Report: Phillies offered Ichiro $14 million
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Report: Phillies offered Ichiro $14 million
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
Ichiro Suzuki was rejuvenated by a mid-season trade to New York, and he will remain a Yankee with an agreement forthcoming, believed to be for one year. But, according to a report by ESPN.com's Buster Olney, Ichiro may turn down more money and a longer guarantee from the Phillies.
Olney reported the Phillies offered Ichiro a two-year, $14 million contract. The New York Times also reported strong Phillies interest. Charlie Manuel has long been an admirer of Ichiro. He would have probably batted leadoff in the Phillies lineup and played right field.
The offer is surprising for a few reasons, most notably, Ichiro is not the prototypical corner outfielder the Phillies require. He's 39 and posted the lowest on-base percentage of his career (.307) in 2012. He has a career slugging percentage of .419. (Although, in a small sample size, he slugged .454 with the Yankees in 240 plate appearances.) He led all of baseball in hits for five straight seasons from 2006-10.
Pat Gillick, special assistant to Ruben Amaro Jr., has a long-standing relationship with Ichiro and his agent, Tony Attansio, from his Seattle days.
A lineup with Ichiro would have theoretically resembled this:
1. Ichiro 9
2. Michael Young 5
3. Chase Utley 4
4. Ryan Howard 3
5. Carlos Ruiz 2
6. Jimmy Rollins 6
7. Domonic Brown/Darin Ruf 7
8. Ben Revere 8
The reported offer tells us four things:
1. The Phillies are turned off by the demands of the top corner outfielders on the market, Josh Hamilton, Nick Swisher and Cody Ross. This has long been the sentiment of rival executives, who had predicted a splash from Ruben Amaro Jr., only for silence to persist. The Phillies are wary of any commitment longer than three years to a player over 30, and in some cases, that is too long. Hamilton is seeking upward of five years. Swisher could net at least four years. And Ross is reportedly looking for three years.
2. The power must come from Utley and Howard. The Phillies are attempting to augment the middle of their lineup with hitter who put the ball in play. Young and Revere are not high on-base guys. Neither is Ichiro (in recent years). But Young and Ichiro are career .300 hitters and Revere reached .294 as a 24-year-old centerfielder. While there is a veritable lack of power on the corners, they are banking on production from Utley and Howard.
3. Had Ichiro signed, the Phillies would possess approximately $13 million to spend for 2013. With three new acquisitions for the lineup, the remaining funds could have been directed toward pitching upgrades. Amaro has stated he wants a "low-risk, high-reward" fifth starter. He could have aimed higher there and still had money for a veteran setup man.
4. They value the 16th overall pick in June's draft. This is an under-reported element of the winter's happenings. That pick is the highest for the Phillies since 2001. If they sign Hamilton or Swisher, they would forfeit that pick. They would also forfeit the bonus money that is tied to that pick, which drains their overall money pool for signing all drafted players under the new CBA. That pick holds great value considering all of the minor-league talent Amaro has dealt in the last three years.
Whatever the case, Amaro has stressed his need to be "creative" this winter. The reported Ichiro offer certainly falls in that category, for better or worse.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Comments (122)
7 MM / yr over two years... he turned that down... at his age?!?!
Was this before, or after, Phils acquired Revere?
What was Ichiro thinking? What was RUBEN thinking?
Ya know Matt, I'm glad that didn't happen. Phils have in Ben Revere a potential future Ichiro/top-of-the-order type guy. Let's see Phils work toward making Revere that everyday lead-off guy. I like Ichiro; love Raul, love JamieMojo. But come on guys, can't sign forty-somethings as everyday players.— ExiledinFla- Another Ichiro type ? Nah.....the mold was broken after that guy, but even at this stage of life, he'd be the best hitter on this club...
— Phiggles - GET HAMILTON!— ChangeISNeeded
- So happy to see he's gone to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim! Now we don't have to feel threatened that half of his next five years will be lost to whatever it is he keeps losing seasons! — BEMiller
- He11 Amaro, Why not just go to the senior centers and recruit!— twpman
- You realize you are knocking him for a rumor that never happened, right?
