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.
Sunday, December 12, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
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.
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.
Monday, December 6, 2010
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.
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.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
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.
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.
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