LOOGY: Availability, and reality
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LOOGY: Availability, and reality
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
With 23 roster spots filled by players who will make an estimated $138 million, the Phillies enter the final month of the offseason with very little monetary or logistical flexibility. Which means their search to bolster their pitching depth, which we highlighted yesterday, will almost certainly be more Salvation Army and less Nordstrom's. That might not be what you want to hear, but before you rip, be sure to consider a few facts:
1) The Phillies will be paying $1.75 million to Geoff Jenkins and Adam Eaton this season, a reminder that spending for spending's sake carries consequences that outlive the present.
2) The Phillies will enter the 2010 season with a payroll that is at least $5 million more than it was on Opening Day last year.
From where we sit, the club's most pressing concern is the perilous lack of starting pitching depth throughout the organization. But today, we are going to take a look at another area GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has said he is hoping to address. It is a familiar one to anybody who has followed this team for the last couple years: a veteran left-handed reliever. If you were to look at the roughly 900 by-lines I have accumulated since beginning my coverage of this team back in February of 2008, you will find that about 600 of them have to do with the Phillies' pursuit of a left-handed reliever. Two years ago, they spent the majority of the offseason and spring training looking for another arm to compliment J.C. Romero, before finally getting Scott Eyre from the Cubs in August. Last year, they shipped Jason Jaramillo to Pittsburgh for Ronny Paulino, then later shipped Paulino to San Francisco for lefty Jack Taschner.
This year, the Phillies once again find themselves looking for that lefty specialist, this time to replace Eyre, who logged a solid year-and-a-half with the club, but who is recovering from elbow surgery and apparently disinclined to accept the non-guaranteed minor league deal that RAJ has offered. While the difference between Eyre and the club is unfortunate -- Eyre could have underwent surgery in September last year and perhaps been in a better position to secure a guaranteed deal at this point, but instead pitched through pain in the postseason -- but it makes sense from both sides. Given the aforementioned roster and budget inflexibility, the Phillies are uncomfortable doling out a guaranteed sum of money without knowing exactly how healthy and effective Eyre will be. As for Eyre, any veteran who has been in the league as long as he has is looking for guaranteed money. I'm sure there is a certain amount of pride involved as well -- after serving as a critcial member of the bullpen the last two seasons, it would have to be tough to show up to spring training as a non-roster invitee.
This, of course, begs the question: What else is out there?
And that, of course, begs the answer: Not much, which is why the Phillies are likely to go the minor league route. After all, to guarantee money to a player, he would have to present a significantly better option than Antonio Bastardo or Sergio Escalona, the two young lefties who figure to get a long look in spring training.
Below, we've broken down the remaining left-handed relievers on the open market. We've placed them into two categories: Potential Fits, and Unlikely Fits. Potential fits are mostly guys who could end up signing minor league deals.
Potential Fits:
- Ron Mahay, KC Royals: The Phillies have expressed cursory interest in the 39-year-old veteran over the past couple of seasons. And after posting a 4.79 ERA and 1.790 WHIP for the Royals, who released him in August, he might be forced to settle for a minor league deal. Mahay has appeared in the playoffs just once in his 13-year-career -- this year with the Twins, who signed him after his release from KC.
- Will Ohman, LA Dodgers: His name has already appeared in area newspapers more than perhaps any other player who was never close to signing with the Phillies, mostly because last year at this time he was one of the few lefties available and there wasn't much else to write about. He ended up signing a minor league deal with the Dodgers, but appeared in just 12.1 big league innings. He has held lefties to a .204 average in his career.
- Mark Hendrickson, Baltimore Orioles: He is low on this list because he is likely going to get a major league deal with somebody, perhaps even the Orioles, according to a recent report in the Baltimore Sun. But if the Phillies are going to dole out big league dollars to somebody, a guy like Hendrickson (a former Sixers draft pick) might fit. The 36-year-old went 6-5 with 4.37 ERA in 53 APP, 11 starts for Orioles last year. He could be a fallback starting option if either Jamie Moyer or Kyle Kendrick do not work out. And as a reliever, he posted a 3.44 ERA, 1.273 WHIP, 6.1 K/9 in 55 innings. He also lives in York, for what that's worth (and to most people who live in York, it isn't worth much).
