Open Discussion: Week of July 18, 2021

Weekly Discussion

This is the courtesy thread for comments and discussion about the Phillies and other baseball topics.  Draft discussion is in a separate thread.

The Phillies (47-45) won their fourth consecutive series and have crept within two games of the first-place Mets.  With the injuries that the Mets have suffered recently, looks like the Phillies could be buyers before the trade deadline.

Key Dates:

  • July 30, 2021: Trade Deadline (4 p.m. ET)
  • August 1, 2021: Signing deadline for 2021 drafted players
  • Oct. 3, 2021: Regular season concludes

Transactions (last week’s transactions)

7/18/2021 – Phillies recalled RHP Mauricio Llovera from Lehigh Valley
7/18/2021 – Phillies sent RHP Sam Coonrod on a rehab assignment to Lehigh Valley
7/18/2021 – RHP Brendan Bell assigned to FCL Phillies from Clearwater
7/18/2021 – RHP Wilson Gherbaz assigned to Clearwater from FCL Phillies
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #1 draft pick RHP Andrew Painter
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #2 draft pick OF Ethan Wilson
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #3 draft pick OF Jordan Viars
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #4 draft pick RHP Micah Ottenbreit
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #5 draft pick RHP Griff McGarry
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #6 draft pick RHP Jose Pena
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #7 draft pick RHP Christian McGowan
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #8 draft pick RHP Jason Ruffcom
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #9 draft pick OF Gavin Tonkel
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #10 draft pick OF Logan Cerny
7/17/2021 – Phillies signed #11 draft pick LHP Andrew Baker
7/17/2021 – Phillies traded RHP Victor Santos to Boston Red Sox
7/17/2021 – Phillies activated RHP Connor Brogdon from the 10-day IL
7/17/2021 – Phillies optioned RHP Mauricio Llovera to Lehigh Valley
7/17/2021 – Phillies optioned CF Matt Vierling to Lehigh Valley
7/17/2021 – RHP Adam Leverett assigned to Reading from Jersey Shore
7/17/2021 – Jersey Shore activated RHP Noah Skirrow from the 7-day IL
7/17/2021 – Jersey Shore activated RHP Tyler McKay from the 7-day IL
7/17/2021 – LF Matt Kroon assigned to Jersey Shore from Reading
7/17/2021 – Jersey Shore released LF Hunter Hearn
7/17/2021 – LHP Samuel Aldegheri assigned to Clearwater from FCL Phillies
7/16/2021 – Phillies activated LHP Bailey Falter from the 10-day IL
7/16/2021 – Phillies optioned LHP Damon Jones to Lehigh Valley
7/16/2021 – Phillies recalled CF Matt Vierling from Lehigh Valley
7/16/2021 – Lehigh Valley placed RHP Ramon Rosso on the temporarily inactive list
7/16/2021 – RHP Julian Garcia assigned to Lehigh Valley from Reading
7/16/2021 – Jersey Shore placed LHP J.P. Woodward on the 7-day IL retro to 7/15/21
7/16/2021 – Jersey Shore activated 3B Nate Fassnacht from the 7-day IL
7/16/2021 – Jersey Shore activated RHP Tom Sutera from the 7-day IL
7/16/2021 – Clearwater Threshers activated LF Ben Pelletier from the 7-day IL
7/16/2021 – LHP Erik Miller assigned to Clearwater from Reading
7/16/2021 – SS Jose Tortolero assigned to Clearwater from Jersey Shore
7/16/2021 – SS Uziel Viloria assigned to FCL Phillies from Clearwater
7/16/2021 – RHP Hsin-Chieh Lin assigned to FCL Phillies from Clearwater
7/16/2021 – RHP Douglas Mijares assigned to DSL White from DSL Red
7/15/2021 – Jersey Shore sent OF Hunter Markwardt on a rehab assignment to FCL Phillies
7/15/2021 – Douglas Mijares assigned to DSL Red from DSL White
7/13/2021 – Reading placed RHP Billy Sullivan on the 7-day IL, right shoulder inflammation
7/13/2021 – Clearwater placed LHP Jordi Martinez on the 7-day IL
7/13/2021 – IF Grenny Cumana assigned to Reading from FCL Phillies
7/12/2021 – Lehigh Valley sent OF Adam Haseley on a rehab assignment to FCL Phillies
7/12/2021 – Reading sent 1B Matt Kroon on a rehab assignment to FCL Phillies
7/12/2021 – Clearwater sent 2B Christian Valerio on a rehab assignment to FCL Phillies
7/12/2021 – Clearwater sent 2B Wilfredo Flores on a rehab assignment to FCL Phillies
7/12/2021 – SS Albert Jerez assigned to FCL Phillies from DSL White
7/12/2021 – OF Junior Ortega assigned to FCL Phillies from DSL Red
7/12/2021 – DSL Red placed RHP Wilberson Liendo on the 60-day IL
7/12/2021 – OF Santiago Torres assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – RHP Ender Paz assigned to DSL Red from DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Fernando Ortega assigned to DSL Red from DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Danyony Pulido assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – OF Raylin Heredia assigned to DSL Red from DSL White
7/12/2021 – C Javier Vina assigned to DSL Red from DSL White
7/12/2021 – C Solardo Rodriguez assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – SS Yemil Rosario assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – 2B Marco Soto assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – OF Gabriel Tirado assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – OF Jeury Corona assigned to DSL Red from DSL White
7/12/2021 – 2B Fernando Hernandez assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – SS Julio Heureaux assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – RHP Jean Hernandez assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – RHP Saul Alcala assigned to DSL Red from DSL White
7/12/2021 – C Jorge Mendez assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – C Brahian Silva assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – SS Diego Gonzalez assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – 2B Arquedion Muller assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – SS Randy Vasquez assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – LHP Joel Valdez assigned to DSL Red from DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Luis Gomez assigned to DSL Red from DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Juan Melendez assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – RHP Jesus Querales assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – RHP Javier Fuenmayor assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – RHP Esteban Cabrera assigned to DSL Red
7/12/2021 – DSL White placed C Dervin Andrade on the 60-day IL
7/12/2021 – OF Jorge Garcia assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – OF Ricardo Rosario assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – C Jackie Pertuz assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – SS Jarol Martinez assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – SS Yoangel Ramos assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – 2B Deivi Cabrera assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Giussepe Velasquez assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – LHP Jared Loyo assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Diego Linares assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – OF Jose Leanez assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – OF Albert Rodriguez assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Eiberson Castellano assigned to DSL White from DSL Red
7/12/2021 – RHP Douglas Mijares assigned to DSL White from DSL Red
7/12/2021 – RHP Jonathan Petit assigned to DSL White from DSL Red
7/12/2021 – C Adony Mejia assigned to DSL White from DSL Red
7/12/2021 – RHP Pedro Reyes assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – OF Yemal Flores assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – C Kliubert Avila assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – C Jose Colmenarez assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – 2B Enyer Graterol assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – 2B Leonardo Rondon assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – 2B Jehisbert Sevilla assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – LHP Alexis Garibaldi assigned to DSL White from DSL Red
7/12/2021 – RHP Daniel Mejia assigned to DSL White from DSL Red
7/12/2021 – LHP Ronny Ramirez assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Carlos Millan assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Estibenzon Jimenez assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Jaydenn Estanista assigned to DSL White
7/12/2021 – RHP Jean Cabrera assigned to DSL White
7/09/2021 – LHV transferred RF Scott Kingery from the 7- to the 60-day IL, shoulder
7/09/2021 – FCL Phillies transferred RHP Andy Reyes from the 7-day to the 60-day IL
7/09/2021 – FCL Phillies placed RHP Camilo Brazoban on the 60-day IL
7/09/2021 – FCL Phillies placed RF Jefferson Encarnacion on the 60-day IL
6/27/2021 – RHP Manuel Urias assigned to DSL Red from FCL Phillies

