5 Ways the Philadelphia Phillies Could Land B.J. Upton

After making the playoffs five years in a row from 2007-11, the Philadelphia Phillies missed out on the postseason in 2012, finishing 17 games back of the Washington Nationals. 

They’ll need to get healthy in the offseason and add a game-changing bat in the middle of the lineup. No, his name isn’t Josh Hamilton. 

It is B.J. Upton. 

He was recently tendered a one-year qualifying offer by the Tampa Bay Rays, so the Phillies would have to give up their first-round pick in order to sign him. 

After the Phillies were able to assemble their whole team, they were able to finish 35-24. 

With Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins all recovering from injuries, and the dominant pitching staff still intact, the Phillies have a chance to make the postseason again in 2013. 

All they’ll need is the defensive and offensive capabilities of B.J. Upton. 

In 2012, he hit 28 homers and stole 31 bases. His OBP was a bit low at .298, but he hadn’t had a season below .300 before this one. 

To put it in perspective, John Mayberry Jr.—the starter for Philadelphia down the stretch—hit 14 homers and slugged only .395. 

Not to mention he doesn’t have nearly the same range Upton does. 

It won’t be easy luring one of the top outfielders in the free-agent market, but here are five ways the Phillies can land him instead of Angel Pagan, Michael Bourn and Josh Hamilton. 

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Should the Philadelphia Phillies Trade Pitching to Fix Other Major Holes?

The Philadelphia Phillies have quite a few holes to fill on their roster before next season.

General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. is looking for two outfielders—one of whom should be a center fielder, and probably a right-handed bat. The Phillies also need a third baseman and could use another reliever for their bullpen.

Amaro could address all of those needs on the free-agent market. Outfielders like Michael Bourn and B.J. Upton would fit well in the Philadelphia lineup. Kevin Youkilis would give the Phillies a suitable third baseman. And plenty of relievers are available to help shore up the corps of middle relievers. 

But that would get expensive. Big spending doesn’t fit into Amaro’s current plan, as he’s been quite public about getting the Phillies’ payroll underneath the $178 million luxury-tax threshold for 2013. Presumably, he wants the team under the $189 million luxury-tax limit for 2014 as well. 

To patch up every hole on his roster without incurring MLB‘s luxury tax, Amaro will probably have to make some trades to get what he needs. That would almost surely mean tapping into his team’s greatest strength: starting pitching. 

But does Amaro really want to do that? The trio of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels atop the Phillies rotation is what sets them apart from their NL East rivals. Starting pitching will likely be what pushes Philadelphia back into playoff and division-title contention next season. 

Though that part of the team is a strength, is there enough depth to use in trade? If the Phillies weaken their starting rotation yet bolster other parts of the roster, does that ultimately even out? Or would Amaro be making a mistake by undercutting the advantage he has over division and league rivals? 

The most tradeable commodity Amaro has is left-hander Cliff Lee. Plenty of teams checked in on him around the trade deadline this year, but it was never really clear whether or not the Phillies were looking to deal him away.

Amaro certainly had an opportunity to trade Lee to the Los Angeles Dodgers in early August. The Phillies put Lee on waivers, and the Dodgers won the claim for him.

Philadelphia could have either tried to work out a trade, though the Dodgers likely wouldn’t have given up much because they would have taken on up to $102.5 million remaining on Lee’s contract. Amaro could have also decided to just let Lee go on waivers, dumping his salary without getting anything in return. 

Instead, the Phillies held on to Lee. Perhaps Amaro never had an intention of trading Lee and wanted him to be a part of their rotation for 2013 and beyond. Or the Philadelphia GM figured he could find a far better deal with more time—and more teams—to negotiate with during the offseason. 

However, does that deal really exist?

Perhaps a trade with the Texas Rangers, built around third-base prospect Mike Olt and pitcher Martin Perez, would work for the Phillies. Then Amaro could get his outfielders in free agency. 

The Arizona Diamondbacks could be another possibility, with Justin Upton going to the Phillies and taking one of those corner outfield openings. But D-Backs owner Ken Kendrick was rather vocal about not wanting a pitcher on the wrong side of 30 years old who’s owed up to $100 million. 

Could the Colorado Rockies present another option? The Atlanta Braves have shown interest in center fielder Dexter Fowler. Why couldn’t the Phillies get in that mix, especially with the Rockies reportedly seeking pitching in return? The Braves probably have better arms to offer, however. 

