IS LOCKING DOWN THEIR FANTASY ROSTER
One of the big requirements of this job is the ability to process a massive amount of information in a minimal amount of time, all while blogging, twittering, and doing phone interviews for Daily News Live (shout out to Barkann!). Some days it is manageable, even fun. Others, you feel the need for a debriefing session. So, let's debrief, and try to make some sense of everything that has happened.
1) I connected with Gary Sheffield's agent earlier this evening. The Phillies folks I talked to today seemed unsure of their chances of landing the future Hall of Famer. The situation here is not ideal for a guy like Sheffield. He wouldn't have the luxury of serving as a designated hitter, he would have to pinch-hit, which he has only done 34 times in his career, and his chance for playing time would seem to be less than with other teams that may have interest. That said, Sheffield's agent, Rufus Williams, said the Phillies are on the list of candidates to land Sheffield, and that the talk he had with Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. earlier today was "productive."
2) The Phillies would like to add a right-handed bat with more power than Miguel Cairo provides. Former Braves star Andruw Jones, whom they reached out to earlier this offseason before he signed with the Rangers, is another possibility besides Sheffield. But again, Jones would likely have options where he would have a better chance for regular at-bats, assuming he does not wind up sticking with Texas.
3) Nothing will happen on the Sheffield front until Thursday, when he clears waivers. Another team could claim him, before then, but they would owe him the $14 million remaining on his contract. In other words, that isn't going to happen.
4) Manager Charlie Manuel said he would be comfortable with Miguel Cairo as the final member of his bench. The Phillies have been impressed with Cairo this spring. He is a career .284 pinch-hitter, he can play multiple positions, and he can run the bases. But again, Manuel likes guys with pop in their bat, and Cairo hasn't hit a home run in the majors since 2005.
5) Righthander Chan Ho Park simply did not give the reason for the Phillies to not give him the fifth spot in the rotation. In the end, all the other factors that we spent so much time detailing in the paper and on the blog did not matter. Manuel, Amaro and pitching coach Rich Dubee all said that the decision came down to who gave them the best shot as a starter. And Park's dazzling spring, plus his good physical condition, led them to believe that he might be able to recapture some of that magic he had while staring for the Dodgers in the early part of this decade.
6) I came away from today feeling that the team will end up giving Happ a shot in the bullpen, which would likely lead to Gary Majewski starting the season in the minors (he is signed to a minor league deal), although Jack Taschner does not have a spot locked up just yet (Rule 5 pick Robert Mosebach is still in play as well). Happ is not a lefty specialist, but Dubee said he would be comfortable keeping Happ around. Dubee said if, after the season was underway, it looked like Happ was not getting enough work out of the bullpen, or was not effective enough, he could always head back to Lehigh Valley and start.
7) Geoff Jenkins handled his release with complete class. Just wanted to point that out, since it kind of gets glossed over amidst all the other news in the paper tomorrow.
8) Oh, by the way: Brett Myers is your opening day starter. Jamie Moyer will pitch the 7th, Blanton the 8th, Hamels the 10th, Myers the 11th and Park the 12th.
9) JC Romero will be at the ring ceremony. Also, Romero said he has retained a lawyer who will pursue some sort of legal action as a result of his positive drug test, which he says came as a result of a tainted supplement. Romero declined to go into further detail, saying he would expound in the near future once an exact course of action is underway.
10) Reader Chris O'Donnell emailed and asked me to further explain why the Phillies kept Stairs over Jenkins. It really came down to who was the better role players. Stairs has a lengthy resume when it comes to pinch hitting. He's had over 300 plate appearances and is hitting over .280 in those situations. Jenkins has never really filled that role before. Certainly, releasing him was a tough move. As Chris pointed out in his email, Jenkins was sort of emblematic of last year's postseason run. Even though he had a frustrating year, he was always the first guy out of the dugout to congratulate a teammate. Who can forget his wild fist-pumping celebration when he hit that double? In the end, though, only 25 guys can make a team. And the Phillies felt Stairs was best suited for that specific role.
