Return of the Blog

Lets talk about the glaring hole in the middle of the Phillies lineup that everyone has been talking about, the need for a powerful righthanded bat. The Phillies have gotten almost no power production from the right side of the plate, exemplified by Shane Victorino hitting in the 3 hole today against left hander Josh Outman. The Phillies have many interesting trade opportunities that they could inquire about, but do they have the means, or better yet, should they risk, trading away the farm when it seems the window at the top is closing? The whole world can tell what is keeping the Phillies afloat right now, their starting pitching. But thats what we expected. We expect the offense to perform as well, but the big bucks haven't paid off as much here, most noticiably Raul Ibanez seemingly not even knowing when the ball is coming at him at the plate. The fact of the matter is that the Phillies need a right handed bat if they want to make it in a post-season series. They showed last year that even with a Jayson Werth they still could be shut down by a very good staff, and you are not gonna see many bad staffs once the calender turns to October. There are some good trades out there for the Phillies to ask about, with the one I have heard the most being Ryan Ludwick from San Diego, with Heath Bell's name being thrown in, but thats another discussion for another day. Ludwick is currently hitting .254 with 9 home runs and 47 rbi's. Take him out of Petco and put him into comfy Citizen's Bank Park, and I'm sure we could see another performance like the one he had in 2008 when he hit .299 with 37 home runs and 113 rbi's for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Somebody else the Phillies could be interested is Michael Cuddyer from the Twins. With the Twins fading fast once again, it might be time for Bill Smith to look into trading away some people, and Cuddyer's right handed bat could be pretty in CBP. Currently, Cuddyer is hitting .293 with 10 hr's and 30 rbi's for the offensively challenged Twins, especially with that big ballpark taking away many potential dingers. With the power that he could bring, the Phillies could definitely look into bringing him aboard, possibly even signing him to a contract beyond this year if he plays well, for he is a free agent after the season, however he is 32 this year.

A third option who could be relatively cheap is the Kansas City Royals Jeff Francoeur. Francoeur has already hit 10 hr's, almost matching his highest since 2007. He has alot of upside being in the start of his prime, and is on a last chance contract making 2.5 mil with an option for 2012. If the Phillies are really strapped for cash, he could be a very smart option while bringing a powerful bat and a cannon arm to the team. While were on the Royals I might as well throw Melky Cabrera into the conversation. Melky is also on a last chance contract worth only $1.25 mil. He is hitting .275 with 9 homers and 43 rbi's. He would bring great defense to left field, and on top of that, he is a switch hitter, making him even easier to slip into the lineup.

These are just a few possible routes that the Phillies could look into, not nearly all. If you have any people that you think the Phillies could look into please comment and let me know what you think.

NL West- Rockies or Giants?

The player known affectionately as "CarGo" by his team in Colorado, is definately that; precious cargo. As news brakes of the Rockies locking up 5-tool outfielder Carlos Gonzalez to a reported 7 year/80 million extension looks like an extremely smart decision by a team quick becoming a formidable franchise filled with young stars. The Rockies also recently signed star SS Troy Tulowitzki  to a 7 year extension with 3 years remaining on his existing deal. They also have dominant RHP Ubaldo Jimenez, LHP Jorge de la Rosa, OF Seth Smith has three arbitration years, speedy OF Dexter Fowler is still two years from arbitration, 3B Ian Stewart still has 3 years of arbitration, they recently signed IF Ty Wigginton to a 3 year contract, and 2B Eric Young, Jr is still a year away from aritration. In a division that features weak teams like the Arizona Diamondbacks, the Los Angeles Dodgers, and potentially the over-achieving San Diego Padres, it appears as though the Rockies are priming themselves for long runs in the NL West. The only thing that can stand between the Rockies and the NL West crown is the pitching of the San Francisco Giants. I do not believe, however, that the Giants offense can sustain for an entire year to win the division as they did last year. If you take a look at some key players stats, you will see that there was a huge difference between what they did in 2009 and 2010. In 2009 split between the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers, 1B Aubrey Huff hit .241, with a .310 OBP, 15 hrs, and 85 rbi's. In 2010 with the Giants, Huff had a great year, hitting .290, with 26 hrs, 100 rbi's, and a respectable .385 obp. OF Pat Burrell has averaged 17 hrs and 64 rbi's the last two seasons, not even close to the 30 hr, 90 rbi's he averaged from 2000-2008 with the Phillies. The Giants signed Miguel Tejada to play SS, whose range and numbers have been decreasing over the last 5 years. RF Cody Ross,  who had one season of significance before his spirited playoff run, does not seem like a player that can make those kind of number stand up for the entire season, coming off a .269/14/65 season. If these players for these two teams continue to play like they did last year, then the NL West should end being extremely close, with the Padres sound defense and pitching potentially playing a spoiler role in 2011.

