Tonight the Phillies start the second half of the season against the Florida Marlins. As they come out of the All-Star break, they enjoy a 4 game lead on those same Marlins, so obviously this four game series becomes an important start to the second half. However, that is not the big story for the Phillies this week. Instead, it is the news and rumors surrounding the Phillies pitching staff that is the real big news of the week.
Ever since Brett Myers went down with an injury earlier this year, the Phillies have been looking for another starter to fill out the rotation. So far, they have tried Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo and Rodrigo Lopez. Kendrick was a disaster. Bastardo started out well, but eventually the league caught on to him. Finally, I’m worried about Lopez’s durability. In only his second start, he had shoulder soreness and had to leave the game early.
That brings me to the news of the week. As had been rumored for a few weeks, the Phillies announced yesterday that they signed three time Cy Young award winner Pedro Martinez. Let me state right off the bat that when this rumor first came out, I thought it was a horrible idea. Pedro is now 38 years old and in his last few years with the Mets, he had struggled to get through five innings of work. While I really like Jamie Moyer, that is usually all he can pitch as well. Occasionally, Jamie will get into the 7th inning, but that is the exception, not the rule. If you already have one pitcher who is regularly going to demand 3-4 innings out of your bullpen, can you really afford to add another like him? For that reason, I have reservations about Pedro. (Of course as I write this, Jamie Moyer pitched 7 innings of scoreless, 1 hit ball against the Marlins tonight.)
All that being said, I have to give Reuben Amaro some props on this move. The Phillies only signed him to a one year deal worth the small sum of $1 million. In other words, the Phillies are taking very little risk in this deal. If Pedro somehow finds the fountain of youth, he will be a steal. If he turns out to be an old washed up pitcher, they have not risked that much and can easily release him.
However, I hope that the Phillies do not assume that their search for another starting pitcher is over now that they have signed Pedro. While everyone remembers the domination that was Cole Hamels in last year’s playoffs, easily forgotten is the fact that Brett Myers was a very good pitcher in the post season and he and Hamels were a great 1-2 punch at the beginning of every series. The Phillies currently have no one this year that can fill that role. Which brings me to the real rumors of the last few weeks – Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay.
With the Blue Jays struggling at 2 games under .500 and in 4th place in the tough AL East, they have started shopping their ace pitcher Roy Halladay. This season, Halladay is 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 106 strikeouts, compared to 17 walks. If that isn’t enough, Halladay was the starting pitcher for the American League in the All-Star game. It is believed that the Blue Jays are looking for some top prospects in exchange for Halladay. However, Halladay does have a no-trade clause, so the team that trades for him will have to be a contender as Halladay has made it clear he wants to pitch in the post season – one thing he has not done yet.
Enter the Phillies. The Phillies are one of the few contending teams to have a number of top prospects. Some people have suggested that it may take the Phillies trading current starting pitcher J.A. Happ along with minor leaguers Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor. For those of you who don’t know, Kyle Drabek is one of the Phillies top pitching prospects, currently in AA Reading. He was the Phillies first round pick in the 2006 draft. Michael Taylor is an outfielder, who just today was promoted from AA Reading to AAA Lehigh Valley. In Reading, Taylor was batting .333 with 15 HRs and 65 RBIs. There are many fans who say we shouldn’t give up these three players for Halladay.
What do I say? Can I drive them to the airport?
While this trade would give up three potentially good players, that is all they are – potential. Halladay is the real thing. Many people think we need to think about the future, but for the Phillies the future is NOW! Obviously as the reigning World Series champs, the Phillies have a core of a team that is a championship caliber club. Unfortunately, due to free agency and the like, the Phillies may only have three more years with this core until players like Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels hit the free agency market and then it will be unlikely this team stays together. So you may save Drabek, but he may have no offense left when he gets to the majors in a couple years.
Instead, the Phillies have the opportunity to put together a dynamic offense with one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball – Hamels and Halladay. In the post season, if you have two top flight starters, you are really hard to beat in an extended series the way the majors have set up the playoffs. Remember the Diamondbacks of 2001 with Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling? The D-backs road those two all the way to a World Series title.
With the current lineup, the Phillies have a chance to do something very special – win multiple titles. Doesn’t this city deserve that? After all those years of heartache, Philadelphia deserves a team that has even a mini-dynasty and wins two or dare I say even three titles. Halladay allows you to honestly think about that possibility for the next two seasons as it should be noted he is signed until the end of next year. Trading for Halladay I believe would make the Phillies the instant favorite to win the National League and maybe the whole thing.
One other thing to consider: when it comes to the National League, the LA Dodgers are clearly the team to beat, but there one weakness is that they do not have that one ace pitcher. They have several good starting pitchers who would be a #2 starter on many squads, but they don’t have that #1 pitcher, like a Cole Hamels. First of all, if the Phillies got Halladay, their starting pitching would get that much better against the Dodgers, but also consider the reverse. What if the Dodgers (or any other contender) traded for Halladay? Do you really want to face him in the post season? Personally, I’d rather see him wearing the red pin stripes than pitching against them.
