The Phillies won 102 games during the regular season, but won only two during the best-of-five NLDS. Because last night's loss to Chris Carpenter and the Cardinals wasn't bad enough, Ryan Howard suffered a serious Achilles injury on the final play of the game. Let's round up the latest from Philadelphia…
- In a press release, the team announced that Howard has a rupture of his right Achilles tendon. He'll have surgery after the swelling subsides, and a timetable for his return won't be known until after the procedure is performed. There is "no guarantee he will be ready for spring training," says the release.
- Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer dug through the Phillies roster, and says they might have to go over the luxury tax threshold next season in order to patch all their holes.
- David Murphy of The Philadelphia Daily News put together of list of questions the Phillies must answer this offseason. Howard's injury figures to impact their 2012 plans.
- MLB.com's Brian McTaggart wrote about the key contract decisions the team has to make. The Phillies have about $113MM in commitments for next season, but Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madson, Brad Lidge, and Roy Oswalt can all become free agents (Lidge and Oswalt have pricey options).
- Ben Goessling of MASNSports.com says the Phillies could open a window of opportunity for the other teams in the NL East if they decide to fill some of their roster holes with youth.
HAHAHA
Yeah injuries are hilarious, stay classy.
Maybe he’s laughing at the fact the Phil’s got knocked off.
Maybe he should articulate that then…………There Brandon is that a big enough word for ya………….
He shouldn’t be… his team didn’t even make the playoffs…
with the team you guys had, im aloud to laugh as hard as i want in ever single philly fans face. HAHAHA and i wasnt laughing at howard you tards
Wow not only did you spell ALLOWED wrong but you also used the word “tards”. You clearly are not an intelligent person.
haha that i did my friend..that i did
Really? You’re never allowed to laugh when a good player who seems to be an all around good person gets a serious potentially career ending injury.. By your logic you should have laughed when Posey broke his leg, or at least not been upset if some other fan laughed when he did that. And I’m willing to bet you were extremely upset and felt bad for buster when that happened and were upset if fans from other teams laughed at him. Dude you should probably stay off this site…yeah a buch of us are rude some times but never when it deals with a serious injury, that might end a good if not great players career
In the division that you play in, it’s pathetic that you didn’t win your division. Just proves how much of a fluke they really were last year.
I remember when Carlos Beltran was the move that was supposed to push the Giants over the top and guide them to their 2nd World Series in a row.
it only takes one dummy to make you say something dumb in return? giants didn’t have a good year, but last year was no fluke. y’all got beat by a better team
Do you honestly think the Cardinals are a better team than the Phillies?
Beat them 9 times to 5 losses this year… What more proof do you need?
Cincinnati beat St Louis in 9 out of 15 games, and San Francisco beat St Louis in 5 out of 7. Does that make the Reds and Giants better teams than the Cardinals?
What matters most is who’s the best team at the time they play. During the season, the Cards were far from the best team. But late in the season they started hitting like we knew they could and got strong pitching performances. So it was a fluke that Carpenter shut them down? Then I guess it was a fluke that both Texas and Philly couldn’t seem to hit vs the Giants last October. Definitely not elite pitching cooling off elite hitting
One team had the best record in baseball and the other had to scratch and claw their way to get in.
Cardinals still playing and the Phillies are not. Sounds like they were the better team.
“The team with the best record is the best team” – Billy Beane (paraphrasing).
The Cardinals were the right team at the right time.
good to know that every team in baseball is the best team in baseball until October.
They were a fluke for making the playoffs…
They had career years from EVERYONE on their team… Aubrey Huff – Fluke. Pat Burrell – Fluke Cody Ross -Fluke. Renteria – Fluke. Without those performances, they don’t take over take the Padres and you know it.
What they did in the playoffs wasn’t… what they did to get into the playoffs was.
It’s called having hot streaks, it happens in baseball all the time, with EVERY SINGLE PLAYER. Ryan Howard is the perfect example of this, he’ll get hot and absolutely scorch the ball, then he gets cold, where he can’t even hit a 85 mph fastball down the middle of the plate.
