Phillies Trade Rumors: Philly Shouldn’t Give Up on Hunter Pence Just Yet

Unless the Philadelphia Phillies have several money trees at their disposal, the team is going to have to do some financial restructuring at some point following the six-year, $144 million extension Cole Hamels just signed with the team.

Next year, the team will owe nearly $104 million alone to Hamels, Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay. Somewhere on the roster, it will need to trim some dollars.

And before the trade deadline, the Phillies may look to do so by trading Hunter Pence, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

The Phillies continue to signal to clubs that they are eager to move right fielder Hunter Pence, who could earn $13 million to $14 million next season in his final year of arbitration.

Pence, 29, is batting .268 with a .789 OPS, 17 homers and 57 RBI. His value could be enhanced by the signings of the San Diego Padres’ Carlos Quentin and Toronto Blue Jays’ Edwin Encarnacion and their respective removals from the trade market. But few teams are willing to assume high salaries and part with significant prospects.

Financially, moving Pence makes sense. But that’s the only reason trading him away should even be considered.

For one, there is no way the team will get anywhere close to the price it paid to get him just a year ago, when it traded four prospects—including first baseman Jonathan Singleton and pitcher Jarred Cosart, two of the team’s top prospects at the time—to the Houston Astros for Pence.

The Phillies might get half of the value back that it cost them to acquire Pence in the first place. That won’t sit well with savvy fans.

But the Phillies aren’t exactly baseball’s most daunting offensive team, either, nor its youngest. While many of the team’s offensive woes can be traced to time missed by Howard and Utley, this team is no longer led by the explosive offense that led it to a 2008 world championship and 2009 World Series appearance.

Pence leads the team in home runs, RBI and hits, and, at age 29, is one of the few regulars younger than 30. His absence would have short- and long-term implications.

Sure, the Phillies—currently 14 games out of first in the NL East and 9.5 games back for the last Wild Card spot—probably won’t make the postseason this year. But with a clean bill of health, the squad should once again be considered a favorite in the National League next year.

With Pence, that is. Without him, I don’t like the look of this lineup.

I understand there are financial situations to consider. But the window for the Phillies to win another World Series ring has become very slim and trading away Pence might be just enough to shut it.

So spend the money, Philadelphia. Another ring will make you forget about that bank statement.

 

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets bring it home like Big Easy.

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Cliff Lee Trade Rumors: Will Phillies Deal Him Back to Rangers in Blockbuster?

Big news came out this morning on the Philadelphia Phillies front, as the team’s young, homegrown ace Cole Hamels has reportedly agreed to a six-year, $144 million contract extension with the team.

Hamels, 28, who would have been the top left-handed starting pitcher on the market this coming offseason and arguably the top overall free agent, has instead chosen to bypass free agency in favor of playing for the only team he’s ever donned a uniform for in the Phillies.

Upon signing Hamels, the Phillies now have “achieved” a first in baseball by having three starting pitchers in their rotation earning an average annual value of at least $20 million. And along with teammates Ryan Howard and Jonathan Papelbon, the Phillies have tied up over $100 million to just five players next season.

Before this year, the Phillies had always feared surpassing the $178 million luxury tax. And they very well may still be wary of it. But with a new TV deal on the horizon in 2015, the Phillies should be more than able to afford all of their players, and possibly then some.

But what if the Phillies still have reservations of going over the luxury tax? Under the new CBA, first-time offenders only have to pay a 17.5 percent tax compared to 20 percent in previous years, but regardless that much on the dollar for millions over $178 million isn’t necessarily any small sum of money.

The only way the Phillies may be able to shed some payroll is to move some of their other pieces. While they’ve won the battle with Cole Hamels, they may not be able to retain other fan favorites such as Shane Victorino and Hunter Pence. But could the Phillies make another player, perhaps a starting pitcher, available in a trade?

Before he was extended, Hamels’ biggest suitor on the trade market was the Texas Rangers. The Rangers, who have had rotation woes this season and also have a deep farm system, were expected to make a push to acquire Hamels if an extension could not be reached. Now that a lost cause, there’s a possibility that the two teams could still match up on another player. Per Buster Olney of ESPN:

With Cole Hamels off the board, TEX effort to add an elite starter down to this: Josh Johnson pursuit; ask on Cliff Lee; maybe Greinke.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 25, 2012

While the Rangers could go after Zack Greinke, now the top starting pitcher on the free agent market this upcoming offseason, he’s had social anxiety issues in the past and could have a problem pitching in a somewhat large market in Arlington. The Rangers could also pursue Josh Johnson of the Marlins, but since his shoulder injury last year he just hasn’t been as effective, save for his most recent start in which he went six innings, allowing one hit and striking out nine before being removed for a blister on his finger.

