No arb offers for Park, Eyre; Smoltz an option; More
Want to know what the Phillies clubhouse looks like on a Tuesday afternoon in December? It's kind of eerie, really. The lockers are vacant, the office chairs that normally sit in front of them are vacant, the coffee tables are stowed away. It is less Pompei and more science classroom in the middle of the summer. Ruben Amaro Jr. stood in front of J.C. Romero's locker an hour ago and looked at the gaggle of media that surrounded him.
No arb offers for Park, Eyre; Smoltz an option; More
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Want to know what the Phillies clubhouse looks like on a Tuesday afternoon in December? It's kind of eerie, really. The lockers are vacant, the office chairs that normally sit in front of them are vacant, the coffee tables are stowed away. It is less Pompei and more science classroom in the middle of the summer. Ruben Amaro Jr. stood in front of J.C. Romero's locker an hour ago and looked at the gaggle of media that surrounded him.
"Slow news day?" the general manager remarked.
Well, yes. But any sort of news in early December is a welcome break from the rumor and innuendo upon which we have been forced to subsist. In addition to rapping with new back-up catcher Brian Schneider, we had a chance to pick Amaro's brain on the offseason to date.
Here is a quick summation, with the murky details to be relayed in the paper tomorrow:
1) The Phillies are not planning on offering Chan Ho Park or Scott Eyre arbitration, meaning they will not receive compensation should either of their two Type B free agents sign elsewhere. The club does not want to have its finances taken out of its hand, Amaro said, and offering arbitration to either Park or Eyre carries the risk of them accepting and having their 2010 salary decided by a panel of judges.
2) The Phillies have expressed some interest in John Smoltz, Amaro essentially confirmed. I say "essentially," because Amaro has made it a point not to comment on individual free agents. But asked about Smoltz and a report that the Phillies had made contact with his representation, Amaro said the veteran starter/reliever would be the type of low-risk high-reward arm the team is seeking. But, he said, he is not sure if Smoltz would be willing to accept the role (and, presumably, salary) that the Phillies have in mind for him.
3) Rotation depth remains a focal point of the offseason, even moreso with the health hiccups Jamie Moyer has suffered over the past few months. The veteran lefthander, who is owed $8 million next season, is out of the hospital after having surgery to remove a blood collection that was causing pain in his surgically-repaired lower abdomen. And the minor surgery he has planned to repair the meniscus in his left knee might be bumped back to January, which could cause his rehab to drag into the early part of spring training. The Phillies still feel like Moyer will be ready to compete once Grapefruit League games begin. But he is a 47-year-old pitcher coming off fairly intensive surgery, and even when healthy struggled as a starter in 2009. So yes, Amaro said, the team is hoping to add at least one more player who can compete with Moyer and righthander Kyle Kendrick for the fifth spot in the rotation.
4) Amaro said he was happy with the team's pursuit of a third baseman and is hopeful that something will get done before too long. I'd expect things to start picking up in the next week: Tonight is the deadline for teams to offer arbitration to their free agents, after which a player like Placido Polanco may no longer be a Type A free agent, and therefore would not require that the Phillies forfeit a first round draft pick. Polanco, Mark DeRosa and Mariners third baseman Adrian Beltre are three players who are potential fits for the team.
Sign A.I.— mick314- I think Park prefers to start, not come out of the pen. I'm sure the Phils would love to have him back, so my guess is by not offering him arbitration they will allow him to pursue starting options and hope to get some goodwill in return. When those fail to materialize, let's hope the Phils offer to relieve will be as good as any others!— dankil13
- Would have made sense to offer Park arbitration. I can understand Amaro not wanting the payroll to be decided in arbitration but if Park accepted it's not like he was going to get an outrageous ruling in his favor, plus we'd have that time to come to an agreement without any other teams upping the ante and if he declined then we get a pick for him if he signs elsewhere.— trizot
- Smoltz??? Maybe 10 years ago... C'mon Amaro stop with this rubbish talk, it's bad enough you brought back Moyer... Go after quality if you want to build a dynasty...— zeezuma
- 1) No arbitration to Park? Why not? I disagree. 2) Smoltz? Really? Seriously? Please dear God no. 3) Moyer deal was bad but it was more a reward than anything for the WS. Moyer won't pitch the whole season anyway and this is his swan song.— DennyP
- The Phillies haven't given up on Park, they just don't want an arbiter opening the vaults for him or Eyre. Unless someone guarantees him a starting spot, I think Park comes back.— JLH
- I heard Mike Lowell's name being tossed about as a third baseman possibility, on another board. Someone please tell me it was just internet/radio nonsense.— JLH
Comment removed.- I'm waitin' until next week, by then we should see more of Amaro's plan unfold.— southern eagle fan
- With Park it's probably more than just salary. It's getting him to agree to be a reliever. I think the Phils just want to make sure there's a 100% meeting of the minds with the Park contract.— phasor
- Why all the hatin' on Moyer? He's a dynamic, respected player in the clubhouse. He accepted the role that was shoved down his throat in the middle of last season and excelled in it. Am I the only one on here that remembers the rain delays that Pedro couldn't finish last year? Standing ovations from the crowd? Led the team in wins? Hello? Anyone?— vafan
- Are the Phillies following a 'back to the future' strategy of bringing in lowed priced former-stars well past their prime? It didn't work then and it won't work now. If the Phillies added up all their nickel and dime payout pursuits, they can expend the money on landing a Figgins or a Halladay. Come on: 3.6 million paying fans and upping ticket prices. Phils can't plead poverty.— Manor2009
- Are the Phillies following a 'back to the future' strategy of bringing in lowed priced former-stars well past their prime? It didn't work then and it won't work now. If the Phillies added up all their nickel and dime payout pursuits, they can expend the money on landing a Figgins or a Halladay. Come on: 3.6 million paying fans and upping ticket prices. Phils can't plead poverty.— Manor2009
- Smoltz? No thank you.
- I don't understand the Phils' approach to Park. I would be willing to overpay Park for him to stay and take a bullpen role. He pitched solidly and is a vet...He's what, 36? But still in great shape and has a live arm. I've liked a lot of what Ruben has done, but not this move— Polecat_39
