WHAT HAPPENED TO THE ROTATION??? / Pat Gillick Makes Brett Myers Cry at Night

In the last installment of the "What Happened to The Phillies" / "%#(@ You Pat Gillick" we examined the Phillies' new closer, Brad Lidge. Now, we will follow our former closer, Brett Myers, along his exile back to the rotation. Since the Phillies failed to sign any sort of reliable starter, Brett Myers is forced to become the #2 man in the rotation, which he is very unhappy with...



"I'm upset," Myers said Thursday, "not with the Phillies, because I understand the situation. I'm upset because I think I really found myself and my role this year as a closer. I know, because I've been told that I'm best suited to be a closer."

"I understand what's going on, and I understand that for this team, me going back to being a starter is the move to make," Myers said. "I definitely like closing more. I like having the ball in my hands four or five days [a week]. The only thing I don't like in starting is, I may go nuts those four days in between getting the ball."
...
Said Myers: "There are positives in this. I think I've proven myself as a closer and as a starter. If the time comes and I'm on the market as a free agent, instead of two teams needing a starter and two needing a closer, I can make myself available as both to 30 teams.
"This doesn't mean I'm unhappy in Philly. I love the team. I love the fans. But from a personal standpoint, this certainly can help me in the long run."

Source: The News Journal









Needless to say, Brett Myers looks like a very unhappy man :(


Moving Myers to the starting rotation was a Plan-C type move that Gillick, despite him and Charlie Manuel continuously denying any chance of Myers moving out of the closer role. Now, Myers cries himself to sleep at night over Pat Gillick, while Brad Lidge does the same over Albert Pujols. It's okay Brett, Gillick doesn't only lie to you. He told us that he was going to spend big bucks on pitching a day before he offered over $35 Million to Mike Lowell.

It also worries me that the only positive Myers now sees in this move is that it will be easier for him to get out of Philadelphia, given that as recently as a few months ago it looked like Myers could have a great, happy future with the Phils.

All this results in the following rotation:

1. Cole Hamels
2. Brett Myers
3. Kyle Kendrick
4. Jamie Moyer
5. Peter Forsberg

As you can clearly see, I have absolutely no idea who will be filling the fifth spot in the rotation. Here are some candidates...

Adam Eaton: Eaton had a terrible 2007 due to a shoulder injury, and likely will not be 100% by opening day. When he's back to full strength, he will likely be back in the rotation.

Travis Blackley: The Rule 5 Draft pick is unlikely to have the stuff needed to start in 2008, and will likely be stuck in the back end of the bullpen or in the minors, but given the hole Pat Gillick has dug us into, I wouldn't be suprised to see him squeeze into the rotation.

Chad Durbin: His $900,000 contract is all he deserves. He is a journeyman pitcher who is unlikely to do much better than J.D. Durbin did last season, and a couple months ago there were hopes the Phillies would sign a bigger-name pitcher. At one point, it even looked like instead of Durbin we would sign Kyle Lohse and Curt Schilling. So much for that.

Beyond that, it is very unclear as to who will get that fifth spot. There are over a dozen candidates, prospect and journeyman alike, but nobody with stuff anywhere close to what Kyle Lohse brought.

I don't want to even imagine what happens if one of our solid starters goes down. We got lucky with Kyle Kendrick, but that's unlikely to happen again.

WHAT HAPPENED TO THE BULLPEN??? / The Sad Story of Brad Lidge

In part one of our potentially infinitely-parted series "What Happened to the Phillies" (aka "!$%# You Pat Gillick") we'll examine the ways the Phillies have gone from being poised to build a championship team back in November, to actually making the team worse this off-season despite a reported cap increase of $10-$15 Million. And of course, we will start with the greatest weakness our team had in 2007- pitching.

If you're a Phillies fan, and you think back to what you were doing last summer, you'll probably remember screaming at the image of Adam Eaton on your television screen, as he looked over his shoulder at another long ball he just dished out. Oh, you don't? My mistake, it could have also been Jose Mesa, Antonia Alfonseca, J.D. Durbin, Freddy Garcia, or pretty much any of the Phillies' pitchers. Alas, despite our generally abysmal bullpen, there was one true gem in there- Brett Myers. Everyone, including the coaches, Pat Gillick, and Myers himself, was very pleased with his performance as closer.

