Phillies GM Amaro scuttles talk of Hamels trade

One of those two is veteran lefthander Cliff Lee, who went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA in 12 regular-season starts after the Phillies acquired him from Cleveland in July, then went 4-0, 1.56 in the postseason. The other, of course, is Hamels, who suffered through a mediocre regular season and then struggled mightily in the playoffs. While Hamels undoubtedly had a frustrating year, which included four playoff starts in which he failed to finish six innings, Amaro views it as nothing more than a 1-year hiccup by a 25-year-old pitcher who was coming off a career-high 227 1/3 innings pitched.

"I have no thoughts about trading Cole Hamels," Amaro said. "I don't know where those rumors are coming out, but that is exactly what they are. Cole Hamels is our pitcher. We're keeping him. And I'm glad to have him."

Which is a big reason why the Phillies decided to dedicate their disposable offseason dollars to upgrading third base, the bullpen and the bench. While the conventional wisdom - which, it should be pointed out, isn't always conventional - holds that the Blue Jays will look to deal Halladay, Amaro thinks that to acquire such a player would be to sacrifice necessary additions in other areas.

Halladay is scheduled to make $15.75 million in 2010. Adding him to the Phillies' current crop of guaranteed contracts would leave them with $121.75 million committed to only 13 players. Amaro reiterated yesterday that he does not foresee the team's payroll rising much higher than the roughly $137 million they doled out in 2009, which would leave him with between $15 million and $18 million to spend on the remaining 12 roster vacancies. Centerfielder Shane Victorino alone likely will make $5.5 million to $7 million after arbitration. Even if the Phillies were to nontender reliable righthander Joe Blanton, who could make close to $7 million after arbitration, there wouldn't be much money left to fill the few glaring needs the Phillies have.

"If it's cost-effective and it makes sense as far as a trade is concerned for the future, if a guy is a top-of-the-rotation guy we can keep for a long time or is cost-effective, and we have to maybe give up young players for, that's different," Amaro said. "But if it's a guy who is going to take up a large percentage of our payroll or something like that - we have a limited amount of money to spend. It's not a bottomless pit. We spent close to $140 million last year, and if I can't put together a championship-caliber club at $140 million, then that's my fault. There are limitations to what you can do. Again, I haven't gotten the actual budget number or anything like that - that's not how we operate. But I know that we shouldn't expect to be much different from where we were maxed out this year."

Unless Amaro is playing coy - and there have been no indications at these general managers meetings that he is - Halladay will not be a Phillie. And unless he lied outright when he said he had no interest in John Lackey, neither will the free-agent Angels ace.

Three players who could land in Philadelphia, however, are three of the biggest names on the third-base market: the Mariners' Adrian Beltre, the Angels' Chone Figgins and the Cardinals' Mark DeRosa.

The Phillies have discussed all three players and have not ruled any one of them out. The smart money at the moment is on DeRosa, who is older than the other two, but is expected to command less money. But don't rule out Figgins, whose career .291 average and .363 on-base percentage would make for an intriguing addition to the top of the Phillies' lineup. Figgins could command a deal similar to the 4-year, $40 million contract extension that Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts signed in January. Roberts is a year younger than Figgins, and had a higher OPS (.824 to .753) in his previous four seasons, but Figgins can play a multitude of positions and will be one of the few stars available on the open market.

A $10 million-per-year salary could fit into the Phillies' 2010 budget, and certainly would be feasible for 2011, when the Phillies have roughly $71.5 million committed to seven players and an $8.5 million option (and $2 million buyout) on current leadoff hitter Jimmy Rollins.

Beltre's market value is also difficult to judge. Yesterday, agent Scott Boras compared him to Tigers star Magglio Ordonez, who signed a 5-year, $75 million contract with Detroit in 2005 at a similar age. But Ordonez had posted a .929 OPS and 107 home runs in the four previous seasons, while Beltre posted a .773 OPS and 95 home runs (albeit while playing home games in a pitcher-friendly park) in the first 4 years of the 5-year, $64 million deal that just expired in Seattle.

Amaro said he is open to doling out a multiyear contract, but cautioned not to expect a blockbuster. But the Phillies will not have a good idea of how far their money will go until the signing period begins on Nov. 20.

"I don't know how that free-agent market is going to develop," Amaro said.

Phillers

 

Ruben Amaro said he expects to begin substantive negotiations with righthander Chan Ho Park in the near future in the hopes of retaining the veteran reliever . . . Amaro said his chief concern at backup catcher is finding a player who can handle the pitching staff for an extended period of time in case starter Carlos Ruiz goes down . . . Lefthander Jamie Moyer is expected to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair a torn meniscus in early December . . . Righthander Brad Lidge is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his elbow today. *

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese.