A Trade Deadline Retrospective. . . and a Happ start?
According to GM Pat Gillick, the Phillies were considering Manny Ramirez as a viable option at one point, but eventually turned their attention toward landing a starting pitcher in a three-way deal that fell through.
A Trade Deadline Retrospective. . . and a Happ start?
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Lots of stuff to get to. Before I get into some of the details of the trade deadline negotiations, I thought I'd point out one of the most intriguing and bewildering developments of the day. General manager Pat Gillick said the Phillies were pondering an "adjustment" that would get J.A. Happ out of the bullpen. When asked if that adjustment involved sending Happ to the minor leagues, Gillick said that the Phillies were examining another "alternative." I'll tell you this: it isn't Brett Myers going to the bullpen. Beyond that, I have nothing concrete.
Gillick didn't say it was a definite. But everything the Phillies have said - particularly Charlie Manuel, who reiterated today that he views Happ as a starter - seems to indicate that they want the young lefty to get another major league start.
Now, onto the other business. . .
Gillick said the Phillies thought they had a chance to add a starting pitcher through a three-way trade that eventually fell through. He also said the Phillies were involved in discussions for Manny Ramirez, but that the asking price was too high. Ramirez eventually landed with the Dodgers.
Other notes:
1) The market for lefty relievers was well beyond what the Phillies were willing to pay. For example, the Marlins gave up a 21-year-old pitcher who Baseball America rated as the No. 5 prospect in the organization to land 38-year-old Arthur Rhodes.
2) Interest in short stop Jason Donald was significant, but it would have taken the right player for the Phillies to part with him.
3) Gillick and Manuel both said they are not disappointed that they did not add another piece. The silver lining: the Mets and Marlins did not significantly upgrade either.
Though the Phillies spent much of the past two days actively trying to land a lefthanded reliever in order to bolster their playoff chances, Major League Baseball's trading deadline passed at 4 p.m. today without any announced moves.
The Phillies had considered a number of players, including Pittsburgh's John Grabow, Atlanta's Will Ohman, San Francisco's Jack Taschner and Kansas City's Ron Mahay, but were unable to strike a deal.
The Phillies still could add a player before the end of the season, but any players involved in a trade would have to pass through waivers before being dealt. It isn't out of the question -- the Phillies added Jamie Moyer in that manner two years ago -- but general manager Pat Gillick said yesterday the likelihood of a deal decreases significantly once today's deadline passes.
"There are guys that slip through, but there is just a larger pool of players to pick from prior to (the deadline)," Gillick said.
The Phillies added righthander Joe Blanton earlier this month, but were hopeful to add a lefty reliever to supplement J.C. Romero in the bullpen. They also were exploring a possible deal for a hitter that could help bolster an offense that has been inconsistent for most of the last two months.
Striking a deal beyond July 31 can be difficult because rival clubs can block a trade by claiming a player off of waivers and forcing his current club to withdraw the waiver request and keep him on the team.
So while the Phillies may not be done adding personnel, all the major parts are likely in place for the playoff run.
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Sometime, the best move is no moves— vhhn- Joe Blanton will take us to the promised land! No wait, I mean JA Happ.— zman
- hey A*SSSW8IPES...C.C. Sabathia was available. We didn't get him. Yes, I know personnel and baseball. He was available and he went to our division competition. Now, sit back and tell us that there wasn't a deal to be made? Ridiculous. They lack the vision to continually draft good players who you either bring up or trade (AKA The Yankees). We don't have much to trade in the minors (I hope people understand you can't trade draft picks in MLB). BUT, we could spend money, trade what prospects we have for a starting pitcher. period.— MichaelZoe
- they have prospects to land players to help. some of the players, even the ones who got good players are just fringe prospects, we have plenty of them. i agree, i will not go to another game with this ownership, but they'll still fill the place up, and the owners will be counting their money laughing all the way to bank. again, and again.— theanswer80
- i count 40 pitchers traded (MLB and minor leaguers) since Jan 2008 -- and about 15 trades that were "for cash or future consideration". way to go Pat...way to wheel and deal...— MichaelZoe
- Baseball sucks anyway.....Lets go Birds!!!!— craigaroo74
- Two MAJOR problems: Gillick is truly a "Stand Pat" GM and, more importantly, Phillies management will NEVER spend $$$$ to put us over the top. As long as 40,000+ are showing up at CBP, management will be the cheapest in the majors.— BrianNJ
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- "Remember the Phillies powerhouse teams of 76-78 were built by Paul Owens who stockpiled farm talent for development into major leaguers and used the farm club to help the Phillies." ... ... ... Slight flaw in this theory...those players who all came up in the early- to mid- 70's, they all stuck around long enough to win a World Series together. This is not a "long run" team... over the next three to five years, this team will lose Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Howard, and Cole Hamels, for starters. Win now is the only acceptable outlook for this franchise.— acerulli
- CC Sabiatha...was available. The Mets got him???? Posted by psalveso 04:40 PM, 07/31/2008 i love when people critisize a GM, but offer no ideas as to what they should have done. who was out there worth giving up our best prospects for? Report abuse Sign in to report abuse Select a username to report abuse Confirm your registration to report abuse Posted by seaonasdad 04:40 PM, 07/31/2008 what exactly do you want them to trade?— MichaelZoe
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- That's next year james!!!! What about this year? You're goal as a franchise is to win a World Series every year, not keep putting it off. Boston made it work for Bay. Dodgers made it work for Manny. You honestly don't think we could have had him for Victorina, Carrasco, and Marson? You don't think we could have had Harden for less than that?— scotty82
- I thought Gillick was suppossed to be some sort of a genius. So far he has brought in nothing but average players. They are still living off Ed Wade, and I find that amazing.— macbig1011