- Scott Schoeneweis, Diamondbacks: Dealt with tragedy last season when his wife was found dead in their home in late May. Struggled for the rest of the season, allowing 17 runs in 13.1 innings over the rest of the season. A Lenape High grad, he held lefties to a .178 average, .243 OBP and .520 OPS in 2008 with the Mets. Lefties have hit .227 off of him in his career.
- Ron Villone, Nationals: Ron Villone: Lefties hit .293/.386 against him last year, .176/.311 in 2008, .239/.311 in 2007. He has played for 12 teams in 15 seasons, posting a 4.25 ERA, 1.705 WHIP in 48.2 innings for Nats last season.
- Alan Embree, Rockies: At 39 years old, he struggled for the Rockies last season. Has held lefties to a career .239 average.
Unlikely Fits
- Brian Shouse, Rays - A solid veteran, but he turned down arbitration from the Rays, which leads me to believe that he is pretty confident about his chances of landing a guaranteed contract. A Type B Free Agent, he posted a 4.50 ERA, 1.357 WHIP in 28.0 IP for Rays last year and a 2.81 ERA, 1.169 WHIP in 51.1 IP for Brewers in 08. Lefties hit .224/.246, .620 OPS (Righites .356, 1.065 OPS) in 09, .180/.196, .486 OPS in 08.
- Joe Beimel, Rockies: Solid ERA (3.17) and manageable WHIP (1.361) over last five seasons, so I'd expect somebody to give him a guaranteed deal. But he has never been great against lefties, and just doesn't seem to fit with what the Phillies are looking for.
- Ken Takahashi, Mets: Lefties hit .302/.387 with .859 OPS in 09. Righties hit .156/.278 for .567 OPS. Flip that around and we might be able to talk. Chase Utley and Raul Ibanez combined to go 4-for-7 with a home run and two doubles off him last year, although Ryan Howard did go 0-for-5 with four strikeouts.
- Horacio Ramirez, Royals: 11 ER in 22.2 IP for Royals last season. 5.2 K/9. Lefties hit .245/.288 in 49 ABs last year, .350/.403 in 60 ABs in 2008.
- Jamie Walker, Orioles: 6.44 ERA, 1.649 WHIP, 5.9 SO/9, 50.1 IP in last two seasons with Orioles. LHB hit .458 with four home runs in 24 at-bats in 2009, .304 with 7 HR in 92 AB in 2008.
- Glendon Rusch, Rockies: 6.75 ERA in 18.2 IP for Rockies last season. Lefties 7/19. Lefties .257/.261 in 109 AB in 2008, when he posted 5.16 ERA in 83.2 IP (9 starts) for Padres and Rockies.
- John Bale, Royals: LHB hit .271/.338 last season, .275/.346 in 08. 5.72 ERA in 28.1 IP last year. 4.39 ERA in 26.2 IP in 2008. 36 years old.
So, as you can see, there isn't much out there, certainly not much that warrants a major league deal. The worst thing the Phillies could do at this point is give guaranteed money to the wrong guy, which would diminish the opportunities for their young arms to prove themselves while also impacting their financial flexibility at the trade deadline.
