So lets not hold our breath waiting for him to sign an extension..

I’m more interested in the 3b candidates..

and the little talked about guys to this point, like Miguel Tejada, Brandon Inge as the Tigers look to cut payroll?

Of course, the flip side of that arguement is that is how old Halladay will be at the end if we signed him to a 3-year deal NEXT offseason

The question is whether the Phillies WANT to do that…and I wouldn’t necessarily fault them for not wanting to….if they feel that it wouldn’t make economic sense for their organization in the long run.

booya!!!!!

____

Seriously, I DO think he’ll rebound…maybe not to 2008 levels but probably MUCH better than 09….still….what to do with Lee is critical…if we can get him, fine…but everyone needs to realize what that will cost and whether or not that’s worth it moving forward.

We all still have stars in our eyes from his performance this year…..now reality sets in and that reality isn’t necessarily very attractive…..

he’s also been a Free Agent before, and already had his MONSTER contract when he signed with the RedSox before

When guys get their first shot at Free Agency, they usually chase the money.. the fact that comments from his agent agree with that.. tell me that he’s not going to want to accept any contract for less than he feels he’s worth

And if I’m him.. I become a Free Agent, and tell the Phillies i’m still interested in playing in Philadelphia, if you are willing to pay me market value

Hamels
Happ
Drabek
?
?

What’s the status of verlander and Hernandez in 2011? Are they still under team control?

and a guy who used to pitch for the Phillies, then work for our AAA team, now covers the Phillies everyday as an analyst

these guys know more than the rest of us combined..

But you don’t want to pay any attention to what they say.. you spend time talking about YOUR ideas for next season, but you don’t think that their educated-opinions and ideas hold any weight? Interesting..

“OVERPAY for 4-5 years” ????

Doesn’t that bother you.. the fact that you would have to OVERPAY for anyone

Wouldn’t it make so much more sense to get Halladay next year as a Free Agent? Especially since Halladay would balance the rotation, and would be much more willing to sign a contract that is team-friendly in YEARS and DOLLARS ??

He had a different role this year and didn’t do as well….and I do agree that more at-bats and more playing time would have benefited him to the point that he would have hit at least .200…maybe higher..

Enough with the Bruntlett thing…let’s move on…

The game where he got to Pinch-Hit…

The Phillies were trailing at the time, by two runs, with Andy Pettite on the mound for the Yankees

in the 6th innings, Happ (who had replaced Hamels) was lifted for a pinch-hitter

with two outs already, and a LHP on the mound.. the Phillies went with Bruntlett.. he flew out to Right-Center

Our Bench was: Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs, Eric Bruntlett, Ben Francisco, and Paul Bako

In hindsight, Francisco should have been used… but when you still have the 7th, 8th and 9th innings to play, you should save the better players for the more important situations, which Manuel did

Filling in for Chase and Burrell? Chuck, that was 2008. Let’s get up to date. Bruntlett was horrible in 2009 in the roles Manuel had him in:

1. Occasional starts with multiple at-bats per game.
2. Pinch-hitting in crucial situations when better hitters were still on the bench.

To me, the only times we should be seeing Bruntlett are:

3. Late-inning defensive replacement, where he got minimal at-bats.
4. Pinch-running.

Based on some descriptions by you guys here, this is how you characterized his 2009 role. It’s roles 1 & 2 where he (actually, ultimately Manuel) killed us.

I don’t fault Bruntlett for doing the best he can, and hanging around as long as he did. I fault Amaro & Manuel for having such a player on a Phillies roster this year. The Phillies of 1994-2005? Yes; The Nationals or Pirates? Yes; But a Phillies team of this calibre can to better (even with their 25th man!)