Has it really come to this?— smfree31 - "You realize you are knocking him for a rumor that never happened, right?
Has it really come to this? "
Oh i'm sorry, was it another GM who TRIED to sign him?— twpman - This is completely unacceptable. We need a power bat. We fill those stands and offer our money so we can see a quality team. Last year proved that without power, this team is mediocre or slightly better. At best, Young is able to provide 15 homers, 20 if he exceeds all expectations.
Rube, of course you're going to be turned off by what they're asking, but we need the likes of Swisher or Hamilton if we hope to enter next season without the same exact team and the same exact problems. As much I would have loved to see Rollins forfeit his leadoff spot, this signing would have been unforgivably stupid. Open up the purse, Rube.— troegs76 - Just fishin'. Just enough money for Suzuki to swim over and smell the bait. Alarmed, the Yankees made a more committed cast and hooked him. Well played by RAJ! His move made the Yankees strike first, leaving more desirable players like Hamilton and Swisher still swimming free in the pond.
And besides, that proposed lineup was pure fantasy. Until J-Roll completely loses his batting skills, he will remain in pinstripes and at the leadoff position, despite our protestations. This team, as assembled, requires him in that hitting role and I have no problem with it at all.....— DelawareRiverRat - Do you people even LOOK at what players have done over the length of their careers?
Swisher has, at the best, MODEST, power. He has never hit thirty HR's in a season nor has he ever driven in 100 runs!
GOOD GRIEF!— BEMiller - Totally agree. His numbers don't impress enough to begin with for that kind of commitment. Plus, they're it's Abreu-like production - very quiet and never when you need it. Look at what he did in the playoffs for the Yanks. — pfes
- Swisher will hit 30 home runs and 100 rbi's in Phillies ballpark...get Swisher now.— jim35
- All of a sudden he's going to do 30/100?
It's something he's NEVER done.
The grass really is green under overly esteemed free (i.e., way EXPENSIVE) free agents's feet!
GOOD GRIEF!— BEMiller - As i have to post everytime until this old wives tale dies. Citizen Bank park has been open for awhile now so the verdict is in...The Bank is dead in the middle, sometimes trending as low as #20, in terms of HR's. There are multiole sources that try to gauage and come up with adjusted metrics to measure it and the Bank has been inthe middle of the pack almost every year since it opened. By todays standards compared to the rest of the league THE BANK IS NOT A LAUNCHING PAD, it is average, in the middle, etc. — UncleStosh
- This is not true at all. Give me a break. These writers had no clue when Amaro signed Lee and traded for Halladay. Why? Because Amaro is so secretive. He never lets stuff get out.— matty177
- Relying on Utley and Howard to provide power is very risky. I sincerely believe that both of these previously stellar players are finished. Utley's knees are not going to improve radically and Howard will NEVER regain his ability to see and hit a baseball. Good luck with that 16th draft pick, sure hope he is big and strong.— billtfla
- And you can say this because, as an actuary, you have studied this sort of thing intensely for insurance companies, right?
GOOD GRIEF!— BEMiller - Ichiro turned down Amaro and all that green because this is Philadelphia. Once you go to Japan, Philadelphia begins to resemble the almost-third-world cesspool it really is. Ichiro signing here would have been the equivalent, for him, of taking a job in Haiti.— Edward Creed
- I lived in Tokyo for a year back in the '90s, and while I enjoyed my time there very much, I wouldn't romanticize the place the way you do. Tokyo doesn't have the street crime problem that Philly does, but it is largely a gray, cheaply built, unattractive city. A Japanese ballplayer living in Center City Philadelphia might well prefer that urban environment to Tokyo's. The one big drawback I see in attracting Japanese baseball stars here is that -- unlike San Francisco, Seattle or New York -- Philly doesn't have much of a Japanese community or cultural presence (restaurants!).
- You're going to wind up with a bad rep if you continue to make sense on these boards!
In the main, Philly is about like other major cities--ALL OVER!
The big drawback in being able to sign Japanese players is, I've always thought, nothing except the lack of an ethnic Japanese community.
