Phillies Nation

We have canceled all of our commitments until after 4 PM today.  The two best days of the year are the two weeks after the World Series (Free Agency) and the last day of July, the non-waiver trade deadline.  Pat Gillick stated yesterday during the post conference after the games on Sunday that one, possibly two more moves are going to happen today.  We’ve done all the work for you. We’ve tracked down the sources and scenarios which may occur over the very hot day of July 31st.

In the order which the player is mostly likely to be outta here, Rob Cowie rates which Phillie(s) will be gone by the time NBC News at 4 goes Live on air.

Jon Lieber: Interest from Texas Rangers

Jon Lieber is scheduled to start today against the Marlins. Will he make it to 1:05?

The only concern the Rangers have in terms of a trade is if they want to inherit 7 million dollars of salary on the remainder of his contract. The Rangers have been active in in recent days in trading for Carlos Lee and catcher Miguel Ojeada from the Rockies.

The Rangers have been unwilling to discuss exchanging any of their top four prospects: pitchers John Danks, Thomas Diamond or Edinson Volquez and shortstop Joaquin Arias for the level of starting pitching help that is still available. Yet, they have been offering Hank Blalock. I doubt that John Lieber alone would cash Blalock as a return on Lieber.

As the state of the Phillies is more dreary then filled with sunshine I can not see the need for a veteran pitcher with a high price tag playing on a team with little hopes of a playoff berth. But, its all on the belief that you think the Phils are out of it or not.

Tom Gordon: Interest from Chicago White Sox

The White Sox want relievers. They released Cliff Politte after collapsing as a set up man to Bobby Jenks. Jenks himself has been shaky and heralded future starter Brandon McCarthy has been inconsistent in relief situations. The Chi Sox are willing to part with Freddy Garcia John Garland or Javier Vazquez for Tom Gordon. Moving one of the starters would allow McCarthy to assume command of a spot in the rotation and not become the AL version of Ryan Madson.

Trading Gordon would free the Phillies from having to pay Gordon the remainder of his contract, 2 years and $12.5 million with a club option of $4.5 million for 2009.

Pat Burrell: Interest from St. Louis Cardinals, Baltimore Orioles

A previous trade attempt by the O’s to acquire Burrell for Rodrigo Lopez was nixed but the O’s are hot to make a move by 4PM. They have been active in trade talk across the league. Most notably the work to trade Miguel Tejada for Roy Oswalt, Adam Everett and Morgan Ensburg was cancelled by the Astros because of the possibility of the O’s trading Oswalt to Texas.

The Cardinals have been in discussion with the Fightins over Pat. With a bullpen ranked 7th in the NL for ERA the Cardinals are also eyeing Rheal Cormier and Aaron Fultz.

What complicates the rumors with either team is Pat’s publicly-known opinions that he will only waive his no-trade clause to become a Yankee or Red Sox. With Bobby A being aquired yesterday afternoon by the Yankees another trade with them is unlikely. Also, Burrell’s contract situation and inability of having consistent offense and defensive play make Burrell a very, very tough chip to move. If GM Pat Gillick can move Burrell and his contract you may see fireworks over the Art Museum at rush hour.

If he does leave, I wonder what will happen with all of those Pat Burrell giveaway hats?

David Dellucci:  Interest from most teams who want an OF

Dellucci has made it known since coming in the Rob Tejeda trade that he wants to be a starter. He leads the NL in pinch hits with 14 and when inserted in the starting line up he stands out in the box score. With Abreu now in New York does this solidify David’s spot on the team?

It depends on how you see the Phillies.

Michael Bourn was brought up (or down and over if you look geographically) from Scranton to replace Bobby Abreu’s spot on the roster. The Phils are high on this prospect after posting .274/4/26/30 in AA and hitting .333 and stealing 9 bases in 19 games at AAA. Could the Phillies trade Dellucci for more prospects and go with a new youth movement for the remainder of 2006?