Of course, the Dodgers are still out there. But does GM Ned Colletti really have anything the Phillies are looking for in return?

He dealt two of his best pitching prospects—Allen Webster and Nathan Eovaldi—in trades for Adrian Gonzalez (and others) and Hanley Ramirez. Would Colletti really want to trade any others when he can sign Zack Greinke, Anibal Sanchez or Ryu Hyun-jin? Andre Ethier could be included, but do the Phillies want another left-handed bat? 

The best argument for trading Lee to the Dodgers could be shedding his salary and using his $25 million salary for this season (and the next two, plus a team option) to help fill those holes in the outfield and at third base. 

Amaro also has some pitching prospects he could use in a deal. Trevor May, Jesse Biddle and Jonathan Pettibone are among the Phillies’ top four prospects, according to Baseball America. Could those young arms—along with pitchers with major league experience, like Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick—be used to get someone like Chase Headley from the San Diego Padres? 

But the Phillies need arms for the back end of their starting rotation as well. If Amaro deals away pitchers who could be the team’s fourth and fifth starters, who fills those roles next season? Isn’t trading talent for established veterans what got the Phillies into their current predicament?

Are such trades worth doing again if it gets Philadelphia back into playoff contention? Is dealing off some of the future the price that has to be paid for getting an outfielder or third baseman who could be a cornerstone player for years to come? 

What looks like a surplus can become a weakness quickly. The Phillies rotation doesn’t look nearly as imposing or competitive with the Braves or Washington Nationals in the NL East if they break up the Halladay-Lee-Hamels triumvirate. Amaro arguably has more holes to fill if he trades starting pitching away too.

Obviously, Amaro should explore every option available. But he is in the fortunate position of being able to take care of his team’s needs on the free-agent market this winter. The question is how much that might cost the Phillies. 

Another question might be how valuable a pitching staff is if the lineup can’t score any runs to help the team win. That’s the dilemma the Phillies and Amaro face this winter. 

 

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Lance Berkman: Why Berkman Would Be a Bad Signing for the Philadelphia Phillies

Joseph Duarte of Ultimate Astros reported the Philadelphia Phillies have interest in free-agent veteran Lance Berkman, and the vet would only sign for the “right deal.”

The Phillies need to pass on any deal.

Berkman, 36, is ideally looking for a two-year deal with his next team and prefers batting third. If the Phillies are going to sign a multi-year contract, it should be with a younger, more talented player with the potential for many seasons.

The Phillies have specific needs this offseason, mainly center field, third base, relief pitching and reserve first baseman—the latter being the least important. Berkman’s only option in the field is first base, but his career as a fielder has passed. He is better suited in the American League as a DH.

The Phillies also have current options with John Mayberry Jr. or Darin Ruf, who could potentially play first base behind Ryan Howard. A signing of Kevin Youkilis would kill two birds with one stone—covering first and third. Signing Youk makes more sense than a limited, injury-prone Berkman.

Berkman did have a “fountain of youth”-type season two years ago, but knee surgery limited his play with the St. Louis Cardinals last season. 

All in all, this is far too risky of a signing for the Phillies.

Ruben Amaro Jr. needs to concentrate on filling center field with a stud, since it appears most of the elite outfield free agents will likely land in the NL East this upcoming season.

Berkman’s had a great career, and it may be time to hang the cleats and begin his coaching career at Rice University.

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5 Free-Agent Sluggers Who Could Fix Philadelphia Phillies’ Power Outage

Throughout the mid-to-late 2000s, the Philadelphia Phillies played long ball with the best of any team in Major League Baseball. Now, however, that power is starting to flicker.

In 2009, the Phillies hit 224 home runs when they returned to the World Series to defend their championship.

But in the last two seasons, the Phillies have hit just 311 home runs combined—153 in 2011 and 158 in 2012—finishing 18th in the league in both seasons.

It’s pretty telling when your shortstop—Jimmy Rollins—is your home-run leader with 23 and the second-place man—Hunter Pence with 17—left the team in late July.

Some of that missing power obviously has a lot to do with extended absences of both Ryan Howard and Chase Utley, but they still need a little assistance.

Bob Brookover of Philly.com believes the answer is in the power, and re-energizing that power. That’s certainly hard to argue his point, especially with Citizens Bank Park being known as a hitters’ park.

So, just who could the Phillies look toward to find that power?

Let’s take a look.

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

True or false? Fact or fiction? 