From what I see of Tokyo the main attraction would be a wealth of "neon" that virtually puts the Vegas strip to shame!— BEMiller - I'll give you that there isn't a huge Japanese population akin to the west Coast but i will also bet that Seattle doesn't have a Japanese restaurant as good as Morimoto. And by the way, Morimoto is not an american creation, he is even more famous and respected in Japan. There are also at least 4 other great japanese restaurants in Philly. Philly also has a great Asian presence overall with Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese restaurants. When you take the whole restaurant scene as a whole and not just Japanese, Philly is a huge upgrade over Seattle. — UncleStosh
- utley and howard are washed up. if you are relying on them for power, you are in trouble.— zwarte piet
- Ichiro is about 50, right?— orange rhino
- Swisher works !— NewMick314
- What is Amaro's obsession with old men? If this report is true, Amaro should be looking for another job. He is really making this a team that is hard to root for.— wo_fat
- @Edward, I am sure Japan has no ghetto right? Tell me one city in the world that does not have some shady neighborhoods?— penncrow19
- I studied in Tokyo, Creed, and I still love Philadelphia.— cloudkitt
relying on Utley? the phils are doomed.- "Young and Revere are not high on-base guys" ...sounds like more useless trash from the Clueless Rube... ocntinue to put "hope" in overpaid former "names" whom you know going in are washed-up and injured and just blame it on "nonproduction" and "injuries" ..what a boob— warbiscuit
- Yes Revere is overpaid former names washed-up and injured. Dope idiot moron loser tool — DogBiscuitthedope
- Reminds me of '83... still trying to 'milk the old cow that took you to the dance' or some Stooge worthy comment like that.— sillybilly
- creed is ignorant.— sgamble077
- tells me he didn't want to come to philly...can't imagine why...an aging team in freefall? terrible fairweather fans? second rate city? hmmmmmmmmm— box297
- And, he doesn't have to move to be on an aging team in free fall in a second rate city.
BTW: Boxbrain--MOVE!— BEMiller - Rube's "creativity" brought Phils such players as baez, contreras, schneider, herndon, martinez, tashner, willis, Gload, Nix, Thome, Francisco, Mayberry, Bowker, Qualls, lindblom, etc.. and an 81-81 record with the highest budget in the league... now a mediocre team with 2 good starters and a remaining 40-man roster filled with a whole lot of useless trash— warbiscuit
- The queen of cut and paste is here. Beat it dopey — DogBiscuitthedope
- The Phillies dilemna is that they need a power bat. They are not sure if they have one in Ruf or not.
Should they sign a corner outfielder that would be a projected everyday player, they may never get to know whether Ruf or Brown are real players. They will be alternating depending on whether the opposing pitchers are righties or lefties. Not a good situation a player used to playing everyday.
I would prefer that they stand pat and start Ruf, Revere and Brown everyday. A lot of talk is made of Ruf's potential power - don't underestimate Brown's potential power. Last year, after Pence's departure he showed flashes of that power as well a good patience at the plate. His speed allows him to get a lot of extra base hits when he is positioned properly in the lineup. You would'nt want him batting behind a Howard, Ruiz or Ruf.— candidly - Let's put it in perspective folks......Swisher bats 6th or 7th for the Yankees, and he would be our prize free agent acquisition??? 3 years ago, nobody cared about Swisher looked to be a fringe everyday player. Then he goes to that tiny field in new york, hits a couple homeruns now wants $90M? Get serious, let's not lose sight of the fact that he is not worth half of that just because this is one of the worst FA classes in years. GET HAMILTON— kozykoz26
- So what we are coming to find out is that they don't want to sign an impact corner outfielder because of the 16th pick in the draft? Cmon now!
- Alfonso Soriano for Dom Brown,....and sign Oswalt for 6 mil with about 7 mil of incentives that if attained, will mean he had a good enough year,.....Soriano would protect Ryan Howard in the order and Soriano would kick arsse in this Ballpark— SyddBarrett
- The Phils could have offered Ichiro $50 mil and 4 more years, he wouldn't have taken it and he would have returned to the Yankees. Asians only want to play for the Dodgers, Giants and Yankees based on baseball tradition and the trips these teams took to Japan back in the old days to do exhibition games. Only recently with Japanese ownership of the Mariners have they considered adding Seattle to their preferred destination list. I like Ichiro, but again, how much older do we need to make this team????????— Mark1npt
- It would seem we need to sign Hamilton and I think he may be worth the money if it were only that in play, but folks remember if we're talking about the future , we'd also lose one of the best draft pick position we've had in years. So roll the dice and go for it now, or give away a year and see what shakes out? Me, I wanna win NOW!— juzcuzuasked
- About time somebody mentioned that 16th pick in the 1st round. Phillies cannot continue to lose their highest picks. Period. You don't get the Utleys or Hamelses in the later rounds.— PhillySubsMac
- Exactly. Which leads me to believe the Phils will go after
someone like Cody Ross. Unfortunately, it leaves them without a legit 3 hole hitter.— beegal99 - Play freakin Ruf everyday!!!!!!!
Guarantee you he leads the team in HR's and will hit for a higher average than that25mm clown at 1st!!!— mainstreet - This story was floated by the front office for a specific reason; as a negotiating tactic. The FO is using it as a way to create leverage with their negotiations with Ross/Hamilton and Swisher. There's no other logical explanation.— Sam Crow
- Swisher will hit 30 home runs and 100 rbi's for Phils..give Swisher that $14 million they were going to waste on slap hitter Ichiro.— jim35
- Pay Hamilton. He'll murder the ball in the Cit.— Mr_Cool
- Maybe Amaro could make an offer to Mike Schmidt or Chipper Jones next. That seem to be the age group he is always looking at. Amaro is a waste and other posters are right - Howard and Utley are washed up.— Marie Elena
- I am glad they did not get Ichiro, simply for the fact that he still needs an interpreter after being in the US for over 10 years. F him— phillyceltic
- 16th pick? It's appealing to think about, may be a while til we see a season like that around here again, Besides Ruf's gonna have a Ryan Howard rookie year - no worries for RH power, Revere's gonna protect him like Garry Maddox did 'the Bull'.......Perpetual I P A— robinlupe
- Hamilton was just reported as signing with the Angels $25mil for 5 years. http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/8744414/josh-hamilton-agreed-deal-angels-source-says— NYC - Philly
- Hamilton was just reported as signing with the Angels $25mil for 5 years. http://espn.go.com/los-angeles/mlb/story/_/id/8744414/josh-hamilton-agreed-deal-angels-source-says— NYC - Philly
- It's that low OBP in 2012 that really made Amaro and Manuel stand up and take notice. They love outmakers!— jtj10
Hamilton to Angels. 5 years. Let's move on please.— zubzub- Forget about Hamilton as he is nearing a 5 year deal with the Angels. I'm all for keeping the draft pick so that narrows it down to Ross. Hope Ruf surprises us all and hits 30 home runs.— ronin32
- Just go out and get another starting pitcher and stand pat in the outfield.— bobcitydoc
- Why not sign Mike Schmidt to platoon at third while we're at it.— Breaking Bad
- Utleys good days are way behind him.Howard and Rollins are starting to breakdown also.Young is 36.Reverea has zero career hrs.Brown,Maberry Nix stink.Ruiz was juiced last year. This team needs a stud in the middle of the line-up or we are going to see the same product as last year.— spanish7
- No matter who the Phils get Charlie will have Rollins hitting leadoff.— towman
- FINALLY! Hamilton is off the market....now the few remaining smaller fish can start to narrow their teams and get signed and off our radar, too. I really think you gotta play the young'ins and see what they got. Ruf could get you 30-40 hrs (maybe) Brown 20? (maybe)......but who knows? If they falter early, maybe Amaro (Smuggles) can make a big trade a few months into the season and change the mojo? Then again, it could be an aimless a season as last year....still with all that went wrong, all the flops, all the injuries this team put together a very strong second half without Pence and Victorino for quite a bit of it and did very well. Amaro can't sign Ross or anybody else to a FA contract if he doesn't guarantee them playing time as he did Young to get him to come here. Young even said the Rangers were only gonna give him 200-300 abs next year and that's one of the reasons he accepted the trade. Amaro guaranteed him 500 abs.....If he signs Roos, he's playing him full time for the 2-3 years he signs him for. That means Ruf and Brown platoon in LF. Might be good for Brown but stunts Ruf's development in the process. I day you gotta let'em play!— Mark1npt