Joe Blanton

With the signing of Cliff Lee, the Phillies payroll jumped up to unfamiliar territory, at a staggering $160 million. With Joe Blanton owed $8.5 million, he has overnight become a very valuable trade commodity. After Zach Greinke was traded to the Brewers earlier, the two most attractive pitchers remaining are free agent Carl Pavano, and Blanton. Some teams interested in Pavano might also want to call the Phillies about Blanton for a couple of reasons. First is the predetermined amount of money. Blanton could be a cheap two years for a #3 starter. Pavano, on the other hand, could bring in $12 million easy on the open market, especially now that there is very little market left. Second, there are many teams desperate for pitching. Take the Cliff Lee signing. The Yankees and Rangers had all their chips in to the Lee sweepstakes, and all came out empty handed. Now, with Joe Blanton on the market, both teams will only have to pay $8.5 million a year instead of the $15 million they would have been paying Lee. All the Phillies would probably ask in return would be some cash, a minor leaguer or two, or possibly just an MLB level right-handed hitting OF to replace Jayson Werth. Maybe the Phillies and Yankees can set up a Joe Blanton for Nick Swisher deal, which would be pretty attractive with Swisher being a swtich hitter and being able to play all three outfield positions and first base. Swisher's switch hitting is very attractive in a left handed-dominated lineup, and he would fit nicely in the number 5 spot vacated by Jayson Werth/

Offseason moves up to 12/30:
Atlanta
-Exercised club option on SS Alex Gonzalez
-Resigned OF Eric Hinske to a 1 year contract
-Traded for RHP Scott Linebrink from the Chicago White Sox
-Signed LHP George Sherill to a 1 year contract
-Traded for 2B Dan Uggla from the Florida Marlins


Arizona
-Signed C Henry Blanco to a 1 year contract
-Signed IF Geoff Blum to a 2 year deal
-Traded for LHP Zach Duke from the Pittsburgh Pirates
-Traded for RHP David Hernandez from the Baltimore Orioles
-Signed IF Melvin Mora to a 1 year contract
-Signed OF Xavier Nady to a 1 year contract
-Signed RHP JJ Putz to a 2 year contract

Baltimore Orioles
-Signed RHP Jeremy Accardo to a 1 year contract
-Traded for SS JJ Hardy from the Minnesota Twins
-Traded for 3B Mark Reynolds from the Arizona Diamondbacks
-Resigned RHP Koji Uehara to a 1 year contract

Boston Red Sox
-Signed RHP Matt Albers to a 1 year contract
-Signed OF Carl Crawford to a 7 year contract
-Traded for 1B Adrian Gonzalez from the San Diego Padres
-Signed RHP Bobby Jenks to a 2 year contract
-Traded for LHP Andrew Miller from the Florida Marlins
-Exercised club option on DH David Ortiz
-Resigned C Jason Varitek to a 1 year contract
-Signed RHP Dan Wheeler to a 1 year contract