11) Kyle Drabek will start tomorrow against the Yankees. Dubee said they are bringing the 2006 first round pick over from minor league camp for a few reasons. First and foremost, he has impressed the entire organization with the way he has bounced back from 2007 Tommy John surgery. The Phillies really think he can be a big part of their future. Dubee also said they wanted to remind him what he is pitching for -- a chance to do things like pitch against the Yankees. I know from this writer's perspective, it will be a nice change of pace to watch a new face on the mound.
Hope I covered everything. If not, there is always tomorrow.
Sorry, but something got lost in translation between here and Clearwater. Chan Ho Park has been named the Phillies' fifth starter. But lefthander J.A. Happ's future is still up in the air. He will be one of four pitchers competing for two spots in the bullpen. The others are righthanders Gary Majewski and Robert Mosebach and lefthander Jack Taschner.
Park has a Grapefruit League ERA of 2.53. He’s struck out 25, while walking only two, in 21 1/3 innings.
Happ has as ERA of 3.15. He’s given up 18 hits in 20 innings, walking six and striking out 14.
More details to come ...
To read our earlier post about the release of Geoff Jenkins, click here.
The Phillies have released outfielder Geoff Jenkins and are hoping to sign Gary Sheffield, who was released by the Detroit Tigers today. General manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said the Phillies have contacted Sheffield's agent and are in a wait-and-see mode.
Jenkins appeared in 115 games and hit .246 with nine home runs and 29 runs batted in. The lefthanded-hitting Jenkins signed a 2-year, $13 million deal as a free agent before last season and seemed likely to platoon with Jayson Werth in rightfield. Jenkins landed on the disabled list in August with a quad injury and was largely an afterthought for the end of the season and the playoffs. He will, however, be remembered for the double in the resumption of Game 5 of the World Series that led to the go-ahead run.
Jenkins seemed to get caught in the glut of lefthanded hitters coming off the Phillies bench.
"I knew there were a lot of left handed hitters so it seemed like somebody was going to be the odd man out at some point," Jenkins said. "So it's real tough. I care a lot about those guys in the clubhouse. We'll just deal with this. It's like anything else, and try to find a new spot. It's obviously something I've never had to deal with before. But I guess what doesn't kill you makes you stronger. But I don't regret anything from one moment that I was here."
The Phillies owe him the remainder of his $6.75 million salary for this season, plus a $1.25 million buyout for next season. Any team can pick him up, but they will likely owe him the veterans minimum of $400,000, which will be deducted from the Phillies' obligation.
Speaking with reporters moments ago, Jenkins said he was planning to take a couple of days to clear his head after flying back to his home in Arizona.
Jenkins said he had no hard feelings toward the Phillies.
"Absolutley not," he said. "What's there to be mad about? I picked a great year to be here. Obviously I wish things had worked out better and I coudl be with them. But I don't regret one minute. I wouldn't change a thing. Being with these guys, going what we went through last year, was tremendous."
The Phillies now have 29 players in the running for the 25-man roster. That 29 includes suspended reliever J.C. Romero, who will miss the first 50 games. The move to release Jenkins, for the moment, gives second baseman Miguel Cairo a spot on the squad, although the Phillies could still add a right-handed bat. Outfielders Wily Mo Pena and Gary Sheffield were both recently released by the Nationals and Tigers, respectively.
I want you all to take a few seconds on click on this link and read the following story, because it does a good job of accentuating the uniqueness of the situation that the Phillies find themselves in with regard to their search for a fifth starter. The article is taken from the Korea Times, and it breathlessly reports Chan Ho Park's latest spring start and his standing in the competition for the No. 5 spot. While it may seem bizarre that an entire nation of baseball fans on the other side of the world is following a position battle at Phillies spring training, it seems that is what is going on. The Korea Times is the oldest of three English-language daily newspapers in South Korea, and it is produced by the largest publishing company in the country. This recap of Park's latest start is linked, with a picture, on the front page of KoreaTimes.com with a headline that says "Start me up!"
How intensely are South Koreans following this battle? The article goes so far as to parse the words written by the Associated Press about yesterday's game against the Astros, attempting to find some indication as to the direction the Phillies are leaning.