- at $25mil for 5 yrs, Hamilton is signing identical contract to Howard... amazing to see morons like Clueless Rube think it's too expensive for Hamilton and defend the Howard contract -Hamilton is about 5 times better than Howard --twice the power hitter and infintely better than him at everything else (since Howard is a zero at everythign else, and there's no multiple of zero)— warbiscuit
- He's so worried about the 16th pick, let he moved 4 great young arms for Revere (no HRs in his career and a pedestrian OBP) and a rapidly declining 3rd baseman. Attaboy Ruben...you're quickly moving into Ed Stefanski territory.— vdstrading
- I think it tells us a lot -- like the Phils are no longer the team of choice. The players look at Amaro's record as he looks at theirs. Would you sign with a club that has a GM with a record as bad as Amaro's? Every finish has been worse than the year before since he took over and there are no signs he's able to stabilize it, much less turn it around.— Xyzzyx
- @bisquit.......I def agree with you on this one. You don't give a 1 tool player $25 mil/per. That's the kind of money you give a guy with 3,4,5 tools, not 1....and it's a fading 1 at that. I was crucified here the last 2 years for saying that, but I'm sticking to it.
And all you guys who get mad at Charles for playing his veteran favorites....you gotta realize that these FA's wouldn't agree to come to Philly or sign here without the explicit guarantee of playing time throughout the life of the contract. That's why guys like Ibanez and Polanco continued to play even when they stunk. It wasn't Cahrles' managerial style as much as it was Amaro's promises to the players.— Mark1npt - Hamilton to Angels...get used to third place behind Nats and Braves.— Napa818
- Aww man.. if Rub is depending on Utley and Howard then we are in trouble..its gonna be another looong season.. we will be teased about making the playoffs untl ther injuries kick in again and we will have our hearts crushed all over again!!— nixman101
- Angels apparently signed Hamilton -5 years/125 million.— Marie Elena
- This is the case, and a great case it is!
The Los Angeles Angles of Anaheim will get to suffer through Josh Hamilton's antics over the next five years!
Hope that Cody Ross and Nick Swisher will be soon to sign somewhere ELSE really soon as well! I'm really tired of hear how those two clowns could be of any value!— BEMiller - Ichiro makes absolutely no sense with this team. They need power. If they aren't willing to shell out the cash or years to Hamilton, then it's kind of pointless for them to continue to keep this old team together. It seems like they are trying to sit on the fence here, not wanting to decide to make one last push a title or blowing things up and rebuild. They have to decide which one. As we have seen with the Eagles since 2004, there is no such thing as retooling. You put together a team, they get good and you try to lengthen the run for as long as you can, but once the run is over, it's over, and it's time to rebuild. If the Phillies aren't careful, they may find themselves in Eagle's land for the next ten years, mostly mediocre and sometimes bad. Come on Rubin, make a decision here.— Hemingway
- The Phillies are following their proven recipe for success- sign a bunch of "low risk, high reward guys" every 10-15 years you might catch lightening in a bottle and get to the World Series ('93). If you do, lock up all the players to lucrative contracts that last far beyond any reasonably expected shelf-life. Suffer a few years of horrible disappointment as the popular former stars rehab and tease at a return to form for a week or two each season, then go back to square one- sign and trade for a bunch of "low risk, high reward (aka garbage)" guys and wait for another 15 years to catch lightening in a bottle again. As Monty says, it's cyclical. — jtj06
- Nick Swisher has been nothing except a colossal bust, and most especially in October.
Cody Ross has a career that is, in substance, a single post-season series, against the Phillies. To sigh either would be a horrid mistake, on the order of giving more than a year to Laynce Nix!
