Posted: Tuesday, March 3, 2009, 3:16 PM | 33 comments |
 

Phillies talking to Ohman?
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The Phillies continue to monitor the free-agent market for lefthanded relievers and have kept open lines of communication with Will Ohman, his agent Page Odle said Tuesday.
 
Odle, reached by the Inquirer, said that the Phillies made an offer last week, though he would not characterize it. It’s possible the offer was for a minor-league contract with an invite to spring training. Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. would neither confirm nor deny the offer.
 
Ohman, 31, was 4-1 with a 3.68 earned-run average in 83 innings for the Braves last season. A six-year veteran, Ohman has a career ERA of 4.16.
 
Odle said that Ohman turned down the Phils’ offer last week, but quickly made a counterproposal, and the parties communicated as recently as Monday. “Will is interested in playing for the Phillies,” Odle said, adding that Ohman was considering offers from at least three other teams, including the Mets.
 
With J.C. Romero suspended 50 games for violating the league’s policy against performance-enhancing substances, the Phillies are looking for a lefty reliever to temporarily fill Romero’s late-inning role. Scott Eyre, a lefty specialist last season, could assume the late-inning role, or the team could sign a free agent such as Ohman, Joe Beimel or Dennys Reyes (one of those pitchers could also assume Eyre’s role if Eyre were to move to the later innings). The agents for Beimel and Reyes did not return phone calls yesterday.

 
Posted by Andy Martino @ 3:16 PM  Permalink | 33 comments
33
Comments   
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:37 PM, 03/03/2009
    Ohyeah.
    — Muck the Fets
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:40 PM, 03/03/2009
    good report. Your first scoop in Phila Congrads
    — jeff gross
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:47 PM, 03/03/2009
    There is always teaching to fall back on.
    — jwad56
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:51 PM, 03/03/2009
    Pirates, Padres, Marlins...nice choices. If he doesn't sign with Mutts or Phils, ya gotta wonder how much he wants to compete and win something.
    — jimmymack
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:55 PM, 03/03/2009
    Welcome to Philly. Sounds like Ohman could be a nice addition to the pen.
    — KarenA
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:56 PM, 03/03/2009
    this would be a good signing. Brian
    — bskee
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:56 PM, 03/03/2009
    this would be a good signing. Brian
    — bskee
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 3:59 PM, 03/03/2009
    As Larry Bowa once said, when Ohman is on the mound, batters on the other team lick their chops and say "Oh Man!" I would stay away if I were Rube.
    — wcgiles
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:12 PM, 03/03/2009
    we're watching for Mets bias, Andy. Oh how we will watch.
    — jreese
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:48 PM, 03/03/2009
    If Ohman works out, we could move Eyre to safety.
    — mick314
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:50 PM, 03/03/2009
    haha jreese...I'll give him a shot. Now come here Andy and drink your Kool-aid!
    — duuuuude
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 4:56 PM, 03/03/2009
    go back to new york you loser.
    — Glenside4Life
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:18 PM, 03/03/2009
    Wow this would push the payroll to some pretty serious heights. Can't complain about $135M+ in this economy. I honestly didn't think this ownership group had it in them.
    — chicagoB
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:27 PM, 03/03/2009
    There's more people from the Daily News reporting on the Philles than there are players on the roster.
    — ThomasWPaine4
  • 0 like this / 0 don't   •   Posted 5:35 PM, 03/03/2009
    Andy, ignore the dweebs and their ignorance. They are the ones who give all Philly fans a bad rap. You're doing well so far. Stepping into Zo's shoes is tough enough but coming in here fresh off of covering NY teams is doubly hard for some of us to swallow....you will find soon enough that you are inexplicably drawn to our teams much like Ray Kinsella was in "Field of Dreams".....there is no fan like a Philly fan, regardless of what the people in Boston or NY think. It is an honor to be a Philly fan, it is a badge we wear proudly. Some of us are born into it, others have earned our stripes thru decades of grueling hardship.....you may take the latter path, but you will survive and you will be a better fan for it....keep writing thoughtful, interesting pieces. You have access to information we fans could never imagine. Use the teacher in you to teach us about our subjects (teams/players) and just ignore the dweebs!
    — Mark1npt


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About Matt Gelb and Bob Brookover












Bob Brookover and Matt Gelb team up for their third straight season covering the Phillies for the Inquirer and philly.com.

This is Brookover’s second stint writing about the Phillies, having joined the coverage team after seven years as an Eagles beat writer. Brookover was hired by The Inquirer in 2000 as the Phillies beat writer after spending 13 years writing about the team for two suburban newspapers. While on the Eagles beat, Brookover, who had covered just two winning Phillies teams in 15 seasons, saw the Phillies move into a cash-cow new ballpark and begin playing a brand of the game he found unrecognizable. Follow him on Twitter here.

Gelb is in his third season covering the Phillies. He was hired by The Inquirer in August 2009 after graduating from Syracuse University. He has also covered baseball at The Star-Ledger and Cape Cod Times. Born and raised in Bucks County, he attended Central Bucks High School West. Follow him on Twitter here.
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