Look at it this way: if you stopped a passerby on the streets of Seoul and asked him who J.A. Happ is, there is a good chance that passerby would answer correctly.
Kind of adds a new level of intrigue to the battle, doesn't it?
Chan Ho Park wants to start. He made that clear when he signed, he made that clear when he first arrived at spring training, and he made that clear yesterday when I asked him point blank if he would accept a role in the bullpen.
"Wait and see," was Park's reply.
It seems that this competition is not simply a matter of Park helping the Phillies repeat. It is about national pride. If Park loses the battle to Happ, there will be a story in the Korea Times that says this. And, judging by the way the battle has been framed thus far in media reports over there, it will be portrayed as a defeat.
If the Phillies decide to go with Happ, it will put them in a precarious position. Nobody knows exactly what was said between the two sides during contract negotiations. If Park really came away from the discussions thinking that all he had to do was pitch well to win the starting spot, then it will look like the Phillies are going back on their word if they do not give him the job. After all, he has struck out 25 batters and walked just two this spring. He has a 2.53 ERA. He showed yesterday that he can overcome a rocky start, something that is imperative as a starter.
But from an evaluation standpoint, the Phillies can make a strong case for Happ. Happ has performed well. He has a 3.15 ERA. He has allowed two fewer hits in 1 1/3 fewer innings, at least in Grapefruit League play (minor league appearances and simulated games are not factored into these statistics). And numbers aren't everything. Park faced a line-up yesterday that was devoid of Lance Berkman and Carlos Lee. It is very hard to compare apples to apples in the spring. Looking further down the road, the Phillies have a greater vested interest in Happ's future. At some point in time, they need to find out if he is going to be rotation-material for them down the road. Joe Blanton will be a free agent after the 2010 season and Brett Myers is a free agents next season. If both have good seasons, it is hard to imagine the Phillies being able to have enough payroll flexibility to afford both. Furthermore, Jamie Moyer is 46. And there is no telling where the futures of Kyle Kendrick and Carlos Carrasco lie.
Add in the contributions Happ made last season, and the work he has put in this offseason, and the fact that he has done everything the Phillies have asked him to do, and it would seem to be equally difficult to tell Happ that he just wasn't good enough this spring. Pitching coach Rich Dubee has said all along that he will not forget what Happ did for the team last season.
"Fit" is a word Dubee and Charlie Manuel have used repeatedly when explaining how they will make their decision. Asked yesterday, Manuel didn't say that the winner would be whoever has pitched best this spring. He said the decision will come down to whatever "fits best." Park proved last season he could have success as a reliever. The Phillies, meanwhile, have said all along that they view Happ as a starter.
Maybe Park is the clear-cut choice as a starter. He has certainly looked good. If so, the decision is easy. If he isn't, though, a logical scenario would seem to have Happ begin the season as the starter and keep Park in the bullpen as a reliever/insurance policy. If Happ pitches well, it works out best for the team. If he doesn't, then they can put Park in the rotation and give him his shot.
The problem, of course, is the one we alluded to at the beginning of this blog post. There is no telling how Park would react if the Phillies told him that his sparkling spring just wasn't sparkling enough. At that point, even the most rational of professional athletes would wonder whether the Phillies had ever considered him a realistic option for the starting rotation. The situation, it seems, is more complicated than a simple matter of "fit."
If you told Manuel and Dubee and Ruben Amaro Jr. in February that both Happ and Park would pitch as well as they have, they would have responded by saying that too many quality pitchers is a good problem to have. They would have told you that spring has a way of working these things out.
Well, spring is almost over. Whether the Phillies' problem is a good one or a potentially divisive one will be fascinating to see.
The modern professional athlete is well schooled in limiting his remarks to platitudes. So Chan Ho Park’s answer to a question on whether he’d be willing to accept a relief role if the Phillies decide to use him out of the bullpen and award the final spot in the rotation to lefthander J.A. Happ was the most interesting thing that happened around the Phillies yesterday.
“Uh, I don’t know,” he said somberly. “Let’s see. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Sometimes I’m crazy.”