It had come up that this past weekend’s start against the San Francisco Giants could have been Hamels’ last at Citizens Bank Park, and that Joe Blanton’s start against the Giants could have been his last at home as well. But could last night have been Cliff Lee’s last start as a Phillie at Citizens Bank Park?

Lee, who was pursued by the Rangers as the top free agent starting pitcher after 2010, was believed to have been deciding between the Rangers and the New York Yankees. However, at the eleventh hour, the Phillies swooped in and signed him to a five-year, $120 million contract. The rest is history.

But with the Phillies’ bloated payroll in light of the Hamels extension, would the team consider trading its ace who loved the city so much in his 2009 stint with them that he was willing to forego extra money to return? For that move and that move alone, Lee is a fan favorite, although in his start last night against the Brewers (and Zack Greinke), he was booed coming off the mound after allowing six runs on 12 hits.

With his disastrous 1-6 record and near-4.00 ERA, maybe it’s best for everyone that Lee is dealt. The Rangers have reportedly had interest in him since the Phillies signed him two years ago, and it’s also been reported that his 21 team no-trade list does not include the Rangers.

If Cliff Lee is to be traded, the Phillies would likely demand a prospect package headlined by third base prospect Mike Olt, center fielder Leonys Martin and potentially left-handed pitcher Martin Perez. The Rangers would almost certainly want the Phillies to send over salary relief for Lee’s contract in any deal, even though they were willing to pony up more money than what the Phillies paid him two years ago. That’s just the nature of the trade market.

There’s no certainty that Lee’s even on the block and the Phillies have told other teams that they want to keep their trio of Halladay, Lee and Hamels together. But with Phillies GM Ruben Amaro, Jr., you never know what’s going to happen before the July 31st trade deadline. A Cliff Lee trade to the Rangers could be the biggest surprise of them all.

Also check out: 10 Fire-Sale Trades the Philadelphia Phillies Could Make at the Deadline

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Handicapping All 25 Philadelphia Phillies Odds of Being on the Roster in 2013

There are more than a few words in the English dictionary that don’t appeal to fans of the Philadelphia Phillies, but if you had to pick a single word that was venomous to the ears, how about turnover.

That’s a loaded baseball word if there ever was one, but Phillies fans know all about that. After more than 10,000 losses and five straight National League East crowns, it is a word that most fans never wanted to hear again.

But as the 2012 trade deadline rolls into focus, the Phillies are ready to party like it’s 1999. That’s not a good thing. A 1999 Phillies party involved selling off everyone of value at the trade deadline, as the club cashed in early on yet another season.

There were more than a few years like that for Phillies fans. That’s why they don’t want to hear that this team could have a major turnover, or that they could rebuild, or re-tool or have a fire-sale.

Enough is enough.

So as we approach yet another uncertain deadline for the Phillies, it’s about time we took stock of the future, not only after this season’s deadline, but after the off-season as well.

How many members of this current Phillies club will return in 2013? Time to find out.

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Philadelphia Phillies: Don’t Give Up on the Phightins Just Yet

As a Philadelphia fan, we all know disappointment.  As far as disappointments go, the 2012 Philadelphia Phillies have been about as disappointing as it gets.  

They entered the All-Star break at 37-50, 12.5 games out of the wild-card spot.  They endured injuries that further exposed holes in the roster, as well as a bullpen that imploded on an almost nightly basis.

Ryan Howard was out.  Chase Utley was out.  Roy Halladay went down.  Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino continued to annoy with first-pitch pop-ups.  Hunter Pence swung the bat with reckless abandon.  Cliff Lee couldn’t win a game.  Cole Hamels has been discussed all season as trade fodder.

It was a brutal first half that became almost impossible to watch.  I actually stopped watching because I got no joy out of it and too much misery.  

Then the All-Star break happened.

For whatever reason, I became rejuvenated during the break.  I calculated over and over that they’d need a .707 winning percentage in the second half to win 90 games.

It was almost impossible, but in the second half they would actually be the Phillies.  Our Phillies.  Chase and Howard would be back to ease the burden on role players like Shane and Pence.  Halladay would be back.  

There was still a chance.

When Lee blew the first game of the second half, it felt over, but the team didn’t allow that to be the end.  They won the next four games.  

After dropping three straight, they’ve now won the last three in improbable and exciting fashion.

You see, for those of us born between the late 1970s and early 80s, this group of Phillies gave us the only championship we know.  They’ve given us five consecutive postseasons.  

Yes they have failed to win another World Series since 2008, but the point is, they did win a World Series.  They gave us reason to believe they could win another one.

Well now is the time to still believe.  Even if the playoffs prove unattainable in 2012, the Phillies have become fun again.

The first half was a case of everything that could go wrong did go wrong.  The second half is playing out much differently.  There is life there now.  There is belief.  The joy is back.

In Philadelphia, when things are going well, these players become out extended family.  We get to know them.  We get to love them.  

When things go bad we get upset with them, especially when they disappoint us.  They are ready to turn it around and they are trying to pull us all back in.

They deserve us being on board.  These are our guys.  For the first time as Phillies fans, we have our own guys.  Don’t give up now.

Jimmy, Shane, Chase and Ryan.  Cole, Doc and Clifton Lee.  These guys have given us a lot.  They have more to give.

Some people are ready to blow the whole thing up and start anew, but there is still a window for this group.  It’s time to keep that window propped open.  If they don’t win another one together, it shouldn’t be us that closed the window on them.

Maybe Cole will be traded.  Maybe Shane and Pence will be as well.  Maybe they won’t.  Maybe this team is about to play .700 baseball the rest of the way en route to 89 wins and the second wild-card spot.

Either way, this group has given us a lot and the right thing to do is give them all we have as well.  They may not get it done, but they just might.

In their last 10 games, they are 7-3, which is a .700 winning percentage.  All they have to do is keep it up.  We owe it to them to believe that they can.

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MLB Trade Rumors: Philadelphia Phillies “Eager” to Trade Hunter Pence

The Philadelphia Phillies are “eager” to trade Hunter Pence, according to Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports.

If Pence is truly going to be on the move, the Cole Hamels situation could end up being quite a bit more interesting.

On one hand, trading Pence would be indicative of an oncoming fire sale. The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t had much offense this year, but Pence does have 17 home runs on the year. Trading away a large piece of their offense so far this year would definitely not do very much to help the Phillies compete right now.

If this trade would really indicate a sale, it would make sense that Shane Victorino and Hamels would be on their way out as well. If you’re going to sell one important piece, why not go all the way and worry about dominating next season?

However, there is another reason the Phillies might be trying to trade Pence.

As almost everyone knows, the Phillies are trying desperately to keep Hamels in Philadelphia for quite a bit of time. In order to do that, they obviously need to pay him a ton of money, and they can free up a lot of money by trading Pence.

Again, this move wouldn’t necessarily help the Phillies win this year, but it would definitely help give them the financial flexibility to keep one of their star players in town.

Trading Pence would probably be an unpopular move, but if either one of the reasons I’ve mentioned is true, it does make a lot of sense.

In one week, it will be the trade deadline. A lot is surely going to happen before then.

 

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!

Follow Zak Schmoll on Twitter.

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MiLB: Philadelphia Philles Extend PDC with Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs

The Philadelphia Phillies have recently announced that they will extend their Player Development Contract with their Triple-A affiliate, the Lehigh Valley IronPigs.

This extension is for four more seasons, keeping the IronPigs and Phillies together until the 2016 season.

The four years is the most that a minor league team and a major league franchise can hook up. For example, the Everett AquaSox of the Seattle Mariners extended their PDC earlier this month for only two years.

So why four years between the Phillies and IronPigs?

“This has been an exciting run for us here in the Lehigh Valley. The Phillies and IronPigs have a great relationship and we think it’s something that is going to be special for a long, long time,” said Steve Noworyta (via MiLB.com), the Phillies assistant director of player development.

The relationship between the two has been strong since the IronPigs joined the minor leagues in 2008. Ten current players that are on the Phillies roster have played for the IronPigs, and they are among 50 former IronPigs who have gone on to play in the bigs. 

The IronPigs have everything going for them other than extending their relationship with the Phillies.

Lehigh Valley, who plays in the International League, has the lead in its division with a record of 54-43, good for third best in the IL.