Another perfect example is Burrell, he was awesome at the end of the year, but in the playoffs he disappeared, hot streaks.
Pat Burrell’s never hit in the playoffs. Is he a streaky player (yes, I watched him for years). He hit 18 home runs with the Giants last year in 96 games. In 2009/2011, in 200+ games, he hit 21. It may be a hot streak or it may be a fluke performance.
Those performances by those players were unsustainable. That’s why they were a fluke for making it in. The Giants NEVER had the offense to become the Phillies or the Braves, or whomever, like a lot of people thought. (I wanted the Giants to win that division btw, so I’m not a Giants hater).
They had relatively the same team this year minus Posey and Sanchez and Uribe (who were replaced with Keppinger, Caberera, and Beltran). They were in 1st PLACE when they acquired Beltran. A lot of people picked them to repeat.
I don’t want to take a shot at the Giants, their pitching won that championship fair and it’d be childish for me to say otherwise… but when you have one of their fans saying “with the roster you guys have”… I merely replied that the roster the Giants had, in the division they play in, they should have been in the playoffs this year. The reason they’re not would make them a fluke team because if they didn’t have the offense this year, it’s almost the same roster as last year… so if they didn’t have the offense this year, they shouldn’t have had the offense last year.
Renteria a fluke? For what, having a couple hits and a series-clinching home run after sucking all year long? If you knew anything about Aubrey Huff, he is a contract year guy… who was signed to a one year deal coming off a down year. Cody got hot in October, but show me even one team that won a World Series without a few guys getting hot at the right time and having a few balls bounce their way.
I love all this fluke talk, by that logic, wouldn’t the Phillies be a fluke? They won 2008 then they were “Supposed to win” in 2009, 2010, and now 2011, yet they failed all three years. People are ridiculous.
They were a fluke for making the playoffs.
… and the Yankees were the favorite to win the World Series. THE METS were picked to go to the World Series.
You realize that 99% of the community that says the Giants were a fluke are talking about their World Series win, right? If you look at the history of baseball, this stuff happens all the time, parity always seems to find a way despite there being vastly different payrolls and what not. The Giants fought all the way to the end to get their playoff spot, then rode that momentum in and through the playoffs. When you have an amazing pitching staff and a couple hitters get absolutely hot, like Cody Ross and Edgar Renteria did, two players who were almost least likely to get the job done, then you’re able to win games.
I’ll never understand why people get so angry, irrational, and into full on personal attack mode over sports. You know a lot of these guys are friends when they’re not playing each other, right? They think the “fans” who take it too serious are crazy, right? They want you to enjoy and love their team, through hard times and good times, not go out and beat up a fan of another team, puke on a little girl for your team, put someone in a coma ’cause they’re a fan of another team, or even murder someone because they’re wearing a jersey of the other team, it’s pathetic. This turned into a rant, sorry!
I don’t think they were a fluke for winning the World Series… they had THE PERFECT TEAM to win the world series. They have a scrappy ball club. Just like the Cardinals do. That’s why the Cardinals/Giants beat the Phillies. Those teams are designed to beat them. The lefty relievers, the pesky hitters who don’t strike out, who make contact, etc.
They play in the 2nd most winnable division in baseball. They had almost the same team as last year. That’s why I said they were a fluke for making it because if they don’t get those unsustainable performances from guys like Burrell, Huff, etc, they don’t make the playoffs. Burrell was off the scrap heap.
The Phillies were out Managed and out played in 2010, and 2011. I’m not a homer. I’ll admit that they failed. I won’t admit those teams, the Giants, the Cardinals are better than the Phillies.
Not the injury, the loss.
wasnt laughing at that.
#stillclassy
what happened to that staff full of aces #phillies #overrated
That’s why their top 3 starters had an era under 2.80, 190+ strikeouts, and led the league in shut outs/complete games.
How are they overrated or do you just want to “hate on them?” Because I saw Halladay out pitch Chris Carpenter and still lose Game 5. I saw Cole Hamels pitch 6 scoreless innings with a bad elbow and a hernia. I saw Roy Halladay record 21 consecutive outs.