GOOD GRIEF!— BEMiller - once again rube comes up short no Hamilton and this guy says no.— d1955h
- at $25mil for 5 yrs, Hamilton is signing identical contract to Howard... Hamilton is about 5 times better than Howard --twice the power hitter and infintely better than him at everything else (since Howard is a zero at everything else, and there's no multiple of zero)..another repercussion of worst contract extension in major league history: Phils unable to get a quality hitter becuase they have all their offensive budget linked for another 4 yrs to a .250 hitter with 180 k's a year who can't field, run or hit lefties.... what a joke— warbiscuit
- twice the power hitter El dopey? Hamilton 162 game average for HR & RBI is 35 & 122, Howards is 44& 146. Ryan hit over 45 hrs 4 times, Hamilton NEVER. Even Ryans last 2 down years are in line with Hamiltons. Now don't you feel like a bigger moronic tool than usual? — DogBiscuitthedope
- No one who saw Ben Rivera play outfield thinks he will blossom. We rolled the dice on that one, hope it works out.— MichaelZoe
- Look, I'm all in for Hamilton but don't blame Amaro for being gun-shy on yet another long-term deal. The market could collapse pretty quickly on the rest, as Bourn is learning.
Maybe this means Amaro spends more on a good fourth starter (KK is a No. 5) and/or a more proven setup man as a result. Then, we sign a Scott Hairston type for 1 year.— eman 
Michael Young is not a high OBP guy? Um, he has a career .347 OBP and is only one year removed from a .380 OBP in 2011. Batted 2nd for most of his career, a key spot for advancing runners. Most of his career was for mediocre-to-bad TX teams who really only began competing for titles in the last few years. Plus, he's durable. Aside from his rookie year, he's played in 155 games each season except one, which was 135 GP when he pulled a hamstring in mid-Sept 2009. I think people are going to like Michael Young, the guy is a gamer, a pure ballplayer.- The Phillies have Michael Young in 2013 at age 36. All he did last year was hit grounders. Unless he was injured that means he is too old and won't improve. — jtj06
- But the real story is how Texas bounced him around and eventually made him a DH for the most part. Not all players are DH's. He DH's for 72 games, 1B for 41 games, 3B for 25, and spotted 2B for 16 and even SS for 4. Guy can't get in a groove if he's not a true DH. With the Phils, he returns to a permanent home at 3B.
- Rube-the-Boob should go get Trumbo from Angels. Problem is that we don't have the pitcher(s) they would want.— Copper34
- you improve your team by getting elite players, not by trading prospects for a singles hitting center-fielder and an over-the-hill former 3rd baseman and filling the rest of your roster with bargain basement trash— warbiscuit
- In Revere and Young, the Phillies have acquired 2 of the 7 worst power hitters in all of baseball last season. I hope Young adds leadership - something they really need (as J-Stroll, the declining Howard, and stare-into-space Utley have not gotten it done). They have missed Burrell and Werth in that department. Rube-the-Boob needs to go, maybe even before Manuel's contract is finally up ... — Copper34
- Do you know anything about baseball? — DogBiscuitthedope
- The sports news just keeps getting worse and worse in Philly.— schnitzelboy
- the only quality free agent Rube has EVER signed is Lee --and that was to try to rectify his egregious mistake in giving him away for peanuts in the first place, and was instigated by Lee's wife, not by Rube ... instead of getting elite players, Clueless Rube wasted money on over-the-hill declining and/or bad players (Howard, Ibanez, Moyer, Polanco, Contreras, Blanton, Baez, etc), then traded top prospects in mid-season for overrated quick fixes becuase he failed to do his job in off-season (Oswalt, Pence) and then tries to save money by getting usless trash (most of everyone else who Cluless Rube gets) ...that's how he turned a once championship level team into mediocre trash with no present or future— warbiscuit
- @chrisc....exactly....he is a baller...he was the Rangers' Utley but with better knees and hips. If he has anything left in him like he had in 2011, this is a very good trade.
