25 Offseason Moves the Philadelphia Phillies Can Make in the 2014 Market

The 2013 offseason hasn’t exactly gone the way the Philadelphia Phillies drew it up. They came into the winter in need of a center fielder, a third baseman, a setup man and possibly, a corner outfielder and were on the verge of leaving baseball’s notorious winter meetings with none of the above before an eleventh hour trade for former Minnesota Twins outfielder Ben Revere.

Is it too soon to look ahead to the 2014 offseason? 

Well, in this sport, it’s never too soon to look ahead, but this slideshow has little to do with the shortcomings of the Phillies’ front office this winter. It’s more about taking a look at what could become a landmark offseason for this club. 

In players like Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Carlos Ruiz, the Phillies could have a ton of money coming off of the books. There are free agents available that could receive a big payday from a club like the Phils and trade targets that should become more available. 

If you thought the 2013 offseason was interesting, just wait until 2014. The Phillies will be one year away from a mammoth TV deal and be faced with several of the classes’ top free agents given the opportunity to jump ship. 

What are the Phillies going to do? 

Glad you asked. Consider this slideshow as a bit of a primer and a reminder. Here are 25 players (and reasons) to be excited about the 2014 offseason. Oh, the possibilities! 

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Jimmy Rollins vs. Larry Bowa: Who Is the Best Shortstop in Phillies’ History?

In his 12 years in the majors, the entirety of which has been spent with the Philadelphia Phillies, shortstop Jimmy Rollins has put together a respectable and successful career. Among his many accolades, the 34-year-old shortstop from Oakland has been named to three All-Star teams, has four times been awarded the Gold Glove, is one of just four members of the 20-20-20-20 club and of course, is a World Series Champion.

While Rollins’ marks with the Phillies are significant, there is another shortstop that too has been named to All-Star teams (5x), that also has won Gold Glove awards (2x) and additionally, is the only other starting shortstop in franchise history that can boast being a World Series Champion.

That man, who spent 12 of his 16 years in the majors, is Larry Bowa, who for the longest time was considered the best shortstop in Phillies history.

Last season, Rollins passed Bowa‘s record of most games played at the position for the Phillies. Now, this mark speaks more of longevity than it does of skills, but nevertheless, it could signal a changing of the guard. While the debate is still out as to which shortstop is better, Rollins looks to have pulled ahead, albeit just slightly.

What is going for Jimmy, however, is that his time is not yet up. Prior to last season, Rollins signed a three-year deal to remain with the Phillies. In short, this means three more years to solidify his standing and to finish his career as the best shortstop in Phillies history

So before coming to a snap decision, in order to really determine who is the best of the best, let’s take a look at the stats and then, of course, the intangibles. That way, once and for all, we will be able to put an end to the debate of the best shortstop in Phillies history.

The Case for Larry Bowa

While the initial edge seems to lean toward Rollins, in comparing the two greats, I would be remiss not to talk about the ever-shrinking argument favoring Bowa.

Some of the major points include:

• In terms of career numbers, Bowa still leads Rollins by nearly 200 hits. He piled up 1,798 in his 12 years with the Phillies, which compares to the 2,024 Rollins has with the team. So while Bowa has the lead in totals, keep in mind, he played four years more than Rollins. If Rollins continues at the pace he has been on, averaging 155.7 hits a season, he will pass Bowa by 2014.

• Bowa was the first great Phillies shortstop and set the mold for Rollins. From 2000-03 when Bowa coached third for the team, he served as a mentor for Rollins. Needless to say, the latter learned a lot from his instructor.

• Bowa is one of few guys that can call Rollins out on his lack of hustle because when he was a player, there was no one that worked as hard and fought for each base as Bowa did. As a coach, he had two rules: hustle, and be on time.