Chicago Cubs
-Signed 1B Carlos Pena to 1 year contract
-Player option exercised by 3B Aramis Ramirez
-Signed RHP Kerry Wood to 1 year contract

Chicago White Sox
-Exercised club option on C Ramon Castro
-Signed RHP Jesse Crain to a 3 year contract
-Signed 1B/DH Adam Dunn to a 4 year contract
-Resigned 1B Paul Konerko to a 3 year contract
-Resigned C AJ Perzynski to a 2 year contract
-Exercised club option on LHP Matt Thornton
-Resigned SS Omar Vizquel to a 1 year contract

Cincinnati Reds
-Exercised club option on RHP Bronson Arroyo
-Resigned IF Miguel Cairo to a 2 year contract
-Exercised club option on OF Jonny Gomes
-Resigned C Ramon Hernandez to a 1 year contract

Cleveland Indians
-Signed OF Austin Kearns to a 1 year contract

Colorado Rockies
-Resigned LHP Jorge de la Rosa to a 2 year contract
-Traded for 3B Jose Lopez from the Seattle Mariners
-Signed IF Ty Wigginton to a 2 year contract

Detroit Tigers
-Signed RHP Joaquin Benoit to a 3 year contract
-Resigned 3B Brandon Inge to a 2 year contract
-Signed C Victor Martinez to a 4 year contract
-Resigned OF Magglio Ordonez to a 1 year contract
-Resigned SS Jhonny Peralta to a 2 year contract

Florida Marlins
-Signed C John Buck to a 3 year contract
-Signed RHP Randy Choate to a 2 year contract
-Traded for LHP Michael Dunn from the Atlanta Braves
-Traded for 2B Omar Infante from the Atlanta Braves
-Traded for RHP Edward Mujica from the San Diego Padres
-Traded for LHP Dustin Richardson from the Boston Red Sox
-Signed RHP Javier Vazquez to a 1 year contract
-Traded for RHP Ryan Webb from the San Diego Padres

Houston Astros
-Signed OF Bill Hall to a 1 year contract
-Signed LHP Ryan Rowland-Smith to a 1 year contract

Kansas City Royals
-Signed OF Melky Cabrera to a 1 year contract
-Signed OF Jeff Francoeur to a 1 year contract
-Traded for RHP Vin Mazzaro from the Oakland Athletics

Los Angeles Angels
-Signed LHP Scott Downs to a 4 year contract
-Signed LHP Hisanori Takahashi to a 2 year contract

Los Angeles Dodgers
-Resigned C Rod Barajas to a 1 year contract
-Signed RHP Jon Garland to a 1 year contract
-Resigned OF Jay Gibbons to a 1 year contract
-Signed RHP Matt Guerrier to a 3 year contract
-Signed OF Tony Gwynn to a 1 year contract
-Resigned RHP Hiroki Kuroda to a 1 year contract
-Signed C Dioner Navarro to a 1 year contract
-Resigned RHP Vicente Padilla to a 1 year contract
-Signed 2B Juan Uribe to a 3 year contract

Milwaukee Brewers
-Traded for SS Yuniesky Betancourt from the Kansas City Royals
-Signed OF Brandon Boggs to a 1 year contract
-Resigned SS Craig Counsell to a 1 year contract
-Signed RHP Sean Green to a 1 year contract
-Traded for RHP Zack Greinke from the Kansas City Royals
-Traded for RHP Shaun Marcum from the Toronto Blue Jays
-Signed C Wil Nieves to a 1 year contract

Minnesota Twins
-Exercised club option on OF Jason Kubel

New York Mets
-Signed RHP DJ Carrasco to a 2 year contract
-Signed C Ronny Paulino to a 1 year contract
-Exercised club option on SS Jose Reyes

New York Yankees
-Resigned SS Derek Jeter to a 3 year contract
-Signed C Russell Martin to a 1 year contract
-Resigned RHP Mariano Rivera to a 2 year contract

Oakland Athletics
-Exercised club option on OF Coco Crisp
-Traded for OF David DeJesus from the Kansas City Royals
-Exercised club option on 2B Mark Ellis
-Signed RHP Rich Harden to a 1 year contract
-Signed DH Hideki Matsui to a 1 year contract
-Signed RHP Brandon McCarthy to a 1 year contract
-Traded for OF Josh Willingham from the Washington Nationals

Philadelphia Phillies
-Resigned RHP Jose Contreras to a 2 year contract
-Signed LHP Cliff Lee to a 5 year contract

Pittsburgh Pirates
-Signed RHP Kevin Correia to a 2 year contract
-Signed OF Matt Diaz to a 2 year contract
-Signed LHP Scott Olsen to a 1 year contract
-Signed 1B Lyle Overbay to a 1 year contract

San Diego Padres
-Traded for SS Jason Bartlett from the Tampa Bay Rays
-Signed RHP Aaron Harang to a 1 year contract
-Signed 2B Orlando Hudson to a 2 year contract
-Traded for OF Cameron Maybin from the Florida Marlins
-Signed RHP Dustin Moseley to a 1 year contract
-Traded for OF Eric Patterson from the Boston Red Sox

San Francisco Giants
-Resigned OF Pat Burrell to a 1 year contract
-Resigned 1B Aubrey Huff to a 2 year contract
-Signed SS Miguel Tejada to a 1 year contract

Seattle Mariners
-Resigned LHP Erik Bedard to a 1 year contract
-Signed DH Jack Cust to a 1 year contract

St. Louis Cardinals
-Signed OF Lance Berkman to a 1 year contract
-Signed C Gerald Laird to a 1 year contract
-Signed LHP Brian Tallet to a 1 year contract
-Resigned RHP Jake Westbrook to a 2 year contract

Tampa Bay Rays
-Resigned LHP JP Howell to a 1 year contract

Texas Rangers
-RHP Frank Francisco accepted arbitration
-Signed C Yorvit Torrealba to a 2 year contract
-Resigned C Matt Treanor to a 1 year contract
-Signed RHP Brandon Webb to a 1 year contract

Toronto Blue Jays
-Signed 3B Edwin Encarnacion to a 1 year contract
-RHP Jason Frasor accepted arbitration
-Exercised club option on C Jose Molina

Washington Nationals
-Signed OF Rick Ankiel to a 1 year contract
-Signed OF Jayson Werth to a 7 year contract

2011 Right Field situation

Lately, I have been hearing everyone talk about the extreme upside of young Phillies RF Dominic Brown. While I agree with everybody on the future of the kid, I do not think that he is ready to take over as a full time right fielder, and produce anything similar to what Phillies fans have become used to with Jayson Werth, or possibly even MLB regular-worthy numbers. When i watched Brown in his first stint, he looked extremely overmatched, by big-league fastballs, and did not look like he had much of an idea as to what he was trying to do at the plate. While I do not doubt that after putting on some weight and gets a little more experience at triple-A, that he will be a quality player who could be exceptional. But at this point in time, I just feel like letting Ben Francisco play in right is the better option. Another option that i think that could be a low risk-high reward option would be to give free agent Rick Ankiel a one-year contract, and put him in the outfield.They could either out him in CF and shift Victorino to right, or just put Ankiel in RF and try him out in a platoon with Francisco, similar to 2008 with Werth and Geoff Jenkins.

Other news this week:
-Cliff Lee still has yet to decide on where he will play in 2011. According to reports, the Rangers max deal will give Lee 6 years, and the Yankees countered by adding a 7th year. Lee should be making his final decision in the next 24 hours.

-Jimmy Rollins had minor wrist surgery this weekend. He should be ready well before the start of Spring Training.

-In a deal that has been coming for weeks, the St. Louis Cardinals traded SS Brendan Ryan to the Seattle Mariners in exchange for minor league right-hander Maikel Cleto. Ryan became expendable when the Cardinals acquired Ryan Theriot from the Dodgers a couple weeks ago.