We are not even a full month into the offseason, and already we have seen the Philadelphia Phillies linked to almost every warm body capable of playing center field or third base—and those aren’t their only holes to fill. 

With so much technology and a constant stream of information flowing about the offseason in today’s game, it is important to approach the winter with a grain of salt and a heaping helping of common sense. 

The Phillies are more than a professional sports team. They’re also a business. They operate under a budget and cannot overspend in certain areas while leaving other portions of the club bare, so keep that in mind when you hear them linked to guys like Zack Greinke, for example, whom they will not be signing. 

So who do the Phillies have interest in? Glad you asked. 

The slideshow will go through all of the popular rumors in Philadelphia and attempt to interpret which ones are “fact” and others that are “fiction. 

If a player receives the “fact” label, it does not mean that he is going to sign with the Phillies. It means that the opportunity exits and is plausible. On the other hand, if a player is labeled “fiction,” do not expect to see him with the Phillies next season.

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12 Dream Free Agent Pickups for Philadelphia Phillies

The Philadelphia Phillies saw two free agent outfielders sign with new teams last week, leaving their list of available options a little lighter but still lengthy nonetheless.

However, with all of these options, the Phils will also be competing with multiple teams both in signing players and in setting the market at various positions.

The Phillies are also in a different situation this offseason.  Yes, they still have money to spend and have pieces already in place, but this is also their first offseason following a regular season that ended without a trip to the postseason since 2006.

Ideally, the Phillies will be able to convince their top targets that they can return to the playoffs quickly, and that salary demands are not a problem.

Of course, this won’t be the case with every free agent, but there are enough options available that give the Phils a chance to turn things around next season with the right signings.

Here are 12 dream free agent pickups for the Phillies who, although they cannot sign every player on this list, can still fill big-time needs heading into next season.

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5 Reasons Why the Phillies Must Sign B.J. Upton to Keep Him Away from Atlanta

One of the most important reasons why the Phillies should pursue B.J. Upton this offseason is to keep him away from their perennial division rival Atlanta Braves.

The Braves already have a team full of youthful stars; Craig Kimbrel, Jason Heyward and Freddie Freeman, just to name a few.

If the Phillies were to let him slip away to Atlanta, the Phillies are going to have to deal with him hitting home runs, stealing bases and preventing runs in center field against them for years to come.

Here are five reasons why the Phillies need to sign B.J Upton and keep him far away from the Atlanta Braves. 

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5 Prospects Who Could Make an Impact for the Philadelphia Phillies Next Season

Surprisingly, the Philadelphia Phillies will spend this offseason rebuilding.

A year ago, it seemed that the Phillies would be a shoe-in for the National League pennant, only to be sellers by the time the trade deadline came around.

Roy Halladay struggled, Cliff Lee could not buy himself a win and Jimmy Rollins found himself on the receiving end of criticism.

Despite keeping a potential top free agent off the market, by signing Cole Hamels midseason, the Phillies still have a number of needs.  Unfortunately, not all of them align with their prospective talent.

Trading away Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence left their outfield rather empty and the better part of the Philly infield is either injured, unproductive or aging.

In 2013, the Phillies will try to become relevant once more.  Here are five prospects that could help them make that push:

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Philadelphia Phillies: Why Catcher Tommy Joseph Is the Most Valuable Trade Asset

After making so many blockbuster deals in the past few years, it is to no one’s surprise that the Phillies minor league system has lost some of its depth and talent. Of these remaining prospects, it is the young pitching studs mostly located in Class-A that represent some of the team’s best future talents.

In addition to the pitching prowess, there is really just one player that stands out as a potential major league star. His name is Tommy Joseph and although the Phils would love to keep him, he is their best trade chip. Plus, with the way Amaro has been almost mesmerized into mortgaging the future to win in the present, he may very well be traded before the 2013 season even starts.

Since the Ruben Amaro era began in Philadelphia, fans of the team as well as media personnel in the city have been accustomed not only to a winning tradition but also to a big-time deal that typically happens right around this time of year. What fans haven’t really considered though is that in order to make some of these deals, Amaro had to trade away some of the players that could soon be major league talents and that represent the future of the franchise.

Every year, the organization’s top prospect seems to be in danger of being traded. This year that prospect is Joseph and the situation is no different. Not only does he give the team great leverage in making a trade but also, his path to the majors could right now be blocked by the Phils former number one catching prospect, Sebastian Valle.

