Breaking News: Athletics Acquire Matt Holliday
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Mon, November 10, 2008 03:27 PM | Comments: 58
Posts
UPDATE (3:40 p.m.): The Athletics will send reliever Huston Street, outfielder Carlos Gonzalez and starter Greg Smith to Colorado. A Phillie equivalent would be Ryan Madson, Greg Golson and JA Happ, though I’d contend the Rockies were seeking something close to the combination of Shane Victorino and JA Happ.
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The Athletics have closed in on a deal for Rockies outfielder Matt Holliday, according to SI.com’s Jon Heyman. The Phillies were rumored to be working a deal for Holliday, but that was somewhat denied by Todd Zolecki today.
It’s possible the A’s move either Adrian Cardenas, Gio Gonzalez or Josh Outman for Holliday. We’ll let you know if that’s the case.
Posts: 0 Manny
Great news for us!
Posted: 03:39 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Dennis
They’ll be trading him at the deadline when they’re 20 games out again… Or maybe they will sign him long term, aren’t they opening a new stadium soon? Oh well….
Posted: 03:40 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Amanda
aww man.
Posted: 03:51 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
Why are they doing this?
Posted: 03:58 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 1650 Tim Malcolm
Beane probably thinks his young core is ready to contend in 2009. But once he sees it won’t contend (by early June), he’ll turn Holliday for more prospects. That’s how he do.
Posted: 04:00 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
Is there any chance he turns him for better prospects even before the season starts? I wouldn’t put it past Beane. Most think that Holliday’s numbers will drop away from Coors, so wouldn’t it be smarter to turn him sooner than later?
Posted: 04:05 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NJ
This is a blessing in disguise for our guys, I would have loved to have seen Holliday here but it would have done to us what trading for Teixeria did to the Braves.
Posted: 04:14 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 1650 Tim Malcolm
Note: I took down the most recent post, because I wanted to let this and the Rollins piece breathe today. Time to slow it down.
Posted: 04:15 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 MA Phanatic
Ladies and Gentleman, starting in Left Field for your World Champion Phillies, Geoff Jenkins!!
Oh well, at least he’s in the AL
Posted: 04:18 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
If we let P the B walk we better replace him with a starting caliber outfielder like Bradley or Dye. I hate platoons more than anything. If we settle for some combination of Jenkins, Stairs, Dobbs and Bruntlett in the OF I think we take a very big step backwards from last year. Then, god forbid Victorino or Werth gets injured, we’ll be so screwed.
Posted: 04:31 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 christopher
early reports are huston street, greg smith and carlos gonzalez. it’s a good trade both ways if that’s the case, and i think the A’s will contend in 2009 with holliday in the lineup.
Posted: 04:31 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Georgie
NEPA, I hate the thought of platooning too.
Posted: 04:37 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
thats a good move for both teams. the A’s have been trying to unload street for a year. so they get rid of street and unload two good young prospects who are ready to play in mlb anyway for holliday who they will resign in all likelihood to sell tickets at their new stadium.
the rockies needed that young depth because they sucked WITH matt holliday last year.
im liking getting dye…thats a good move.
Posted: 04:37 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 mikem
I didn’t know why they would make this trade. Oakland I thought couldn’t afford his price. Now it make sense to me .if it makes Oakland a contender as people on this site have said. I knew for us we couldn’t afford him howard and hamels too much salary to take on.Plus I wouldn’t want to ever have a boras client in a contract year. Like now with his remarks about Madson. he makes it sound like he is the best reliever in baseball. hate that guy
Posted: 04:51 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 1650 Tim Malcolm
Really it’s a great move for Oakland. They get a centerpiece hitter and still own a wealth of prospects and young guys. They can re-sign Holliday or trade him if they’re out or let him walk. They’re upping the payroll and I would bet Billy Beane now sees the writing on the wall: Make the team a regular contender, get a new stadium, or else.
Posted: 04:56 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Justin
This is a great move for the Phils, we get to keep our prospects that we didn’t wish to part with and we get to sign him at the end of the season when the A’s let him walk, we sign him in the offseason.
Posted: 04:59 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Justin
BTW Tim, this is the offseason, keep up the information. This is the greatest time in baseball when the season’s over and trying to figure out what trades will and wont happen, who will or won’t be signed with the Phils. Love this time of year.
Posted: 05:03 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Chuck P
As much as it pains me to say it… I would trade Victorino, Durbin and Happ for Holliday (assuming he’ll commit to 4 or 5 years). and I think that the Rox would take it. That deal works ($$), it makes sense (Golson replaces Victorino; he’ll give us .275 and just as many steals… plus we won’t have to deal with a platoon in LF) and that gives us four legitimate potential NL MVP’s in our lineup. Fellas, you gotta sell high and buy low. We can replace heart (does anyone remember letting Rowand walk?); this is an opportunity to cash in some of our chips for a proven commodity. If there is any way to keep Rollins, Utley, Howard and Holliday around for the next 3 or 4 years, we have to move on it.
