Matt Stairs will fly to Philadelphia tonight and be in uniform when the Phillies face the Cubs Saturday afternoon, according to Stairs' agent.
Earlier today the Phillies agreed to a deal with the Blue Jays to acquire the veteran lefthander, who is hitting .250 with 11 home runs this season.
The original thought was that Stairs would join the team Sunday or Monday. But Stairs could play as soon as tomorrow after joining the Phillies in Chicago.
"Matt is definitely on the Phillies," Bob Garber, Stairs' agent, said in a text message.
Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said he had nothing to report before today's game at Wrigley Field -- "I can't comment on that," Gillick said when asked about Stairs -- but the Phillies are expected to announce the deal shortly.
Stairs is currently in Tampa where the Blue Jays are playing the Rays.
FoxSports.com's Ken Rosenthal first reported the deal late last night in the wake of the Phillies' crushing loss to the Cubs.
Stairs, 40, is a 16-year veteran who has made his mark as a DH/OF/1B type with good power. He was hitting .250 with 11 home runs and 44 RBI this season for the Blue Jays. He carries career averages of .266 and 25 home runs per 162 games played.
Stairs can fill in in rightfield when needed, but the Phillies view him primarily as a much-needed addition to their bench.
The club looked at veteran Mike Lamb, who was designated for assignment by the Twins, but decided Stairs was a better fit.
The move likely spells the end of the Fabio Castro era. The lefty reliever was called up yesterday from Triple A to replace Drew Carpenter, who was called up from Double A to replace Andy Tracy when the Phillies needed an extra arm following a 13-inning win over the Mets on Tuesday.
The Phillies have been looking for a lefthanded bat for some time. Currently, Greg Dobbs is the only option off the bench.
The deal is for a minor league player to be named later.
Posted by David Murphy @ 10:58 AM
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53 comments
Great. Old. Slow. No glove. Sounds like another consolation prize, this time for the failure to acquire a guy like Kotsay. Think this guy will hit .333 after showing up, as Kotsay has with Boston? Good grief.
Stairs is REALLY slow, but he is a professional hitter. He'll be with the team until Whatsisname gets off the DL.
So, we need CC Sabathia or Rich Harden, we get Joe Blanton. We need Brian Fuentes, we get Scott Eyre. We need Mark Kotsay, we get Matt Stairs (aka Jeremy Giambi). Is it any wonder that this team's mantra the last 7 years has been "Close, but no cigar"?
bargain bin bullcrap - thanks cheapo ownership!
Stairs looks like a cross between a truck driver and a civil war soilder. Too bad this is not 1993.
This deal has shaken up the Mets so much that they're trying to resign Daryl Strawberry.
Phils ownership is pathetic. Could have had Nady and his +.300 avg...instead we get this.
Lemming Phils fans still flock to the stadium though...lame fans, lame.
What...Randall Simon wasn't available???
At least Bull's BBQ sales will go up. They should set-up a bench next to it so he doesn't have to walk far to "fill up".
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Can not believe it MATT STAIRS!!!!!! This guy was playing back when mullets were cool. Whats wrong Kotsay asking too much or you just don't want to WIN>
Hey come on guys. Don't be frontrunners. You're gonna hurt his feelings.
SEASON = SAVED
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Wonderful. Does this stop Madson from blowing games and stupid decisions by Manual to take Hamels out of a game they desperately needed to win? This will really scare the bejesus out of the Mets.
Relax.. How many runs has Eyre given up since hes been here? 0.. Give the guy a chance before ripping him..
Last year was Russell Branyan and this year is Stairs, another strikeout machine.
mikemike. You're not alone! Everybody wants to go to games and have fun, but at the end of the day, all the fans that go to games do is strengthen the grip this ownership has. Philly fans are loyal to a fault and they deserve better ownership then the Phils offer.
Nick. I'm scared, aren't you?
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That did it...I was a non-believer before but with this major talent upgrade this team is Series-bound.
Who cares? It's Matt Stairs! Yes, the Phils need to replace Jenkins. Meanwhile, the Sox grab Byrd (why the Phils ever let him go is beyond me) and Kotsay. The Dodgers pick up Ramirez, Maddux and who else. The real problem is Charlie Manuel's use/abuse of pitchers. Why, on Earth, is Hamels removed from a game that he is in control of? Pitch count? What about reliever abuse? 10 innings Tuesday, blown save Wednesday, overwork Sunday. In LA, an overworked Durbin is brought in on consecutive nights in identical situations and does virtually the same. Goodness me. Can we trade Manuel for Francona?
