Comments on: Holliday May Test Market For Big Deal

By: MikeB

MikeB — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 07:08:13 +0000

I think Howard has the potential to hit for a better batting average and cut down on his strikeouts although he is the kind of hitter who will always rack up a significant number of whiffs. Milt Thompson and Manuel need to keep working with him. Can you imagine what this guy would be like if he had a consistent year with the bat?

By: Geoff

Geoff — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:30:44 +0000

hamels is under team control for several more years, he isnt even in arb yet….hes not going ANYWHERE.

i hope ruben and arbuckle do NOT get the GM job, they need to be cleaned out. theyre trash.

By: Phils2008

Phils2008 — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 04:25:39 +0000

I think Ruben will get it or leave

By: christopher

christopher — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 22:16:53 +0000

how exactly is hamels supposed to leave?

By: mike m

mike m — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:52:37 +0000

Hamel I really believe will leave. I think he is a free spirit and doesn’t like the way the phillies have handle him so far. Unless they change he is gone. Howard from all indication is getting bad advice from his family. They are of the opinion he will get ten years two hundred million plus. At thirty two with his body type I don;t think so. But I have been wrong before.

By: Lewisauce

Lewisauce — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:48:10 +0000

I’m not sold on Cashman.

By: Matt Kwasiborski

Matt Kwasiborski — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:45:58 +0000

First, we have Blanton under contract for at least next year and maybe the year after. He is a pretty solid middle rotation kind of guy.

Second- we should sign a top flight starter. But UFAs have to want to sign here. I mean, outside of Eaton, how many starters have we signed? Not many. Jon Leiber maybe. So, the odds of us getting a top flight pitcher like Sabathia, Sheets, Burnett are pretty slim unless we offer them part of NJ too. And Sheets and Burnett are too injury prone for that kind of ransom.

If we can’t get a starter and Holliday wants out, then we cut ties with Pat and go after Matt. I love Pat because he works hard, never complains even with all of the scrutiny he has faced and never takes a day off. But he is too streaky to be paid $14M a year. He isn’t going to take a significant pay cut either. If Holliday’s stats are padded in Colorado, then he should be fine here in the warm/hot summer days. He would be awesome in our lineup.

Howard- Love him because he is one of the few true power hitters left in the game. Yeah, he strikes out alot but I think he will adjust next season. And since we hold his rights for three more seasons then no reason to sign him to an overvalued contract or trade him.

The person they need to sign is Hamels. That is the one we need to lock up right now. He met the team’s demands and has stayed healthy.

And what are the odds that if Cashman wants to come here we get him to be the new GM? I am not sold on Amaro.

By: DD

DD — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:35:40 +0000

What do you guys think of Jeff Francouer? I don’t know if the braves would trade him within the division but I understand that he has fallen out of favor with them and may be available. That would make for an outfield of Francouer, Victorino, and Werth if Burrell is not re-signed. Any thoughts?

By: Don M

Don M — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:32:38 +0000

I don’t exactly think Blanton has done a good job, or lived up to what he thought he would be… BUT… he’s better than what we had (big deal?)… maybe its not a big deal, but if it helps the team, which it does.. why complain about it???

Blanton has had a few good games, in key spots. Yea id like him to better, but if people are complaining about the #4 pitcher in the rotation… it seems to me that they just like complaining.

I think they have him signed cheaply for next season too

By: Richie Allen

Richie Allen — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:17:53 +0000

Don M i’d like to reserve opinion on Blanton so far…..He has potential,but I’d want to see more for a good judgement….
Hey,he might be the middle of the rotation answer for the PHILS,or better..Last game he was really good.
Do we have him locked up for next year or is he a free agent?

By: mikemike

mikemike — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:12:34 +0000

Don he might be better than eaton or kendrick, big deal. The fact remains he has only gotten to the seventh inning three of twelve starts. What is that over the course of forty starts. about thirteen times he gets to the seventh and remember,quality start are three runs in at least 6 innings.So I don’t even think he has had three quality starts. Your argument that he has done a good job is bogus. face facts he is a hitting machine. look at his career numbers.