That got a laugh and Park wouldn’t elaborate. But it’s apparent that he’s going top be unhappy if he doesn’t win the competition.
Making what is expected to be his last exhibition start of the spring in yesterday’s 13-3 win over the Houston Astros, Park gave up two runs, one earned, on six hits and a walk in 5 2/3 innings. He also struck out seven, lowering his Grapefruit League earned run average to 2.53.
His walk-strikeout ratio is an amazing 2-to-25 in 21 1/3 innings.
Happ has a 3.15 ERA with six walks and 14 strikeouts in 20 innings. He’s expected top pitch at least once more.
When the Phillies signed Park to a 1-year, $2.5 million contract this winter, they envisioned him as a reliever who could give them multiple innings. But they also promised him an opportunity to start, a promise that Park has clearly taken seriously.
For our previous entry with Phillies odds and Cole Hamels' day, click here.
Figure this is a good way to kill some time at work.
The following are some Phillies-related Over/Unders courtesy of BoDogLife.com.
Log your predictions now so you can say "I told you so" at the end of the year:
I'll try to put more up later in the week.
^
As for actual news, here is Cole Hamels' line from his minor league appearance today: Hamels in Minor Lg game: 4 IP, 10 H, 3 R, 1 BB, 5 K, 64 pitches, 44 strikes.
I didn't watch it. Paul Hagen was there. He'll have a complete report when he returns.
Phillies ace Cole Hamels gave up 10 hits and three earned runs in four innings of work against the Yankees' Triple A team today.
Hamels struck out five and walked one.
He next pitches Saturday at Citizens Bank Park in an exhibition against the Tampa Bay Rays.
The Phillies have optioned pitcher Carlos Carrasco and outfielder John Mayberry Jr. to the minor leagues.
Carrasco's demotion crystallizes the battle for the fifth starter spot between J.A. Happ and Chan Ho Park.
Second baseman Marcus Giles was released. Giles was attempting to make a comeback after spending last season out of baseball. The pace of Chase Utley's recovery likely made Giles expendable.
The Phillies also told reliever Mike Koplove, a South Philly native; outfielder Jason Ellison; and veteran infielder Pablo Ozuna they will not make the team, but the three will accompany the team north for the weekend exhibition series at Citizens Bank Park.
I have a confession to make: I missed the second half of the Villanova game. I wanted to wake up early today and get some work done on my season preview stories that were due on Wednesday (yes, last Wednesday). So at halftime, I turned off the TV, rolled over and went to bed.
I woke up this morning and I checked my Blackberry and saw that I had two missed calls and two voice mails from two of my friends back in Philadelphia. Both calls came at the exact same time -- 10:23 p.m. I knew right away that I had missed something great. And I knew right away that something happened at 10:23. Sure enough, I turned on the computer, and read all about Scottie Reynolds shot. I still haven't checked the voice mails. It is going to hurt to listen to them. I grew up following two college basketball teams -- Nova and Duke. My first favorite college basketball player of all time was Bobby Hurley. My second was Kerry Kittles. I remember the day they lost to Tony Gonzalez and the Cal Bears. Jay Wright has done a tremendous job doing what Steve Lappas could not -- establishing continuity in the program and getting his players to play big in big games. Not to brag, but my Final Four is still intact: Connecticut, Nova, Louisville and Oklahoma. For the record, I have Oklahoma winning it all.
Anyway, I say all this as a prelude to a question I will ask you all this morning. One of my stories for our preview section, which runs in Friday's paper, is a look at new general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. While working on the story, I came across the Five Keys for the Phillies' offseason that I examined when he was hired on Nov. 3rd.
Take a look at them, and let me know how you think he did accomplishing them.
1 Setting the outfield.
The most obvious situation that needs to be ironed out concerns leftfielder Pat Burrell. Burrell has said he would like to remain in Philadelphia, and the Phillies have said they would like to keep him. But with 10 days before the start of the free-agent signing period, the two sides are not close to a deal. Burrell hit .250 this season, his lowest average since he hit .209 in 2003. His on-base percentage of .367 was his lowest since 2004. But his 33 home runs were the second most of his career (37 in 2002) and he is a known quantity, having hit at least 24 home runs with at least 84 RBI in seven of his last eight seasons.