Ever since Brett Myers went down with an injury earlier this year, the Phillies have been looking for another starter to fill out the rotation. So far, they have tried Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo and Rodrigo Lopez. Kendrick was a disaster. Bastardo started out well, but eventually the league caught on to him. Finally, I’m worried about Lopez’s durability. In only his second start, he had shoulder soreness and had to leave the game early.
That brings me to the news of the week. As had been rumored for a few weeks, the Phillies announced yesterday that they signed three time Cy Young award winner Pedro Martinez. Let me state right off the bat that when this rumor first came out, I thought it was a horrible idea. Pedro is now 38 years old and in his last few years with the Mets, he had struggled to get through five innings of work. While I really like Jamie Moyer, that is usually all he can pitch as well. Occasionally, Jamie will get into the 7th inning, but that is the exception, not the rule. If you already have one pitcher who is regularly going to demand 3-4 innings out of your bullpen, can you really afford to add another like him? For that reason, I have reservations about Pedro. (Of course as I write this, Jamie Moyer pitched 7 innings of scoreless, 1 hit ball against the Marlins tonight.)
All that being said, I have to give Reuben Amaro some props on this move. The Phillies only signed him to a one year deal worth the small sum of $1 million. In other words, the Phillies are taking very little risk in this deal. If Pedro somehow finds the fountain of youth, he will be a steal. If he turns out to be an old washed up pitcher, they have not risked that much and can easily release him.
However, I hope that the Phillies do not assume that their search for another starting pitcher is over now that they have signed Pedro. While everyone remembers the domination that was Cole Hamels in last year’s playoffs, easily forgotten is the fact that Brett Myers was a very good pitcher in the post season and he and Hamels were a great 1-2 punch at the beginning of every series. The Phillies currently have no one this year that can fill that role. Which brings me to the real rumors of the last few weeks – Blue Jays pitcher Roy Halladay.
With the Blue Jays struggling at 2 games under .500 and in 4th place in the tough AL East, they have started shopping their ace pitcher Roy Halladay. This season, Halladay is 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 106 strikeouts, compared to 17 walks. If that isn’t enough, Halladay was the starting pitcher for the American League in the All-Star game. It is believed that the Blue Jays are looking for some top prospects in exchange for Halladay. However, Halladay does have a no-trade clause, so the team that trades for him will have to be a contender as Halladay has made it clear he wants to pitch in the post season – one thing he has not done yet.
Enter the Phillies. The Phillies are one of the few contending teams to have a number of top prospects. Some people have suggested that it may take the Phillies trading current starting pitcher J.A. Happ along with minor leaguers Kyle Drabek and Michael Taylor. For those of you who don’t know, Kyle Drabek is one of the Phillies top pitching prospects, currently in AA Reading. He was the Phillies first round pick in the 2006 draft. Michael Taylor is an outfielder, who just today was promoted from AA Reading to AAA Lehigh Valley. In Reading, Taylor was batting .333 with 15 HRs and 65 RBIs. There are many fans who say we shouldn’t give up these three players for Halladay.
What do I say? Can I drive them to the airport?
While this trade would give up three potentially good players, that is all they are – potential. Halladay is the real thing. Many people think we need to think about the future, but for the Phillies the future is NOW! Obviously as the reigning World Series champs, the Phillies have a core of a team that is a championship caliber club. Unfortunately, due to free agency and the like, the Phillies may only have three more years with this core until players like Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels hit the free agency market and then it will be unlikely this team stays together. So you may save Drabek, but he may have no offense left when he gets to the majors in a couple years.
Instead, the Phillies have the opportunity to put together a dynamic offense with one of the best 1-2 punches in baseball – Hamels and Halladay. In the post season, if you have two top flight starters, you are really hard to beat in an extended series the way the majors have set up the playoffs. Remember the Diamondbacks of 2001 with Randy Johnson and Curt Schilling? The D-backs road those two all the way to a World Series title.
With the current lineup, the Phillies have a chance to do something very special – win multiple titles. Doesn’t this city deserve that? After all those years of heartache, Philadelphia deserves a team that has even a mini-dynasty and wins two or dare I say even three titles. Halladay allows you to honestly think about that possibility for the next two seasons as it should be noted he is signed until the end of next year. Trading for Halladay I believe would make the Phillies the instant favorite to win the National League and maybe the whole thing.
One other thing to consider: when it comes to the National League, the LA Dodgers are clearly the team to beat, but there one weakness is that they do not have that one ace pitcher. They have several good starting pitchers who would be a #2 starter on many squads, but they don’t have that #1 pitcher, like a Cole Hamels. First of all, if the Phillies got Halladay, their starting pitching would get that much better against the Dodgers, but also consider the reverse. What if the Dodgers (or any other contender) traded for Halladay? Do you really want to face him in the post season? Personally, I’d rather see him wearing the red pin stripes than pitching against them.
Bastardo?
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