Cuddyer should be Phillies primary focus
They held a parade for the Cardinals in St. Louis on Sunday and any time a team celebrates a championship, it's quite natural to hold that team up under the light to see if there is anything to learn.
Cuddyer should be Phillies primary focus
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
They held a parade for the Cardinals in St. Louis on Sunday and any time a team celebrates a championship, it's quite natural to hold that team up under the light to see if there is anything to learn.
It's of no consolation here in Philadelphia that the World Series title still goes through this city. Since 2008, the Phillies have either won the World Series or lost in the postseason to the team that won the World Series. The focus here is that the Phillies have only won once and the postseason losses have come earlier in each of the last three seasons.
None of that matters now. The planning for 2012 has begun and the Cardinals did do some things that should make the Phillies and every other team take notice. The thing Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. fixated on during his team's five-game division series loss to St. Louis was that the Cardinals had a lot of guys who could grind out at-bats.
Amaro was so impressed that he has made it a mandate for the Phillies to pattern themselves more after the Cardinals next season. Scrappers like Ryan Theriot, Skip Schumaker and mostly World Series MVP David Freese were certainly impressive and part of the reason why the Cardinals were able to complete their unlikely run to the franchise's 11th World Series title.
Cardinals manager Tony LaRussa also received a lot of credit for maneuvering his role players during the postseason, but maybe the man who made the most important move for St. Louis was little-known general manager John Mozeliak.
He was the guy who decided to take a chance on Lance Berkman even though the former Houston slugger appeared to be on the decline physically and at the plate. Add in the fact that Berkman was mostly considered a first baseman at this stage of his career and the Cardinals already had some guy named Albert Pujols at that position and it was an even more of a gamble.
As it turned out, Berkman was a sensational $8 million free-agent signing and the biggest reason the Cardinals emerged with the best offense in the National League in 2011. Berkman was even better in the postseason, hitting .313 with 17 runs scored and 11 RBIs in 18 games.
If Amaro wants his players to improve their approach, then it is his job to try to find somebody like Berkman this offseason to add to the Phillies' roster. Chances are, he won't find somebody that good or with such an established track record, but it was an uncelebrated addition like Jayson Werth that once helped push the Phillies over the top.
Minnesota's Michael Cuddyer, a free agent who may command more than the $8 million the Cardinals paid Berkman last season, seems like the best fit for the Phillies. He can play first base, second base, third base and the outfield and has the kind of bat that would make manager Charlie Manuel's lineup better.
Given the uncertain injury situations of Placido Polanco and Ryan Howard, Cuddyer should be the Phillies' most sought-after free agent from another team.
Another veteran maybe worth taking a risk on is San Francisco's Mark DeRosa. He'll be 37 in February and injuries have limited him to 73 games the last two seasons, but he should come cheap and is a great on-base guy when healthy. Other free agents who could help improve the Phillies bench are Jamey Carroll from the Dodgers, Jerry Hairston Jr. from the Brewers and Nick Punto from the Cardinals.
A celebrated addition like Roy Halladay via trade two years ago and Cliff Lee via free agency last year is not likely to happen during this offseason, but sometimes a seemingly lesser move can help a team just as much. For proof, see the Cardinals signing of Lance Berkman.
VOTE: Phillies: Stay or Go?
DeRosa is too old and too injured. He's the type of player we're looking to upgrade from, not to. One difference with the Cards is they have two young infielders in Freese and Descalso -- both under 30. Those older players like Berkman can help in a post-season run but I would prefer to wait until the trade deadline for that sort of player. I like Cuddyer's versatility but he's played very little third base and he may be needed there more than anywhere (perhaps more at first early on though). He's also likely going to command a multi-year deal as a free agent which doesn't help us get any younger. One of the big dilemmas the Phillies have is their entire infield is aging and on the decline. Things would be different if they already had one or two guys in there under 30.
— s- Until Charlie becomes less risk adverse, the Phils ar ein trouble. Instead of taking it to teams, he is satsified with sitting back and wiating for things ot happen. Even in the last game, he had Victorino on second with no outs. With the way Carpenter was pitching, it was obvious that they needed to get Victorino home. Instead of bunting or stealing, he ended up at the end of the inning still stnading on second.— Bobphxville
- Ibanez over the 3 seasons:
.264 Avg 23 Hr 87 RBI 144 GP...Not exactly a bust, solid everyday player.— donne8008 - Ibanez over the 3 seasons:.264 Avg 23 Hr 87 RBI 144 GP...Not exactly a bust, solid everyday player. (HTML deleted)— donne8008
- Cuddyer is overrated. He strikes out too much and has no speed, so he would fit in just fine with the current Phillies roster.— MattPSU
- In terms of adding to the lineup, the number 1 thing I want to add is a true leadoff hitter, regardless of whether he plays in the outfield or at 3B. I don't know enough about all the players mentioned here by Gelb, but I agree with the overall concept - get better on-base guys and get "bench" guys who can actually start over an extended period of time. I like Valdez, and I don't mind Martinez, but the Phils are going to have to part ways with one of them, I think. Also, you can't be carrying an injured Ross Gload on your roster for most of the season; again, you have to be able to play more guys, more often. If you are going to blame Charlie for something, blame him for sticking for the same starting 7(other than catcher)for much too long. Charlie deserves some blame; Amaro deserves a lot more.— 76erfn
- The problem is a lot of teams covet those kinds of players. Chone Figgins cleaned up a few years ago and Ben Zobrist got a huge contract from the Rays. I like the idea but he won't come cheap but they'll still save money because he takes up multiple roster spots since he can play all over.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- Ask the Mariners how that Figgins signing is going. He's pretty much been a bust and they owe him two more years, plus an option in 2014. — s
- I don't understand your comment about signing free agents under 30. If you look at the list of this year's available free agents, you will find very few (who we might want) under 30. It takes time to become a free agent and most are into their 30's when they become eligible. Cuddyer or Michael Young would be perfect fits for the Phillies. They are professional hitters and can play multiple positions. Get some bats while the pitching staff can still hold the other team to 2 or 3 runs. We don't need a major overhaul just some minor adjustments.— oakmontleo
- Not big on Cuddyer. Hit only .247 with runners in scoring position and faded down the stretch by driving in only 15 runs in Aug. and Sept last season. Don't need another over paid 33 year old in the twilight of his career on the roster next year. Already have enough of them.— Dull
- Trade Howard and/or Brown for Werth. Nats might take a chance on Howard. Outfield of Werth, Pence and Victorino looks good. mayberry, Utley on first. Rizzoti on bench.— pedge
- Amaro won't get any bench guys who can hit for simple reason that ... he never does ...he'e most overrated g.m. im sports -- a bozo who has no clue how to evaluate talent or build a team and gets a lot of attention for some big signings that make litle sense (Ibanez, Polanco, Howard, Blanton, et al.._)-- amazing that Phils' fans --usually accurately skeptical -- think this guy is part of the solution and not the problem— warbiscuit
- Cuddyer may be the best of those names. Josh Willingham's available too, but he Ks a lot. He's gone and he should be at his age, but Ibanez was far from a bust for us. He put up decent power numbers every year and could carry our team for a week or two at a time.— eman
- I think we need to give Charlie an extension and sign a right-handed bat. Oh wait, that was last year. Let's sign Cuddyer for three years and give Charlie another extension.— JayW
- I see a Phillies youth movement coming. They will have to develope over time. No other solution makes sense. This is how they won in 2008. Stop hiring has-beens. You need fresh horses in October.— A. Martinez