If you are in the faction which believes the Phillies season isn’t over until they are mathematically eliminated from all contention then Dellucci is a must in your lineup. He can bat either in the top or bottom of the lineup. He is a productive offensive player and a tough out at the plate. He rounds his offensive play with above average fielding and can play all fields. If this team somehow makes a push for the Wildcard they would need some type of veteran presence on the field. Dellucci was apart of the 2001 World Series Champion Arizona Diamondbacks.

As expected, today has been a busy and pivotal day for the Phillies and their future.  To start, Ryan Franklin was designated for assignment to make room on the roster for Randy Wolf.  It was then announced that Bobby Abreu, who was scheduled to start, was withheld from the lineup.  This sparked rumors about his impending departure, which were later confirmed.  Bobby Abreu and Cory Lidle have been dealt to the Yankees for four current minor leaguers: C. J. Henry, SS; Matt Smith, LHP; Jesus Sanchez, C; Carlos Monasterios, RHP – more on them later.  With all the moves and injuries the Phillies lineup had a radically different look than normal; despite the scheduled doubleheader – Sandoval, Nunez, Dellucci, Victorino, and Wolf all made starts.

Wolf looked rusty early on.  His first five batters reached a full count as Randy proceeded to look like a typical Phillies started as he gave up a run in the first.  Incidentally, the single which scored the run rolled up the middle as Danny Sandoval was unwisely parked deep in the hole.  Wolf had 40+ pitches in the first, including a wild pitch but settled down and left after 4 1/3 with the game tied.  Lieberthal hit his second homer run of the year, a grand slam, and propelled the Phillies to a 11-5 victory.  Chase Utley also extended his hitting streak to 30 games and Ryan Howard walked five times, tying a Phillies record.

In the fourth inning, Bobby Abreu came out to sit in the dugout and say his goodbyes, not to mention spark a five run rally.  The Yanks already played today and have off tomorrow so he was in no rush to hit the road.  He wore sunglasses, not just because it was bright today, but hide some teary eyes.  Bobby called Ramon Henderson from the bullpen phone and spent the rest of the game parked on the bench next to his injured buddy, Jimmy Rollins.  Despite the flack Bobby has received the past few years, you’re insane if you think the Phillies won’t miss him, just look at the numbers from this preemptive eulogy we expressed for him last week.  He and Cory were treated to a standing ovation as they came out for a final curtain call.

Based on what the Phils got back for Abreu and Bell, it’s clear Pat Gillick has his eyes set on the 2007 season.  Fortunately, the Yankees will be picking up both their salaries, though I have yet to see confirmation that Abreu will have his club option picked up for 2008.  With the Phils down an outfielder,  Shane Victorino will likely become the new Phillies starter at rightfield.  He may platoon with Dellucci unless he his traded as well.  Still this means the Phils have two roster spots open, perhaps Roberson and Matheison or Floyd will be called back up…or there’s always the possibility Pat Gillick will secure a big leaguer for the first time this week.

Finally, what you’ve all been waiting for, the lowdown on the prospects who are now Phillies from the official release:

C. J. Henry, SS

B-T: R-R . . . 6-3, 205 . . . Born: May 31, 1986, Oklahoma City, OK . . . Resides: Oklahoma City . . . Originally selected by the Yankees in the first round (17th player overall) of the 2005 First-Year Player Draft . . . Was named the 2005 Oklahoma High School Player of the Year and also named by Baseball America as a first-team High School All American . . . Hit .481 at Putnam City High School in 2005 with 13 home runs and 41 RBI in 37 games.

Henry is hitting .232 in 76 games for the Charleston RiverDogs in the single-A South Atlantic League. He has 19 doubles, three triples and two home runs with 33 RBI and 35 runs scored. After hitting .211 through the first two months, Henry is hitting .254 in the last two months, collecting 11 of his doubles and 21 of his RBI. He will be assigned to single-A Lakewood, also of the South Atlantic League.

