Winter meetings, day 3
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Winter meetings, day 3
Andy Martino
UPDATE, 4:00pm
A few tidbits from Amaro's daily briefing with the media, his last of the winter meetings.
--The Phils will pick 26th in tomorrow morning's Rule 5 draft. The front office will rush out of town shortly thereafter.
--The Ross Gload signing is still not official, but Amaro said that his work retooling the bench was likely done (reading between the lines, Gload still needs to take and pass his physical before the team can comment). "He's got some versatility, because he can play the corner outfield positions, and he can play first base," the GM said of Gload. "He's a very good first baseman, and a good lefthanded pinch-hitter."
--Asked if there was any way possible he would get involved in a trade for a superstar starter (meaning Roy Halladay), he said: "Is there any way possible? I guess there is. Is there a likelihood that we'll get involved on anything that big? Probably not?"
Why not?
"I'm not going to get into the reasons."
Nevertheless, several major league executives expect the Phillies to be players for Halladay. This storyline has the potential to drag deep into the offseason.
--Amaro is still trolling for pitchers, more so for free agents than trades. While not ruling out finishing a deal before leaving Indy, Amaro said it was not likely. "Haven't got to the finish line yet, but we're making some headway."
--Still no movement in negotiations with Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre. "There is a possibility that we'll move past them at some point if we don't get something done," Amaro said.
Is that point approaching?
"I couldn't tell you."
Well, you could. It's just that you choose not to.
***
UPDATE, 11:23am
The Phillies met this morning with Keith Grunewald, who represents John Smoltz. The two sides have maintained contact regarding the veteran, but the team has not made an offer at this stage. Grunewald said that Smoltz has drawn interested from teams as a starter, late-inning reliever, and a hybrid of both (the Phils have needs in the back end of their rotation and bullpen). The pitcher is open to all those possibilities, and will weigh his options after completing this information-gathering phase of his process.
***
Good morning from the last full day of the winter meetings. The party breaks up after the Rule 5 draft early tomorrow.
As we've been doing all week, we'll update as we learn things...
Memo to Ruben: The Phils won in '08 because of a lights out bullpen. The Phils lost in '09 because of a weak bullpen. They need to aggressively address this weakness right now, because stop-gap solutions and reclamation projects (JJ Putz anyone?) are not going to shut down the Yankees in the late innings. It sure seems like the plan for the pen is riding on a hope and a prayer at this point (Lidge, Romero, Eyre). It's time to make something happen Ruben.— sla6yer- Putz is one. Bring back Eyre— mick314
- The Phils lost the World Series because their starters gave up 16 runs in 20 innings for an ERA of near 7.00 in the four games they lost. That's why only with Halladay can they compete with the Yankees next October.— Dull
- John Smoltz ? Another reclamation project ? Didn't he pitch with Chief Bender ? You need Smoltz like you need H1N1. Get real !— phineas
- well they actually lost as well due to a horrible bench. Check the numbers. See what the bench did for us in the playoffs. The changes made so far will add a lot of flexibility and will allow Chase, Jimmy and Ryan some days off. Keep them fresh.— luterow
- Note to Mr.Amaro you have to spend money to win in MLB. Stop talking about a tight budget the ownership has made a lot of money the last few years don't let us fade away like so many other organizations. Two really good year do not make up for decade of ineptitude. Make a deal sign some guys win it all again.— Bob Crogan
- Please God, no.— DennyP
- you guys are irrational. We have one of the most talented teams in the league. Our bench was weak last year, Dobbs, Stairs, Bako, et al came up empty in the post-season. We have solidifed the bench, substituted a good defensive third basemen who had a propensity to strike out with an equally good defensive player who is the consumate professional hitter, we have flexibility to give our stars rest, and we are now going after bullpen help. Amaro believes Hamels will rebound, so if we had Hamels and Lee, plus Happ and Blanton, that is arguably one of the best staffs in the majors. Even if we get somewhere in the middle with Hamels, we are still looking strong. We need bullpen help, but money is not limitless. Its called a budget. And with the increased salary of some of our key players, that means we need to find the right players at the right price. Chad Durbin, Scott Eyre, etc were reasonable bargains at the time, and played significant roles for our team. Good work Amaro, keep it up. These fans will lambast you today for these "bargain" moves, and praise your foresight midseason when they prove to be beneficial.— IgglesPhitinPhils3
- Make a deal for Roy Halladay already. He wants to pitch for the Phillies. There are no excuses not to get him with 81 expected sell outs next season, they have the money to pay him. Plus they are not paying Brett Meyers $12M next season. Get-R-Done Ruben.— BobbyD
- the phillies sold out how many regular season games in a row, and then 8 playoff games, and have an opportunity to win it all this year, so lets not be talking money...lets not be the eagles here...i mean, ross gload is a decent pickup, but on a day the yanks are about to bring in granderson....— jim715
- Hey sla6yer did you watch the playoffs at all? Our bullpen was not the weakest link. It was everyone except Cliff Lee in that starting rotation. Yes Lidge sucked, but as we come to find out he had everything torn in his arm. Romero was hurt and suspended all year. The bullpen held up well for all the injuries that they had. Everyone except Madson was on the DL and at the end of the year we had no one. We need all of them healthy and add maybe 2 relief pitchers. The main thing is getting Halladay or another really good arm. That is the way we will win. Starting pitching wins you championships.— Joe WS
Comment removed.- i love it,perfect fit,all smoltzy needs is innings,he still throws hard,he knows how to pitch,he is a winner,sign him ra— soliteryman
- IgglesPhitinPhils3: I don't think it's "irrational" not to want a washed up 43 year old pitcher. If wants to play for the veteran minimum + incentives and fight for a roster spot then maybe I'd agree we should kick the tires. Smoltz absolutely sucked last year which is why Boston released him. He only had minimal success at best in St. Louis but only b/c the NL is inferior to the AL. They were lucky they caught lightning in a bottle with Pedro. Let's not push our luck. We're already paying wasted money to a 47 year old. Moyer helped get us a ring so I don't begrudge him the appreciation award/contract, but let's not kid ourselves that that wasn't a bad contract.— DennyP
- What's Eyre bargaining for? Wasn't it supposed to be "return to the Phils or retirement" for him? Are the Phils low-balling him, offering him a dollar more than he'll make from his pension, or is Eyre willing to extend his career in another city for a significant pay raise? I hope the guy comes back for one more year.— frankenslade
