Amaro talks free agents, Utley, Howard and more
With less than two months until spring training, Phils GM Ruben Amaro Jr. updates status of Chase Utley and Ryan Howard.
Amaro talks free agents, Utley, Howard and more
Ryan Lawrence, Daily News Staff Writer
The Phillies introduced two new players on Tuesday - third baseman Michael Young and starting pitcher John Lannan.
Afterward, general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. answered several questions that would make the gathering kind of qualify as his "State of the Offseason" as Christmas nears.
Here is some of what Amaro had to say:
His thoughts on Michael Young, third baseman: "As far as Mike playing third base, we had enough historical information. It wasn’t that long ago when we had these kinds of questions about Placido Polanco. He had been playing second base at a very high level. I know Michael at various parts of his career has been a Gold Glove caliber defender. For him to go back to third base, its not a great concern of ours. We feel like that he’s going to be able to do that and handle it fine.
On the state of finding another outfielder this winter: "We’re still trolling through the possibility of adding another piece there. And we’re also considering the possibility with a double platoon. That’s a possibility as well. We’ve done some things that have helped our club at a couple of different levels. I don’t think the process of trying to help improve our club stops until the end of the season."
On using the phrase "cautiously optimistic" regarding Chase Utley, and what that means: "When a guy is down for two years and doesn’t play full seasons in the two years prior you have to be a little concerned. But we think Chase has learned and we have learned to manage whatever he’s got going on in his knees pretty well. I think he has a pretty good understanding of it, we have a pretty good understanding of it and I think he’s going to be fine. But you just never know. Obviously he’s got knee issues. Hopefully he’ll be able to put himself in the position – we think he’s put himself in the position to be ready to go out of the chute this spring. But that remains to be seen. We’ll see what happens."
On Ryan Howard's progression from the Achilles injury: "I think Ryan right now, he’s been in the process of still getting 100 percent strength, he was never really at 100 percent, I don’t know how close he’ll be when spring starts. But typically it takes a full year to gain your full strength capacity with an injury like that, and I think he’s getting closer to that. From what Ryan was doing prior to his wedding and his honeymoon, he was doing well. I think he continued that program when he went on his honeymoon. We’ve been monitoring him and he’s seemed to be doing well. We’ll find out more once he gets back."
On whether draft pick compensation is a concern when scouring free agent market, as Phils hold 16th overall pick: "If we think it s the right guy to sign we ll sign him. I mean, a lot of it depends. First-round picks are important, but at the same time if we feel like short term, long term we should go that route we re still trying to figure it out."
What Rube actually meant: we aim to be a .500 club.— 4thand10- @eman -- my prediction is that Ruben Amaro will win as many championships as Andy Reid did, and I only hope that it won't take Phils management 14 years to realize that they made the wrong hire.. it is pointless to sit and evaluate every current meaningless Rube move and non-move, and pontificate on whom the Phils should get if you were g.m. (as I did extensively last year and was proven correct - as I said repeatedy that they needed offense and bullpen help and thought it was a no-brainer that they would get Aramis Ramirez, something so obvious that I was shocked that Rube couldn't figure that one out -- and many quality relievers were available last year at decent prices when rube decide to shoot his wad on a single over-rated closer..).