I can't believe people are up in arms about not giving another $125 mil contract out! How many of those does one team need? Seems kind of ludicrous. Obviously, the Rangers had the money to do this deal and they chose not to.....that tells you lot about the player and the situation right there.....— Mark1npt - ...who care how much they offered anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It make NO difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!— MooseBreathMints
- What's wrong with Juston Upton?30 hr 80-90 rbi's.What more can anyone want?I know he's TOOOOOOOOOOOOOO YOUNG.— tobyjoe
- He gets on base too much and take too many pitches. Chollie's a busy man and can't spend all night hanging around the ballpark while guys extend innings, cause high pitch counts, trips to the mound and pitching changes. — jtj06
- Opps! ...who cares how much they offered anyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It make NO difference!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Waste of print and my reading time!— MooseBreathMints
- Nice work, Texas. Angels outfield of Hamilton, Trout, Trumbo, with backups Bourjos and Wells, and you are no longer relevant in AL West. We can dream that maybe 25 yr old Trumbo (lf, rf, 3b, 1b)is now expendable but Angels would want pitching in return and we have nothing to offer thanks to trades for Young and Revere. Looks like we roll with what we have and deal with it. Very sad. On paper, we are not constructed to compete in NL East.— rockinginthefreeworld
- Once you realize the Phillies do not want to forfeit their relatively high #1 pick...and I agree with them wholeheartedly...you can put everything else they do or don't do this winter into proper context.— dasher
- Or...this story is a leak intended for the Hamilton camp to come closer to the Phillies offer.— Cazptain Philadelphia
- I'm not sure how that makes sense. To me, if you are willing to pay Ichiro $14 million for two years at his age and skills, you should be willing to go 7 years $350 million for a good player like Hamilton. But we're talking about Ruben Amaro Jr. so you are probably right. — jtj06
- Real glad this did not happen and now Hamilton gets 125 for 5 years from the Angels. Crazy market, Unless dollars come down look for something in a trade with the Angels.— tony bell
- "Creative?'' Is that a synonym for STUPID. Good thing Gillick got into the HOF before he dreamed this up. Rube, last offseason you had a chance for Willingham, Cuddyer, Kubel and Reddick and signed Wigginton and Nix. 'Nuf said.— butchcat
- Better hope Babe Ruf can hit 35 home runs this year. This off season moves have been terrible.— Pap
- That would be a waste of $14 million. Save your money now because we will be in rebuilding mode come July. Zero chance this team makes the playoffs.— gtnestro
- So how are Utley and Howard doing in the off season?— pedge
- I heard they are preparing their fielding stools in Clearwater and stocking up on manssieres so Howard can be active and comfortable. He dropped his lead bat on his foot, so has been limited to cheeseburgers and daytime TV this winter, like last. — jtj06
- I keep saying it, but they need to move the fences back and play small ball.— retzlaff
- They're counting on Utley? How is he going to play more than 80 games, hit over .260, get over 12 HRs? Have his chronic knee problems disappeared? What about his career extending major hip surgery he had 4-5 years ago?— jtj06
- Why sign Ichiro? This is a third place team with or without him so why waste the money? This offseason was bust, but they didn't help themselves with their deadline deals last summer.— gtnestro
- BEMiller; Swisher has already hit over 30 home runs...duh..Swisher hit 35 home runs, and 95 rbi's with Oakland in 2006, and also Swisher has hit 29 home runs TWICE with Yankees...so obviously Swisher certainly can hit 30 home runs with 100 rbi's for Phillies....there is this new thing called google, try it and google Swishers stats, you might learn what a good hitter Swisher really is...LOL— jim35
- BEMiller; Swisher has already hit over 30 home runs...duh..Swisher hit 35 home runs, and 95 rbi's with Oakland in 2006, and also Swisher has hit 29 home runs TWICE with Yankees...so obviously Swisher certainly can hit 30 home runs with 100 rbi's for Phillies....there is this new thing called google, try it and google Swishers stats, you might learn what a good hitter Swisher really is...LOL— jim35
