Phillies rumor mill update
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Phillies rumor mill update
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
In Ken Rosenthal's latest dispatch for FoxSports.com, he provides us with the latest indication that the expectations harbored by some Phillies fans about a Cole Hamels trade are unrealistic. Rosenthal says that the Rangers are unwilling to trade Mike Olt, Jurickson Profar or Martin Perez for a rental player. Olt is a guy who many fans have targeted as the Phillies' third baseman of the future, and you have to think that Ruben Amaro Jr. would target him as well. The 23-year-old entered Sunday hitting .292/.403/.574 with 22 home runs and 85 strikeouts in 281 at-bats at Double-A Frisco. Only problem is, the Rangers have asked him to play some first base this season, raising the possibility that they find a place for him at the position on the big league level. Conventional wisdom had suggested that Olt was blocked by Adrian Beltre at third and thus could be had in a trade.
The simple truth is that general managers are going to be reluctant to part with a legit prospect at a premium position in exchange for two months of a player, even one who is as good as Hamels. As we noted in our earlier breakdown of the trade deadline, C.C. Sabathia and Cliff Lee both landed Top 50 prospects, as rated by Baseball America, but both of those prospects were first basemen.
-ESPN's Buster Olney says that the Phillies' asking price for Shane Victorino is "very, very high right now." That isn't atypical of two weeks before the trade deadline. No harm in asking for the moon. In reality, though, the Phillies are probably going to have to settle for an uninspiring package. Take, for example, the Braves' trade for Michael Bourn last year. Atlanta gave up four players, none of which were in Baseball America's Top 100, or even among the organization's top five prospects. Brett Oberholtzer was ranked the ninth prospect in the organization by BA, but he projects as little more than a back-of-the-rotation starter or a middle reliever. Paul Clemens, a 22-year-old righty, might have a little more upside. Again, though, not a top prospect. BA didn't even have him in the Braves' Top 10. The other pieces were Juan Abreu, a reliever with command problems, and Jordan Schafer, who was once a top prospect but has struggled in the majors. And that was for a center fielder who was in the middle of a better season and who had another year left on his contract. If the Phillies can get a piece that can help them out of the bullpen or at the back of the rotation in the next couple seasons, it will be a successful trade.
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So they get nothing for Cole Hamels even in a trade? Awesome! It's inexplicable how Amaro has botched this situation with Cole Hamels who IMO should never even be considered being traded.— re6035- I'm surprised that Victorino wasn't traded during the All Star break. I'll be even more surprised if the Phillies make a serious attempt to resign him this winter. He's clearly past his peak. Let him go and use the money to improve the bullpen.— SteveS11
- Braves give up 4 "organization guys" to get Bourn who is an All-Star, and Rube gives up 3 prospects to get Pence. Any questions as to why Braves are in contention and Phillies are in last?— derFluge
- Amaro has used alot of his farm system and appears to have nothing left for a rainy day. Well its pouring outside. — Lerze777
- Why do you think Chuck LaMar left? He recognized that RAJ was bleeding the system dry and was going to spend money on free agents. So there wasn't going to be money available or have the picks necessary for player development to go after the draftees they need to keep the system going.
http://articles.philly.com/2011-09-09/sports/30135085_1_chuck-lamar-pleasant-surprise-top-prospects— PhillyinBmore - Great post PIB that is exactly why Lamar left, that and having to put up with the Rube was enough to let a long tenured knowledgable baseball man walk away from the Phils. Now with the puppets in place they can purge the minors and no one says a word....unreal
— Trot - I said the same thing the ohter day. We are not getting great prospects for Hamels. He's a rental player with no draft compensation.— EL Zorro
- I agree with RE 6035 - Also why keep Lee or Hamels??? If money is the difference, then sell off Lee and use those funds for Hamels. Even if the Phillies have to eat the balance of this season's payroll for Lee.— Lerze777
- Phills mgt. has to make determination about Victorino and Pence. Its easy for some to say get rid of Shane. Shane has not had a good year but by dumping him your ignoring the previous 5 years. Shane was a good or very good player for 5 years. Outstanding defense,many clutch hits dangerous baserunner. Which Shane shows up in 2013? On the other hand there would be two reasons to go after Bourn. You have a leadoff hitter, and you weaken Atlanta a major competitor. Then again you may get rid of Victorino and find another team gets Bourn. That would leave Phills in bigger trouble as they would have no one as good as V. to play CF. Is Shane past his peak? At 33 he shouldn't be.— Don w
- STOP IT RIGHT NOW! NOBODY SAID THEY GOT NOTHING. sTOP BELIEVING EVERYTHING YOU READ BEFORE ANYTHING HAPPENS, YOU MAKE ME EMBARRASED TO SAY I'M FROM PHILLY!!!— sgamble077
- Thanks for proving a point I posted a few days ago: only an idiot GM such as Booben Amaro would trade top flight prospects in an attempt to 'win now'. Phils followed this strategy before and it translated into years of misery. As Santayana wrote, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Thanks, Booben.— DameB
- Right. And you would have been one of the first to cry if Amaro didn't go out and get Halladay or Lee in order to win another World Series after 2008. Give me a break. — mike l
- Totally agree, and everyone wanted Pence last year too. — prop03
- It will be alright. Frontrunners will put their green shirts on and go back across the street. People who show up with their kindle, feeding their faces, no clue as to the difference between cut-off man and relay man will be gone. Stretch out, relax, and throw peanut shells at the Mets and Nationals fans that dare come to our house.— wistahoma
- @DonW.....33 is the new 40 when it comes to MLB players in the post PEDs era. You wil see many players stats start to fall off at that age and by 35 they will be out of the league. Bad for the players, great for the owners as they will rid themselves of those oversized contracts that go on and on for those older players who were able to stay in the game at high prices because of the PEDs. Bad for the players, because they'll have fewer prime years after their first 6 controlled by management, with which to earn their huge sums of money.— Mark1npt