Comments (42)
Offering Eyre a minor contract is insulting. If they are so worried about his arm, make it an incentive laiden deal. Guess they are too worried about having Eyre and Romero recovering at the same time. I must say, I dont care for many of the moves Ruben has made, but then again, we now have the best righty in MLB.— dweb- Why not offer Eyre a smaller guarantee than the 2 mill he got last year, with incentives that would make up the difference?— P Even
- Let Escalona, Bastardo, Mathieson and carpenter duke it for the remaining BP spots.— flyer77
- I thought Eaton and Jenkins were finished stealing money from the Phils last season...— sfm5003
- Eyre should have never said about 2010 "Either the Phillies or retirement". What kind of bargaining position is that? He should have said "Either I will retire or play for the Phillies in 2010...unless they only offer me a non-guaranteed, minor league deal. Then all bets are off."— spra6179
- Dave, how come the Phils don't offer Eyre a minor league deal with an option to become guaranteed if he makes the opening day roster out of spring training? That would give the phils an opportunity to see if he is recovered and to let Eyre know that that is the only reason they are offering that type of deal.— engineeringagr8tdrive
- It took me 8 minutes to read the line about Ron Villone.— Burrell
- Flyer is correct. Let the kids try it out. Other teams like LA do it all the time. Time to allow the minor kids become major kids.— KGKoons
- So dweb, which of the moves by Amaro don't you like?? Signing some of the core players who were responsible for the WS title to long term deals?? Signing Ibanez, who was responsible for giving them an early season spurt? Trading prospects for Cliff Lee? Trading for Roy Halladay? There's only maybe two moves I didn't care for--maybe trading Cliff Lee--but then again, I understand you have to build your minor leagues back up; and giving Moyer a 2 year deal--but at the same time, if you don't give the leader in wins--and he had 16 in 2008--what he wants, what kind of signal does that send to the rest of the team?— bobbyuk
- Great post, as usual Murph. I would suggest offering a minor league deal to Embree who is battle-tested, and roll the dice on the Phillies Minor League prospects. Everyone knows that the bullpen you start with is NEVER the bullpen you finish the season with. RAJ will make additional moves as the season progresses. The bottom line is that this team's success doesn't depend on middle relieve, it depends on two people: Lidge and Hamels. If those two are the 08 version, reserve the ticker tape. If they are the 09 version, make other plans for Halloween.— bobo_29
Comment removed.- bobbyuk- go drink some more Kool-Aid, the Ibanez signing was horrible there was no reason to give an aging, limited fielder a three year deal at above market value when there was no real competition for him. They could have had Dunn,or Abreau for less total cost and years, the Moyer signing cost us Cliff Lee, and the Polanco signing was also a mistake, Rueben loves him some aging , already in decline players. I would have rather them traded Ryan Howard for prospects than move Cliff Lee, I can only hope they don't extend him in his decline phase as well, players with his body type have had rapid declines.— Rob Neyer sucks
- I definitely agree - look at the pluses from the off season here: 1.)Majorly upgraded the bench - getting rid of Stairs and Bruntlett for the BEST pinch hitter from last year. 2.)Grabbed Doc - THE BEST righty in MLB. 3.)Kept the POTENT offense in tact WHILE adding Polanco, which will help consistency at the plate. All three of these moves makes the Phillies so much better...it's in plain sight folks. Losing Park, Eyre, Martinez mean NOTHING.— Hollywood Junkie
- So Rob Neyer--you would have them trade the greatest first baseman in Phils history for prospects than lose Cliff Lee?? Okay, heard it all now. Polanco will be a stabilizing force in the lineup. Dude, I watch a lot of baseball--I am from Philly, and some of the things you talk about is nonsense. Also, Scott Eyre announced his retirement today according to the Phils website.— bobbyuk
- bobbyuk- you clearly do not watch a lot of baseball, a pitcher of Cliff Lee's caliber is far more valuable than any 1B outside of Albert Pujols. Im not sure how one defines stabilizng force, but Polanco's OBP and OPS+ has decreased dramatically over the last couple of seasons. Clearly you over-value Ryan Howard, and probably think RBI's are an important stat so having a rational baseball conversation with you will probably prove to be difficult.— Rob Neyer sucks
- Honestly, Ruben had a major fail this off-season, He could have had Capps/Beltre both on 1 yr deals, and instead we get Baez/Polanco for 5 years. That seems like an epic fail to save 2 or 3 million in payroll for this year alone.— Rob Neyer sucks