- this is rare praise for amaro from the likes of me: top marks, rube! for what? for getting beat out for shane, hamilton, ichiro and greinke. (btw, read the cowplop from vic on espn re what an asset he's gonna be to the sox.) do wish, however, he'd've scored soo choo instead of br for cf. not only is he a prolific on-base guy and run-creator, but can you imagine choo followed by chooch and ruf in the lineup? we may not make the playoffs next year, but we could've had a lot of fun with names.— bubba church & granny hamner
- I really hate to say this, but it appears Cody Ross is the best we can do now - as far as offense goes. Now, for the umpteenth time, why is NO ONE talking about Kyle Lohse? Has his price stopped everyone? Does he have an injury or some kind of "baggage?" SOMEbody has to know what the deal is with him. Wassup?— dwp66
- Is this some kind of a JOKE! What the hell are they doing offering $14 Million to an over the hill singles hitter? They just gave up a good pitcher for a slap hitter. They would have been better off keeping Ibanez. Utley is in decline. The only power they have is Howard. What are they gonna do, play small ball all year long. They still don't have a decent middle inning reliever. Another 81-81 season of treading water or possibly worse.— Grapost
- Looks like the Phillies are in desperation mode. They are up a creek now that Ed Wade is not in Houston anymore to funnel them good players to fill their holes. Next year is gonna be bad.— Grapost
- Looks like the Phillies are in desperation mode. They are up a creek now that Ed Wade is not in Houston anymore to funnel them good players to fill their holes. Next year is gonna be bad.— Grapost
- Rollins can't bat anywhere but leadoff. They had him batting 2nd, 3rd, and 6th last year and he waw horrible for first half of the season. Once Charlie put him back in the leadoff spot when Utley and Howard came back, he caught fire.— Grapost
- On July 6th, the first game Utley and Howard were in the line-up, Rollins' batting average was .262. In July he hit .208 and in August he hit .213. On August 31st he was hitting .242. Facing the September call-ups he hit in the .280s with 8 HRs. He was 22-for-64 against Colorado, Houston, Mets, and Miami in September. Against Washington and Atlanta, he was 7-for-34 in September. — jtj06
- Swisher might actually be what this team needs. He takes pitches, works the opposing pitcher and has some attitude. Go get him Boob ... I mean Rube. Or target the Trumbo kid from Cali— Copper34
- When did Matt G decide what the Phillies budget is?— beefbre
- What about the bullpen? And it's time to get younger- I don't like the continued investment in old codgers.— T.Paine
- Galvis, Ruf/Brown and a couple in the minors for Giancarlo Stanton. Put whoever stays out of Ruf/Brown at the other corner. Stanton is a young version of Hamilton. Get him now before the Marlins trade him somewhere else. He could be a 10 year Phillie.— MDPhilliefan
- I think it will come out in the coming days that Hamilton got word to the Phils that he preferred going to the West Coast rather than the East. I think the Phils knew they were out of the Hamilton Derby even as they made their 3-year offer. At that point, the Phils turned their attention to Ichiro and I think they will sign an outfielder now only if they can get one on the cheap. That might be Ross butr only if he reduced to something like $15 M over 2 years. I'd be shocked if Swisher ends up in Philly.I would not be shocked ifd you read of Scott Hairston coming to the Phils on a 2 year deal for $5 M— Claudio Vernight
- Phils should be major firesale sellers come July. The sad thing is Ruben has shown little vision when it comes to acquiring young talent for veteran players (see: Lee, Victorino, Pence).— Repubrebirth
- howard still batting 4th defines everything...
no room for change - stick with no change...
Ich by far one of the best hitters the game has ever seen - but we are late on Ich by about 10 years
-Really, Ruf at 8th spot..— LivePhilly_DiePhilly 
Forget the FA market there is nothing out there we really need. Let's start rebuilding now and start unloading the as much of the big contracts and old guys that we can. Let's start playing Galvis and Ruff and our other top prospects where they belong. We need to stop blocking our top prospects until they are almost 30 and use our $$$ to keep our own guys when and if the pan out. For 2013 I say let's go with what we have - we don't need to spend any more $$$ for a slightly above .500 team we have that now and who knows maybe we can pull off a Giants or Cardinals type WS run.
1
About this blog
The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
Inquirer Staff Writer
Bob Brookover
Inquirer Baseball Columnist
Search this blog:
Classifieds:
Site Services:
Partners:
Powered By:
