Phillies Nation

As divulged by MLB Trade Rumors Monday, Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madson and Roy Oswalt have been classified as Type A free agents, while Brad Lidge and Raul Ibanez garnered Type B titles.

Offering Roy Oswalt arbitration would be way too risky.

Type A free agents, if they are offered and decline arbitration, bring back two early draft picks if signed by another team. The top 15 teams in baseball surrender their first round pick and a sandwich pick (between first and second round) to the old team if they sign the free agent, while the bottom 15 teams give up their second round pick and a sandwich pick. So if the Phillies offer Ryan Madson arbitration and he declines then signs with the Nationals, the Phillies would get the Nats’ second-rounder and a sandwich pick. Make that first-rounder and sandwich pick, because the Nationals had the 15th best record. (Why did I have to pick the most confusing example?)

The Phillies will almost certainly offer arbitration to Rollins and Madson. If either accepts (which they won’t), they would be back with the Phillies next year for a salary that cannot be lower than 80 percent of last year’s figure or 70 percent of the figure from two years prior.

Neither player would accept arbitration because both Rollins and Madson are seeking long-term financial commitments. But how about Oswalt? Would the Phillies offer him arbitration?

Continue reading Phils Would Be Unwise To Offer Oswalt Arbitration

Photo AP

Jimmy Rollins. Ryan Madson. Roy Oswalt. Brad Lidge. A Cole Hamels extension. You’ll hear about these names all through the winter.

On Monday, Oswalt and Lidge were let out of their options. Decisions on Rollins and Madson will be coming in the next couple of months. A Cole Hamels contract extension (he’s in his final arbitration eligible year after finishing out a three-year deal) seems imminent.

So, let’s get down to business. Here is a look at the payroll obligations for the Phillies in 2012, and what other players will likely receive. We’ll try and fill out the roster to see what it looks like next year.

Blue: money that the Phillies owe in 2012
Red: educated guess as to how much player will earn in 2012 (arbitration or otherwise)

Infield:

-Ryan Howard: $20MM
-Chase Utley: $15.286MM
-Placido Polanco: $6.417MM
-Carlos Ruiz: $3.7 MM
-Michael Martinez: $425K

$45.828MM

Continue reading Phillies 2012 Roster and Payroll Projections

Don't do it, Ruben. You'll thank me later.

This is an argument I’ve been making for close to a year, and while I’ve hinted at it, in both my post on Domonic Brown’s future and in my season review of Antonio Bastardo, but the Phillies have a need that might run counter to the big-splash mentality by which Ruben Amaro has seemed to run this team since taking over. With Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson entering free agency, the Phillies find themselves without a proven closer heading into the offseason. This presents a rather different conundrum for the team than does Jimmy Rollins‘ impending free agency or even Roy Oswalt‘s. This free agent class is unbelievably weak at shortstop and in starting pitching, which are, of course, two areas where many teams with designs on a playoff berth in 2012 have great need.

For shortstops, it’s Jose Reyes, then Rollins, then Marco Scutaro and Alex Gonzalez. That’s it. Almost every other free agent shortstop is either a replacement-level player or close to it, and if you’re going to put a bad player on the field, better to get that lack of production from a cheap source, such as Wilson Valdez , than to pay a premium to get the same production from a bigger name, say, Yuniesky Betancourt. For pitchers, CC Sabathia seems like he’ll opt out of his contract and re-sign with the Yankees, which leaves Oswalt–whose status for 2012 is still not certain–along with C.J. Wilson, Yu Darvish, and a littany of former stars (Aaron Harang, Brandon Webb, Jeff Francis, and others) to whom time and chance have been so unkind that they resemble their former selves only in appearance. Francis and Webb, who faced off in Game 1 of the 2007 NLCS, are no more ace starters than the sunken wreckage of the U.S.S. Arizona is a functioning ship of the line. That message seems to have reached the Phillies’ front office clearly.

However, this free agent class features a surfeit of proven closers. Even if the Phillies don’t re-sign Madson, they have Jose Valverde, Jonathan Papelbon, Heath Bell, Frank Francisco…if the Phillies want to splash big money to buy someone who’s racked up impressive save totals in recent years, they certainly won’t lack the opportunity.

But spending big money on a relief pitcher is a sucker’s bet, and the Phillies, who tend to be very hit (Roy Halladay, Chase Utley) or miss (Ryan Howard, Brad Lidge, Placido Polanco, depending on who you ask) with their long-term contracts would be extremely foolhardy to sign any relief pitcher to a multi-year deal.