I ruptured my achilles last November. It’s still not 100%. Ryan could miss the season. Granted, he has much more available to him in physical therapy and equipment then I had.
my brother had to retire from being a cop for rupturing his achilles for chasing down a perp. That injury is really serious, and he still can’t run and he injured himself in 07. I hope Howard can recover from this and hope it’s no where near as serious as it can be and that it’s just hopefully a mild sprain.
So far he has a two (2) season ending outs streak !!! , he has manage to not touch first base in neither of the two (WOW)… way to go! Lets si what interesting way to end the season you provide next year!
joe bascio, im just loving all this!!
Nah he’ll be fine for opening day. Especially with all that’s available to MLB players.
Hopefully that is the case. However, it’s taken Kendry Morales two years to recover from a broken leg…
He’s not Chase Utley. Isn’t it at least a 6-12 month recovery…? I read that last night somewhere… I can’t remember which website since I wasn’t in the greatest state of mind after that game.
I thought maybe you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night…………….
I thought maybe you stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night…………….
Phillies offense went to sleep and so did the Phillies themselves. No matter what rotation you have you need offense.
6 of the top 10 teams in Era did not make the playoffs. (Including the Giants)
I am a true believer that offense is just as valuable as pitching and it has proven to be true.
They’re just such a calm team there really isn’t a sense of urgency with them (it seems).
The Phillies have an offense that outscored the Brewers… (I think or it was really close)… it’s just not consistent. Their offensive philosophies are outdated, IMO. As an organization, they don’t value on base percentage for whatever reason. Their line up other than Utley is nothing but a bunch of free swingers… some very good free swingers though.
I don’t really care about the phils.
but as a Jay fan, I was really hoping Doc won the WS. It was such a tough loss for him
It wasn’t a situation where the Phillies blew it either. The Cardinals won it the only way they could and earned it. Some posters said it could happen (you may have been one of them), but color me shocked the Phillies actually lost this one.
He was absolutely dejected after that loss. You could tell he felt it.
… and he came through too. It was the 9 guys behind him that failed. That game he pitched was one of the best pitched games I’ve ever seen. Any other pitcher would have folded after the 1st.
David Murphy is really multitasking
The three teams that tried to buy a series – one doesn’t make the playoffs the other two out in the first round. That is what is funny.
…says the guy who’s team probably hasn’t broken .500 in 20 years.
You can’t really say that without knowing which team he follows. Do you happen to know?
He could be a Rangers fan for all we know.
No team in MLB has gone 20 years without breaking .500
The only problem with that game last night was it wasn’t game 7 in the World Series. Classic postseason game, and it usually seems like I get disappointed when there’s an ace v. ace duel.
Now I just want a Tigers/Cards rematch!
102 wins and it doesnt mean anything…
It means that they were a powerhouse team that ran into some tough luck in the playoffs.
Tough luck? Did they have their top starter out for the entire season? The Cards did. That’s tough luck. Did they have one of their top power thrreats playing compromised and only available for half the games? The Cards did w/Holliday. That’s tough luck. What the Phillies ran into were themselves and their own paltry offense, and critical lack of clutch hitting. That’s what they ran into.
And a squirrel.
Tough luck by drawing the hot team. The Cardinals are going to steamroll through the NL Playoffs. Nothing against the Diamondbacks/Brewers… but the Cardinals were really the only team in the National League that could beat the Phillies. (on paper).
I agree, but teams match up differently, while I wouldn’t take have taken the brew crew to beat the phils, I’m def taking them to beat the cards.. but it will be a good series
Powerhouse in the regular season, there are no excuses buddy hahaha. Tough luck is a total excuse, once october started they got outplayed. Simple as that
With the Red Sox missing the playoffs and the Phillies and Yankees both being eliminated, Major League Baseball has made the decision to cancel the remainder of the post season.
“Eh….whats the point now?” – B. Selig
His Brewers are still alive!! If the DBacks won, then he’d be done w the post season
Wouldn’t be surprised if J-Roll and Oswalt left.
Imo, Oswalt is getting banged up and is deciding if he should pitch again. And Rollins is looking for money, so i could see a phillies team without these two.
Imo, Oswalt is getting banged up and is deciding if he should pitch again. And Rollins is looking for money, so i could see a phillies team without these two.
I hate this! Sure, it’s a feel good story for the Cards to make it into an all out grudge match with the same Brewers that knocked them out of the Divisional race, but Roy and Cliff are two of my favorites and once again neither will get to wear a World Series ring! When will fate’s cruel waves bring forth a nugget of gold for our valiant heroes from its frigid waters of despair!!!
You put up some fun posts. Of course, from this one it sounds like you overdosed on sci-fi movies and stuff, but still… 😀
I’m pretty sure I overdosed on the nausea brought forth by watching the Phillies trying to squeeze across a single run for nine innings. Alas, I think it’s time to put my Tigers cap on and root Justin Verlander on so he can put the finishing touches on an awesome season. Cy Young, MVP, and World Series Champ? Whoa.
Should be good. I am a big Verlander fan myself. This year he’s just so good it’s outta control. If he doesn’t come away with the Cy Young something is seriously wrong in the world of baseball.
So you were rooting for the Phils, and now the Tigers for the playoffs, but which is your favorite team during the regular season?
I used to be a huge Cubs fan, and while I still am, I’ve kind of evolved to the point where I kind of like all of the teams now. All of them possess something to cheer about, but I guess more than anything I enjoy rooting for my favorite players such as Halladay, Lee, and Verlander.
Very cool. I follow a few teams myself (and there are a few that I hate as well – largely because of their fan base). I also think anyone who genuinely loves baseball will stretch beyond the limits of their passion for one particular team and appreciate the other amazing talent around the League. A lot of my favorite players are not on the teams I follow most — and may never be!
Very cool. I follow a few teams myself (and there are a few that I hate as well – largely because of their fan base). I also think anyone who genuinely loves baseball will stretch beyond the limits of their passion for one particular team and appreciate the other amazing talent around the League. A lot of my favorite players are not on the teams I follow most — and may never be!
i thought the phillies were too top heavy, shiny but fragile as thin glass. but what really worried me was the way they rolled over to the Yankees in that WS. large talent, smaller kahunas
The Phillies didn’t roll over.
Their rotation was:
Cliff Lee, Pedro Martinez, Cole Hamels (in his worst season), and Joe Blanton. The Yankees rotation was great that year in the playoffs.
Neither team really played their best baseball in that series but it’s hard to say the Yankees didn’t completely destroy the Phillies that year.
The first half of this comment thread(?) is a prime example of angry bandwagon fans just lashing out at one another. The Phillies and Giants ARE NOT rivals, and there’s no need for such animosity between fans of teams that aren’t even playing each other. This is only one example, but you give the rest of the fans a bad name. It happens for far too many teams too.
I, for one, am actually glad that most of the bigger market teams like the Red Sox, Phillies, Yankees, etc are out of it this year, so we can focus less on contracts/disputes/fan-bashing and more on baseball. That, and I no longer have to deal with the fans who only come out during the playoffs and judge entire seasons based on a week of games, or who know very little about baseball but are so pissed when “their team” loses.
Game 6 of the NLCS and That series in San Fran this year would dispute the fact that they’re not rivals. Neither team likes each other.
I’m glad these teams lost (obviously I’m upset the Phillies lost… but they didn’t deserve to win)… because it proves high payroll does not equal a championship.
The Phillies 2 highest paid players (Howard and Lee) choked. Sabathia, Arod, and Tex choked for the Yankees, etc.
But I don’t think 3 series makes a rivalry. They were intense games, but it’s hard to be that angry about a team 3k miles away that you only play twice (maybe three times) a year.
I do like the point you made about high-priced players costing teams games, and the one TDKnies and you both made about high-payroll teams not always winning championships.
It goes back further than that. In 2009 (?) Sanchez threw a ball over Utley’s head. Chase stared him down… stepped out… Sanchez got mad… and Utley took him deep… Then they met in the playoffs and Utley and Sanchez had their little beef over the HBP and Utley flipping the ball back… and then then they had their bench clearing this year… It also goes back to the 2009 all star game for Giants/Phillies fans as there was a lot of outrage over Charlie not taking Sandoval.
It’s more of a post season type rivalry with a lot of tension and whatever. It’s hard to have a real good rivalry now a days though with all the players being best friends.
… at the very least, Sanchez and Utley dislike each other.
But I don’t think 3 series makes a rivalry. They were intense games, but it’s hard to be that angry about a team 3k miles away that you only play twice (maybe three times) a year.
I do like the point you made about high-priced players costing teams games, and the one TDKnies and you both made about high-payroll teams not always winning championships.
I like seeing the big teams get knocked out too, but mostly for another reason. People (not on MLBTR for the most part, but other places) always complain that baseball isn’t fair because there isn’t a salary cap like the “better” sports. Seeing the high payroll, big market teams fall like this is proof enough for me that their argument is crap (not that I personally needed more proof to believe it).
I agree with you on the salary cap issue being bogus. I, as a fan of the biggest payroll team understand the feelings that other fans from the smaller market teams have. But I have been a Yankees fan before Steinbrenner bought the team and suffered through 12 and 16 year droughts of terrible baseball. All the while the owner spent more than anyone else did and no one complained about the big payroll.
My team got knocked out, and while it’s bad for me, it’s good for Baseball.
It continues to reinforce the fact that putting together a winning team is not about only payroll. I’m rooting for the Tigers to go to the WS against the Cards.
Phillies fans feel the same way. I remember when I was a kid and Scott Rolen forced his way out. (I barely remember that… but I remember it). We lost Curt Schilling because he knew the front office wouldn’t spend the money to build a winner.
The Phillies were a very cheaply run organization for a very long time, but once they got the revenue, they took off.
I agree with you on the salary cap issue being bogus. I, as a fan of the biggest payroll team understand the feelings that other fans from the smaller market teams have. But I have been a Yankees fan before Steinbrenner bought the team and suffered through 12 and 16 year droughts of terrible baseball. All the while the owner spent more than anyone else did and no one complained about the big payroll.
My team got knocked out, and while it’s bad for me, it’s good for Baseball.
It continues to reinforce the fact that putting together a winning team is not about only payroll. I’m rooting for the Tigers to go to the WS against the Cards.
I agree that it’s good for baseball, but I don’t like seeing the best teams getting knocked out in the first round. It diminishes six months of greatness. I know that you have to win in October, but I’d like to go back to just 4 teams in the playoffs. I just feel as though some inferior teams get into the playoffs when they weren’t deserving and they pull off upsets. I’m a Twins fan and I am convinced that a team like the Blue Jays was just as good as them the last few years. How is that fair to them?
The twins playoff record shows that sometimes not all teams get some luck during the playoffs. I do not consider any of the teams that go into the playoffs this year as inferior. All we hear is the AL East day after day. They have 3 good teams….while Central only had really 1. Rangers and Angels are good teams. It’s not all about the AL East. The Giants and Braves were still good teams this year. NO bad teams got in.
I like the way the Twins have developed their organization. The reds, the team that I follow, I wish could go on a run like yours. They paid the price for years of Marge and her “What good are scouts for except watching games” mantra and she stripped one of the Top 5 scouting departments in the mid 80’s down…..and it took over 15 years to recover.
I find it ironic that once they started spending money they had one of their worst years.
“I don’t like seeing the best teams getting knocked out in the first round”- This is the sentiment around the country about baseball today. Even when St. Louis knocked off teams with substantially higher payrolls loaded with all-stars they are treated like they have no business moving on to the next round. The audacity of these inferior teams with inferior payrolls outplaying the fatest wallet teams. I am sure that MLB would Love it if Boston, The Yanks, and Philly were in every last League championship series. I am glad there is no spending cap in baseball, it brings out the comedy and the fingerpointing at the end of the year. If they could only get rid of the guaranteed contracts…
what are you even blabbering about dude. he didn’t say “highest paid” he said “best”
what are you even blabbering about dude. he didn’t say “highest paid” he said “best”
I think we can all agree that a Philly Phire Sale is in order.
Thats exactly what you do after setting a franchise record for wins.
I think 2012 is the perfect year to go young in the line up.
At the very least (on paper) with Halladay, Lee, and Hamels the Phillies are good enough to win the Wild Card.
I’d hate to see Jimmy go but if they do, I’d like to see Galvis in the line up batting 7/8th.
I’d like to see them resign Madson… or get a veteran closer (that’s the one spot they can’t afford to go young)… Braves just proved that this year.
Mayberry at first base, Brown in left field (they need to let him play every day no matter how bad he is… it paid off for the Braves and Freeman). If they don’t feel Brown is ready… maybe they could sign a stop gap 1st baseman and platoon he and Mayberry. (like a Derek Lee).
My line up:
1. Victorino
2. Polanco
3. Pence
4. Utley
5. Mayberry
6. Brown
7. Galvis
8. Ruiz
9. Pitcher
… not a bad line up. Galvis is a + defender and is probably a .250 MLB hitter. Can’t be much worse than Chooch offensively.
The Phills need to call Wade and get another Asstro!
Why stop at one? We could use Wandy as a 4th starter… Ruben should just fly down to Houston with a shopping cart.
The Phills need to call Wade and get another Asstro!
That lineup will land us in 2nd or 3rd place.
I’m fairly new at using these statistics so If I’m wrong, don’t shoot me, but:
Howard (according to baseball reference) was worth 2.7 WAR this year.
Ibanez was worth -0.4
Rollins was worth 3.7
… where do you see the Phillies finishing in 3rd place with a full year of Pence?
They improve in the outfield and they take a hit in the infield but with the pitching they have, they’d still be at least a wild card favorite.
… besides that line up is worst case senario… I’d like to see them sign Derek Lee. He’s still got a glove and still hits for some power. It would then allow Mayberry and Brown to have a straight platoon situation.
My top 3 free agent priorities
1. Locking up a closer. Whether it’s Madson or Jonathan Papelbon or whomever… somebody who I know is going to save a 1-0 Cole Hamels start. Someone who I know isn’t going to tire in September. Someone who I know isn’t intimidated to pitch in the playoffs.
2. Veteran First Baseman/Third Baseman
I want Michael Cuddyer or Derek Lee. Someone who can hold the fort for Howard. I’d be comfortable going into the season with Mayberry and seeing if he can handle being an every day player if the Phillies can’t get that done.
Cuddyer appeals to me because he can play 1st this year, he can back up Polanco at third and allow Mayberry to switch to first if Polanco gets hurt… or if Chase gets hurt… then when Polanco’s contract’s up… he moves to third base.
3. Hamels/Pence
These two need to be locked up. ’nuff said.
That lineup will land us in 2nd or 3rd place.
2012 in the N.L East is going to be nuts
Doubt it.
Doubt it.
Not really. It’s still more than likely going to be Braves/Phillies unless the Nationals do something big.
Marlins and Mets will fade away at the All Star break like they generally do.
2013 should be interesting though. The only reason I say the Nationals won’t be a huge factor in 2012 is the innings limit on Strasburg.
The Nationals’ owner has great deal of money that he wants to throw into the Nationals to get them into contention. NEVER doubt the power of money. I honestly think 2012 will change everyone’s perception of the Nationals. The Phillies will be very good, despite the questions, as will the Braves. 2012 could indeed be an interesting year for our division.
But yea, the Marlins and Mets? Well… I’m not as optimistic. Most divisions don’t really have more than two or three teams seriously making a run at it, though.
I think the Nationals come on strong but unless they sign an ACE + Fielder, they’re going to have to shut their ACE down or limit him significantly. Once that happens, I can’t see them challenging anything.
I think they’ll be very good but I don’t think they’re ready for the race without Strasburg at 100%.
As a dodgers fan, I got so much pleasure watching the phillies choke last night…thank you, st. louis. With that being said, I felt bad for Howard injuring himself. I hope he recovers during the off season so that he can play in 2012.
As a dodgers fan, I got so much pleasure watching the phillies choke last night…thank you, st. louis. With that being said, I felt bad for Howard injuring himself. I hope he recovers during the off season so that he can play in 2012.