Taking all that into account, Pat Gillick and Charlie Manuel said repeatedly that Myers would remain the closer. Apparently they were just kidding, because Gillick went ahead and traded for a replacement for Myers, Brad Lidge. In the process, they gave up young outfielder Michael Bourn, prospect Mike Constanzo, and reliever Geoff Geary. Geary had a great September and was part of the core of strong relievers that led the Phillies down the stretch, so Lidge must have been worth more than him, right? I mean, we gave up a couple young guns, and a decent middle reliever so we could replace our newfound closer.

Brad Lidge came to pitch for the Astros in 2002 as a middle-reliever (and even started a game where he batted 2 for 2 with 2 RBI's). With Billy Wagner and Octavio Dotel traded by mid-2004, he became their closer. When that season ended, Lidge, his up-to-102 mph meatball, and his 29 saves were voted 8th in the Cy Young voting, and he set a new NL record for strikeouts by a reliever with a whopping 157. In 2005, Lidge was an all-star (in the all-star game he struck out the side and nobody even made contact on his pitches) and 30th in MVP voting with 42 saves and a 2.29 ERA, undoubtedly playing a big role in helping the Astros edge out the Phillies by one game in the wild card race. In that postseason, he helped lead the Astros to the NLCS in 2005, where they faced the Cardinals. In Game 5 in Houston, Lidge faced Albert Pujols with the Astros up by two. There were two runners on, and Albert Pujols was batting as the go-ahead run- and Pujols jacked him up, hitting the ball pretty much the farthest it could possibly go in a roofed stadium.

The Astros survived and later won game 6, sending them to the World Series. In game 2, Lidge gave up a walk-off homer to the White Sox' Scott Podsednik. Needless to say, Albert Pujols' shot hit Lidge right in the heart, and since that incident, Lidge has been nothing more than a mediocre closer- or at least a lesser one than Brett Myers. Lidge even lost his role periodically in 2007, before tossing 10+ scoreless innings to regain the role, finishing the season 19 of 27 in save attempts.

Lidge is excited about his new role with the Phillies, and Phillies fans are hoping that Lidge can overcome his emotional trauma and reclaim his role as one of the top closers in baseball. If he does so, trading for him will have been a great move. If he doesn't, and Pat Gillick doesn't have a backup plan for Lidge, the Phillies will be in deep trouble, because the only other remotely-solid relievers they have left behind Lidge are Tom Gordon, Ryan Madson, and J.C. Romero.

Otherwise, Pat Gillick is rolling the dice on a dozen or so prospects, as he was forced to do last season when the great injury plague hit the Phillies. Needless to say that this is extremely dicey, and very likely to fully compensate for the bullpen's shortfalls, especially if Lidge doesn't produce.

The bottom line right now is that the Phillies' bullpen's future is very unclear. Pat Gillick is just praying that some of the young pitchers step up. It's unlikely to work, and at this point, it looks like the bullpen has thrown out it's up-and-coming, delighted new closer Brett Myers, forcing him angrily into his old job as a #1 or #2 starter, and replaced him with a broken man rehabbing from getting owned by Albert Pujols.

Power Rankings- Week of 12/24

National League:

1 (1) Dodgers
2 (2) Rockies- Signed 8-2 reliever Luis Vizcaino
3 (4) Padres
4 (5) Diamondbacks
5 (3) Phillies- After signing Geoff Jenkins, Chad Durbin, and So Taguchi, it looks unlikely that the Phillies will make any more moves. Should they end up doing so, they should drop a bit further down. Dissapointment in Pat Gillick is rampant. At this point, it looks like the Phillies are hoping that one or more of their many pitching prospects will step up to fill the fifth spot in the rotation or help in the bullpen.
6 (6) Mets
7 (7) Braves
8 (8) Cubs
9 (9) Brewers
10 (10) Cardinals
11 (11) Astros
12 (12) Giants
13 (13) Nationals
14 (14) Reds
15 (15) Pirates
????? (19) Marlins- The Dolphins won a game! For the Marlins, that should be a tough act to follow.