Valle, who last year played at Triple-A Lehigh Valley and is now on the Phillies 40-Man Roster, could be in place to serve as the Phillies back-up catcher next season. Although his plate discipline still needs some work, major league experience will show the Phillies if they have a future talent in Valle. If that turns out to be the case, Joseph, who would yield a better trade return, will likely find himself elsewhere next season.

Before getting into why Joseph is so valuable to the team as a trade piece, let’s briefly look at Amaro‘s big trades/free agent signings over the past three years and how these moves left the Phillies with not much to offer when it comes to making trades. Looking at the other available trade pieces (or the lack thereof) is important in understanding just why the young catcher is likely to be the starter for any trade talks the Phils engage in. 

 

Three Years and Three Monster Deals Later…

Late November signings brought All-Star and likely future Hall of Fame pitcher Roy Halladay to the Phillies. It was also around the holiday season, the year after the Halladay deal, that fans were granted the ultimate Christmas present. In a shocking move that no one really saw coming, Amaro returned fellow All-Star and Cy Young award-winning pitcher Cliff Lee to Philadelphia.

With two of the top starting pitchers in baseball, Amaro pulled the trigger on yet another big offseason signing after the 2012 Winter Meetings. In what many consider to be a generous contract, Amaro paid closer Jonathon Papelbon to occupy that same role with the Phillies.

Three years and three big deals later, the most important number in all of this is zero. As in, no more World Championship trophies to add to the Phillies’ collection.

Needless to say, the Phillies have really lived and died on this propensity to pull the trigger on the big deals at opportune times. As a result of these deals, Amaro has brought big names—and with them, big wins—to the team. But all of the acquisitions have failed to accomplish and many have failed to even reach the ultimate pinnacle of baseball.

On paper, the team the Phillies boasted with Halladay, Lee, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels in the rotation, and Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins and Hunter Pence in the field, should have put together the production to win several World Series Championships.

But they didn’t.

They didn’t even come close.

Trading the Future for the Present

 

So with the high-paid players failing to bring back that championship glory, you have to look more at what the Phillies have lost as opposed to what they have gained as a result of these trades.

Kyle Drabek, Travis D’Arnaud, Jason Donald, Lou Marson, Michael Taylor, Jonathan Singleton and Jarred Cosart.

You probably remember at least some of these names. These are just a handful of what at the time were considered the best prospects Philly had to offer. All of them were traded away in efforts to acquire either Lee (the first time), Pence or Halladay. 

Essentially, the Phillies went from having one of the best farm systems with some of the strongest depth in all of the majors to one of the worst in just three years. In return for the trades, they received stellar players,

But after 2013, Philly could see a roster that includes none of them.

Their philosophy was to mortgage the future in order to win in the present. Unfortunately, the Phillies have pretty badly mortgaged that future, and yet have nothing more than a franchise record in wins and a few more NL East titles to show for it. 

Rebuilding and Regrouping

Having made so many big deals, the Phillies found that their farm system had become something it hadn’t been in years: barren.

So in an effort to rebuild their developmental program for future prospects, the Phillies, which fell out of the playoff race in 2012, traded both Pence and Shane Victorino. They also focused on the player draft and acquired a handful of stellar pitching prospects over the past few years.

The Pence and Victorino deals brought some pretty solid prospects. Nate Schierholtz and Josh Lindblom landed almost immediately in the majors, while Ethan Martin and Joseph joined the Reading Phillies team that reached the playoffs in 2012.

Martin, a pitching prospect who came over from the Los Angeles Dodgers, supplants a very strong core of pitching talent in the Phillies’ farm system. The pitching depth, by far, is the strongest of any position this team has in the developmental stages.

The Importance of Tommy Joseph

Trade Value

And then there is Joseph. Other than the pitching stars and possibly third baseman Cody Asche, Joseph is a player that the Phillies can afford to trade away.

It may seem curious that I am talking about the team trading Joseph, especially after they are just starting to rebuild. But Valle is ahead of Joseph in terms of experience and although Joseph has a higher ceiling, Valle is a little more polished and closer to being major league ready. As a result, if or more likely when Ruiz departs, Valle is the guy who will likely fill the spot. For that reason, Joseph and his path to the majors seems to be blocked.

Meanwhile, other teams, such as the New York Mets, have a need for a catcher. They also have players that the Phillies would really like to have.