Posted: 05:04 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
Justin – Holliday is going to get a huge contract at the end of next season. If the Phils were going to get him it would have been now.
Posted: 05:05 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NJ
Remember Holliday (or at least his agent) has stated he’s going to test the market.
Posted: 05:05 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Memphis
What a waste. Everyone on here is scared to make a deal for Holliday; Beane ends up stealing him; and we’re calling it a good deal for both sides? What does that tell you when perhaps the smartest, most value-oriented GM in the league wants Holliday? It tells me he really just might be a Top 10-15 player in the league, we would have had the sickest lineup in the NL next year, and now we’re going to pay a declining Burrell $12-15M in 2009 for 7 innings/game. It tells me we could have gotten Holliday without Vic or Werth. Ridiculous. We don’t realize how lucky we are to have to so many good players at low salaries; we’re terrified to pay real money, take a chance; like Cole said, let’s win it again and again and again. Now we’re hoping on another Mets collapse just to get out of the division, because they will surely get better. Pat better bring his Met-killing mojo to the new Shea.
Posted: 05:12 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Chuck P
I think that if you throw $11 million at him and tell him that he’s going to be playing for a legitimate contender for the next 4 years, he would take it.
Posted: 05:15 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Chuck P
MEMPHIS… you got it! The fact of the matter is that no one wants to think about trading anyone right now (I’m 26 y/o and I was at opening day, the NLE clincher, as well as both days of game 5 of the WS and the parade) this team will hold a special place in my heart and I don’t want to lighten the mood but we need to wake up. It’s simple… you can replace speed/heart but you cannot replace what Burrell gives you without paying money (and we all agree that Pat is worth what he’s going to command). Holliday would give us that and more. Our alternative is a platoon… open your eyes and leave your warm and fuzzies on the shelf with the commemorative bobble heads.
Posted: 05:24 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 RichieAllen
Tim dont slow it down…step it up.This stuff is great,we can play GM’s without our own real money, what could be better?
Posted: 05:29 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
Haha, Chuck P – Golson batting .275 as a Major Leaguer? You can’t possibly be serious. His career average in the MINORS is like .265 or something. In his few at bats in the majors he has yet to put together a single respectable at bat. He hasn’t even made good contact yet. We’d be lucky to get a .200 average from him, and he’d be adding a ton of K’s. Golson is far from ready and I don’t think he’ll ever be a great player – I’d be quick to trade him.
Posted: 05:32 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Chuck P
Actually, .265… .282 in AA last year and he’s been more consistent. I don’t think that you can evaluate a player based on 6 career MLB at bats. Victorino is a career .281 hitter (.283 for his minor league career)… I’m not saying that Golson is going to give you as much as Victorino will but I don’t know if I’m willing to pay Victorino $7 million per year. If he’s not gonna give you power, he needs to draw more walks. In a perfect world, Donald can play RF and we can trade Werth (and still find the money to pay Holliday).
Posted: 05:43 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 PhillipdaPhanatic
LOL Golson mentioned in the same sentence as Carlos Gonzalez.
Either way, doesn’t matter, we didn’t need him. The offense can carry the team w/o Holliday and even with out Pat. Just get a league average lfer.
Posted: 05:50 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Grrrumpy Miner
This trade from a Met fans point of view is a great trade not only is Holliday in the AL oblivion (Oakland) but the Rox had officially said good bye to Brian Fuentes.Thats immense because now it gives the Amazins the edge to get Fuentes and not go after K-Rod and his 6 yr 90 million pact he wants.However why stop there Omar….go after some prime bullpen help in Jason Isringhausen (he’s not a closer anymore) and/or Kerry Wood (provided the Cubs low ball him)…..Than would help the Amazins fix their pen,so say Bye-Bye to Heilman,Schowenweis,Sanchez et al of the poison pen.
Posted: 05:51 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
Golson doesn’t give you power either. Maybe slightly more than Victorino, but that’s still uncertain against Major League arms. Golson just strikes our way too much and has a terrible OBP. Out of all the big prospects that are mentioned often on this site, he’d be the quickest I’d get rid of.
Posted: 05:51 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Johnny
haha at this rate we might as well have madson close, turn lidge into a starter and get myers to play the outfield. who knows … maybe we get blanton to play 1st and stick howard in as our late 8th inning righty.
im just sayin the few the moves the better.
Posted: 05:54 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Justin
We need a right handed bat in that outfield with a little power because u have Jenkins and Stair and possibly Dobbs filling in at times, you can’t platoon 3 lefthanded hittters how would that work? whoever is better against lefties hits lefties, you need a right handed bat to mix with jenkins and stairs.