Continue reading Dr. Strangeglove: On Constructing a Bullpen

Roy Oswalt. (Photo: AP)

From the Phillies:

The Phillies officially declined the 2012 options for the contracts of right-handed pitchers Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt, the club announced today.

“While we will not pick up either of their options, we will remain in contact with representatives for both players about the possibility of bringing them back for the 2012 season,” said Senior Vice President & General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr.  “Brad and Roy both made significant contributions to the Phillies over the past several seasons.”

Lidge, 34, went 0-2 with one save and a 1.40 ERA in 25 appearances for the Phillies in 2011.  He struck out 23 batters in 19.1 innings, an average of 10.7 strikeouts per 9.0 innings pitched.  In four seasons (2008-11) with Philadelphia, Lidge posted a 3-11 record with 100 saves and a 3.73 ERA.  In 22 postseason appearances, he went 1-1 with 12 saves in 12 opportunities and a 1.77 ERA.

Oswalt, also 34, went 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA in 23 starts for the Phillies this past season.  In 36 regular season games (35 starts) since being acquired from the Houston Astros on July 29, 2010, he was 16-11 with a 2.96 ERA.

Opinion: I think Ruben Amaro will make a strong play for both men. Lidge is in one-year territory at less than $2 million these days, and I’m not sure teams will be lining up for him with his injury past. Maybe he feels he owes it to the team and will take a minumum contract or a minor league deal.

As for Oswalt, there is always a market for starting pitching, and while he is no longer an Ace, he can be a very good pitcher for several more years. As long as that back doesn’t act up…

It took me five days to write this post, so I want to take you back to Friday night.

I feel like I ought to explain how I came to be sitting alone in my bedroom, tears welling up in my eyes, listening to “Nearer My God to Thee” over and over on Spotify. If you’re reading this, you’ve most likely done whatever approximates, for you, sitting in your pajamas, mourning the passing of the most remarkable regular season Philadelphia has seen in a generation, all while listening to the song the band played while the Titanic went down.

If anyone has a better idea, I’m open to suggestions. The pain has hardly dulled in the interim.

What hurts is not so much that it’s over–that was likely to happen at some point, no matter the means. It’s not the possibility of not seeing Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madson, Roy Oswalt, or Raul Ibanez put on red pinstripes ever again. Neither is it watching your franchise first baseman and cleanup hitter end this season with a weak groundout, then possibly end next season (for him at least) with a torn Achilles tendon, all on the same play. Or the pain of seeing your team lose, though as a 24-year-old, I really shouldn’t be moved to tears by a baseball tea m losing. But I am. I’m not counting down the days to next season. I’m not getting more amped up for Flyers hockey, or the Eagles, or Arsenal, or South Carolina, or any of the other teams I follow rabidly–that is to say, with about 2/3 the tenacity and emotion with which I follow the Phillies–or even looking forward to the rest of the MLB postseason.

Friday’s loss was a gut shot for two reasons: first, because this season represented a bread-and-circuses-type distraction that we all need from time to time. When your world is not a pleasant place to live in, sometimes you latch on to whatever is going right and give it undue importance–in this case, the Phillies. Now it’s over, three weeks early and without even a moment’s notice. Second, because as much as I’ve tried to be hyper-rational and prepare for the worst, it never actually occurred to me that the Phillies wouldn’t win the World Series.  Continue reading How I Came to Know Incredulity

Ruben Amaro and Jimmy Rollins both spoke to the media Tuesday, outlining potential plans for a crucial offseason.

Rollins reiterated his desire for a five-year deal, though conceded that he would take a four-year deal with an option. The option, however, would have to be his option, not one belonging to the team. Team options often go unexercised, meaning that the player is bought out of the last year of his deal for a significantly smaller amount. Examples would be Roy Oswalt, who has a $16MM mutual option for 2012 with a buyout of $2MM, and Brad Lidge, who has a $12.5 million team option with a buyout of $1.5MM. Oswalt and Lidge will almost certainly not have their options picked up.

This is the kind of scenario Rollins wishes to avoid, and he can do so by fighting for a player option — which he’d control — or a vesting option — controlled by things like amount of plate appearances or games played in the previous year(s). Rollins acknowledged that he cannot see himself in another uniform and that there is a “good chance” he’ll strike a deal with the Phillies, but he has made clear time and again that his last contract will be all about years and money, not friendship or loyalty. He’s certainly entitled to that.

