Phillies Nation

I still don’t think we need to sign another starter, besides Moyer. I have no problem with Hamels/Myers/Moyer/Blanton as the top 4 with Happ, Carrasco, and Kendrick battling it out for the 5th starter spot.
Oh, and cut Adam Eaton.

The mets are after CC and fuentes. If they land CC and a decent reliever they will be tough.

mikemike, I’m beginning to wonder if there’s any amount of money the Mets can throw around that will make them a championship team. We saw who was in the WS, two teams with low payrolls compared to Mets, Yanks, they just keep buying big names and it hasn’t gotten them very far lately. I think when you put a team together like that, the players truly feel like a commodity, no loyalty from either side, and it doesn’t give the players time to bond as a real team.

I would like to see the Phillies get another starter though, there’s just to many uncertainties with the rotation as it is. I’m going to have to see a good solid season from Myers before I crown him #2, I feel pretty good about Moyer for at least another year, and Blanton, same as with Myers.

Happ or Carrasco. Both look promising at this point, and I see no reason to sign a “proven” pitcher just to say we signed a “proven” pitcher. Didn’t most of our rotation prove itself last year anyway?

One thing to think about ..I think last year was the first year in recent memory where nobody (in the rotation)got hurt in september .We pretty much had all our starters available.(and come to think about it we also had a lot of our bullpen healthy).
When was the last time that happened?
My point is it depends on who goes down and when.
Last year we did ok by getting Blanton when we needed a replacemnt for Eaton’s spot.
Its always ok to sign a #1 or #2 starter,you can always use them.But were not going to sign one of those so….
maybe its better to wait till the season goes on before you get somebody.

Craig- I don’t trust the Mets and their newfound increased arrogance, the only thing stopping them from seriously bidding on CC is the fact the one team they can’t go toe-to-toe with is the Yankees. The way they operate now they’ll spend what they like on who they like and neglect any area they can find a potential scapegoat for.

Yanks sent CC a contract today

Here’s an interesting article on Umpbump.com….they offer their take on what the Phillies should do this offseason….kinda radical, but kinda interesting….check it out…

http://umpbump.com/press/2008/11/10/what-they-need-philadelphia-phillies-%E2%80%94-to-trade-ryan-howard/

it’s just interesting what they had to say
I thought it makes us much worse as a team and I don’t want to do it at all…but it was an interesting read

Matt Cain would look nice in red pinstripes if the Giants are dumb enough to trade him to us…

We would need more than matt cain for ryan howard…..that trade is ludicrous…we’d need some prospects or an everyday player that is major league ready….

Howard will be traded. Probably after next year. He’s gonna want A-ROD money and he’ll get it. But not from the Phillies. How valuable is a man who drives in 150 runs a year, strikes out 175 times a year, and lets in 75-100 runs with his horrendous play at first base? The man just drops routine throws that are right in his eyes for no reason. How do you value this type of player. If you could do a +/- for Howard, I think that his number would be surprisingly low.

When evaluating a trade, you must consider salary. Ryan Howard making the league minimum two years was worth a ton in a trade, Ryan Howard making 12 million and two years away from free agency isn’t worth as much.

He’s a great power hitter, but no GM would take him over Tim Lincecum (and his salary) given that Lincecum is years away from free agency.

At $15 million, he’s no longer worth ‘a ton’. If you wanted to spend 20-24 million, you could get Teixeira without giving up anything.
I’m not trying to say that Howard doesn’t have any value, he just doesn’t have as much value as a star player making less than a million dollars, like Lincecum.

Me too, Tex is a beast.

Howard wants A-Rod type money and after Tex gets a huge contract this offseason, Howard will want more. So I don’t see the Phils signing him longterm. But the Phillies will go to arbitration with him and Howard will be a Phillie for at least the next two years.

Dipsy, yeah, the Teletubbies crack me up, and Dipsy is my favorite. One of my cats actually started watching them, so I started too.

Of course they would pay him. Buy how much would they GIVE us in a trade knowing that WE won’t pay him? Not to worry, the Yanks and Sox would get in a bidding war. Who is this guy Tim that runs this site anyway? He needs a better set to work from.

Griffin I Responed to your remarks without finish the article. Other G.M. will line up to sign him.you must be kidding to think a team with the money to sign him won’t go out and try. put a manny behind him and you will set offense records.

Also, if you’re trading for Howard right now, you’re only getting Howard for two years. So you wouldn’t trade two years of Howard for five years of Lincecum?

Geoff, I’ve missed you buddy!

The only thing that article intends to do is raise eyebrows. Besides that, it doesn’t make much sense. Howard might be streaky and he’ll ask for a huge pay raise but the kid is money. He’s a marketing dream and you can’t argue with the numbers… we would all love to see him on base more and strike out less but he is what he is. He’s a homerun hitter and homerun hitters strike out a lot. As good as Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum are, you would expect the Giants to be better, huh? But they’re not… I like Lincecum and Cain but we have proven winners, folks. At 3B, Feliz is undervalued… why trade him? When he went down with an injury, this team struggled and there’s a reason for that. He calms these guys down, he’s dependable and he does come up with his fair share of clutch hits. Dobbs everyday would be a recipe for disaster. Juan Rivera is not our answer in left field ESPECIALLY without Howard.

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Like everyone else, I’m guilty of one major violation of the unwritten rules of “fanhood.” Time and time again, I cross the line of fanhood, into the world of business. It’s in my nature (I’m an investment advisor by trade)… I feel like I need to help allocate the owners’ monies wisely but the reality is I’m just a fan and those owners are doing just fine. So rather than plea for the players that would help my team win a championship, I settle for scenarios that make good business sense. Let me tell you this, I want Ryan Howard on my team no matter what it costs. Yes, it might eat into David Montgomery’s bottom line but why should that matter to me? He might even lose money one year… isn’t that how business works? To say that he’s going to make Yankee-money is a slap in the face to our fan base. Haven’t we earned the right to know that our organiztion is dedicated to winning championships? Ryan Howard’s contract is about this team letting us know that they’re going to do whatever it takes to get us there again and again and again. Sign the kid… and sign Magglio, too while they’re at it! LET’S GO PHILLIES!!