-The Washington Nationals are reportedly interested in signing Derek Lee to take over at 1B after the departure of Adam Dunn.

-Tony Gwynn, Jr signed a 1-year deal to become the Dodgers 4th outfielder.

-The Los Angeles Angels signed LH reliever Scott Downs to a 3-year deal. Downs was a Type-A free agent, so he will cost the Angels their 1st round pick in the 2011 draft.

-The Seattle Mariners signed Jack Cust from the Oakland A's to be their DH.

-The Kansas City Royals signed Melky Cabrera to compete for a spot in the outfield.

-The Cincinnati Reds locked up on of their young cornerstones by signing Jay Bruce to a 6-year/$51 million deal.

-Former Orioles closer George Sherrill signed a one year/$1.2 million deal with the Braves. Sherrill had a down year with the Dodgers in 2011, posting a 6.69 era in 65 games.

Change in the Times

A couple of years ago, all fans in baseball could count on at least one big-name free agent signing with the New York Yankees. These days? Not so much. As baseball followers everywhere know, Jayson Werth and Carl Crawford both have signed with teams, the most recent being Crawford last night with the Yankees division rival Boston Red Sox. Now word is that the Yankees may not be able to sign Cliff Lee. There are at least two other teams in the running, and the Texas Rangers seem much more desperate to sign him. If you ask me, I think it would be smart for Lee to let this process drag on as long as he possibly can. As long as the Rangers and the Nationals are involved in the action, then Cliff Lee can keep the negotiations going and milk the deal for absolutely as much as he can get. As long as more teams are involved, the Yankees are less likely to get their man, something that none of us would have imagined just two years ago.

In the news today:
-The Baltimore Orioles made a move today as they sent two minor league right handers, Jim Hoey and Brett Jacobson, to the Twins for Shortstop JJ Hardy and infielder Brendan Harris. This deal is significant for the Twins because the trade of their shortstop means that they are likely close to signing Japanese infielder Tsyuoshi Nishioka, who will pair with Alexi Casillia to for the Minnesota double play combo.

-Vicente Padilla signed a 1-year deal to remain with the Dodgers. Padilla has been a very problematic teammate over the last couple of years, making news for throwing extremely inside to hitters, leading his teammates to be subject to retaliation by opposing pitchers.

Other Deals This Week:
-Carl Crawford, in one of the most surprising deals this winter, signed a 7 year/ $142 million contract with the Boston Red Sox. Along with newly acquired 1B Adrian Gonzalez, Crawford will help revamp a now extremely potent middle of the lineup in Boston. Speculation prior to the signing linked Crawford to the Los Angeles Angels.

-Carlos Pena signed a 1 year/ $10 millions deal to become the Cubs new 1B, replacing the loss of Derek Lee after he was traded to Atlanta at the trade deadline.

-The Seattle Mariners signed both C Miguel Olivo and DH Jack Cust.

-The New York Mets signed C Ronnie Paulino and RHP DJ Carrasco.

-It appears likely that Tampa Bay SS Jason Bartlett is headed to San Diego, but the deal has yet to be finalized.

Keep checking for all the latest baseball news.

