Bullpen set -- kind of
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Bullpen set -- kind of
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
It is shaping up to be an anti-climactic week here in Clearwater. Throughout spring, the only two roster decisions hanging over the Phillies' lay in the front of the bullpen and the back of the rotation. And, over the past week, the club has answered most of the bullpen issue, optioning lefties Mike Zagurski and Sergio Escalona to minor league camp. As we outlined in the paper today, that leaves seven healthy relievers for seven bullpen spots, which would seem to indicate that the seven healthy relievers will be the ones filling those seven roster spots.
Still, don't carve your Opening Day rosters into stone yet. There is still a chance that a quality arm becomes available over the next few weeks as teams across the majors pare down their rosters. Many players who are out of options are competing for spots, which means they could end up on the wavier wire if they lose those battles.
We've highlighted several of those players here below. As you'll see, there aren't many obvious upgrades to the Phillies' current situation. And for good reason -- teams take into consideration a players' option when making roster decisions. All things being equal, a guy who can be optioned back to the minors without hitting the waiver wire will lose out to a guy who is out of options. Take, for instance, the Phillies: if they did sign another reliever, there is a chance they'd opt to send Antonio Bastardo to the minors, at least for the time being, so they could hold on to Rule 5 pick David Herndon, who must be offered back to the Angels if he is removed from the active roster.
The two most intriguing names that could be on the market are Yankees righthanders Sergio Mitre and Chad Gaudin, who are competing for spots in the rotation and bullpen. There is a good chance that at least one of them is released or traded. But the Phillies already have a plethora of righties, most of whom can pitch multiple innings, so those two players are unlikely options.
Brewers lefties Manny Parra and Chris Narveson are competing for roster spots, but folks in Milwaukee expect the club to find a way to hang on to both.
Other lefties who are out of options, but who are unlikely to hit the waiver wire, include the Cubs' Tom Gorzelanny, the Dodgers' Eric Stults, and the Blue Jays' Brian Tallet.
The Marlins have three lefties competing for two spots, but Dan Meyer and Renyel Pinto are coming off strong seasons, and Andrew Miller can be sent back to the minors. Righthander Leo Rosales also has a spot on the team.
Here is a break down of some of the players who are out of options:
LHP Dana Eveland (Blue Jays): Acquried in the offseaon for cash considerations, the 26-year-old lefty is competing for a spot in the Blue Jays rotation, but could conceivably stick in the team's bullpen. Eveland went 2-3 with a 7.65 ERA in nine starts for the A's last season, and allowed one earned run in four innings of relief. In 29 starts in 2008, he held lefties to a .248 average while going 9-8 with a 4.34 ERA.
RHP Merkin Valdez (Blue Jays): A solid candidate for a spot in the Blue Jays' pen, he could nevertheless find himself a victim of numbers. Valdez struck posted a 5.66 ERA, 1.723 WHIP, 6.9 K/9 and 5.1 BB/9 in 48 relief appearances for the Giants last year. He is 28 years old.
LHP Dan Meyer (Marlins): A likely piece of the Marlins bullpen, the 28-year-old posted a 3.09 ERA, 8.6 K/9, 1.166 WHIP and 3.2 BB/9 in 71 relief appearances for Florida last year. Lefties hit .228 against the Kingsway High grad. Would be a surprise if he was released.
RHP Hayden Penn (Marlins): He struck out 27 in 22 innings last year, but walked 20 and posted a 7.77 ERA in 15 relief appearances and one start. Penn is 25 years old.
LHP Renyel Pinto (Marlins): Like Meyer, he's coming off a strong 2009, and like Meyer, he will likely get a spot in Florida's bullpen.
RHP Tyler Walker (Nationals): Walker was a solid contributor during the second half and could have a hard time making Washington's Opening Day roster.
RHP Luis Mendoza (Rangers): Primarily a starter, he likely would not be an ideal fit for the Phillies.
RHP Robinson Tejeda (Royals): The former Phillie might lose his battle for No. 5 starter, but there is a good chance he winds up in Kansas City's bullpen.
LHP Brad Thomas (Tigers): Last pitched in the majors in 2004, he is battling a deep field of lefties in Tigers camp. Thomas has pitched in Japan and Korea in recent years. He's allowed three earned runs on nine hits with six strikeouts and five walks in seven spring training innings.
Given Bastardo's and Herndon's relatively strong performances this season, the most logical move would seem to involve throwing the young players into the fire for the first couple weeks of the season, then re-evaluating once Brad Lidge and J.C. Romero return.
Chad Gaudin is just waived.— illrhyme- Really, none of these guys are either A. Likely to be released or B. Better than the options they've got now. The upside to tossing Bastardo and Herndon into the pen now outweighs any potential names that may realistically come onto the market. Neither one is a star, but no one else is jumping off the page at me.— KPREAVY
- We are not going to find a real good pitcher off the scrap heap. I am fine with starting with what we have. If Lidge and Romero show they cannot come back... a trade will be needed to get a more viable solution..as long as its not Dom Brown.— bradco
- They have to hang on to Herndon, not really for the money's sake but the potential he's bringing with his sinker. He's got pitches that are absolutely suited for the Bank, and work extremely well in the pen, which is where the Phils need a bit of depth now and cheaper solutions for the future. The bullpen has a lot of money tied up in Lidge/Madson/Romero, and if they can find much cheaper replacements, as these guys leave, it frees up money for contracts like Werth/Howard, arbitration, potential free agents, etc. Herndon and Bastardo could be the start to a younger, just as effective bullpen for the Phils.— Bleue
- Hey, for once I agree with folks. We seem to be in good shape right now, if Lidge can even return to B or B-plus form. If not, we have Baez, can retry Madson -- and go on the market. Let's hope that happens before July or August, though. I can't stand to watch as many meltdowns as we saw last year.— eman
- Charlie's got a great problem to have -- more talent than roster spots!
- What was the point of this article now? None of those names are going to be Phils. I guess Murph needed a space filler. Why don't we go out and get someone like Joakim Soria, Heath Bell, or some other good closer. Lidge won't be any good this year or ever.— scars73
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- Imagine DR & Kenny— mick314
- The easiest decision is when Lidge returns, KK could go down to AAA if Herndon is pitching well. This also gives KK the opportunity to stretch his arm again. Romero's return is where it can get tricky. If they stayed with one lefty reliever then the Inglorious one gets sent down. If they HAVE to keep two lefties and Herndon is pitching well, look for them to drop one of their other middle right handers in Durbin or Contreras because they are on reasonable one year contracts. Herndon is the key. If he pitches well, the Phils need to keep him because they will have is rights for 5 years and he will be cheap. If he isn't pitching well, he is the easy cut and gets offered back to the Angels. Lastly, if he pitches REALLY bad, the Angels might not take him back. Then we can develop him in our system.— BammBamm
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