Report: Phillies Interested In Will Ohman
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Sat, January 31, 2009 02:41 PM | Comments: 23
Posts, Rumors
Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports (Insider) the Phillies have strong interest in left-handed reliever Will Ohman.
Ohman, 31, went 4-1 with a 3.68 ERA for the Braves last season. Before that he pitched for the Cubs, so a signing would rejoin him with fellow lefty Scott Eyre. Ohman was seeking a 2Y/$8M deal at the top of the offseason.
The Phils are still searching for a reliever, and one who can fill JC Romero’s gap with Eyre until June is most desirable. Lefties recorded just a .571 OPS off Ohman in 2008, while righties recorded a .700, so Ohman would be used in late situations with some caution against righties.
I don’t clearly understand this need, however; while it’s nice to have two lefties in the bullpen (and help for Chad Durbin and Ryan Madson), it’s not as important as having guys up front who can minimize the bullpen, especially early in the season. If you remember, the April-June Phils thrived on six-inning outings and a heavy dose of Chad Durbin. Ohman’s original asking price was also a bit off, though the Phils haven’t shied from giving relievers $4M per season. If the Phillies can sign Ohman for about half his asking price, it would be a fine signing, but he’s nothing to get tremendously excited about.
Posts: 0 NJ
Is this guy really the best fit, sure he’s probably the best lefty currently on the market but what happens when Romero returns? We’ve seen what happened to Eyre with the Cubs when he doesn’t get regular work. Surely a short-term options going to be the best case here unless we intend on carrying 3 lefties even before the roster opens up in Sept.
Posted: 02:58 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
If anyone is bored tomorrow at 2, MLB.com is re-airing the Phillies vs. Mets 13 inning thriller from August 26th.
http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20090131&content_id=3789122&vkey=news_phi&fext=.jsp&c_id=phi
Posted: 03:07 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 Justin
Isnt Ohman a type a or b free agent? Does anyone know offhand?
Posted: 03:13 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
No, Ohman isn’t a type A or B free agent.
Posted: 03:21 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 Joe O'Phillie
It can’t hurt to add him. If there is a logjam when Romero returns, they can trade one of the lefties since they are always in demand.
Posted: 03:25 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Counting on Scott Eyre to be the top lefty in the pen is a little scary. If the price is right, why not go after him?
Posted: 03:28 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 ActuallyChilled
type 0 yo, phillies bleedin red, inject the bullpen, see red but don’t kill the bull
Posted: 03:31 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 Robert K.
I was thinking bullpen slots would be filled by the three pitchers who didn’t make the 5th spot in the rotation during the spring. I’m much more concerned about getting a right handed bat for the outfield. I thought Wiggington was a perfect fit, especially since he also can play third if Feliz gets hurt. We keep hearing rumors like this, but someone can’t pull the trigger
Posted: 03:32 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 KM
Signing Ohman would make Ehre a LOOGY, which would be helpful on this staff, and it would also be nice insurance for Romero. Plus I believe that Romero is a free agent after the season, and signing Ohman might give us some security heading into 2010, if Romero decides that he is worth more than the Phillies think he is.
Posted: 03:33 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 Griffin
Romero is signed through 2010. He signed a 3yr/$12 million deal before the ’08 season. The Phillies have a $4.5 million team option on Romero for the 2011 season with a $250,000 buyout.
Posted: 03:58 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 Matt
Km-Romero is a FA after the ’10 season.
Posted: 03:59 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 william
if they can sign him 2 yrs 5 or 6 mill it would be good insurance you never know what could happen if eyre goes down before j.c gets back and who’s to say that after 50 games off j.c gets right back into form this may not be a bad move to make so long as the price is right
Posted: 04:16 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 MS
Oh man! He’s awful. Promise he’d cost 2-3 games.
Posted: 04:20 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 christopher
agreed that if they can bring the asking price down by a good chunk this wouldn’t be a bad move.
Posted: 04:27 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 KM
i thought Romero signed a 2 year deal before the 08 season – my mistake.
Posted: 06:07 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 Geoff
3.68 is good for a starter, not sure about a reliever…and this guy wants 4M a year? psh….one year 2M deal tops or else pass. gotta be a better option out there…juan cruz is good but hell cost a pick and probably will want to be a setup man…
Posted: 08:44 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 KM
I’d go 2 years 6 mil.
Posted: 10:23 PM on January 31, 2009
Posts: 0 NJ
Problem is Eyre becomes pretty much redundant if we sign Ohman, once Romero returns Eyre won’t be getting enough work in to be effective, a title means nothing in the pen unless the guys getting his work in and underworked is as bad as over-worked.
Makes so much more sense in this instance to sign an expendable guy and make Eyre the primary lefty until Romero returns.
Posted: 06:29 AM on February 1, 2009
Posts: 0 Matt Kwasiborski
No one knows what Romero is going to be like when he returns. He could be the dominant LHP he was since he has been here or he could flameout and become the outcast the Red Sox made him. There are no great LHP in our system. Happ is a starter and should remain that way.
Posted: 09:37 AM on February 1, 2009
Posts: 0 Manny
If you can sign this guy cheap and for 2 years, and he has a decent first half, then you could trade him midseason. We’ll have Romero back by then and some team’s bullpen will be collapsing and needing a good arm (at a good price because of a potentially cheap contract)
Posted: 11:40 AM on February 1, 2009
Posts: 0 From Section 113
Ohman’s splits were much better than that 3.68 era shows. It’s 2.73 vs lefties and nearly a strikeout per inning.
However I would rather have another bat off the bench like Wigginton or Nomar than another lefty.
Posted: 12:51 AM on February 2, 2009
Posts: 0 Mets Rule
Phillies suck..last year was a fluke boys..
Posted: 11:04 AM on February 12, 2009
Posts: 0 LD
Ohman will outshine Erye once again provided the chance.
Posted: 01:09 AM on February 16, 2009