In speaking of a potential trade of David Wright to the Phillies, it is important to note that Joseph fills one of the Mets’ needs. Without the inclusion of Joseph in a trade, the Phils would likely not stand a chance to acquire Wright, even though he is a third baseman—and a perfect solution for the team’s needs.

Other than Joseph and the aforementioned pitching prospects, the Phillies really don’t have much that other teams would likely be interested in. It is for that reason that Joseph is the most important trade asset the Phillies have that’s not currently in the majors.

Upside

I hate using the word upside. Any player can, and likely does, have an upside. They wouldn’t have been drafted if they didn’t.

That said, Joseph has upside and has shown this by gradual improvement at each level of the minors.

When Joseph first played in the Giants‘ minor league system, there was a question.  It wasn’t about his bat, but instead about his durability. Joseph had below average skills as a defensive catcher behind the plate, giving some worry to scouts in terms of a possible major league career. According to Baseball Prospectus, who ranked Joseph as the Giants 4th best prospect, the biggest factor determining Joseph’s progression was going to be his defense behind the plate. Since reaching the Double-A level however, Joseph has performed much better defensively posting a career best 99 fielding percentage with just four errors. Joseph also saw his raw power develop a little more at Double-A and that adds to his value as a top prospect. 

Having the ability to play well and play for a long time is something that really plays on the mind of a general manager when he considers trading for a prospect. With Joseph now looking like he can be that everyday guy, his trade value goes up.

Catchers Are at a Premium

With the exception of pitchers, good major league catchers are really at a premium. 

This plays perfectly into the hands of the Phillies, which have a top 15 catching prospect in Joseph and leverage when it comes to trading with a good number of teams in the National League. Also, with Valle already being listed as “untouchable,” the Phillies get to keep their top catching prospect and at the same time are able to make a trade to make their major league club better.

When the Phillies traded for Halladay, the Blue Jays would not have made the trade if Travis D’Arnaud had not been included in the deal. The same was true for the Cleveland Indians, which insisted on getting Double-A catcher Lou Marson as the centerpiece of the Cliff Lee trade in 2009. Ultimately, the Phillies parted with their then-best catchers as well as a pretty good pitching prospect in each deal.

A similar situation could work in the Phillies favor as they now have a top catching and top pitching prospect that affords them the freedom to be in the driver’s seat. If they want Wright of the Mets or a player such as Peter Bourjos of the Los Angeles Angels or Justin Upton of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Joseph and one of the “baby aces” are no doubt going to be front and center in a deal.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Why They Should Pursue Angel Pagan over BJ Upton

While all of the talk in Philadelphia has been centered around how the Phillies can get BJ Upton into the outfield, the team might be better off looking at Angel Pagan at a more predictable, and consequently better, option for 2013.

It seems as if the San Francisco Giants want to bring Pagan back, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports, so this might be a hard fight to win. He just won the World Series, and that is a difficult situation to leave.

However, Pagan himself has never come out on the record as far as I know as to his intentions for next season. Perhaps he wants to try somewhere different. If that is the case, the Philadelphia Phillies need to seriously consider adding Pagan to the lineup.

First, he will serve a purpose similar to what Shane Victorino did when he was in Philadelphia. He hit for a high average, got on base, was always a threat to steal second and had decent power. Of course, if you look at his stat line from last season, this is rather obvious.

He hit .288, led the National League with 15 triples, hit eight home runs, drove in 56 runs and stole 29 bases. He is the type of hitter that the Phillies could use at the top of their lineup to help set the table for the run producing bats of Ryan Howard and Chase Utley.

Beyond the obvious on-field benefits, it’s safe to assume that his contract will be less than BJ Upton. The Philadelphia Phillies have put far too much money into far too few contracts. Making another large investment in a high-risk player like Upton doesn’t make a lot of sense.

Normally, I am a huge advocate of taking on risks to reap huge potential rewards. Upton does provide that, but it is not the right time for the Phillies. If the risk for Upton doesn’t pay off, the Phillies will be saddled with yet another deal that costs a lot more than it is worth.

Except for the power, Pagan provides virtually every benefit that Upton does and he has been more consistent throughout his career. The Phillies need someone who they can count on to produce, and if he comes at a discount compared to Upton (which he absolutely should), the deal looks even better.

 

Whether you think I know everything or nothing about Major League Baseball, you should follow me on Twitter or become a fan on Facebook and keep in touch. I love hearing what you all have to say!

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