If Burrell does not return, it will be hard to replace that production with one player. Amaro yesterday indicated that Manny Ramirez, perhaps the only superstar of the free-agent crop, was not a leading option.
The Phillies have some flexibility, since Jayson Werth and Shane Victorino can play all three outfield positions. They also have veteran rightfielders Geoff Jenkins and Matt Stairs signed through next season.
"If Pat Burrell is not with us, we know we're going to have a void in leftfield," Amaro said. "We might have to deal with that internally with the Geoff Jenkinses of the world and the Matt Stairses of the world."
2 Arbitration.
It's something of a catch-22. To win a World Series, you need several players to have career years. But then you have to pay them for those career years. The Phillies will have 10 players eligible for arbitration. Among those in line for sizable raises are Victorino, Werth, reliever Ryan Madson, starter Cole Hamels and first baseman Ryan Howard. With Burrell's $14.25 million salary off the books and a payroll that will surely increase from $103 million after this year's record attendance and World Series run, the Phillies will have money to spend. But how much of that is spent on free agents will depend largely on how much is spent in the arbitration process.
3 Hamels and Howard.
Howard won a $10 million salary in arbitration last season after he and the Phillies found themselves far apart on a long-term contract. Hamels, meanwhile, was renewed at $500,000 after the two sides failed to agree on a contract. In the past, the Phillies guaranteed themselves some cost certainty by agreeing to extensions with Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley. It will be interesting to see if they are able to do the same with their two other stars.
4 The rotation.
Amaro said he is happy with the top of his rotation, which right now features Hamels and righthanders Brett Myers and Joe Blanton. If Myers remains the pitcher he was for the majority of the second half of the season, it could be one of the more formidable 1-2-3 combinations in the National League. That said, there is some mystery as to who will inherit the No. 4 and No. 5 spots. Righthander Adam Eaton, who is entering the last year of a 3-year, $24.5 million contract, was absent for the Phillies' postseason run and did not participate in any of the post-World Series festivities. But he is still a member of the team. Righthander Kyle Kendrick, 24, was in the rotation for most of the season but was left off the postseason roster after struggling down the stretch. Lefthander J.A. Happ pitched well when called upon and will surely compete for a spot. Prospect Carlos Carrasco could also be a factor. But the biggest question involves 45-year-old lefthander Jamie Moyer, who led the team with 16 victories. Amaro labeled re-signing Moyer a priority.
5 Fortifying the bullpen.
Amaro said he will try to re-sign veteran lefthander Scott Eyre, who performed well after the Phillies acquired him from the Cubs in August. Madson was a star in the postseason and seems poised to enter the 2009 season as the team's setup man. But the Phillies are always looking to improve the bullpen, and there are plenty of options available in free agency. Ideally, they'd like to add another lefthanded arm to go with Eyre and J.C. Romero.
The Phillies have acquired lefthander reliever Jack Taschner from the San Francisco Giants in exchange for catcher Ronny Paulino, multiple sources have confirmed to the Daily News.
Taschner, 30, was 3-2 with a 4.88 earned run average in 67 appearances for the Giants last season. He pitched 48 innings, allowing 57 hits with 39 strikeouts and 24 walks. For his career, he is 8-4 with a 5.01 ERA in 178 games.
He provides the Phillies with another lefthanded arm in the bullpen, something the Phillies will need especially early in the season while J.C. Romero serves his 50-game suspension.
Paulino was acquired during the winter meetings from Pittsburgh for Jason Jaramillo in an exchange of catching prospects. He was hitting .194 in spring training with a home run and two RBI. He has struck out 12 times in 31 at-bats.
The deal also solidifies Chris Coste as the backup catcher behind Carlos Ruiz. When the deal for Paulino was initially made, speculation was that Coste might be on his way out. Paulino's performance this spring helped insure that was not the case.
Look for more in tomorrow's Daily News.