- I know the message board has been non-stop Cliff Lee, but in a seriousness, who among the prospects the Phils received, will actually make it to the majors? It's ironic that the concern is a depleted pitching roster when tying up both Lee and Halladay long-term would have allowed prospects to be recruited and ripen PLUS the problematic BP would not be as much on the front burner with two pitchers who are sure-fire to pitch deep into the game.— Manor2009
- as fans who watch a lot of baseball i think we can all agree that ibanez will be a $10 million bench player wasting space in LF. at least rubes only gave polanco $6 mill. of course in both instances rubes was only bidding against himself.— sunking44
- sunking44- you are a refreshing voice of reason on this borad, and you are spot on, Ibanez deal will looked bad during the second half of las year, will look awful this year, and indefensible next year. Who else was going to give him 3 years, same with Polanco, where was the other interest in him coming from. I don't understand why they feel the need to give these aging players way above market deals in terms of both money and years.— Rob Neyer sucks
- Rob Neyer...Wow. A case history of someone deteriorating from anxiety disorder to psychosis in one post.— Bob1
- All of this left handed relief talk reminds me...what do the Phillies think of Joe Savery? I know he is a spring invite but he seems to have dropped off the radar screen. Eyre announced his retirement today and I've got to believe that Moyer may do the same very soon.— AlanInFlorida
- It's pretty clear from what Lee has said that the trade was about $. Why not keep Lee for '10 rather than trade him for "prospects." The pitching staff would have been awesome and RAJ wouldn't be fishing for a low price alternative. If Lee walks after '10 you still would have a WS championship to show for it. Bad move, though I love that they got Doc. With Ibanez aging and Werth a FA after '10 they need to start thinking about replacing these guys.— AlanInFlorida
- Neyer - I don't disagree with everything you say. But if you are going to pull the declining-numbers card on Polanco, you can't then ignore the fact that Beltre's OPS+ has fallen from 112 to 108 to 82 over the last three seasons. As for the Ibanez contract, they picked the wrong time to be in the market for a corner outfielder. Keep in mind at the time a lot of people thought the Phils would've been smarter to retain Pat Burrell or go after Milton Bradley. Of the OF free agents last season, the smartest contract after year one is clearly the one the Angels gave Juan Rivera, who I thought last year would look good in this line-up. But even with his second-half slump, you have to say Ibanez earned his money last year. I was surprised by the third year on the Polanco contract, but the Phils didn't have time to wait around for Beltre's expectations to come down. The Red Sox had options at third and could afford to wait.
- David_Murphy- Beltre played in an extreme pitcher's park, the deal would have been for one year, and we've seen what Beltre has done when healthy in contract years. He's younger than Polanco and a superior defender. Im not sure too many GM's would take 3 years of Polanco over 1 of Beltre at this point.— Rob Neyer sucks
- Davis, also this is the second consecutive year Ruben has misread the market, why the rush, even if Polanco signs elsewhere, there were players that could have given you comprable production for similar dollars. It would have been advantageous to let the bigger chips fall, i.e. Bay, Holliday, etc. Before signing a 3B, while it was a need this lineup doesn't need more than league average production from that spot. Also, my issue with the Ibanez deal wasn't so much last year, I expected solid production from him in the first year of the deal, but these next two seasons will really prove to be a poor allocation of resources. His defensive mectrics, UZR, and Dewan's +/- were both below average last year and will only get worse with age.— Rob Neyer sucks
- Neyer sucks - Like I said, I don't disagree with everything you've said. You won't be able to judge the Ibanez deal until the third year of the contract. And I'm not so sure that the Phils rushed into the Ibanez deal last year. My understanding is that the Mets were heavily interested, and I know the Cubs had some interest at one time as well. Juan Rivera aside, I don't think the Phils get to the WS last year with any of the FAs who were avail. outside of Ibanez. And that would have led them to trade for DeRosa rather than Lee at the deadline, and so on. Like I said, I was surprised they moved so quickly to give Polanco three years (although I think the DeRosa deal is a better comparison than the Beltre deal, particularly since Boras knows that Fenway is tailor made for Beltre in a contract year). I just don't think the Ibanez deal is as bad of a contract as a lot of people have made it out.