Where the Bowa argument falls short, however, is in the very essence of what makes one a better baseball player. In looking at just Bowa‘s 12 years with the Phillies compared to Rollins’ career, Rollins has the statistical edge in nearly every offensive category including runs, RBI, home runs, at-bats and extra base hits. The differences aren’t slim either. In some categories, such as home runs, Rollins leads with 193 to just 15 for Bowa.

The Case for Jimmy Rollins

As such, the case for Rollins presents itself as being stronger. In statistical numbers, Rollins blows Bowa away. On defense, while the argument is closer, Rollins has more defensive accolades and boasts a slightly higher .983 fielding percentage to Bowa‘s .98 flat.

While Bowa was consistent throughout his career, he never had one really standout season. While with the Phillies, Bowa‘s best season came in 1975-76. His peak career batting average reached .305 and he maxed out with 13 triples one season. As previously mentioned, Bowa was not a power hitter and hit a max of four home runs once, in 1977.

Rollins, on the other hand, had a stellar season in 2007. In addition to winning the MVP, Rollins’ recorded over 200 hits for the only time in his career, with his 212 besting Bowa‘s high of 193. Rollins also hit 38 doubles, 20 triples, 30 home runs and had 41 stolen bases, cracking both the 30-30 club and 20-20-20-20 club for the first time in his career.

While both Bowa and Rollins have World Series Championships, Rollins led the team to its most successful run, winning five-straight division titles from 2007-12. Bowa has a slightly better postseason batting average, but overall, Rollins played a bigger postseason role.

Bowa was a leader on and off the field, but even his enthusiasm during the 1980 Phillies postseason run, hecan’t compare to Rollins’ now well-known proclamation and then accomplishment of the Phillies as the “team to beat.”

And the Winner Is…

The debate will probably rage on, but at this point, it seems pretty definitive to conclude that Rollins will go down as the best shortstop in Phillies history by the time his career is said and done. 

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How Ben Revere Trade Impacts the Philadelphia Phillies’ Offseason Plans

While other teams in the NL East have been making major moves this offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies have been quiet.

The Atlanta Braves signed B.J. Upton and the Washington Nationals traded for Denard Span, taking two center fielders off the market that would have helped the Phillies lineup. The New York Mets signed David Wright to a seven-year contract extension. And the Miami Marlins traded five players to the Toronto Blue Jays.

But the Phillies and general manager Ruben Amaro finally kick-started their offseason on Thursday and got the center fielder they needed.

As reported by MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki, Philadelphia acquired center fielder Ben Revere from the Minnesota Twins and paid a pretty heavy price to fill a glaring need. Going to the Twins are pitchers Vance Worley and Trevor May. 

Worley went 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA this past season for the Phillies. He was much better in 2011, compiling an 11-3 record and 3.01 ERA, and the general consensus was that Worley‘s numbers didn’t exactly reflect what sort of pitcher he was. That may have shown itself with his 2012 performance. 

Still, a one-for-one trade of Worley for Revere would have been seen as reasonable. Including May in the package, however, tips the deal in the Twins’ favor. 

May was the Phillies’ No. 1 prospect this year, as rated by Baseball America. He didn’t have a strong 2012, posting a 10-13 record and 4.87 ERA in 28 starts for Double-A Reading. May still profiles as a strikeout pitcher, however, averaging 9.1 K’s per nine innings. 

Revere, meanwhile, isn’t eligible for arbitration until after the 2014 season. That means the Phillies won’t have to pay him much for the next two years.

But he’s also under club control for six years altogether, through 2018, according to The Morning Call’s Mandy Housenick. Still, that’s a hefty price for a player who’s shown in his two full seasons that he’s a capable major league center fielder and leadoff hitter. 

Two weeks ago, I wrote an article asking if the Phillies would trade starting pitching to help plug some holes in the lineup. Obviously, the answer to that question is yes. 

Amaro now doesn’t have to worry about center field for a long time. Yet he still needs to fill a few spots on his roster. Giving up a back-of-the-rotation starter and a pitching prospect leaves the Phillies with fewer resources to do that. 

At the top of the shopping list has to be a corner outfielder who hits right-handed and for power.

Nick Swisher fills that criteria nicely. Though he’s a switch-hitter that would bat left-handed most of the time, Swisher would turn around and bat right-handed against southpaws. He could fill in at first base for Ryan Howard under those circumstances. 

Swisher will be expensive, however. Amaro didn’t want to give B.J. Upton the five-year, $75.25 million deal he received from the Braves.

However, that may have been due to doubts about his ability to hit for contact and get on base. Swisher did strike out 141 times this year, but his .364 on-base percentage would have been third in the Phillies lineup behind Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley.

A less pricey option could be Cody Ross, who almost certainly isn’t going to re-sign with the Boston Red Sox after they added Jonny Gomes and Shane Victorino to their outfield. The Phillies may have to compete with the Yankees to sign Ross, but the Yanks have been frugal this offseason and could surely be outbid. 

At third base, the options aren’t as plentiful. However, reports have the Phillies involved in trade talks with the Texas Rangers for Michael Young.

While Young’s best days are behind him (he had a .682 OPS this year) and his defense at third base is below average, he would definitely be a useful right-handed bat for the Phillies lineup. According to ESPN Dallas’ Richard Durrett, the deal is contingent on Young waiving his no-trade clause and agreeing to go to Philadelphia. 

Trading for Young would leave money available to spend on other positions as well.

Among free-agent third basemen, Kevin Youkilis is the best player available, but the Phillies likely want a longer-term solution there. The Yankees reportedly offered him a one-year, $13 million contract, which might be more than Philadelphia wants to pay.

Kevin Frandsen and Freddy Galvis could be in-house solutions. Or perhaps Amaro takes a chance on someone like Chone Figgins. Fox Sports’ Jon Paul Morosi said the Phillies have indeed checked in on Figgins, who was released by the Mariners. 

One more item on Amaro‘s list is a reliever who can set up for closer Jonathan Papelbon.

The Phillies thought they had their man with Wilton Lopez, but a deal with the Houston Astros fell through, presumably because Philadelphia didn’t like how Lopez’s elbow looked. Lopez has since been traded to the Colorado Rockies, which is curious. 

But since there’s been so little movement on the free-agent market while Zack Greinke and Josh Hamilton decide where they’ll sign, Amaro will probably be able to wait until late into the offseason to find some arms that fit what the Phillies are looking for.

Brandon Lyon, Jon Rauch and Francisco Rodriguez are just a few of the many relievers available. Philadelphia should be in position to get a good one. 

The Phillies appeared to be running behind in the NL East after the Braves signed Upton. That was probably a reactionary view with so many players still available. And now, it’s looking as if Amaro‘s patience may be yielding some benefits.

Getting the center fielder was key. That was going to be either the most expensive signing or difficult trade to pull off, but now the Phillies have Revere. The Phillies’ other offseason moves will begin to fall into place from here. 

 

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Philadelphia Phillies Trade for Center Fielder Ben Revere: Now, Who Is He?

The Phillies have just traded for their center fielder of the future, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. The trade will send Ben Revere to Philadelphia and in return the Minnesota Twins will receive starting pitcher Vance Worley and starting pitching prospect Trevor May.

The Minnesota Twins selected Revere with their first-round pick (28th overall) in the 2007 draft. He made his major league debut September 7, 2010, at the age of 22. 

Revere is a speedy outfielder whose game is very similar to recently departed Phillies’ outfielder, Juan Pierre. He is a 5′ 9”, 170-pound contact hitter who has the ability to steal 40-plus bags a season and hit in the neighborhood of .300. Revere has only two years of major league service, accumulating 984 big league at-bats. He is also a versatile outfielder, seeing time in all three positions in 2012.