Henry made his pro debut last summer with the Yankees’ rookie-level Gulf Coast League team, hitting .249 in 48 games. Baseball America named him the fourth-best prospect in the Yankees organization after the season.

Matt Smith, LHP

B-T: L-L . . . 6-4, 220 . . . Born: June 15, 1979, Las Vegas, NV . . . Resides: Henderson, NV . . . Originally selected by the Yankees in the fourth round of the 2000 First-Year Player Draft out of Oklahoma State University . . . Was the school’s all-time strikeout leader (348 over three years) when selected.

Smith has relieved for both the Yankees and triple-A Columbus this season. He began the season with Columbus, was promoted after three scoreless appearances and relieved three times in the majors, returned to Columbus, recalled again on June 4 and back to triple-A on July 4.

Smith pitched a total of 12.0 scoreless innings for the Yankees over 12 games, allowing four hits and eight walks while striking out nine. With Columbus, he went 0-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 24 games.

Last season, Smith was converted from a starter to a reliever while splitting time between double-A Trenton and Columbus. He was 3-1 with a 1.55 ERA in 18 appearances at Trenton before moving up to Columbus’ bullpen where he was 2-0 with a 2.60 ERA in 25 appearances. He also pitched for Grand Canyon in the Arizona Fall League and for Team USA on the Olympic Qualifying team.

Jesus Sanchez, C

B-T: R-R . . . 5-11, 160 . . . Born: September 24, 1987, Valencia, VZ . . . Resides: Valencia . . . Originally signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent, July 2, 2004.

Playing for the Gulf Coast Yankees this season, Sanchez was hitting .264 in 23 games with five doubles and 10 RBI. He had eight multi-hit games. He made his professional debut in 2005 with the Yankees’ team in the Dominican Summer League.

Carlos Monasterios, RHP

B-T: R-R . . . 6-2, 175 . . . Born: August 17, 1985, Miranda, VZ . . . Resides: Miranda . . . Originally signed by the Yankees as an amateur free agent, September 22, 2004.

Monasterios was also pitching for the Gulf Coast Yankees. He was 1-2 with a 2.97 ERA in seven games (three starts). In 30.1 innings, he allowed 23 hits while walking three and striking out 24. Opponents were batting .207 against him. He, too, made his debut in the Dominican Summer League last season, going 1-1 with a 0.59 ERA in 13 games.

Both Sanchez and Monasterios will be assigned to Single-A Clearwater.

The Phillies recalled Danny Sandoval from Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre and will have him in the lineup against Dontrelle Willis and the Marlins tonight.  It will be his first big league start and Abraham Nunez will get the nod at third.  Sandoval is expected to bat eighth and play shortstop while Jimmy Rollins recovers from a grade 1 strain to his right hamstring.  While with the Red Barons, Danny hit .256 with two homers, 17 doubles, and 39 RBI in 90 games this year. The 27-year old right-hander made a brief appearance with the Phillies last season and went 0-2 in 3 games with a run scored.  Check back later and we’ll let you know how it goes tonight.

The song remained the same for Brett Myers tonight after another quality start gave way to a Phillies loss.  The club could only muster three hits against the Marlins as their starter Ricky Nolasco tossed 6 and 2/3 innings of no-hit ball.  Abraham Nunez broke up the fun with a rare hit but was stranded as Myers batted for himself in the bottom of the seventh.  Chase Utley extended his hitting streak to 28 games with a single in his final at bat.  He only recorded two official ABs as he was HBP and walked earlier in the game.  Also, he was a bit shaky defensively at the end.  He started the top of the ninth by knocking down a groundball but failed to get a throw off.  Then later as he tried to convert a double play, a high throw from Rollins contributed to a throwing error by Utley.  The runner advanced, and later scored as Aaron Fultz coughed up three runs in the ninth.  This meant that Ryan Howard’s 33rd home run of the year in the ninth was for naught.