The Cardinals rotation next year of Wainwright,Carpenter,Garcia,Shelby Miller and whoever is the 5th starter could be one of the best in baseball
No it won’t. At the start of the year it will be Wainwright(hopefully), Carpenter, Garcia, Lohse, and Westbrook.
Miller will start the year in Memphis and if things look good he will probably be the first one called up when another starter is needed. I don’t think there’s any chance he breaks camp with the big club.
What about Blanton and Dom Brown for Seth Smith, Ian Stewart, and Huston Street, with the Rockies paying $6M of the $8M they owe Street? That gives the Phillies someone to platoon with Mayberry in LF, a back-up 3B (and maybe 1B?) with potential to take over for Polanco next year, and a veteran back-of-the-bullpen guy that could be your closer if you can’t re-sign Madson or sign Bell. The Rockies get a high upside RF to play with Blackmon and Gonzalez, and the innings-eater they’re looking for while White/Pomerantz/whoever develops. You have 3 years each of Smith and Stewart for 5-6 years of Brown.
Combine that with a few other signings, and you could end up with this:
C: Ruiz
C: SCHNIDER (re-sign)
C/1B: DOUMIT (as FA, can fill in at 1B while Howard is hurt)
1B: Howard
2B: Utley
3B: Polanco
SS: Galvis
IF: STEWART (via trade)
IF: Valdez
LF: Mayberry
CF: Victorino
RF: Pence
OF: SMITH (via trade)
SP: Halladay
SP: Lee
SP: Hamels
SP: Worley
SP: Kendrick/Mathieson/minor-league signing
CL: MADSON/BELL (re-sign/as FA)
SU: STREET (via trade)
RP: Bastardo
RP: Herndon
RP: Stutes
RP: LIDGE (re-sign cheaply)
RP: VETERAN LHP FA SIGNING
I don’t know how the money works out or if they can afford this, but it looks like a solid team to me.
I think Ian Stewart would be great guy to target.
I was wondering this on another website, is there any teams that would swap their #1 third base prospect with Domonic Brown? A team that has the Patience to allow him to develop and fix the mistakes the Phillies developmental staff placed on him?
Ian Stewart and Pedro Alvarez were the first guys I thought of to replace Polanco. Teams would certainly listen on offers that net them Brown, wouldn’t they? The other option could be Moustakas, but I think the Royals would rather have him than Brown. Ditto for Lawrie.
I think Ian Stewart would be great guy to target.
I was wondering this on another website, is there any teams that would swap their #1 third base prospect with Domonic Brown? A team that has the Patience to allow him to develop and fix the mistakes the Phillies developmental staff placed on him?
What about Blanton and Dom Brown for Seth Smith, Ian Stewart, and Huston Street, with the Rockies paying $6M of the $8M they owe Street? That gives the Phillies someone to platoon with Mayberry in LF, a back-up 3B (and maybe 1B?) with potential to take over for Polanco next year, and a veteran back-of-the-bullpen guy that could be your closer if you can’t re-sign Madson or sign Bell. The Rockies get a high upside RF to play with Blackmon and Gonzalez, and the innings-eater they’re looking for while White/Pomerantz/whoever develops. You have 3 years each of Smith and Stewart for 5-6 years of Brown.
Combine that with a few other signings, and you could end up with this:
C: Ruiz
C: SCHNIDER (re-sign)
C/1B: DOUMIT (as FA, can fill in at 1B while Howard is hurt)
1B: Howard
2B: Utley
3B: Polanco
SS: Galvis
IF: STEWART (via trade)
IF: Valdez
LF: Mayberry
CF: Victorino
RF: Pence
OF: SMITH (via trade)
SP: Halladay
SP: Lee
SP: Hamels
SP: Worley
SP: Kendrick/Mathieson/minor-league signing
CL: MADSON/BELL (re-sign/as FA)
SU: STREET (via trade)
RP: Bastardo
RP: Herndon
RP: Stutes
RP: LIDGE (re-sign cheaply)
RP: VETERAN LHP FA SIGNING
I don’t know how the money works out or if they can afford this, but it looks like a solid team to me.