Continue reading The Futures of Rollins, Madson, Dom Brown

PHOTO AP

People are clearly upset at the way things ended for the Philadelphia Phillies. The masses are free to place blame somewhere, because the expectations were that this team was the best in the National League. So a trip to the World Series was looked at as a mere formality, even though we know that often times is not the case.

But, blame has to be put on the players who failed to perform in the series. We look at those who are guilty of falling short:

-Ryan Howard:

It has been well-documented just how bad he was in the NLDS. So there is really no need to rehash the sickening statistics Howard finished with. Adding injury to insult; Howard is likely to miss time next season after rupturing his achillies.

-Cliff Lee:

I lay some of the blame on Cliff for the Game 2 loss, but not all of it. Sure, he was given a 4-0 lead after two innings. That doesn’t mean the offense couldn’t give him a few more over the final seven. After roughing up Chris Carpenter, Phillies hitters managed just one hit the rest of the way. Not exactly backing Lee. He needed to shut down the Cardinals and did not, but that loss wasn’t completely his fault.

Continue reading Playing the Blame Game After Early Playoff Exit

That Feeling.

This wasn’t supposed to happen. It wasn’t supposed to end. Not like this. The Phillies were supposed to end their season in the World Series, eventually hoisting the trophy and parading down Broad Street. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee were supposed to get their first World Series Rings. We were supposed to be World F***ing Champions again. Supposed to.

When Ryan Howard grounded out to end the season on Friday night, the entire City of Philadelphia felt that all too familiar feeling. That pit deep in your stomach, the agony of defeat. But this wasn’t just any defeat. This one hurt.

Ever since the 2008 World Series Parade, Phillies fans have not only hoped for another World Series trophy, but have expected it. Continue reading The Season That Never Was for the Phillies

—Busch Stadium, St. Louis

David Freese was struggling. Going into his fourth inning at bat against Roy Oswalt, he was 2-for-13 with seven strikeouts in the series; one of those compliments of Oswalt. Just like that, the series changed for both Freese and the St. Louis Cardinals.

Freese’s sixth inning, two-run home run to center field helped extend the series, as the Cardinals won 5-3 on Wednesday night. Game 5 will be back in Philadelphia on Friday night.

PHOTO AP

Once again, the Phillies struck early, but not often. Jimmy Rollins led off with a ground-rule double to center field, followed by a Chase Utley triple to score Rollins. Hunter Pence than plated Utley on a single.

It could have been a more fruitful inning if not for two questionable calls by both the home plate and second base umpires. Pence was thrown out trying to steal second and Ryan Howard struck out looking. Replays showed Pence was safe and that Howard’s pitch was a borderline strike.

Charlie Manuel saw that as an opportunity to break the game open.

“I kind of wanted to push the game there, too, because we had just scored and we needed a guy in scoring position.”

Continue reading Freese, Cardinals Force Game 5 with Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies (2-1) at St. Louis Cardinals (1-2)

Roy Oswalt, RHP vs. Edwin Jackson, RHP

Time: 6:07 p.m., Busch Stadium
TV: TBS
Weather: Sunny, 65
Media: Twitter and Facebook

Roy Oswalt wanted to go to St. Louis at last seasons trad deadline. Now he wants to beat them. He can help catapult the Phillies into the NLCS for a fourth consecutive season, and he seems primed to do so.

To beat the Cardinals, however, they’ll have to get through Matt Holliday and gang. He’s back in the lineup after pinch hitting last night. Charlie Manuel raved about the big bat of Holliday. “He is one of the top hitters in our league. And of course he gives them a bigger threat. He’s consistent in his hitting, and he’s got power.”

He certainly does add that powerful element to the Cardinals order – which doesn’t bode well for the Phillies because the Cards have been putting hits up on the board. They just haven’t been able to cash in. They’re hoping Holliday can do so.

If Oswalt were to falter, or even if that doesn’t happen, Manuel very well could use Cliff Lee in relief tonight. Manuel said he is available. Can you imagine Oswalt going seven strong, followed by one (or even two innings) from Lee to close it out? They might need him because of the five-out save Ryan Madson put together on Tuesday night. I have a strong feeling from what Manuel has said that we WILL see Cliff tonight.

Continue reading NLDS Gameday: Phillies (2-1) vs. Cardinals (1-2)