The real news to come out of tonight’s game was that David Bell, who went 0-4, was traded to the Milwaukee Brewers.  The Brewers, just coming off dealing Carlos Lee, sent to the Phillies a single-A 22-year-old right-handed pitcher by the name of Wilfrido Laureano.  Laureano has gone 3-2 with one save and a 3.96 ERA in 29 relief appearances in the South Atlantic League.  In 63 and 2/3 innings he struck out 62 batters while allowing 54 hits, 36 walks and a .218 opponent’s average.  He will be assigned to Lakewood.

Bell, who is a free agent at the end of the season, knew his days in Philly were coming to an end, but I think we’re all surprised it came sooner than we though.  Bell has underachieved in his almost four years with the Phils and the fans have let him know it.  While his smart fielding helped to solidify the Phils impressive defense last season, he will be remembered for his error against the Astros late last season as well as grounding into innumerable doubleplays.  The Brewers will be David’s sixth team in his 12 years of MLB service.   He will likely play a backup role to Jeff Cirillo who is batting .326 on the season.  The Brew Crew also have Cory Koskie who plays third, but he’s been on the DL since the beginning of the month.

The move comes among trade speculation surrounding many Phillies other than David Bell.  In fact, few suspected any team would have an interest in Bell; and looking at who the Phils got in return, it seems Milwaukee had only the slightest.  While this move could be considered a salary dump, Pat Gillick just wanted to get something out of Bell before his playing career in Philadelphia ended.  With the starting third baseman gone, the Phillies are left with Abraham Nunez (who has been awful offensively) and Chris Coste (the backup catcher) to fill the hole.  However with a roster spot open, Bobby Scales could be called up for an interview; that is, unless that spot is reserved for Randy Wolf.  Or of course, this could be the first move in a larger trading deadline strategy concocted by Pat Gillick.  We’ll know for sure after this weekend.

With Cory Lidle and Jon Lieber winning their last two starts their trade market-value has increased but the Phillies have also won two games.  They currently stand 6.5 games and 8 teams out of the wild card with 63 games to be played.  Since the All-Star break the Phils have gone an unimpressive 6-6 which means to achieve 87 wins they need to finish the year 41-22.  This past week was supposed to help Pat Gillick evaluate just how desperately he needs to change his team’s roster.  Since the Phils, riding Chase Utley’s 27-game hitting streak, won the past two games it could be argued that they should hang on to their two veteran starters.  Lidle is certainly pitching well as of late and Lieber has gone 9-1 with a 2.43 ERA in the past three Septembers.  So if Gillick has any lingering hope that the Phils will contend for the wild card, he should think about keeping Lidle or Lieber. 

If the attention of the front-office turns to the medium-term however, the Phils have several opportunities to unload their starting pitching – the Mets, Yankees, Red Sox and Blue Jays are all still interested in a solid starter for the stretch run.  The Phillies are now said to be discussing a deal with the Yankees that would net them lesser prospects for Abreu – with the catch being that the Yanks have to take on Jon Lieber, too.  Lidle, a former Met and a high school teammate of Jason Giambi’s, may make more sense for the Yankees, especially considering Lidle is half the price of Lieber and is a free agent at the end of the year.

Much of any deal between the Phillies and the Yankees revolves around which prospects the Phillies can secure in return.  The Inquirer reports the Phils want the Yankees top pitching prospect, Philip Hughes, who is currently assigned to the Trenton Thunder; but Buster Olney on his ESPN blog says they won’t get him.  Next on the list would be Scott Proctor though the Yankees are hesitant to let him go due to Kyle Farnsworth’s occasional back problems.  The Yankees have also declined letting their 18-year old outfield prospect Jose Tabata be considered.  Another option thought by many to be among the best pitching prospects the Yanks are willing to part with would be Steven White, who is 2-5 with a 4.86 ERA in nine starts for Triple-A Columbus.  Still, the Yankees’ best hope of acquiring Bobby Abreu would be if the Phillies were simply trying to get rid of his salary – and Pat Gillick is certainly not that desperate yet.

