Lidge's agent: 'He was very upbeat'
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Lidge's agent: 'He was very upbeat'
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
Matt Gelb here, still with the keys while Andy's on vacation...
Just got off the phone with Rex Gary, who represents Phillies closer Brad Lidge, and he said Lidge is feeling "great" after arthroscopic knee surgery on Wednesday.
"There’s every reason to expect this procedure took care of what was bothering him in his knee," Gary said. "It was relatively minor."
Gary said the pain in the right knee, which caused Lidge to spend a stint on the disabled list during the season, only became a problem again in recent weeks during Lidge's offseason workouts.
"It flared up on him this offseason," Gary said. "It was increasingly affecting his workouts to a point where he, along with the Phillies, decided it should get checked out. It was increasing discomfort. They brought him in quickly, took a look at him, and the procedure was relatively simple and relatively minor. They cleaned it out a little bit. There were some fragments causing his discomfort. The end result is that everyone is pretty upbeat."
Gary said Lidge will resume throwing in a week or two. Whether or not Lidge is healthy enough for Opening Day remains to be seen, but Gary said it wouldn't be the end of the world. The last time Lidge missed Opening Day, in 2008, he had one of the greatest seasons for a relief pitcher ever.
"Ideally, in a perfect world, he’s ready for Opening Day," Gary said. "But he had a pretty good season two years ago when his season started a few weeks late."
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sorry- but they did not get halladay for lee. they got minor leaguers for lee. they gave up other minor leagers for halladay. two different trades, made to feel like one by the phils. absolutely could have had rotation of halladay, lee, hamels- CHOSE not to. saved money for one year, and as they tell it "rebuilt" their minors- we'll see- but i seriously doubt it. you can bet your a** the yanks would have kept them both. red sox too.— stopbooing- ruphilly - The Lee trade had NOTHING to do with the Halliday trade (although I am sure that Amaro would want you to think so). They maneuvered it in such a way as to try to make it look like a three team trade - but it was NOT. We traded Lee straight up for two minor league prospects. We could have had Lee for $9M for the year (until his contract was up), and then if he left we would have gotten two high draft picks in compensation.— Bobphxville
- Ummmm, ru Philly. I think Bob was saying that the Phillies traded Cliff Lee for nothing, the mediocre prospects they received from Toronto, Tyson Gilles, Phillipe Aumont, and Juan Ramirez. They got Halladay as a free agent. Yes, I know you know that. But, there were two separate trades. Everyone pretty much loves the Halladay trade. Everyone pretty much hates the Lee trade. Why did they HAVE to trade Lee? To save 9 million in payroll? To replenish the farm with prospects? You do know that if they retained Lee, and they lost him to free agency, they would have received two first round draft picks as compensation. That would have replenished the farm as well as the three mediocre to decent prospects they received from Toronto. The value between the draft picks and the received prospects are equal. Plus, they would have had the services of Lee for one year, and one big run to a World Series, in which the Phillies would have been prohibitive favorites with Lee AND Halladay. So, then it comes down to payroll. 9 million dollars. That really is chump change in the economics of baseball. Especially if you are receiving an ace who has proven to be a postseason stud. The value of someone like that for one year is probably worth at least 25 million dollars. If the 9 million was the deal breaker for management, than maybe Amaro shouldnt have offered Joe Blanton arbitration the weekend before the trades. Blanton likely will be awarded around 7.5 million dollars for one year. They could have simply nontendered Blanton, knowing they will have Lee and Halladay in the rotation, to save money, and have both of them. Who would you rather have....Lee or Blanton? Which is more valuable...the three prospects or two first round picks? The answer to the first question is a no brainer. The answer to the second question is debatable. But, if I were the GM, give me Lee for one year with the chance to win the WS, and the compensatory draft picks. AMARO SCREWED UP!!!— arrowamy
- Well said arrowamy— Bobphxville
- Correction, I meant they got Halladay in a separate trade, not as a FA. Thx, Bob.— arrowamy
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- lidge will NEVER have a season like 2008 again stop dreaming if this guy can't get 34-38 saves maybe blow 4 or 5 he needs to be replaced..he deserves no long rope to see what he can do" mentality he can't field, hit or run and makes 12 million a year and has all kinds of problems pitching 1 inning, halladay or lee(if he was here)are not problems lidge is".— only 9
- This is Lidge's 3rd surgery on the same knee. It is continuing to deteriorate and will do so for the rest of his life. It may not cause him to need a total knee replacement right away but it will prevent him from being durable and effective in professional sports. Arthritic knees don't do well on flat ground and here's a guy who makes his living on a hill with a sharp decline. Good luck with that, Brad. Baez better be up to the task or somebody's getting shipped at the trade deadline to get us a closer. Mark my words. Mark out.....— Mark1npt
- This is Lidge's 3rd surgery on the same knee. It is continuing to deteriorate and will do so for the rest of his life. It may not cause him to need a total knee replacement right away but it will prevent him from being durable and effective in professional sports. Arthritic knees don't do well on flat ground and here's a guy who makes his living on a hill with a sharp decline. Good luck with that, Brad. Baez better be up to the task or somebody's getting shipped at the trade deadline to get us a closer. Mark my words. Mark out.....— Mark1npt
- The question should have been; Can the Phillies get by WITH him? Write him a check and get him off the team. And by the way, I agree with Bobphxville about Lee. Mr. Amaro should get a "Dunce Of The Year Award" for letting Lee go. I wonder if Ruben Amaro Sr. pointed out the error of his ways to his son when he traded Lee. He should have taken a strap to him.— Wm Penn
- I'm trying to get beyond the Lee debacle. Time will tell who was right: Amaro or his detractors. Likewise with Lidge. Was his problems one of psyche or a physical injury? Looking forward to another season.— DameB
- Did you expect him to say the surgery didn't go well? Honestly, the surgeons and players and agents always think everything went well. It might have been better to have the surgery before mid-January, but why worry about the likelihood of Lidge missing Spring training.— kmon
- "I feel great. I am upbeat. Praise Jesus."— Han Solo
- said it before and i'll say it again....when you win 2 world series in over 100 years of existance, you don't think about "being competitive" in a few years. It should be about winning the world frickin series. You do that by , among other things, having starters that go deep into games (especially with a suspect bull pen). You might have arms that start, but if they go into the 6th iniinng and run out of gas, the bull pen runs out of gas in August or gets hurt. We shoulda kept lee even if it was only for a year.— Clem