Lehigh Valley also leads the International League in attendance even though they are based in the third smallest city in Triple-A. Its ballpark, Coca-Cola Park, has received honors from Ballpark Digest as “Best New Ballpark.”

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Phillies Rumors: Phils Must Find a Way to Sign Cole Hamels Before Trade Deadline

The Philadelphia Phillies have lost a lot of games this season. The one thing they can’t afford to lose, however, is Cole Hamels this offseason.

All indications are that the team and Hamels are in the midst of heavy contract negotiations, though if the Phillies don’t feel they can re-sign him, they will look to trade him.

A source has told ESPN’s Jerry Crasnick that the talks have reached a “sensitive” stage and that Hamels could be line to earn a six-year contract in the vicinity of the $127.5 million Matt Cain deal, while Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com notes that the Phillies are desperately trying to retain Hamels:

“They’re trying—actively trying,” a person with knowledge of the situation told CSNPhilly.com on Monday afternoon. “They’re making offers.”

Hamels will be eligible for free agency at the end of the season. If the Phillies are unable to sign him to an extension before next Tuesday’s trade deadline, they will likely look to trade him for a package of young talent.

Hamels reportedly remains conflicted about whether to sign an extension now or test the free-agent waters this offseason, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports:

The Hamels talks will accelerate this week; the non-waiver trade deadline is a week from Tuesday, and the Phillies need an answer. But the club, by taking this sudden pivot, has put Hamels in an awkward position. Not surprisingly, he is said to be “conflicted” about how to proceed.

Cole Hamels is a Philadelphia hero, namely after his epic 2008 postseason performance that saw him win the NLCS and World Series MVP en route to a world championship for the Phillies. He’s spent his entire career in Philadelphia, so trading him away—or worse, losing him via free agency after the season—would absolutely crush this fan base.

And what would it say of Philadelphia’s own opinion of its future?

No, the core of this team is not young. But there are players that will still be very effective next year, and even those who have many good years of ball still in front of them. You can’t tell me a team with a healthy Hamels, Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay wouldn’t compete next year.

The Phillies absolutely have to find a way to get a deal with Hamels done. Elite left-handed pitchers don’t just grow on trees—or more accurately, in farm systems—and neither do pitchers who have proven to be incredibly valuable in the postseason.

The team has overpaid to bring in outside players before. Now it is time they overpay to steal Hamels’ attention away from any excitement he might feel about hitting free agency this offseason.

Changes will need to come in Philadelphia after this season. Shane Victorino likely won’t be retained. The bullpen will need to be improved. Adding a young position player or two would certainly be nice.

But one change doesn’t need to occur, and that is not seeing Hamels take the hill every five days. He’s a huge part of the Phillies’ present; he must remain an even bigger part of the team’s future.

Get this deal done, Ruben Amaro—anything less, and you’ll be dealing with a very cranky fanbase.

 

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets bring it home like Big Easy.

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Cliff Lee Trade Rumors: 10 Possible Deals Phillies Could Pull Off by July 31

We’ve been hearing the trade rumors for weeks now; the Philadelphia Phillies will trade Cole Hamels.  The Phillies will trade Shane Victorino.  The Phillies will trade their entire roster and rebuild completely from scratch.

Okay, so that last one was a bit of an exaggeration, but the point is that the Phillies are in a position to be sellers at the trade deadline.

One name that hasn’t been thrown around that much is Cliff Lee.  The 33-year-old former Cy Young Award winner would be a great addition for any of the 20-plus teams that have a legitimate chance of making the postseason.

Lee is owed $25 million in each of the next three years which may scare some teams away from trading for him, but he could be the difference between a team missing the playoffs and winning the World Series.

 

Follow @TimStoeckle on Twitter

Begin Slideshow

10 Fire-Sale Trades the Philadelphia Phillies Could Make at the Deadline

If you haven’t yet come to terms with the Philadelphia Phillies‘ 2012 season, it’s time to face the facts. Barring any unforeseen five-game (or more) winning streak, the Phillies will almost surely be sellers by next week’s July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.

The Phillies sit in the basement of the NL East at 43-54, 14 games behind the division-leading Washington Nationals and 10 games out of the second NL Wild Card spot. Almost all hope to win a sixth consecutive NL East title has been lost, and their chances of even making the postseason are bleak, though possible, as I outlined last week.