- tell it like it is fitz. the people who continually berate the phils gives us all a bad name.— bigphillydad
- bigphillydad- I didnt realize being objective about the decision's the front office ha made is equivalent to constantly berating. I suppose I should just accept every decision they make as gospel. Sure, trading one of the 10 best pitchers in the league for marginal prospects is a great idea. I am frustrated because this core's window is closing, and why ownership has decided to operate with such a concrete budget is perplexing. Cliff Lee would have made them clear favorites, and he was a bargain at 9 million, there is no salary cap in baseball, I dont see the reason this team couldnt have carried an extra 9 million for one season.— Rob Neyer sucks
- David -- Loved the Salvation Army versus Nordstrom reference. But what does the title of this blog post mean? LOOGY, is it Left Over Oddities Get Yucky? Those were some miserable options you listed!— tomvallar
- "another arm to compliment J.C. Romero" Looking handsome, JC! Love you, Murph, but spelling counts.— DaleACooke
- Why is Condrey not coming back? He was very solid when healthy last year.— ronin32
- When the Phillies traded Cliff Lee I was all for it.With the BP in the shape it`s in now I`m not so sure it was the right move.Cliff was an innings eater and it looks like we could use him now.— penn state man
- You never know what you get year to year with relievers. Be careful before you spend a ton of money on a guy you want to run out of town by May.— hawk18
- I might take a chance of Schoeneweis. Otherwise, it comes from Bastardo, Escalona or some combination thereof. I can't believe one of those guys is going to be worse than Mahay or Shouse, junkballers who run deep counts and then walk the guy. And here comes Charlie Manual back out to the mound.— wooderice
- Hey Fishtown...I'd take Francona or Bowa (not over Cholly, though). I just never want to see Leyva or Felske ever again!— Scorekeeper
Murph: "Could have underwent?" Watch that perfect tense, boychik. It's "could have undergone," of course.- Murph wrote this piece while shopping at Ollies.— mick314
- Well done again Murph, I got a name that hasn't been thrown around yet but could pay huge dividends, I remember B.J. Ryan being a stud in both Baltimore and Toronto (A.L. East). He ran into some injury trouble the past couple years and never lived up to that huge contract Toronto gave him, something like 12 million? He was released by the Cubbies back in August so he might come cheap with possibly a minor league deal or a heavily incentive based deal. He's a lefty with closing expierence, he is injury prone but still 34 years old might have something left. Scouts say his velocity is down but as a left handed specialist/set up guy I could see him having some success. As for the other possible FAs I'd rather see Bastardo and Escalona battle it out and bring some youth to the pen.— hit n run
- Whatever! If he's healthy later in this upcoming season they'll place a call to Eyre, bet on it! Just sayin'...— DJ
- Good seein you at Liberties on Friday night Dave— dae2217
- For just another $10 million the cheapskate mystery owners could have had a World Series in 2010. And don't say they cannot afford it. How many sellouts did the Phils have last year? Compare the ticket prices to those throughout the rest of the league. I could understand parsimoniousness among the poor, but tightwad rich guys are beyond disgusting.— Delaware Jim
- i couldn't believe they'd grabbed ibanez last year rather than bringing back abreu. yeah, sure: raul had that fantastic spring, but overall, he did no more than burrell had done the season before (and didn't do nearly so well in the late season clutch); abreu had a, well, an abreu year. and will have again. and again. i rejoiced when we got lee. here, i thought, is truly a top-rate pitcher, and didn't he prove that in the post! whatta move, rube! but then... omigawd, he's gone! and in return we got -- whaaa?!? all right, the inky and dn reporters kiss tuches. they always have, they always will. it's part of their job description. but i really can't understand comment posters who believe amaro has done a good job. we are fortunate to play in a weak league, were fortunate in '08 to play a weak team in the series. with lee (and park, and eyre, and condrey), we'd have a great shot at being up there with the yankees, red sox, angels and perhaps dodgers as cream of the crop. THAT should be the goal, the only goal, and if it costs a few mill more, so what.— kiwi
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