Phils Contact Lowe, Burnett
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Phils Contact Lowe, Burnett
Todd Zolecki
The Phillies have said for almost a month their No. 1 priority is signing Jamie Moyer to a contract extension.
They still hope to get that done.
But it looks like the Phillies don't want to get caught flat footed if talks with Moyer drag on and they suddenly realize they can't come to an agreement. A source said yesterday that the Phillies recently have contacted Derek Lowe and A.J. Burnett about contracts.
Lowe, 35, went 14-11 with a 3.24 ERA last season with the Los Angeles Dodgers. Reports are that Lowe is seeking a five-year contract worth around $15 million per season. Burnett, 31, who went 18-10 with a 4.07 ERA with the Toronto Blue Jays, also is believed to be seeking at least a five-year contract.
The Phillies don't like to give five- or six-year contracts to pitchers because of the health risk involved. They're not alone, either. The Yankees, for example, reportedly have balked at talking seriously with Burnett while he asks for a five-year contract. But the Phillies will have to do something if Moyer doesn't sign, and if they think they can get Lowe or Burnett they have to at least try. And in case you're wondering, there's almost no chance the Phillies would sign both Moyer and Burnett or Lowe. I think it's one or the other (Moyer or Lowe/Burnett), and I still think they prefer to sign Moyer. The Phillies have said in the past if they sign Moyer, they will have Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco and Drew Carpenter (throw Adam Eaton's name in there, too) compete for the fifth spot in the rotation.
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Ruben Amaro Jr. said Chase Utley's surgery went very well: "I'm pleased there were no surprises. We're optimistic that he'll be back and shouldn't miss a significant portion of the season. I would be surprised if he did not return until June. That would be very surprising, although a lot will depend on how he reacts to the surgery and how the overall rehab goes."
Amaro also said he expects Pedro Feliz back by spring training. Not to be a Debbie Downer, but I asked him if this is going to be a David Bell-type thing, where Feliz constantly will have lower back issues. Amaro said, "We don't see any degenerative issues with his back." That's good news for the Phillies.
We need a top gun, no doubt about it. Depth in the starting rotation will be more important next season than it was this season. And yes, Myers will be a FA after next season and will be just as difficult to sign him as any other top starter. I'm not in favor of 2 years for Moyer or 5 years for Burnett/Lowe, but as others have said, fewer years for more money could do the trick. Burnett could be worth a 4th year but probably not Lowe. If there's really no chance of signing Moyer and Burnett/Lowe, then you have to let Moyer go, sad to say. Ideally they'll sign Moyer at 1 year + option and Lowe at 3 years + option. It won't be cheap but it will make a huge difference to have Hamels, Burnett/Lowe, Myers, Blanton, Moyer to open the season with Happ, Carrasco and Kendrick in AAA for depth. Or, Happ could be used in the pen. They'll all get to start games, though, as teams usually use 8-10 starters a season.— xfactor- RWR.....The whole issue wouldn't have had to be addressed at all, if Selig had just followed the EXISTING rules. LOL!— Norma
- xfactor, I am in complete agreement with your plan...I would love to see them field a rotation of Hamels/Lowe/Myers/Moyer/Blanton...but like Zo said, I don't believe it will happen. The money alone could be an issue. To get Lowe to come here, and to get him to sign a 3-yr deal, you'd likely have to pay him $16-18M per year, and what does that leave for addressing LF, the one vacant spot in the bullpen, plus the 10 arbitration eligible players, two of whom (Howard and Hamels) will likely receive pay increases of at least $4M over last year (and Hamels may see as much as a $5M or $6M raise)?— RollinsWasRight
- bski - keep trying. If your post shows up 12 times an hour from now, I won't hold it against you. :)— RollinsWasRight
- Norma - perhaps, but I do agree with the philosophy that something had to change. I can't stomach the notion that a playoff, or World Series game (and in our situation, a potential WS clincher) could possibly be decided in less than 9 innings. That would just not be right. Remember that the spirit of the rainout is simlpy to try to justifiably end games with a winner when the weather plays a factor without having to make up or resume the game later, due to the really long, really long-jammed MLB schedule. That shouldn't be a concern in the post-season. I am pretty surprised this was never an issue until now.— RollinsWasRight
- Norma, Donavan McNabb thought the World Series could end in a tie and both teams got trophies...LOL. Got the new DVD, it will be featured after dinner tomorrow. Happy Thanksgiving to Todd and all the Phillies Zone contributors, we can add a championship to all the other things to be thankful for this year. How cool is that?— jimmymack
- Here is an interesting question, since we're into the topic of starting pitching depth... what is the status of Scott Mathieson's recovery from Tommy John surgery? The Phillies were pretty high on him before he got hurt. Wonder if he'll be ready by Spring Training...— RollinsWasRight
- OK. I'm going to try one last time. Maybe it's too long. I'll try to split it and see what happens.— bski
- RWR: I understood he would be ready as would another kid who had surgery this past year (don't remember his name though) Happy Turkey day to everyone— jeff gross
- I have been trying to post Keith Law's evaluation of Derek Lowe. Lowe is #5 on Law's top 50 free agents list although, after reading the two evaluations, I have no idea how. Anyway, Lowe would definitely be worth making a run at. Who knows. Maybe everybody feels the same way that we do about 5 years being too long to commit to him. I'd love to see us grab him with a 3 year deal.— bski
- RWR....I agree with your point about a WS game ending in less than nine innings. jimmymack....LOL about McNabb! I got the DVD, too. Like your idea about watching it after dinner tomorrow night! Think we'll do the same. HAPPY THANKSGIVING, EVERYONE!— Norma
- Look forward to hearing the review of the DVD from Jimmymack and Norma. Hope it gets TWO THUMBS UP! Happy Thanksgiving to all you Zo Zoners!— KarenA
- On Eaton- bring him to spring training, it can't hurt. Someone actually took part of Wes Helms' contract this year. On the pitchers, if all things were equal I'd rather have Lowe than Moyer, but not at $15 million per year. If we're concerned about the Phils offering Lowe five years then we should be concerned about offering a 45 year old anything more than a one year deal with a club option. On playoff games- why not make the rule that you have to play each playoff game to the finish UNLESS both teams agree to shorten it? What if it started to rain in the 8th inning of game one of the world series when one team was winning 15-0? Do we really have to come back and finish that game? On Mathieson, I think he, Zagurski and Kyle Drabek all had the same kind of procedures.— KMG
- Happy Thanksgiving to ALL (even Eaton !) I must be getting soft. Anyway, please remeber that we need ONE MORE YEAR out of Moyer, and that HAPP will become a solid starter as we continue to build a dynasty. Thank you ZO for your talent, ability and insight.— mick314
- Happy Thanksgiving to ALL (even Eaton !) I must be getting soft. Anyway, please remeber that we need ONE MORE YEAR out of Moyer, and that HAPP will become a solid starter as we continue to build a dynasty. Thank you ZO for your talent, ability and insight.— mick314