If the Phillies continue what has become the status quo this year, then they are bound to sell off at least some of their team this season. Rumors have started to come about concerning many of the team’s players, ranging from Placido Polanco and Juan Pierre to Shane Victorino and Cole Hamels. Whether or not a deal for each of the team’s rumored players will materialize between now and next Tuesday will remain to be seen, but when the deadline comes to pass, what has been solely rumors to this point will or will not be reality.

Last year, when I was a bit less knowledgeable about the state of affairs of the trade deadline, I wrote a slideshow that talked about potential deals should the Phillies buy or sell. None of the deals in that piece made sense, but this year, I promise that the trades in this slideshow will all be at least a little more practical should they have to occur.

Each of the 10 trades in this slideshow will be about one individual player and will give the team he will be traded to as well as the return for him (prospects and/or cash considerations), whether from rumors or just my speculation. Any prospect rankings are from the 2012 Baseball America Prospect Handbook, which ranked teams’ top 30 prospects before the season.

Without further ado, I bring you this year’s new-and-improved version of trades the Phillies could make at the deadline, fire-sale style.

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Cole Hamels Can Look at Cliff Lee and See His Future

Cole Hamels is apparently considering a long-term, long dollars offer from the Philadelphia Phillies. 

If the fan base’s treatment of Cliff Lee is a barometer, Hamels might want to think on it some more.

When the Phillies signed Cliff Lee to his five-year, $120 million deal two offseasons ago, the prevailing narrative was that the fans never wanted Lee to leave Philadelphia in the first place.  It was also pretty apparent that Lee never wanted to leave Philadelphia, either, as he moped publicly about being traded away from Philadelphia.

Prominent athletes almost never do that.

But there Lee was, when the Texas Rangers landed him in the World Series in October 2010, and the Phillies were facing the San Francisco Giants in the other semifinal. Lee made it known he would love to pitch against the Phillies and beat them.  It still bothered him.  It was like hearing a buddy grouse just a little too much about his ex-girlfriend—if he was really over her, she would never come up again.

At Lee’s December 2010 press conference announcing his return to Philadelphia, Lee said things that Phillies fans always wanted to hear. 

“I don’t know what the fans do to create that much more volume and excitement in the stadium, but it’s definitely something extra here,” Lee said. “They’re passionate fans. They understand what’s going on. They don’t need a teleprompter to tell them to get up and cheer.”

Smash cut to July 2012, though, and look at Phillies fans now.  Lee is 1-6 with an earned run average of 3.72. 

Granted, his WHIP is 1.16 and he has 106 strikeouts in 111.1 innings pitched. Comparing those numbers against his career to date, he is more or less in line: career ERA of 3.65, WHIP of 1.22, 1429 strikeouts in 1753 innings pitched.  

And, it’s not enough.

Lee is one of the first names mentioned these days when the fans call “WIP” or “The Fanatic” to propose trades as they bail out on this season. Trade Lee back to Texas, he was there before. Trade Lee to the Yankees, they wanted him when he was a free agent and they can afford his contract. 

Just get rid of him for whatever you can get, they say.

That didn’t take long.

So, here is Cole Hamels, 2008 World Series Most Valuable Player, a Phillie right from the start whose time has come to take the Phillies’ offer to stay, or to finish out the season and wait for the rest of the league to back up armored trucks to his front door.

Of all the ridiculous things that fans say about players in Hamels’ situation, No. 1 on the list is the idea of the “hometown discount.”  And, No. 2 on the list is the idea that a player should want to stay with “his team.”

Cole Hamels cannot be thinking about giving anyone a discount. Cole Hamels has one chance to sign this deal—and by “this deal” it must be understood as the contract that sets him up for life (unless he goes all Curt Schilling on us.)  Leaving even $5 million on the table in this circumstance is just silly.  Make the Phillies, or whoever, pay every cent they can.

As for staying in Philadelphia because he began here, well, so what? Steve Carlton was the greatest Phillie pitcher of the modern era. Where did he pitch for the first seven seasons of his career? 

St. Louis, that’s where.

This is Cole Hamels’ seventh season in Philadelphia.

The Phillies fans’ hue and cry to retain Hamels today is real and constant. But, he should not hear any of it.

Because, if he starts 2015 off 1-6 with an ERA of 3.72, a WHIP of 1.16 and 106 strikeouts in 111.1 innings pitched, the response will be “do you think the Dodgers are still interested?”

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