Draft Pick fiasco

So as everybody knows, Jayson Werth and the Washington Nationals agreed in principal to a 7 year/ $126 million deal, the 13th richest contract in MLB history. While I am sure most fans are upset about that, I am upset about a totally different matter: the draft pick the Phillies are losing out on. Now Werth was a Type A Free Agent, meaning that statistically he is in the top 20% at his position as an outfielder. As a type A free agent, should Werth have signed with another team, the Phillies receive not only that teams top draft pick, but a sandwich pick in between the first and second rounds, essentially a second first-round pick. Now in the Phillies case, the Nationals have the first pick in the 2011 draft. However, MLB rules state that if a teams top pick is in the first 15, they do not have to give up their top pick and instead give their second round pick. Now I as a fan do not agree with this rule at all. Just because the Nationals have had consecutive terrible seasons, the Phillies lose out on a draft pick that should be rightfully theirs. So not only do the Phillies lose the most productive right handed bat in their left hand-laden line-up, they also get a second round pick, which is a world of difference between the top overall pick. If the Nationals would have had to sacrifice their top pick, i believe they would not have signed Werth, which would be their decision. But in my personal opinion, a team already gets special treatment in the draft with top picks; other good teams that are losing start players should not be punished for it. I believe that this rule should be changed to the team that signs the type A free agent should have a choice of giving up their first round pick in one of the next 5 drafts, and even if they defer it until the fifth year and end up with the top pick, still must forfeit it, because these rules just do not make any sense for the team that is losing the player, and all too much favors the bad team signing the good player.

Other news today:

-Baltimore sent relievers David Hernandez and Kam Mickolio to Arizona for 3B Mark Reynolds. Reynolds hit .198 last year with 32 home runs and 85 rbi's for the D-Backs, and his 3rd straight year of 200+ strikeouts.

-RH reliever JJ Putz signed with the Diamondbacks. Putz had a career years in 2006 and 2007 with the Mariners, saving 36 and 40 games, respectively.

-The Yankees sat down with Cliff Lee's agent today, starting possibly an initial round of negotiations.

-The A's winter of discontent continued today, as the 30 day window of negotiation with japanese pitcher Hisashi Iwakuma ended. Iwakuma will return to the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Pacific League.

 -And finally the biggest move of the day, the long awaited deal between the Boston Red Sox and the San Diego Padres for 1B Adrian Gonzalez was finalized. The Red Sox have Gonzalez for one year,and trade away four top picks, led by 20 year old right hander Casey Kelly. Included in the deal are power hitting 1B Anthony Rizzo, CF Reymond Fuentes, and a player to be named.

The NL East offseason to date: Ugga-ly Werth-less to say the least

Hey everybody. Welcome to the first post of Planamento and the Phillies! So I don't know about everybody else, but the offseason in the NL East has been pretty painful so far for Phillies fans. From the Marlins essentially giving Dan Uggla to the Braves, to Jayson Werth telling everybody he does not care about winning a championship, this offseason has had it share of twists.

Lets start with the Uggla trade. I have never had a reason to dislike the Marlins, a team that usually is competitive most of the season but will usually fall off towards the end of the season. However, this trade of Dan Uggla puts them on my hate list.. How do you trade your marquee player, a face of the franchise, for a journeyman infielder who had ONE good year in the majors and a lefty middle reliever? Not to mention IN THE SAME DIVISION. This trade just doesn't make any sense from a competition standpoint. Maybe I am just an upset Phillies fan who doesn't want to see a division foe get stronger, or maybe I am a realist who doesn't understand trading a slugger of Uggla's class inside the division that you compete in for basically pennies.

Now for the surprise signing that occurred today, Jayson Werth signing with Washington Nationals. I think this was a surprising move for many, many reasons. First,it showed that all Werth cares about is the money. Also, it shows that Washington is taking a huge chance on an aging outfielder with an injury history. When the offseason started, I think I was one of many who believed that Werth would get a deal similar to the deal Jason Bay signed with the Mets last year at 4 years, $66 mil. That would be a smart investment where you have him until he turns 36, and you don't have to worry about him getting hurt when he gets into his upper 30's. However, Washington was the only team that would give him a 7 year contract, and Werth jumped at the opportunity. This move will help the Nationals replace the production of Adam Dunn, but it will not help Washington get over the cellar hump, mostly because of the pitching woes they have had since they moved to Washington. The Nationals probably should have tried to split some money to get a front of the rotation starter as well, since they will be without Stephen Strasburg for most of the 2011 season. Well, I hope Werth likes losing, because it looks like he just kissed away the rest of his career.

Check in periodically for opinions on the Phillies and for news throughout the baseball world.