Last year with the Twins, Revere hit .294 with an OBP of .333. He also stole 40 bases, which ranked second in the American League. He also scored 70 runs and finished the year with a 2.4 WAR.

Revere does have some downside; he has no power whatsoever and he doesn’t walk nearly as much as your prototypical leadoff hitter should. In 2012, Revere hit zero home runs and he walked a measly 29 times in 511 at-bats.

Back to the positives, Revere will turn 25 in May of next year and will be under Phillies’ control until 2017. This will provide the Phillies with some youth in center field and a player whose best years are hopefully still to come.

The best part about Revere is his price tag. He will play 2013 for less than $500,000. Giving the Phillies a ton of flexibility to make a few more moves this offseason and set them up to possibly make a deal at next year’s trade deadline.

Revere should fit nicely into the Phillies’ mold. He could potentially bat leadoff, but everyone knows Charlie Manuel is pretty content with penciling Rollins into that spot. Only time will tell. He also can provide sound defense in center, which will really pay dividends if they go with the inexperienced Darin Ruf in left field.

The potential is there, now we can only sit back and see how Revere can handle playing in the City of Brotherly Love.

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Ben Revere Trade Fills Philadelphia Phillies’ CF Void

According to some of baseball’s top insiders, the Philadelphia Phillies have filled their need for an outfielder today by acquiring Minnesota Twins center fielder Ben Revere.

Jon Paul Morosi of FoxSports.com and Danny Knobler of CBSSports.com both tweeted about the trade on Thursday afternoon:

 

Confirmed: Ben Revere traded to #Phillies for Vance Worley and Trevor May. @mlbonfox

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) December 6, 2012

 

 

Trevor May is the other pitcher (with Worley) in the Revere deal. So it’s Revere to Phils for Worley and May.

— DKnobler (@DKnobler) December 6, 2012

 

In order to acquire the speedy outfielder’s services, the Phillies gave up starter Vance Worley and pitching prospect Trevor May.

The 24-year-old Revere hit .294 and stole 40 bases in 2012, bettering his 34 steals in 2011. Those are pretty impressive numbers for a player coming off of just his second full major league season.

Revere will still have to work on raising his OBP, but there is no doubt that the Phillies filled a major need by making this deal.

They also saved a fair bit of money by trading for Revere as opposed to signing Michael Bourn or trading for Curtis Granderson.

This will allow them to make another move (Michael Young, anyone?) to bolster their lineup.

While giving up May and Worley may seem like a steep price, this move was essential in order for Philadelphia to both improve its team and leave itself with enough wiggle room financially to make another impact move.

The Phillies join their division rivals, the Washington Nationals, as teams that dealt with the Twins in order to fill a need in center field, as the Nats traded for Denard Span on November 29.

Philadelphia had been relatively quiet so far this offseason, but talks and rumors have been heating up in recent days.

 

Sound off with your thoughts on this trade in the comments section below, and check back often for more

 

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Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Most Underpaid Players of the 2012 Season

As the the baseball world is currently in Winter Meetings frenzy down in Nashville, Tennessee, the Philadelphia Phillies remain quiet on the transaction front.

At this point in the offseason in prior years, Phillies fans are used to GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. having already signed a top-tier free agent to a lucrative contract that is either an overpay in years, dollars or both. However, this offseason Amaro has been steadfast in his unwillingness to overpay for lesser talent, and it’s certainly praiseworthy. But that’s a conversation for another article.

Last week, I touched on covering the Phillies’ most overpaid players of this past season, but as one of my commenters noticed, it wasn’t entirely accurate because I accidentally used the batting values for pitchers’ worth in addition to hitters.

In brief, pitchers’ worth was determined by how well they batted, not how well they pitched, and in the National League those results will ostensibly not be in the pitcher’s favor. I apologize for the discrepancy.

Having said that, this article will be much more accurate in its accuracy concerning the worth of Phillies players in 2012. As was the case with the last slideshow, I will be using FanGraphs’ WAR-based dollar value amounts that constitute how much a player should receive on the free-agent market should they have hit free agency following the 2012 season and subtracting the player’s actual 2012 salary to determine how much money the Phillies saved and didn’t have to pay.

That doesn’t apply to many of these players, though, because only a select few are actually free agents after the season’s end.

And as was also the case, only players who spent the full season on the Phillies roster will be eligible for inclusion on this list, meaning that midseason call-ups such as Erik Kratz and Kevin Frandsen will unfortunately be excluded from this slideshow.

I present to you a correct version of the Phillies’ five most underpaid players of the 2012 season.

*Salaries courtesy of Cot’s Baseball Contracts.

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Michael Bourn: Would He Be a Desperate Signing for the Philadelphia Phillies?

As the free-agent market rapidly shrinks, the Philadelphia Phillies are still left empty handed in center field—the club’s No. 1 priority.  Lucky for them, Michael Bourn is still available.

But are the Phils lucky?

The Philadelphia Phillies have seen multiple, high-profile players sign with other teams this offseason and are still searching for their prize signing. Ruben Amaro Jr. has played it pretty cool through the winter meetings, but fans are growing impatient by the minute.

Michael Bourn and his super-agent, Scott Boras, are also scrambling for the right deal. Bill Shaikin of the LA Times tweeted that Boras recently labeled Bourn as “the best defensive CF in the game.” Needless to say, Boras believes in his clientele.

Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports tweeted the Phillies are potentially gauging a price for Bourn. Have the Phillies put themselves in a position to sign Bourn by default?

The Phillies could be in reactionary mode to fill their need in center, or the team simply held out to sign Bourn for lower money. Whatever the case, Ruben Amaro Jr. understands a player is needed to compete in the division and World Series.

Bourn may have to be that player.

The Washington Nationals are still the same team and the Atlanta Braves, who passed on re-signing Bourn, have upgraded this offseason.

The Phillies must now take action. Bourn is a good player. He’s an upgrade from the club’s current outfield situation and will fill a much-needed leadoff role in the lineup.

Yet he does not posses the “wow” factor.

Bourn is not the fan favorite and probably not the club’s favorite, but the Phillies may have to settle.

The Phanatics, on the other hand, will not settle for another losing season.

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MLB Trade Rumors: Philadelphia Phillies Should Be Cautious Trading Cliff Lee

Coming into this offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies were a team hunting for some assistance in the outfield.

With B.J. Upton and Shane Victorino both off the market, Michael Bourn likely to sign elsewhere and Nick Swisher demanding a price that Philadelphia probably isn’t willing to pay, it seems as though the options are drying up.

So what now?

Well, there’s always the trade market.

According to a tweet from Pedro Gomez of ESPN on Tuesday, the Phillies may have been looking to making a splash, as they discussed potentially swapping Cliff Lee for Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks:

 

Phillies and Diamondbacks are discussing Justin Upton for Cliff Lee. Money coming to AZ would also be involved.

— Pedro Gomez (@pedrogomezESPN) December 4, 2012

 

This wouldn’t just fill the team’s need for a big bat in the outfield, it would instantly bolster Philadelphia’s lineup in a way that none of the aforementioned free agents could (with the exception of a few of those names being switch-hitters).

At just 25 years old, Upton has averaged 23 home runs and 77.5 RBI, while swiping at least 18 bases in each of those seasons.

Upton has been sensational since arriving at the major league level.

It would surely be worth giving up Cliff Lee for him, right?

Lee is 34 years old and will be 35 by the time the 2013 season wraps up. He was injured this past season and costs Philadelphia a good chunk of change.

Trading him is not that simple, though.

If the Phillies were to trade Cliff Lee, they’d lose an integral part of their rotation.

They would still have dominant, ace-caliber starters in Cole Hamels and Roy Halladay, but Halladay is no spring chicken, either. He had a poor, injury-plagued season as well.