The Yankees are by far the most interested team in buying Phillies; and now, with Pat Burrell claiming he will only waive his no-trade clause for the Yankees or Red Sox, the admiration goes both ways.   Similarly, based on the claim that the teams that miss out on the Carlos Lee and Alfonso Soriano race will be the ones with interest in Abreu, the Phillies remain central on the Yankees radar.  News today from ESPN reports that the Texas Rangers have completed a trade to bring Carlos Lee in from Milwaukee.  This means the Tigers and Yankees are still in the Abreu hunt with Boston and St. Louis remaining fringe contenders.  This also means that the Brewers – ahead of the Phillies by 1 game in the wild card standing – are already throwing in the towel.  With a five-game series against the Marlins, another of the eight teams above the Phils, set for this weekend, it is still possible the Phils can battle for a playoff spot.  I think the picture will be come much clear on Sunday with Randy Wolf scheduled to start in the second half of a day/night doubleheader on the day before the trading deadline.  If the Randy and the team look hot, it might go a long way in offering Pat Gillick a dose of the annual hope which leads us to believe the Phillies are still in it.

Brett Myers cannot pitch a complete game this season and it’s about time Charlie Manuel realizes this.  Early on Brett overpowered the Braves as he recorded six strikeouts in the first three innings.  He continued to cruise allowing just three hits, one being a home run to Edgar Renteria in the fourth; in fact, he retired the next 12 batters after the homer.  However in the eighth, two of the batters forced a 3-2 count on Myers, the first time hitherto any batter got that close to a walk.  Myers stayed on the mound in the ninth and Marcus Giles worked a walk after the count went 3-2 yet again.  This should have been the final sign for Manual pull Myers.  Granted after Myers surrendered the lead to the next batter, Tom Gordon blew any chance of a comeback by allowing a 3-run home run.  Taken on its own, it probably made sense to leave in Myers for the ninth as he was just a few pitches over the century mark but Myers’ ability to close games have been suspect all season.  Here are just two recent examples we’ve documented:

June 20th – "He got into some trouble in his final inning and left with the bases loaded after throwing 124 pitches.  This kind of exit concerns me as it has all year.  Of course Myers is a quality pitcher and has the capacity to throw a complete game, but I don’t think Charlie Manuel should simply let him pitch until he gets into trouble.  As the game wears on, it becomes increasing less likely that Myers will be able to pitch himself out of a jam – two of his walks came in his final inning.  Manuel and Rich Dubee need to predict Myers’ stamina out there as to not allow a great outing to go to waste."

June 5th – "Brett Myers had another solid outing, but he does continue to show signs of weakness towards the end of games.  Don’t get me wrong he is a great pitcher, but he simply not been able to close out games effectively this season.  He’s often having to be relieved mid-inning which makes me wonder if Charlie Manuel and Rich Dubee should drop the "let him pitch until he gets in trouble" mentality."

I am simply confounded as to how Manuel has failed to pick up on the trend of Myers fading in the late innings.  Sure there were plenty of opportunities for the Phillies to win it – a single run off 11 hits is just unacceptable – but tonight’s eighth inning and first batter of the ninth in combination with Myers’ history of suspect endurance should have held a billboard-sized message to call for relief.  It just annoys me that it’s 4am, I have to wake up in two hours, and just spent the past two and a half hours watching a close game only to have it botched in the end.  I guess that’s just the Phillies for you.

It was announced today that Phillies backup catcher Sal Fasano has been designated for assignment.  His .243 average in 50 games for the club did not much improve the dismal production from the bottom of the lineup; that combined with Fasano’s left knee injury and Chris Coste’s recent contributions mean tit was time to go for the Italian Stallion.  Fasano has been eligible to come off the DL since Tuesday but the Phillies kept him inactive to buy time as they contemplated roster moves.  Fasano said he will not play in Scranton which means the Phils have 10 days to either trade or release him – the latter being the most likely option.  Apparently as Sal was rehabbing his injury, he heard the news of his impending departure through the grapevine and was none too pleased with the situation.  "I just didn’t think that being outrighted is a reward for going on the DL when you didn’t want to.  It just goes to show you they’d rather go with guys they just picked up than guys that were here.  But when I got to hear it secondhand, I really wasn’t pleased about it."  So it goes, Sal.  We’ll miss your face and your popular fan club, but at this point if you can’t secure a spot as the Phillies catcher, it might as well be time to hang up the cleats.

