Phillies Trade for 1B Mike Sweeney
Posted by Pat Gallen, Wed, August 04, 2010 04:48 PM | Comments: 31
News, Posts
First baseman Mike Sweeney was acquired by the Phillies from the Seattle Mariners for a player to be named later or cash considerations, Senior Vice President & General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. announced today.
Sweeney, 37, was batting .263 with six home runs and 18 RBI in 30 games for the Mariners this season, including three starts at first base. With runners in scoring position, he was hitting .313 (10-32). Sweeney has had two stints on the disabled list this season with back inflammation/spasms. Most recently, he was on a rehabilitation assignment with triple-A Tacoma, where, in 12 games, he hit .366 (15-41) with two home runs and nine RBI.
A five-time American League All-Star, Sweeney has hit at least 20 home runs in six seasons, including 29 in back-to-back seasons (2000-01). He has made 570 career starts at first base. With runners in scoring in position, he has batted .328 in his career.
Charlie Manuel has already said Sweeney will see the bulk of the playing time at first base until Ryan Howard is ready to return, but I don’t see how he’s an upgrade over Ross Gload/Cody Ransom/John Mayberry at that position. Either one of those guys can handle a bat the same way Sweeney does at this point in his career and at 37, you’d think he might be slowing down defensively. Either way, he’ll provide a solid veteran bench bat in the mold of a Matt Stairs or Jeff Conine.
Posts: 0 NJ
Love it! Sweeney is a professional hitter and a hell of a club house guy. Come play-off time he’s a guy you feel good about hitting off the bench because he’s used to it, legitimate role player.
Posted: 04:54 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 therookie300
One thing that’s nice is that he doesn’t strike out.
Posted: 04:59 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Land Shark
I don’t understand this move either. We have atleast 3 guys who can fill in that spot from our club right now as we speak. I mean, hes not a bad player at all, but its not something I would have expected. Hopefully he fits right in, and fills atleast half of Howards shoes
Posted: 05:01 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Brian
Does this mean Dobbs is (finally) DFA?
Posted: 05:02 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Land Shark
He would be an awesome power surge off the Bench come Aug/Sep however
Posted: 05:04 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Bart Shart
Nice move Ruben Jr. Sweeney has history and looks like he can still swing a potent stick. He played for lousey teams and should really enjoy the pennant race in August and September. I think it will work out well.
Posted: 05:04 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 NJ
He’s there to be a guy who can come in a get hits off the bench down the stretch and come in now while there’s playing time to be had. Right now you’d carry him over Dobbs in the blink of an eye based just on credentials alone.
Posted: 05:05 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Phan in the outfield
Okay hey, I don’t have to understand everything in the world, but I’m really not sure I get this. Is Sweeney that great that we have to either trade or pay money for him?
Can there possibly be another Ruben Amaro, Jr.? Because I thought the one who is currently GM for the Philadelphia Phillies had been saying we no longer have any money . . . so why pay when we have guys who seem to be doing fine at 1st?
Posted: 05:06 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Bart Shart
Sweeney is a lifetime .298 hitter and he doesn’t strike out much at all. He should contribute and he will be in his FIRST pennant race. This should be excellent motivation for him. He bats right handed, too
Posted: 05:08 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Dave
I like this move alot. Can’t hurt to add a veteran right-handed contact hitter with pop without giving up anything. He should be excited to join the Fightins!
Posted: 05:12 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Bart Shart
Sweeney is a big improvement over Cody Ransom and John Mayberry, neither of which can hit a breaking ball to save their lives. Ross Gload should get some time at the bag, He can hit.
Posted: 05:13 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 bostonkate
I like this move alot. Sweeney is a great right-handed hitter
Posted: 05:14 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Greg
Looks like Moyer will have to go to the 60 Day DL, clearing a 40 man roster spot. I’d like to know which players are gone, though.
Also, a Gload/Sweeney Platoon sounds much nicer than a Ransom/Gload one.
Gload and Sweeney both are good off the bench, and it looks like Dobbs might be gone soon. Sweeney is also a nice emergency catcher, though he hasn’t caught in 11 years.
Posted: 05:14 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 NJ Phils fan
I don’t understand the point. Gload can do just fine. And Howard will be back in 2-3 weeks. Besides can this guy field his position? I mean he was a DH for Seattle.
Posted: 05:15 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
MLBTR is reporting that all AL teams and all NL teams with a worse record than the Phillies (and maybe all NL teams other than the Phils) passed on Sweeney.
Let’s hope Ruben and Co see a diamond in the rough here. This could be 2010′s version of a “Matt Stairs-type deal”.
Posted: 05:21 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
No point in having Dobbs if you have Gload and now Sweeney. Although, until recently, Dobbs WAS hitting the ball much better.
Posted: 05:28 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Sam
Lets face it we all wanted to see cody ransom do well up here, but he just isn’t cutting it. At least Dobbs is a proven pinch hitter. I say we DFA Cody Ransom
Posted: 05:29 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
I was really pushing hard for Ransom…long before he actually got called up. But, yeah, maybe you need to keep Dobbs, at least until Chase is back, because that gives you some flexibility in the infield. And, by, then, it’s Sept anyway and the rosters expand.
Posted: 05:32 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Sam
Chuck: What was seen in ransom?
Posted: 05:36 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Phan in the outfield
Cody hit a HR a couple of games ago, didn’t he?
Posted: 05:40 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 ActuallyChilled
Sweeney has a very good presence in the clubhouse as evidenced by his relationship with Milton Bradley. This man is a kind of Baseball character guru who I think is going to manifest Christ-like results for this team into October.
Posted: 05:42 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Sam
yeah, but he always seems to pop out or strike out when we have runners on base.
Posted: 05:45 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Chris
Ransom can field well, has a helluva an arm, but can’t bat his way out of a paper bag.
Posted: 05:46 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 insert me
really bad move wats the sence of having sweeney when ryan howard will be back in 2-3weeks,ruban probaly traded a nother prospect we traded three in the halladay trade
Posted: 05:47 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Chris
Dobbs was doing a little better but is 3 for his last 22.
Posted: 05:54 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Chris
Dobbs is done. He’s 3 for his last 22.
Posted: 05:57 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
THIS CAME OUT OF NOWHERE!!!!DID ANYONE SEE THIS COMING?
Posted: 06:03 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 JAY-AKA-PHILLYBOY
ANYONE ELSE BEEN HAVING PROMBLEMS POSTING???
Posted: 06:05 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
Saw him in Spring Training. He played well, hit well and impressed. And I remembered that he filled in for A-Rod last year for like a month.
Just figured that, at the time, he deserved a shot.
He DID help us win that game against the Reds a few weeks ago…you know….that improbable comeback game.
Posted: 06:05 PM on August 4, 2010
Posts: 0 Chuck
JAY…
I had problems postinfgyesterday. Today, it’s ok.
Posted: 06:06 PM on August 4, 2010
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Posted: 06:28 PM on August 4, 2010