By: Tom

Tom — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 20:04:03 +0000

i say stop being stupid and make the deal….u get holliday with utley and howard you get avg HRs RBIS coming to in my opinion atleast a better HR hitting park

burrell is my boy but he hits .250 you replace him with a guy who hits over .300 and more HRS and RBIS please

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:59:21 +0000

because you dont NEED to throw money at him right now because he is under team control for a while and youre going to be throwing money at him through arbitration anyway.

By: Chris.I

Chris.I — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:55:39 +0000

Why wouldn’t you throw that money towards Howard? I don’t understand Phillies fans, seriously…Who gives a shit if he striked out 200+ per year. He’s your bomber of the squad, its what power hitters do, they strike out alot. But in Howards case, the kid comes up, wins rookie of the year, wins you a homerun derby (twice by phillies in back to back years), and wins an MVP the next year, and gets you into the playoff’s, and does the same EXACT shit the next year (well hopefully again). He is the black bambino…The Phils never had this much excitement in this town since 1993. Atleast he’s consistent to give you 40+ Hr’s per year, and 120+ Rbi’s. He needs to be handcuffed to David Montgomery wrist

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:41:42 +0000

theres no point in giving up the farm for one year of holliday…UNLESS youre doing a last hurrah one yera all out blitz at the world series. but stil…werth can be just as good if not more prodcutive than pat in left field.

By: Geoff

Geoff — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:40:40 +0000

heres my new plan, the realistic one:

burrell walks. howard stays. j-hole (grudlingly) stays, utley, feliz stays. coste goes, marson and ruiz will be your catchers next year. vic stays in center. werth stays but moves to left field.

you use the free money to sign a big ticket free agent starter (sabathia – prob no chance, sheets, burnett, lowe, etc.), so that youre rotation is like so:

hamels
myers
free agent
blanton
moyer

carrasco is waiting in AAA, kendrick waits in AAA to improve himself.

happ is packaged and traded for a decent, affordable, serviceable contact-oriented right fielder. (the free agent options arent too exciting)

jenkins is gotten rid of at all costs…

keep scott eyre and chad durbin. lidge is already staying. romero is already here. madson may or may not be back….go out and get a legit setup man. there are ususally plenty of free agent setup men available every year.

bring up young players to fill the bench spots. golson can be the 4th outfielder. stairs is already staying on at the 5th outfielder, backup first base. dobbs and bruntlett are probably coming back too.

By: J-Man

J-Man — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:36:02 +0000

I’d like to have Holliday,but the money Scott Boras alway ask for is outragous and only the Yankees can afford it…I hope they don’t plan on giving Burrell another long term deal because he’s back to sucking and they already offered him a 2 year deal and he turned it down…Pat the bats like Bobby Abreu,we like to have em,but it’s time to move on.

By: Don M

Don M — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:17:23 +0000

if you guys start on Blanton (the #4 pitcher…) thats as bad as when people were getting mad about Condrey in the bullpen…

Blanton is much better than Eaton and Kendrick… better than your other options, so give the dude a break.. he’s pitched very well a couple times, and very average in some others.. overall, he’s a decent addition to the rotation

By: Don M

Don M — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:10:25 +0000

Regardless of Holliday… Burrell isn’t worth $14 Million per year… he’s so good defensively that his manager replaces him late in games, because he simply can’t get to as many balls as the other outfielders. (he’s great at catching balls hit right at him…)

If you can get Burrell for a home-team discount, do it.. but don’t give him the $50 M, 4-5 year deal that someone else might offer him… at least AL teams can shift people to DH as they get older, we don’t have that luxury

By: Johnny

Johnny — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:08:28 +0000

Chutley … YES send Blanton back to the American league