were Andy Reid ever to have been able to win a Super Bowl he had numerous opportunities with 3 teams that were clear favorites in the NFC Championship game and another team that was a single drive away from a Super Bowl win (the same situation that NYGiants rode to victory twice)... similarly Rube had his chances --in 2009 when he just needed to get another starter and beef up the relief corps; in 2010 when he needed to NOT have gotten rid of Lee and do something to improve bullpen and bench; in 2011 when he had needed to replace Werth before season, and to beef up offense with one of many players available at trade deadline instead of overpaying for overrated Pence... and in 2012 he had the worst off-season record of any g.m. anyone has ever witnessed, and has followed that up with more pointless nonsense for 2013 (Lannan --seriously?!) - I'm no longer willing to play this game of making believe Phils have any shot with such an incompetent in charge, so I'll continue my crusade to replace him... those who were crusading against Reid 5 years ago were certainly correct— warbiscuit - Your crusade? Wow what a delusional tool, do you think your moronic babble has any influence on RAJ. You need medical help. Hey El tooly if Pence is overrated and your favorite GM Sabean is a genius, why did he trade for him? Tell us el idiot? Did he not do his job in the off-season? — DogBiscuitthedope
- LOL, proven correct? Carlos Pena, Mike Gonzalez, Derek Lee, jA Happ yes all the tooley all-stars — DogBiscuitthedope
- "Iit is pointless to sit and evaluate every current meaningless Rube move and non-move" of course it is, EL Stool Sample would rather wait until after it plays out and scream about the bad ones and not mention the good ones. What a moronic toad — DogBiscuitthedope
- How quickly the faint of heart jump off the bandwagon. To the knucklehead who has been compaining about everything that Reuben Amaro has done, look at 5 straight years in the playoffs. How many other teams have that on their record? How many teams won 102 games two years ago? Real fans accept a down year. In Pittsburgh, they haven't been over .500 in 20 years! So count your blessings. The 2013 team is already more competitive than last year's. Remember, the Angels got Puhols and no playoffs! I'm for playing next season rather than flapping my mouth about it.— gotedge
- @gotedge -- Rube's teams made the playoffs 3 times, not 5 -- and fell on their face each year because of their lack of depth, balance, bullpen and bench capable of winning in post-season -- before splattering completely last year into irrelevant trash..they are now a garbage team deviod of talent and worthy of a fan like you deviod of brains— warbiscuit
- to the "dope" whining as to why certain failures on Phils do fine with other teams (dope should study this one hard and refer to it when necessary): just because a marginal player may be ok in some contributing capacity, that doesn't make him "good" for another:
thus, Ibanez may be terrific for $1 to 2 million as a platooning d.h. and sometime outfielder and clutch pinch-hitter, but not a starting outfielder for $36 mil./3 yrs...
Pierre may be ok for $800,000 as a pinch-runner or pinch-hitter to bunt, but not a starting outfielder given his awful glove and impotent bat...
Wigginton may be a useful pinch hitter when you need a long-ball, but not to start ...
Polanco would have been a good utility infielder past few years, but not a starting 3rd base job at his age for 3 years with no offense
and so Clueless rube continues getting wrong people for wrong roles: Young may be useful guy off bench, leader, occasional starter, etc , but you can't hand him a starting 3rd base job at this stage in his career... Kendrick may be ok as occasional spot starter but you can't go into a season relying on him as your 3rd or 4th starter...
Revere may be ok in a strong lineup needing only speed at top of your lineup but he's pretty meager if the rest of the lineup sucks....and so it goes— warbiscuit - Moronic tool you said Pence was overrated and over paid and Sabean is a genius and yet he made the same move and put Pence in the same position. dopey moronic tool — DogBiscuitthedope
- LOL, so now Wigginton is useful? I thought he was worthless garbage? Now that Cards signed him after your dopey "they do everything right" statement he is useful? Hey is Sabean an imbecile for trading for Pence? Make another one of your dopey explanations their EL Stool Sample — DogBiscuitthedope
- and so Pence may be a decent pickup by Sabean when he gave up only useless trash to get him (and unlike Rube has room im his budget to pay him) but was an awful deal by Rube who gave up 4 top prospects for the same player -- probably 10 times as much in value than what Sabean "paid" and perhaps 25 times as much in value than what Braves gave for superior Bourne— warbiscuit
- Dopey moronic tool who they gave up is irrelevant, why would the GM trade for a player who is overrated if he is trying to make a playoff run? If he is such a great talent evaluator why did he pick up the same player RAJ picked up? So who they traded away makes him a better player when the games starts you moronic tool. And BTW the prospect they got for Pence is rated very high, have any of the ones they traded done anything? Of course not just more of your moronic babble — DogBiscuitthedope
- and so Sabean has 2 more championships over past 3 years than Clueless Rube despite Rube over-spending him by well over a hundred million dollarrs— warbiscuit
- But he missed the playoffs after his first championship so by EL moron logic he should have been fired correct? Dope — DogBiscuitthedope
- Warbisquit-eman asked you to be specific of what you would do and you ended up morphing into some mindless tripe about Andy Reid. Answer the question-second guessing is the easy part. Put your thoughts of the future out there and then we can all second guess you. Grow some stones and stop being a pantywaist. Tell the world (or at least this board) the specifics of YOUR plan. Don't cut and paste your repetitive pap-put it on the line chum.— Smoothellc