It’s also worth noting that Halladay will be a free agent after the 2013 season, meaning the Phillies could be faced with losing two of their best pitchers, which would make them very thin in terms of starting pitching after 2013.

Should they be able to re-sign Halladay or feel fairly confident that they can pick up a second or third starter either this offseason or next (perhaps a guy like Shaun Marcum or Brandon McCarthy), the trade would seem much more feasible.

Until then, Philadelphia would be wise in approaching this potential deal—or any potential deal involving Lee—with caution.

 

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

Any time you put baseball’s most prominent front office executives, owners, agents and free agents under the same roof, you can expect a storm of rumors—some believable, some not so much—to be tossed about the Internet like a rag doll.

Welcome to Major League Baseball’s winter meetings. 

The Philadelphia Phillies arrived in Nashville, Tennessee this week—site of baseball’s winter meetings—with not a single need scratched off of their to-do list. Normally, that would be troublesome, but this is a deep free-agent market as far as they are concerned. 

With Michael Bourn, Angel Pagan, Josh Hamilton and Shane Victorino still on the market, the Phillies are confident they can find a center fielder. Could Kevin Youkilis play third base? Will the Phillies find their setup man on the open market or attempt to swing another trade? 

These are all questions that could be answered this week, so with that in mind, what better time to update you on the “fact or fiction” of all the latest rumors surrounding the Phillies?

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Is Philadelphia Phillies’ Offseason on the Verge of Being a Disaster?

As each day goes by, more and more key free agents are being acquired by teams all over baseball, and more importantly, within the same division. With the way things have gone so far, it’s not looking too promising for the Phillies. 

The Phillies’ key offseason target, B.J. Upton, has recently signed with the division rival, Atlanta Braves. To add more salt to the wound, reigning NL East Champion Washington Nationals recently traded for Twins‘ center fielder Denard Span.

With Upton signing and the center field market shrinking, the Phillies had to look to other options. One name they may have had interest in was Angel Pagan. That is, until today, when CSNBayArea’s Andrew Baggarly posted on his Twitter account that Pagan signed a four-year, $40 million deal that that included a $5 million signing bonus.

With almost all of the modestly priced free agents off the market besides Shane Victorino, the Phillies are left in quite the predicament.

Do they concentrate on the corner outfield free-agent market? Do they make a trade? Or do they let the market play out and see where what it looks like a month or more from now?

One thing we all know is that general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has to do something. This team, as is, will have a lot of trouble competing in the NL East, let alone the rest of the National League. If Amaro is unable to bring anything of value to Philadelphia in 2013, we may be looking at another third place finish for the Phillies next season.

Amaro has seemed oddly patient so far this offseason, maybe a little too patient, but if history has taught us one thing, it tends to repeat itself. So, Amaro may have an unexpected ace up his sleeve, we just don’t know which one yet.

This is going to be an interesting week; it’s only Monday and the buzz is already heavy. Look for Amaro to use this week not only to see what the free-agent market is looking like, but to also lay groundwork for several trade possibilities. Alfonso Soriano, Michael Young and Peter Bourjos could all be fits for the Phillies. 

The Phillies have an abundance of depth at starting pitcher in the minor leagues and could use that to help bring some much-needed talent into Philadelphia. Tyler Cloyd, Trevor May, Adam Morgan, Brody Colvin and Jonathan Pettibone could all be available.   

If the Phillies want to compete in 2013, they need to add some talent. Third base, outfield and the bullpen are all areas of major concern. The more time that goes by, the tougher time Amaro will have to fill his voids. There are big names still out there, but Amaro seems hesitant to go on a spending spree this offseason. 

The good news is that it’s still relatively early, so don’t go into panic mode yet. Amaro may have something stirring in his pot that no one in baseball is expecting; he’s done it before and he could do it again. Let’s just hope it’s sooner rather than later, for the fan’s sake. 

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