Don't people retire at 40?
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People seem to ignore that all trades have to clear waivers before trades are accepted. NO team will get a big player after the non-waiver trade deadline because the player won't make it through. You can't compare what teams did before that deadline and now. Apples and Oranges.
geez...biggest bunch of jack-a posters I've ever seen...I'm sure glad none of you numb nuts are running this team...go get a life
mikemike, you are right make the little bit of extra money while you can playing for the Phillies. Then straight to the retirement home. Stairs just got upgraded to a suite.
Haha! Phillie fans are funny. If they got Kotsay, they wuld be criticizing that! Kotsay would not have helped anymore than this guy. I just find it funny that people are complaining they didn't get Kotsay!
I can see it now Matt Stairs crab fry night.
This just in, "phillies in discussions with Bobby Bonilla", more to come later.
Hey scars...we could have picked up Manny and folks around here would complain about it...it's just the nature of the beast
Ownership is not cheap, they have a 91 million dollar payroll, you guys are reading into this too much. It's just a bench player.
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Will I ever "get it?" Cheap owners, diva-like players, exhorbitant ticket prices, outrageous concessions (I can buy a six-pack of 16 oz. Lite beer for $5.75, yet one bottle costs $6.75 at the Bank), etc. And I'm STILL going and STILL paying. God help me. I think I need a psychiatrist.
Will I ever "get it?" Cheap owners, diva-like players, exhorbitant ticket prices, outrageous concessions (I can buy a six-pack of 16 oz. Lite beer for $5.75, yet one bottle costs $6.75 at the Bank), etc. And I'm STILL going and STILL paying. God help me. I think I need a psychiatrist.
typical/pathetic...the phillies ownership are total bottom feeders. They should change the team's name ...and the mascot should be one of those sucker fish that eats algae off the bottom of the tank.
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I'm sick of the WT Philly fans representing the rest of us. What a bunch of morons. "Could've gotten Nady"...I love it - like everything's like trading in a video game. Who cares if Stairs is slow - he's a left handed bat off the bench. Sooo many morons.
Maybe Stairs can pitch a few innings, can't be worse than Madson these days?
Maybe he can run from Toronto to Chicago to get in some kind of playing shape. I can see this guy now waiting in line for a late night cheese steak at Pat's.
If he gets one big hit late in a game, you'll all be saying it was a smart move. Just wait - Branyan had one big hit last year, and it cost us essentially nothing to bring him in. Branyan's one big hit = one more win = division title outright. Although I do agree with all of the references to him eating everything. Dude's big.
I hate to rain on everyone's parade, but the object of a business is to make money. The Phillies ownership spends enough money for the team to win, but they spend it in the wrong places (Jenkins, Gordon, Feliz). People love teams like The Yankees, Red Sox, Mets, Angels, etc because their owners spend so much money, however their owners are probably making a bigger profit than the Phillies because they have higher total revenues from having their own Regional Sports Networks on television. I hate the fact that ownership won't make the move to put the team over the top, but it could be worse, we could be stuck in a town like Milwaukee or Kansas City where the television market is so small that the team can never afford to consistently compete without the owner losing money. Welcome to the real world, and enjoy the run, unless Madson is pitching that guy has always sucked.
Are they serious, this guy was apart my childhood. I remember him on the A's with a mullet. These are the type of owners that shop for armani suits at Walmart. This was another one of those, yea we really screwed up last night so lets go do something to take it off the minds of fans. Still havent been to a game since 2000. I'm a businessman, Ddnt treat your franchise like a regular business, subtract costs( pay for subpar players) and improve profits ( take advantage of loyal fans who would give their first born to see a championship in the rest of their years). Ridiculous
Nice Dad. You're kids take you to the game and you end up picking up parking. You can take me anytime.
Another example of CHEAP! This guy aint gonna make a difference. They shoulda signed Bonds.
We needed more than Dobbs off the bench for sure. I'm glad we made a move before the post-season deadline.
and "takeitdeep" the term "WT" has no place in this discussion
Randall Simon is in the Atlantic League...very busy.
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nice bench pickup. i guess the rest of you wanted Pujols?
No, it's not a sexy move nor have we added an all-star, but at least he knows what to do with a bat. Yes, the Phils could use an upgrade in several areas, but I really do not hate this move. As for Kotsay, what would they do with him? Sit Burrell? Sit Werth? Sit Victorino? Didn't think so.
Has Ryan Madson ever pitched a 1-2-3 inning in his career?
What? Russel Branyon wasn't available?
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