“The Phillies were recently working on a blockbuster with Colorado that would have netted them Brian Fuentes and Matt Holliday for something like Shane Victorino, J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco, and Lou Marson. Those talks have stalled, and the added payroll might’ve been a problem for the Phillies anyway.”

http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/07/rosenthals-la-5.html

Get it done Gillick

Or are you one of those clowns that creates a new name every day and tries to be funny on here, but then you try to hard, so its not funny at all…

Bring on the Muts.. I can’t wait until we face Pedro Marti… …. “El Duque” Herna…. wait, who the f*ck pitches for those guys now?

i’m thinking we really need to trade myers. there’s no longer room for him here. he needs a change of scenery to rejuvenate his career anyway. get rid of him. unfortunately he has no value right now and he could potentially still turn out to be a #2 starter or a dominant closer. so if we trade him now we will seriously get ripped off and get no value

Cole
Brett
Blanton
Moyer
KK

The bottom of that rotation is going to be like trying to walk through thick mud for the other hitters and Blanton is that prototypical 3, a guy who when you get past the plus stuff guys sets you up for a horrible couple of days of trying to be better prepared than the guy on the mound which is a tough ask for most hitters.

The worry in the move is that it realies again on Myers showing up with a plus fastball and tight curve. I’ll take Blanton and consistently chewing up innings than the Mets number 3 in Perez who can only dream of consistency.

I agree that it’s an marginal improvement/upgrade for the rotation. Blanton doesn’t excite anyone, but I think we can agree that this team’s biggest problems isn’t the wow factor, its the consistency (see Eaton & Myers). And Blanton’s career stats (on average) indicates he’ll give you mid 4 ERA and 200 innings a year. And needless to say, the Phillies do need an “inning eater” type pitcher to give the bullpen some needed rest. Hopefully, with the added stability in the rotation, this give the team a better chance to make the playoffs. Beyond the playoffs? The answer to that question depends on a number of factors including potential injuries that can impact any of the contending teams lacking depth. It’s nice to know that the team has Happ waiting in the wings when needed. I also think the Phillies could use another versatile position player that can hit for decent average and ready to come off the bench when needed. To find one is easier said than done. And I don’t want to give up more of our better prospects to do it. Unrealistic? Perhaps. Let’s see what route Gillick may take, if at all, prior to the trade deadline.

It’s will be interesting to see what will develop with Eaton for the immediate future. If the decision is made to put him in the bullpen, the lack of experience there can hurt his ability to make that transition. In his 9 yr career, he has started in 193 of his 195 game appearances. Like Myers, he has that right to accept or reject the assignment to the minors. It’s unrealistic to think he will be release and the tightfisted owners will accept a huge loss his $24 million contract. My best guess is he will be given a chance to work out his mechanics in the bullpen and hope he can be effective again (13 quality starts in 17 earlier in the season) to be the “back-up” emergency starter.

Final note: stating the obvious…. Myers will be the key piece of the puzzle that will determine how far the Phillies will go this season.

He would be a better pinch hitter than So Taguchi.

To win this year, the Phils need a consistent bat. The LOOGY would be nice but isn’t strictly necessary – it would all depend on the offer. Love the Holliday speculation, but hard to see it happening. Still, if they can get Holliday for Carrasco, Donald, and one or two others, Gillick will look like a genius for saving his best ammo for Holliday and not wasting it to get a pitcher who wouldn’t be better than Blanton.

Longer term, I think this trade is going to look even better. The rotation, as big of a headache as it has been this year, was looking even worse for next year. Eaton needed to go, we don’t know what Myers will be like when he gets back, and Moyer may decide to hang it up. Blanton fills a huge hole and will prevent us from having to overpay in free agency for a #3 starter. If the Phils go out and get Sheets as a FA (which doesn’t seem out of the question), they will have turned their biggest hole into a strength, and this trade will be a huge part of it. For now, this:

Hamels
Blanton
Moyer
Kendrick
Myers

looks a helluva lot better than this:

Hamels
Myers
Moyer
Kendrick
Eaton

“Meanwhile, apparently Blanton will replace Adam Eaton in the Phillies’ rotation, or at least that’s what every Phillies fan must be hoping. Really, it’s sort of amazing that Eaton’s been allowed to pitch for as long as he has. As a rookie eight years ago, Eaton went 7-4 with a 4.13 ERA. Since then he’s never actually been good, and most of the time he’s not even been adequate. Since signing his three-year, $24.5 million contract prior to 2007, he’s 13-18 with a 6.06 ERA.

That’s right: three-year contract. The Phillies owe Eaton another $9 million after this season, which does make releasing him now both embarrassing and (thus) difficult. Still, it probably must be done. Sunk costs and all that. Because while Blanton might have been the A’s worst starter, he’s now one of the Phillies’ best. ”

Kind of puts it in perspective when you see an unbiased opinion like that.