For the 33,000 who were at the game last night, they were treated to a good one.  Besides the former Phillies All-Stars – Dale Murphy, Johnny Callison, and Darren Daulton – in attendance and Meatloaf singing "Taking Me Out to the Ballgame," the Phils played well and secured a win to open their four-game series against the Braves.  Cory Lidle bucked the recent trend of giving up early runs and allowed just three over the course of eight innings.  The three runs came off two home runs, his 16th and 17th surendered this season, including one to the Braves’ eight-hole hitter, rookie Scott Thorman.  Fortunately Chris Coste returned the favor as he hit a two-run shot (his 2nd career home run) early in the game.  Lidle’s ERA dipped below 5 to 4.91 as he evened his record to 7-7.

Besides the production from Chris Coste, who continues to make a case to replace Lieberthal next year, Jimmy Rollins and David Bell contributed with four hits apiece.  Also, David Dellucci batting for Lidle in the eighth, extended his lead in the NL pinch-hit department (15 total) and scored Aaron Rowand to propel the Phils to a 4-3 lead.  JRoll recorded three singles on the night, (including one to lead-off the game) as well as a big homer to tie it in the seventh.  As I watched on Comcast, you could really hear the excitement in Harry Kalas’ voice as he called that one.  He knows that this homestand is crucial for the club both from a transactional standpoint as well as determining the likelihood of the club summoning a playoff push.  Harry was also thrilled by Chase Utley’s two-run single which extended his hitting streak to 22 games and provided some much needed insurance.  Also pleased by Chase’s clutch hit were the ladies of Chase’s Chicks, a new fan group consisting of 10 girls dressed in yellow with chicken hats sitting up near section 302.

In the ninth, Tom Gordon came on and struck out Andruw Jones to start the inning.  He then gave up a single and fell behind Jeff Francoeur 3-1.  Gordon threw him a fastball which immediately ended up in the left-centerfield stands and pulled the Braves within one.  Fortunately Tom settled down and converted the save opportunity.  It would have looked real bad if just after we advertise a trip to New York to cheer on Flash that he would blow a save.

This was a key win for the Phils as they begin a 12-game homestand against the streaking Braves.  The Fightins remain 5.5 games and 8 teams back in the Wild Card standings but only 2 games from leapfrogging 5 of those 8 teams.  If the Phillies can end the Braves series with the Wild Card in sight, it could go a long way in proving to themselves that they still have a streak left in them.  We all know the Phils thrive off momentum for better or worse.  Some positive momentum could also help Pat Gillick decide the urgency in making moves before the deadline, now just nine days away.

I hate to say it, but the summer is more than halfway over; so before school is back in session and the Phillies season ends, join us for another fun road trip.  This time Phillies Nation will partner with Flash’s Followers to decent upon the hostile and dank confines of Shea Stadium to cheer on our Fightin’ Phils on Saturday, August 5th.

The plan is to take the R7 SEPTA service north to New York Penn Station and transfer to the Long Island Railroad calling at Shea Stadium. For those who haven’t made the trip before, it’s surprisingly easy and less than $30 round trip. Tickets will either be purchased prior to the game or at the gate – depending on the interest shown – and range from $18 to $25.

Since Flash’s Followers are taking the lead on this one, and assuming Tom is still on the team, feel free to support the Phillies All-Star closer by dressing up as your favorite superhero.

So if you are interested in the road trip to NYC, please drop us an email through our Contact Us page.