American League

1) Red Sox- They have reclaimed the title as the front-runner for Johan Santana.
2) Yankees- Still have a chance with Santana.
4) Indians
5) Tigers
6) Mariners- Signed Carlos Silva
7) Blue Jays
8) Athletics
9) Twins
10) White Sox- Signed outfielder and Cuban defector Alexei Ramirez
11) Rangers
12) Orioles- Will probably hold on to starter Erik Bedard, but the Phillies don't really have a chance with him anyway at this point.
13) Rays
14) Royals

Phillies Sign So Taguchi

The Phillies signed outfielder So Taguchi to a one year deal valued around $1 million, with a team option for 2009.

The Phillies have done a lot of replacing of their players this off-season. Here's a simple rundown of the big replacements...

• Tadahito Iguchi > So Taguchi
• Geoff Geary & Brett Myers > Brad Lidge
• Mike Costanzo & Michael Bourn > Eric Bruntlett
• Kyle Lohse > Chad Durbin & Brett Myers
• Aaron Rowand > Geoff Jenkins

Worrisome? Yes, considering the fact that we presumably had more cap room to work with this season than last season, we should have a better roster, not a worse one. Hopefully this squad will manage to improve on last year's; this greatly depends on the contributions of Brad Lidge, Geoff Jenkins, the bullpen, whoever the fifth starter is, and last but not least, avoiding any major injuries to starting pitchers- unless we have another surprise rookie sensation such as Kyle Kendrick come along again.

Phillies to Play at Ironpigs' Inaugrual Game

The first game for the Phillies' new AAA Affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Ironpigs, will be an exhibition against the Phillies at the IronPigs' Coca-Cola Park at 2:05 on Sunday, March 30. It is rare for the Phillies to play their minor league affiliates these days, and this is a great way to open the new park and to see the Phillies take on their top farm team. The game will be broadcast on the CW Philly.

In other Ironpigs news, a couple of weeks ago they had to rename their mascot from "PorkChop" to "Ferrous" (a name relating to iron), because "Porkchop" is a duragatory term used towards Asian and Portugese People. The fact that we have to change such an adorable name, one thought up by a five-year-old none the less, to be slightly more politically correct, just shows the times we live in.

Phillies Introduce Chad Durbin... and Geoff Jenkins

The Phillies made Chad Durbin official today, and Geoff Jenkins was announced as a free-agent signing as well. Two years, $13 Million for Jenkins- a bit more than I would have allocated for a guy who's not even going to be an everyday outfielder. Instead of that, he will probably share his time with Jayson Werth. Durbin's deal is one year, $900,000

Update From Pat Gillick

Last night, according to the Phillies' official site, Gillick confirmed interest in Geoff Jenkins, but said that the team is no longer pursuing Mike Cameron or Kyle Lohse. No official word on the reported signing of Chad Durbin.

Another Durbin?

According to mlbtraderumors.com, the Phillies have added Chad Durbin to their pitching staff, signing the Free Agent second-rate. This hasn't been made official yet by the Phillies, or their site.

I hope he isn't the fifth guy in the rotation, because frankly, I'm not wild about another Durbin.

Projected 2008 Roster, 3rd Edition

SP Cole Hamels (Left-Handed)
SP Brett Myers
SP Kris Benson*
SP Kyle Kendrick
SP Jamie Moyer (L)
LRP/SP Adam Eaton
LRP J.D. Durbin
LRP Ryan Madson
MRP Fabrio Castro
MRP Clay Condrey
RP J.C. Romero (L)
SU Tom Gordon
CP Brad Lidge
1B Ryan Howard
2B Chase Utley
SS Jimmy Rollins
SS Eric Bruntlett
3B Wes Helms
3B Greg Dobbs
LF Pat Burrell
OF Mike Cameron*
OF Shane Victorino
OF Jayson Werth
C Carlos Ruiz
C Chris Coste

Notes:

• Pat Gillick raised the possibility of trading prospects for pitching a couple weeks back. This could bring Mike Mussina or another older pitcher to the Phillies.
• If Mike Cameron isn't signed, Geoff Jenkins
• It's unlikely that Adam Eaton will start the year in the rotation, as he is still rehabbing his arm. When he is back to full strength he will hopefully and probably pitch a lot better than he did in 2007. The Phillies will meanwhile try to obtain another pitcher to help fill his spot, many who are coming off injuries. Free-Agent Kris Benson is the front-runner, but an offer has reportedly been made to Kyle Lohse, who would be a better option . Fabrio Castro and J.D. Durbin seem to be the front-runners for replacing Eaton if a new player doesn't, or taking over if a starter goes down. Rule 5 draft-pick Travis Blackley is also an option. In general, at this point, it looks like the more probable alternative is looking at a bunch of guys during Spring Training and hoping that one of them looks good enough to enter the rotation.
• If Eaton goes to the minors, or to the disabled list, a reliever will probably come up to take his place on the roster (not in the rotation).
• The Phillies have a very large amount of pitching talent down in the minors, and it's probable that with or without an injury, some new faces will show up in the bullpen. It's anyone's guess who that will be.
• The bullpen looks to be a bit dicey, as the Phillies have a lot of prospects and journeymen lined up to vie for a spot in the bullpen, and besides closer Brad Lidge, Set-Up man Tom Gordon, and J.C Romero, talent in the pen is sparse.
• It's not probable that Kris Benson will join the team, but there is still a good chance that he will. The Phillies are hoping for support in the outfield as well as at third.

Power Rankings- Week of 12/17

National League:

1 (1) Dodgers- The signing of Hideki Kuroda will just make the best team in the league even better.
2 (2) Rockies- LaTroy Hawkins' signing with the Yankees weakens the bullpen, but if the Rockies bullpen continues to play like they did in September and October, they'll have little to worry about.
3 (3) Phillies- Pat Gillick is apparently hibernating this winter. By the time he wakes up for spring, the Fightins could be unimproved from 2007, and drop a few places here. Hopefully, he'll wake up and make a deal for Mike Cameron or Geoff Jenkins, and/or a worthwhile pitcher.
4 (5) Padres- Added now former Phillie Tadahito Iguchi, and Jim Edmonds.
5 (7) Diamondbacks- Jose Valverde is gone, but the addition of the 2007 AL All-Star Starter Dan Haren pulls the Diamondbacks into the top 5.
6 (4) Mets
7 (6) Braves
8 (10) Cubs- The big signing of Kosuke Fukudome pushes the Cubs to the top of the NL Central, just ahead of the Brewers.
9 (8) Brewers- The Brewers just signed closer Eric Gagne to a 1 year, $10 Million deal (I guess even I had underestimated his market value. They're gambling that Gagne will bounce back after a surprisingly bad run as the set-up man for the Red Sox, and now he's been mentioned in the Mitchell Report.
10 (9) Cardinals
11 (11) Astros- Two days after trading Miguel Tejada, Ed Wade wakes up from him shame-nap to find Tejada mentioned in the Mitchell Report. Ineffectual, maybe, but doesn't this make you wonder if Ed Wade was the one who was cursed, not the Phillies?
12 (14) Giants- Aaron Rowand finds a new home there. Maybe his influence will be a little bit better than that which Barry Bonds had, but I don't think he was worth the money considering that the Giants aren't going to be making any championship runs any time soon, and he cost them a lot.
13 (12) Nationals
14 (15) Reds
15 (16) Pirates
17 (unranked)- Sacramento RiverCats
18 (unranked)- Oregon State Beavers
19 (13) Marlins- After trading away Dontrelle Willis and Miguel Cabrera, the Marlins are now so incredibly bad that they are now ranked 18th... despite the fact that there are only 16 teams in the National League. When your highest paid player is Kevin Gregg, you either have Jesus himself negotiating your contracts, or your just plain suck.


American League

1) Red Sox- Johan Santana could still be on the way, although he's reportedly going to want around $140 Million for 7 years. Imagine Johan Santana, Josh Beckett, Daisuke Matsuzaka, Curt Schilling, and Tim Wakefield as your starting rotation, and then realize you are not dreaming or watching the all-star game, that this could soon be a reality. Sox are #1 by leaps and bounds. Conspiracy theorists are going crazy over how the Sox are not mentioned in the report, given that George Mitchell is on the Sox board of directors.
2) Yankees- Adding LaTroy Hawkins to an otherwise weak bullpen (especially given the fact that this is the Yankees) was a good move. They're also talking with Santana now.
3) Angels
4) Indians
5 (6) Tigers
6 (5) Mariners
7) Blue Jays- Recently added SS David Eckstein
8) Athletics- Dealing Dan Haren definetely has an effect on the teams' potency, but they don't drop them too far into the land of non-contender AL teams. Perhaps the possible addition of Barry Bonds could end up being a suprise blessing for the A's.
9) Twins- If they lose Santana they will drop, but for now the Twins will stay put.
10) White Sox
11) Rangers
12) Orioles- Trading Miguel Tejada was a good move, sacrificing a good current player for a brighter future. Fortunately for them, they'd have to lose a lot more than him to drop to the cellar of the American League where the Rays and Royals are stuck.
13) Rays
14) Royals

Interest in Jenkins Confirmed

There have been rumors of the Phillies having interest in Geoff Jenkins, and an article about that interest has been put on the Phillies Website. Jenkins would be the replacement for Aaron Rowand, and would hopefully bring experience to the team and some power back to the outfield. Jenkins is not a Free Agent, so a trade would have to be made. The Padres recently cut off ties with Mike Cameron, but acquired Jim Edmonds from the Cardinals late last night.

Rowand Gone

Aaron Rowand signed a $60 Million, 5 year deal with the Giants. Why the Giants spent that much over 5 years- a period during which they are very unlikely to contend- is beyond me. It's too bad that we lost him, but hopefully this will be an opportunity for Pat Gillick to get off his bum and use the money elsewhere.

Mike Mussina

According to Bob Matthews of the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle, the Phillies have mild interest in the Yankees' Mike Mussina. Currently, the Yankees depth chart of starting pictching is looking as follows:

1. Chien Ming Wang
2. Andy Pettite
3. Phillip Hughes
4. Joba Chamberlain
5. Mike Mussina
6. Ian Kennedy

There are a lot of things in play here. The Yanks could possibly go to a six-man rotation, in order to give their youngsters work as well as their experienced pitchers. Johan Santana ending up in New York is still slightly possible, but unlikely. It's also possible that Joba Chamberlain could remain in the bullpen (which is probably the weakest spot on the Yankees team), but at this point it seems more likely that he'll start. If the Phillies can put together a good deal for Mussina, an area native, the Yankees may be willing to deal.

And for your reading pleasure, I've offered some possible ideas for trades that could bring Mussina here (I didn't really explore possible minor league players up for trade, as that sort of a deal would be very hard to predict):

• Shane Victorino for Mike Mussina and Shelley Duncan
• Adam Eaton for Melky Cabrera and Mike Mussina
• Adam Eaton and Jayson Werth for Mike Mussina and Bobby Abreu
• Prospects for Mussina
• Adam Eaton for Mike Mussina and Kyle Farnsworth
• Pat Burrell for Johnny Damon and Mike Mussina
• Pat Burrell and Prospects for Bobby Abreu and Mike Mussina

Here are the team needs:

The Phillies could use Mussina in the back of the rotation if Eaton is out or if someone else goes down, and could also use another right-fielder, center-fielder, or third baseman. The Yankees could offer Melky Cabrera in a deal, or even gool ol' Bobby Abreu if the Phillies include fielders such as Jayson Werth or Shane Victorino, or the rehabbing Adam Eaton.

The Yankees, as if they needed anything, probably wouldn't mind trading one of their older players (similar to Mussina) for young or rehabbing fielders or relievers, as they have enough depth to gamble on those guys. If the Yankees lose an outfielder, Shane Victorino or Jayson Werth may look attractive to them. Any of the many young pitchers the Phillies have could be added on to a trade. Beyond this, I'd never rule out Pat Burrell, despite his no-trade clause, due to the fact that the Yankees have the money to pay him, and it's unlikely Burrell would be completely against being traded to the Yankees.

Both teams could use help in the bullpen, so pitching prospects may play a key role in possible trade talks. Hopefully something with pan out.

Why Gillick Must Be Finalizing a Deal for Johan Santana

Pat Gillick is the one of the most unpredictable general managers out there. After denying any interest in Mike Lowell, he nearly signs him to a huge contract close to $50 Million. Now, he hasn't signed any free agents since J.C. Romero, while the Phillies still have a very weak rotation, bullpen, and weak spots in the lineup at third base and in the outfield. Meanwhile, it seems that everyone who seemed to have interest in Johan Santana just dropped it. The Red Sox and Yankees opted out. No acquisitions for the Phillies, no apparent interest by any team anymore in Santana, and a very secretive, unpredictable general manager at the helm.

One can come to no other conclusion than that the Phillies should announce that they are trading Kyle Kendrick, Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels, and Prospects for Santana...


Okay, I am completely kidding here, but it is a wonder why Pat Gillick denied interest in a Third Baseman, yet almost went ahead and spent most of the team's remaining budget on Lowell. I personally hope that Gillick is keeping his motives secret, and that he is planning some big deals, because last I checked, our bullpen is even worse than last year at the moment, we have a severe lack in seasoned veterans that can lead the team, and our starting rotation is just waiting to be devastated with an injury.

Gillick said he did not want to "trade for the sake of trading", but c'mon Pat! Don't forget to do something before all the good deals have washed up.

Phillies Out on Kuroda

The Phillies have dropped their pursuit of Hideki Kuroda, who it seems will only play for a west coast team. The Dodgers and Mariners are the front-runners. However, do not despair. The Phillies acquired pitchers Travis Blackley and Lincoln Holdzkom in the Rule 5 draft, and they hope Blackley may be able to vie for the fifth spot in the rotation.

Winter Meeting Update 1

• Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis will be traded to the Tigers by the Marlins in exchange for 6 prospects, including Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller.
• The Royals are making moves: They've already signed Jose Guillen, and now Andruw Jones and Hideki Kuroda could be on their way to KC as well.
• The Mariners recently offered Kuroda a 4-year, $45 Million dollar contract.
• The Red Sox are currently the front-runners in acquiring Johan Santana from the Twins. Jacoby Ellsbury would likely be included in a trade for Santana.
• According to MLBtraderumors.com, Ryan Howard and the Phillies will soon be sitting down to try to hammer out a long term deal. Howard is arbitration eligible.
• The Phillies are reportedly NOT interested in Jon Lieber.
• According to delawareonline, Pat Gillick said he'd be willing to trade one or two prospects for pitching. Carlos Carrasco, Joe Savery, Josh Outman, and Adrian Cardenas are named as possibilities.
• Also according to delawareonline, Charlie Manuel has concerns about the health of Bartolo Colon, and thus Kris Benson is on the top of the Phillies list when it comes to pitchers recovering from arm injuries.
• delawareonline also says that the Mets are most interested in Livan Hernandez when it comes to pitchers. Hernandez is near the top of the Phillies list.
• The Phillies are currently trying to work out a deal with Tadahito Iguchi that would move him to Third Base, solving one of the Phillies' major gaps in the lineup. However, it would require Iguchi getting a waiver from the commissioner's office, as he was previously released by the Phillies.
• In an Interview with MLB.com, Pat Gillick discussed the Phillies' goals for the meetings. He said that the Phillies are: looking for a backup or "late-inning replacement" outfielder to replace Michael Bourn, keeping Aaron Rowand and Hideki Kuroda on the radar but are not close to siging him yet, and not in a rush to trade just for the sake of making trades.
• The Blue Jays reportedly do not want to trade A.J. Burnett. He was on the back-end of possible pitchers for the Phillies to add earlier in the off-season

Power Rankings- Week of 12/3

Here are my current, simple, power rankings for the 2008 season, based on my outlook for it now. Let me inform you now of one thing: Unlike normal reporters, I will NEVER pull any punches about my expectations for the Phillies. Whether I think they're more likely to lose or to win, I'm going to be honest. I hope to provide an honest criticism so when I do predict good things for the Phillies, I can be taken seriously. On that note, just because my prediction goes one way doesn't necessarily say I don't believe in them, nor does it mean you won't hear me yelling "The Phillies are going all the way this year!"

I will be focusing more on the National League, but I will rank the American League teams as well. I'll be ranking teams by league to give a larger picture than if I sorted by division, but I will keep the leagues separate, since it's extremely difficult to compare teams from the two different leagues. These rankings will be updated every week or so, and may change without anything happening, but because I don't do this for a living and sometimes overlook information. Enjoy...


National League:

1) Dodgers- They are already a skilled squad to begin with, but with Joe Torre as manager, possibly acting as a talent magnet, and Andruw Jones or Aaron Rowand on the way, things will just get better for the Dodgers.
2) Rockies- Sorry Phillies fans- the Rockies streak was not a fluke. The question is whether or not it will carry over. Still, whether hot or cold, you can not deny the plethora of talent the Rockies have.
3) Phillies- The Phillies could be #1 or down at the bottom; the question is if the Phillies of September 2007 show up, or the Phillies of the previous 10 years show up. If the young Phillies are really ready to play with the big boys, and the pitching staff is up to par, the Phillies will dominate the NL East and the National League as a whole.
4) Mets- The Phillies knocked the Mets to the ground with their four-game sweep in August, and their three-game sweep in September threw the Mets off the cliff. What happened to the Mets was more devastating than many people may imagine, and I have my doubts as to if the Mets will be able to control even just their division after the end of the 2007 season.
5) Padres- The Padres have been very good for a while now, but have had a lot of trouble getting to the top. Expect them to have a similar season to last year, but have more trouble with the strong Western division.
6) Braves- Tom Glavine in, Andruw Jones out. The Braves had a strong finish to an otherwise surprisingly sub-par 2007 season. Expect their strong play to carry over into '08 and expect for them to make a much stronger run at a division title.
7) Diamondbacks- Improvements need to made if they want to stay atop the NL, as many of the other top teams have gotten better. My guess is they won't be made on a large enough scale to keep the D-Backs at the top.
8) Brewers- With Jason Kendall joining the team from Chicago, and Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder posed for another stellar season, the Brew Crew should vault themselves to the top of the central division.
9) Cardinals- The Cardinals 9-game losing streak in September cancelled out the strong push they were making. If they can shake that off they can be a front-runner in the Central division.
10) Cubs- The Cubs are looking similar to last year, but the Cardinals and Brewers should improve, making the 2007 NL Central Champion Cubs no longer the front-runner in that division.
11) Astros- Ed Wade's reputation here isn't too good, but he's making good moves out in Houston. If Aaron Rowand or another big name ends up there the Astros could improve a lot. Biggio is gone, so if Wade doesn't make any big acquisitions the Astros will have trouble being a contender.
12) Nationals- The Nationals showed the ability to nip at the heels of the Phillies and Mets towards the end of the 2007 season, and if this carries over the Nationals, who have a lot of potential, could be a lot better next season.
13) Marlins- With Miguel Cabrera likely on the way out, the Marlins should be even worse than last year. However, even more so than the Nationals, the Marlins really played well against the Mets and other top teams towards the end of the season.
14) Giants- Bonds is gone, but with or without him the Giants will struggle to stay afloat next year in the incredible NL West
15) Reds- There are rumors of a possible return of Griffey to Seattle, but nonetheless the Reds are pretty bad to start with.
16) Pirates- I almost forgot to write something here. Umm... Isn't Jeff Garcia playing for them now... crap that's football.


American League

1) Red Sox- The Red Sox have some great young players in Jacoby Ellsbury and Dustin Pedroia, and the rest of their lineup, and their pitching staff- with Johan Santana possibly on the way- is absolutely ridiculous. My early, early pick for 2008 World Series Champions. A return to the postseason is almost certain.
2) Yankees- They showed in the beginning of the 2007 season that talent isn't enough to be dominant, and I expect the Yankees to go into a bit of a rebuilding year- which for the Yankees is essentially dropping them from being insanely stacked to being really stacked. Despite their issues, they're still the Yankees. Unless the Red Sox collapse or fall behind the Yankees, or there is a real challenge in the wild card race (an unlikely scenario), expect the Yankees to be... well... the Yankees. I think they will perform better than many think next season.
3) Angels- An already incredible team, with Jon Garland and Torii Hunter added might actually now have a chance at outplaying the Sox or Yankees. Their only competition in the west is the Mariners, but the competition is slight.
4) Indians- The last of the four really incredible teams, we saw in the ALCS how they can play in the big games, and in a weak AL Central division expect them to thrive.
5) Mariners- There are rumors that Hideki Kuroda and/or Ken Griffey Jr. could end up on this team. They had a good 2007 season, and in 2008 they could dominate the Angels' rear view mirror, or try to hopelessly chase towards the seemingly non-existent (even at this point) (in my opinion) AL wild-card race. Came within 6 games of it last year.
6) Tigers- Finished equal with the Mariners in the wild card, but that's much easier to do when you're in the AL Central. Come to think of it, the central division in both of the leagues are pretty weak.
7) Blue Jays- They were a far cry from a contender in 2007, and play in an extremely tough-to-win division, but if things go haywire in 2008 as they did in the NL in 2007 maybe, just maybe the Blue Jays can pounce.
8) Athletics- Dan Haren might be traded. From here down, none of the American League teams mentioned have a sufficiently legitimate chance at being contenders. That's the American league for you...
9) Twins- If they say farewell to Johan Santana, it's farewell to their contender dreams as well. Santana aside, it's unlikely the Twins will make a run at the playoffs.
10) White Sox- A shadow of their former selves, don't expect the White Sox to go anywhere in 2008. Especially after balking on Torii Hunter. Shouldn't have let Rowand go...
11) Rangers- With a pitching staff that has more holes than Swiss cheese, stick to the Rangers than play hockey.
12) Orioles- Melvin Mora may be on his way out, as he wants to play for a contender and is willing to waive his no-trade clause. There was a time when teams besides the Sox and Yanks in the AL East got to be in the drivers seat, but that won't be happening this year.
13) Rays- The Devils Rays- I mean, Rays of sunshine, have gotten a new name and logo that makes them look like a Single-A Team. Gee, how fitting...
14) Royals- Hello Jose Guillen, hello the only exciting thing that has or will happen for the Royals in years. Remember when they led their division? Uh huh, neither do I.

Player Updates

Aaron Rowand: The Phillies offered him arbitration today, a small step towards keeping him, and a good one, as it assures the Phillies draft-pick compensation if he signs elsewhere. He currently wants 5 years, $10-$12 million a season. The Dodgers were the top suitor, but an MLB.com report suggests that the Dodgers prefer Andruw Jones. After losing out on Torii Hunter, the White Sox showed interest, but they don't want to pay that much money. The Yankees might consider it if they traded Melky Cabrera.


Hideki Kuroda: Still a possibiliy, but he has said he wants to play on the West Coast. The Dodgers look like the best suitor here, although the Mariners and other teams have shown interest. Still, we still have an okay chance, especially if Rowand isn't signed.

Jon Lieber: The Phillies have shown interest along with the Astros.

Kyle Lohse: With the money he'll probably be looking for its unlikely he will return.

Melvin Mora: If Rowand is not signed, the Phillies may trade for the Orioles' Mora, who would waive his no-trade clause if he went to a winning team (interesting how we're on this end of this situation now after so many years of players like Scott Rolen and J.D. Drew leaving for a winning team). His contract is a hefty $8 million, so the Phillies would probably have to whiff on Rowand, Kuroda, and any other big names before they'd even consider trading for him. MLBtraderumors.com denies this interest, but anything can happen with Pat Gillick.

MLBtraderumors.com also reports that the Phillies have interest Jon Lieber, Bartolo Colon, Kenny Rogers, Livan Hernandez, Mark Prior, Shawn Chacon, Joe Kennedy, Brian Fuentes, and A.J. Burnett.



And Some bygones...

Troy Percival: Devil Rays, 2 Years, $8 million

Randy Wolf: Padres, $ 4 million

Mike Lowell: After denying interest in him, the Phillies made an offer that was barely beaten at the last second by the Red Sox. Let this serve as an example that Pat Gillick is very unpredictable.




My Advice: Sign Aaron Rowand unless a good offer is accepted by Kuroda, but even in that case I'd try to sign Rowand as well. A premier pitcher and veteran leader are both absolute necessities, and well worth the investment.

New... Well... Old Jersey

The Phillies new alternate jersey isn't acutally new persay; it's just a 1948 throwback jersey, which seems to oddly resemble the current jersey, save the pinstripes. It will be worn on all home day games. I was hoping for something more creative, but it's good to have an alternate jersey nonetheless.