Odds & Ends: Lidge, Contreras, NL East News
There’s eighty days until Roy Halladay (I’m already penciling him in as the Opening Day starter) throws the first pitch of 2010. There’s 35 days until pitchers and catchers report. The season is quickly approaching, and soon we’ll be hearing more Phillies news on a daily basis. There was still plenty of baseball news today:
- The Phillies announced that Brad Lidge had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, and his status for Opening Day is questionable.
“The surgery went well, and Brad is expected to begin his throwing program in 10 days,” head athletic trainer Scott Sheridan said. “We’re not sure if he’ll be ready by Opening Day, but we don’t expect that he’ll be too far behind. This surgery was not directly related to any previous surgeries.”
Loose bodies and a portion of his meniscus were removed. This is Lidge’s second surgery this off season (elbow). This is his third surgery on his right knee since 2007. Lidge missed opening week in 2008 due to knee surgery, and also missed part of 2009 due to knee pain.
- Kevin Davidoff of Newsday reports that the Phillies, along with four other teams, are interested in Jose Contreras.
Contreras, 38, had a 4.92 ERA in 131.6 innings with the White Sox and Rockies last year. Contreras would likely relieve, despite spending some time as a starter last year. If you were hoping for a reliever like D.J Carrasco, cross his name off the list. He reached an agreement with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
The Phillies need bullpen help, but personally I don’t think Contreras is the answer.
- Smile! The Hardball Times named Phillies fans “the happiest in MLB.”
Honestly, I was kind of surprised to see the Phillies listed as number one. I was expecting the 3-5 range, thinking Philadelphia would recieve the usual Philly fan stereotypes. A championship, two pennants, and three division titles in three years; yeah, that makes me happy.
UPDATE (Friday, 9:45 PM): Brandon Duckworth and Jason Standridge sign minor league deals with the Phillies.
The Duck Pond is back!! I can’t believe I missed this news. Honestly, Duckworth was one of my favorite players in the early 2000’s, despite his struggles.
Since leaving the Phillies, Duckworth, 34, has spent time in the Astros’ and Royals’ system. Standridge, 31, was a first-round draft pick in 1997.
National League East news:
- The Atlanta Braves are pursuing Johnny Damon.
- Carlos Beltran had surgery on his knee without asking the Mets for permission.
The Mets’ injury woes continue into 2010. Beltran is expected to miss at least twelve weeks.
In other Mets news, the Mets are close to signing catcher Bengie Molina. Molina batted .265 with 20 home runs with the San Francisco Giants last year.
- The Washington Nationals are interested in Orlando Hudson.
The Nationals could offer Hudson a two-year deal — at the right price. Hudson could want as much as $9 million, which may be too much for the Nationals.
- What about that other team in the National League East?
The Marlins? You may have noticed that they haven’t been spending a lot of money. Well, they reached an agreement with the players’ union to increase spending due to complaints about the team’s payroll violating baseball’s revenue sharing provisions.
UPDATE: Florida has signed ace pitcher Josh Johnson to a four-year, $39 million contract. The big righty was a horse for the Fish in 2009, going 15-5 with a 3.29 ERA. He is still just 25 and looks to have a bright future ahead of him.