Posted: 05:58 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Johnny
understanding that the 09 phils will be different from the 08 phils is one thing. but sticking in golson so we can trade werth? how is that an improvement?
as far as this trade … i dont think the rockies wanted Holliday to come here for a few reasons … first i get the impression that the rockies underestimated amaro’s prowess as a GM thinking him too green to realize what he’d be giving away … proved em wrong. Secondly, they made the deal with oakland because billy beane is one of the most respected guys in the league … year in and year out, despite the A’s place in the standings, they are a proverbial prospect factory and that’s exactly what the rockies were looking for, cheap hope.
Posted: 06:00 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
Agreed, Johnny. But you don’t want to stay completely stagnant. The Mets are going to be much improved next year and there is still a lot of room for us to improve as well.
I’m still slightly torn on the left field situation. While I think the offense as a whole would be better on paper with Dye or even better, Bradley in left field – I don’t want to screw with the chemistry of the team too much. Keeping Burrell is the safe choice but I’m not completely sure it would be the best for the team.
Posted: 06:01 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Griffin
Phillies open up the baseball season versus the Braves on Sunday night baseball.
I have no idea what Oakland is doing here, but you can bet that Holliday will be available again at the trading deadline once the A’s are out of it.
Posted: 06:01 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Johnny
I totally agree NEPA, Gilick made all the right moves to improve this team whether we liked it or not. I’m reminded of Aaron Rowand signing with SF. I don’t think Amaro will be any different.
Also, I’m not just worried about the Met’s improvements this offseason, in addition to having a consistant coaching staff. I’m really worried about that alternative fuel source of a lineup down in florida. Granted, their fielding skills are probably going to be just as bad, but their staff with a little more experience now makes me nervous.
Basically I think that everyone in the division (except maybe the nationals) is gonig to be a much better team in 09 and its going to be that much harder, not like it was all that easy in 08, to win the division a third seaason.
Posted: 06:09 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NEPA
The Marlins already lost Jacobs though, who kills us. Plus, they may get rid of Uggla as well. No matter what though, that team always scares me.
Posted: 06:39 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 The Dipsy
RELAX! We’ll get a nice right handed bat to platoon with Dobbs in left and everything will be fine for god’s sake with the O. Pat Burrell WILL NOT be here next year. Neither will Stairs. We should all be thinking about who’s gonna bid on Derrick Lowe with us. Golson’s not even close to the majors and perhaps never will be. Just give me Lowe and and a .285/15/50/10 right handed leftfielder that moves runners, doesn’t strike out and plays decent defense and i’ll be a very happy fan.
Posted: 06:41 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 pb
They just said on DNL that the phillies resigned Scott Eyre. Any link yet for this?
Posted: 06:47 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Amanda
http://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2008/11/phillies-sign-s.html
phillies resign eyre
Posted: 07:15 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Robbi P
I just looked at free agents SP on yahoo they rank em too! Thought an interesting name that the Phillies should comtemplate but probably won’t is Mark Prior. He’s 28 years old, did not get injured this year and is a low risk/high reward guy. Last year I wanted him instead of Kris Benson. I think he can be a great number 5 pitcher considering he would have been the ace of the Cubs if he didn’t get injured. I feel he was just misdiagnosed by the Cubs but can have a resurgence with the World Champions. Pipe dream yes but Amaro should be ballsy and check him out? What does anyone got to lose?
Posted: 07:27 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Amanda
jimy williams will not return as bench coach in 2009
Posted: 07:34 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 The Dipsy
What are you a doctor? He’s shot.
Posted: 07:35 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Robbi P
he’s properly rehabbing dude we gave Kris Benson a shot why not him? Im not talking about automatically giving him the number 5 spot but give him a minor league deal with performance incentives and he is ready by spring training, let him throw a couple games and if he is shot like you diagnose him to be then cut him loose. He’s better than some of the other older options that we are looking at
Posted: 07:47 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 NJ
It’s a long-shot, he probably wants to stay as far west as is possible.
Posted: 07:51 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 pb
Amanda do you a link for this Jimmy Williams story?
Posted: 08:07 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 pb
“have a link” sorry
Posted: 08:07 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Justin
mlb trade rumors is reporting that huston street isn’t staying in colorado long, he’s going to be dealt as soon as it’s official, wonder where he’s going? Back to the AL?
Posted: 08:19 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 Manny
Eyre resigned!! NICE!!
Posted: 08:34 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 RichieAllen
where did you get the Eyre signing story?
Posted: 08:50 PM on November 10, 2008
Posts: 0 JimPhils
The Eyre resigning is on MLB.com 1yr 2 mil
Posted: 09:08 PM on November 10, 2008