I, for one, favor the abolishment of the luxury tax. We really need to give these teams a chance to make it to the World Series.
signed,
disgruntled braves fan
Wow. Hamels had loose bodies, and an inguinal hernia. Pence had a sports hernia. Polanco has a hernia and god knows what else… and Howard has a ruptured achillies.
… is anyone healthy on this team anymore?
no ones healthy in october
They’re getting old. Obviously nobody’s healthy but they’re really starting to break down as a team.
Getting old in Philly
The swelling doesn’t “subside”. I had my surgery 8 days after rupture. 5 weeks in a cast and my foot still looked like an elephant foot.
Phillies fans should be pushing Amaro jr to sign Casey Kotchman. He’s had a really solid year(and always plays solid defense.
Should Howard miss the majority or miss the entire season, that is.
WAH!!!! …the Giants had the most trips to the DL then anyother team in MLB this year and still had a winning record. Best record means nothing….the Phillies have no heart….no bench…no BP and they are the oldest lineup in MLB. The window is closed if they don’t get rid of Rollins and Polanco. I would also try too trade Utley in the offseason. The Giants have a nice young staff….nice young core players and a good minor league system in place. How bout trading us Howard for Brandon Crawford/Brent Pill right now???? This way your team will have a SS and 1B too start the season.
Chances are we wont look into free agency but if we do. I wouldn’t mind guys like
1. Derek Lee
2. Michael Cuddyer (who can move to the outfield when Howard gets back or if he doesn’t stay at first, although chances of that happening are slim since the Twins want to lock him up)
3. Casey Kotchman who probably wont come here and will probably stay with the Rays
4. Carlos Pena who I think could be a nice option, despite his average I think he could give this lineup some pop.
I suggested D. Lee at another Website. I like his bat, would come cheap, and can still play defense.
My favorite guy is Cuddyer and I hope they make him a priority. He can become a stop gap 3rd baseman once Polanco’s contract is up.
Stupid trade….nobody wants Blanton nor Brown….Brown can’t hit in the Minors…most overrated prospect this year. He won’t even make the team next year.
The Nationals will be big in FA this offseason. They will make a push for Fielder and also CJ Wilson….they will be better than people expect. Look for a big bounce back from Werth!!
I don’t see Fielder going to play in Washington, I just don’t. One of the west coast teams – Dodgers, Giants, or Angles are going to overbid on the guy and he will sign with them. Picked a bad year for his FA year with BOS and NYY not needing a 1B.
Manuel needs to go with some others. If the Phils pulled back on the Braves in the last series they would most likely would be WS bound. They may have to muscle but not too much upstairs. At the time the Braves were terrible! Lost their 2 most impactful pitchers and wern’t hitting at all. On the otherhand, the Cards were streaking and really firing on all cylinders. I don’t know why any team would choose to play them, but thats exactly what the Manual did. I guess their goal for the season was to win as many regular season games as possible. Mission Acomplished!
Any team like the Phillies that thought they were the best team in baseball shouldn’t be afraid of ANY team in the playoffs. That’s why Manual played the game right. You really expect him to pull back, go into the playoffs on a horrendous losing streak just so he could play a non-streaking team?
The Phillies got beat. Get over it. They could have gotten beat by the Braves too… especially if the Phillies let the Braves beat them at the end of the season and renew their confidence.
At the end of the day, no team should be afraid of another team, and should be able to beat the best teams (that’s what the playoffs are ya know). Teams that win the World Series aren’t afraid of other teams. I respect the Phillies for playing the game right and not being afraid to play the better team between the Cards/Braves.
I have a much harder time respecting most Phillies fans… with the comments I so commonly hear/see them say.
And for the record… this comment is directed at that mindset that the Phillies made a mistake by “letting” the Cardinals in the playoffs… not directed at you.
Any team would have beaten the Phillies in the first round the way they hit this year.
… as for letting up against the Braves. They lost 8 games in a row. They needed to get back into a Rhythm. It’s the Braves fault for not winning.