Roy Oswalt, Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson most notably.

The Brewers are going to be trying to bring back Prince Fielder, I am sure. Previously he had said that he would not be returning to Milwaukee, and that still might be what ends up happening. However, they will probably offer him the best deal that could possibly can. What happens then if Fielder takes it?

Then, they would probably not have enough money to also sign Rollins. That would leave the Phillies as one of the only contenders for his services.

Of course, it might simply develop into a bidding war if the Brewers really are not able to re-sign Fielder, but it will be interesting to watch this story develop further.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Do You Remember the Other Half of the Freddy Garcia Deal?

I realize that hindsight is 20/20. However, it really struck me last night as I was thinking about trades that the Phillies have made in previous winter meetings how much I wish the Phillies could operate by hindsight.

I was struck mainly because in December of 2006 the Phillies traded for Freddy Garcia of the Chicago White Sox. Do you remember who was in that deal?

That’s right. Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez were traded for Garcia. Again, at the time, this seemed like a pretty good deal. Garcia had quite a few good seasons with the Seattle Mariners and then with the Chicago White Sox. In fact, in 2001 he came in third in the American League Cy Young voting. It seemed that the Phillies were finally getting a top of the rotation starter.

However, things didn’t work out so well for him in Philadelphia. He only stayed for one season and went 1-5 with a 5.90 ERA over 11 starts. He was out of Philadelphia the next year. However, he did have a very nice year with the Yankees last season and it was nice to see him pitching very well again.

Again, I am playing with the benefit of knowing the outcome, but I was just thinking about all of the demand that is around Gonzalez right now. A lot of interest is coming from the Yankees, Red Sox and Marlins, according to several different sources.

Why is there all this demand? Simply put, he had a great season last year. He went 16-12 with a 3.12 ERA. Part of me was fantasizing about what the Phillies would have looked like with him as the fifth arm in the rotation.

I know that there are a lot of factors that made him into the pitcher he is today, and a lot of his development probably came throughout the Oakland farm system. Therefore, who knows how he would have developed through the Philadelphia system?

Nevertheless, this is where my mind went when I was thinking about the previous winter meetings.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Why Jimmy Rollins Will Stay in Philadelphia

According to Comcast Sports, Ruben Amaro Jr. is going to meet with Jimmy Rollins‘ agent, Dan Lozano, at baseball’s winter meetings which begin on Monday in Dallas.

I have written before about how the Phillies should do what they can to keep him in Philadelphia. I still believe that, and I think that the Phillies have a very realistic shot at doing this.

The reason is that the market for Jose Reyes seems to be relatively limited, according to this article from CNN. In this article, Joe Sheehan examines a lot of possibilities; but he basically concludes that not many teams would be overly interested in Reyes, even though they may have the money to pay him.

How does this relate to Rollins? Reyes is a better player than Rollins, and there is not a lot of interest in Reyes or the shortstop position in general. Therefore, I do not think that there will be an overwhelming amount of demand for Rollins in the market, either. That might help his price drop.

The Phillies could still use him, however. They do have a need at shortstop. Freddy Galvis had a great year in the minor leagues, and I think that he looks pretty good.

However, I am also going to say that the Phillies are old. This is definitely no secret, but the point is that the Phillies seem to want to right now before they get too old. At the moment, Rollins gives them a better chance of actually winning. Maybe Galvis is a better long-term move; but I don’t think that it is a secret that the Phillies want to win right now.

Given this goal, bringing back their emotional leader and former All-Star would definitely help the Phillies win right now.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Why They Should Not Trade Cole Hamels

The Philadelphia Phillies have been largely criticized for being too focused on the present. However, if the Phillies do indeed want to win right now, Cole Hamels should by no means be traded.

It has been reported by Buster Olney of ESPN and Kevin Goldstein of Baseball Prospectus that the Phillies front office might decide to shop the 27-year-old left-hander.

In a sense, I do understand what might motivate this. After the 2012 season, Hamels will indeed be a free agent. He is going to get a monster paycheck because whoever signs him will virtually be getting one of the better pitchers in baseball for his prime.

Since most players hit their prime around their late 20s and early 30s, it is kind of scary to think about what Hamels might be able to do. Last season, he went 14-9 with a 2.79 ERA and an incredibly low 0.99 WHIP.

For those of you like sabermetrics, his 4.9 Wins Above Replacement according to FanGraphs tied for 16th among pitchers. That puts him in pretty elite company.

The Philadelphia Phillies definitely want to win right now, and Hamels could be a very important part of that. Roy Oswalt has already left, so the Phillies could go from the “Four Aces” to the “Two Aces.”

However, this should not happen. The Phillies essentially survived last season because of their starting pitching. They helped win many games even when the offense was not producing very well. Hamels was a large part of this success.

If the Phillies trade him away, they are not being consistent with their focus to win now. Granted, I appreciate the fact that he could bring a lot of prospects back to Philadelphia. However, right now is not the time to trade him.

The Phillies are still in a position to compete for the World Series in 2012. Their entire team is not getting any younger, and they will need to rebuild eventually. However, I would argue that they might have one more year before beginning this process.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Things Phils Must Improve Before 2011 Postseason

The Philadelphia Phillies have already clinched the National League East. However, they have a lot of time before the playoffs actually begin. Because of this, they definitely need to stay sharp. They do not want to get complacent while they wait.

However, they also have a few things that they need to improve. Let’s check out five of these issues right now.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Predicting Starting Rotation in 2015

Roy Halladay is arguably the best pitcher in Philadelphia right now. His arm never seems to tire, and he has been an incredible leader for the Philadelphia Phillies throughout the season.

However, in 2015 his contract will expire. He has three years left with an option for 2014.

He very well could be back in Philadelphia after this contract has expired, but let’s take a look at five pitchers who will possibly be in the Phillies rotation in 2015.

For this case, I will assume that he will not return just because that is all up in the air.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Things Ruben Amaro Must Do This Winter

As the Philadelphia Phillies make their way through a very busy September, I am sure that they are extremely focused on the present and on finishing successfully.

However, Ruben Amaro Jr. must already be considering the offseason in the back of his mind. He needs to worry about the Phillies’ future as well. There will be several big decisions that need to be made this winter, and several of them will be difficult.

Let’s take a look at five things that Ruben Amaro Jr. must make happen this winter.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Despite Loss, Phils Still the Best Team in Baseball

Regrettably, the Philadelphia Phillies recorded their 47th loss last night to the Florida Marlins.

They are only 41 games above .500 at 88-47.

They are only four games ahead in the wins column of the second-best team in baseball, the New York Yankees.

According to MLB.com, the Phillies are only sitting on top of the Power Rankings for the fifth straight week.

They only have the best team ERA in baseball at 3.08.

There are only 8.5 games ahead of the Atlanta Braves in the National League East.

You know, maybe I am applying “only” to the wrong accomplishments. How about the Phillies only recorded their 47th loss last night? That sounds better.

I know that every loss is disappointing, and last night was particularly rough because they lost the lead in the bottom of the eighth. Nobody wants to lose that way.

Nevertheless, this game needs to be kept in perspective. The Phillies were on a five-game winning streak. That means that in the last six games they have a winning percentage of .833. This is much higher than the .652 winning percentage that they have put up with the rest of the year.

My point is that even though they lost one game, they are still the best team in baseball. No team has ever been able to go undefeated for an entire season.

All of those stats I seemed to downplay at the beginning of this article matter. Losing happens every once in a while even to the best of teams. Right now, the Phillies are the best team in baseball.

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