483 thoughts on “Open Discussion: Week of July 18, 2021”

  1. According to MLB Trade Rumors, Starling Marte rejected the Marlins’ offer today (Sunday) of a three-year, $30MM contract extension … Heyman writes that the Astros, Phillies, and Yankees are three of the teams who have been in touch with the Marlins about him. Marte is owed around $5.1 MM.

    A closer is the obvious need, so I wonder just how interested the Phillies are in Marte. He’d be an excellent addition to the top of the line up. He gets on base, steals bases, has some pop, and plays a very good CF. I guess it depends on what the Marlins are looking for in return.

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      1. Yeah, no way they are taking that. Williams is a fringe player (nice guy and all, but let’s be real), Marchan is a back-up catcher down the line because he can’t hit enough to start.

        They would want players with more upside.

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        1. Like maybe Marchan and Bailey Falter – the most underutilized player on this team. If they trade him I’m going to be pretty upset. I think he has way more potential than almost anyone is giving him credit for.

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          1. I get that they think Falter can do well in relief and Moore isn’t a reliever, but that’s backwards thinking in my view. You put the best guy you possibly can in the rotation and figure out the rest as you go.

            Falter had one really bad outing but has otherwise been fantastic. He has a 21/1 K/BB ratio – phenomenal. His stuff is excellent. I’ve said this for week and will say it again – he should be in the rotation right now.

            Typical Phillies – they cannot even scout their own players properly. I have this great fear that they are going to flip Falter for a rental and then watch him go on to become a top 25, cost-controlled starter for the next 5 or 6 years – exactly the type of player they need right now. That would be brutal. It’s the type of move bad teams always make and good teams rarely do.

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            2. Hinkie – I understand that Marchan is a fine defensive player. What makes you think he will ever hit enough to be a starter? I like him a bit but I think we are way overvaluing him. Please explain.

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            3. Marchan isn’t a fine defensive payers. Marchan is (at least) a plus defensive player: plus mobility/plus glove/plus-plus arm.
              The offensive bar for catchers is not very high. He’s going to be more than fine. He’s got good bat-to-ball skills (9.3% MiLB K-rate). He just turned 22 YO. As he matures, he’ll get stronger. That should translate to greater exit velo. > exit velo = > BABIP. The fact that he is a switch hitter only adds to his profile.
              Marchan holds real value. The Phillies have a good deal of depth at the catcher position. Any of O’Hoppe/Gutierrez/Nava are more likely to be traded for a rental player. If Dombrowski is attempting to bring back a difference making player under team control thru (at least) 2022 (Gallo/Buxton), then Marchan could go.

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            4. @Hinkie, if Marchan is as good as you think he is, he needs to get traded now. He’s not as good as JT and he’s blocked for the next 4 years. So whether he’s good or not, he’s a future back up in Philadelphia. His best value is to be traded since he’s not starting in Philadelphia.

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            5. Like I said above, Marchan isn’t untouchable. He just isn’t going to be dealt for a rental player.
              So … in a nutshell:
              Couldl Marchan go to Miami for Marte? No.
              Could March go to the Twins in a package for Buxton? Yes.

              BTW … at the very least, “he’s a future back up in Philadelphia” … and he’ll be making minimum salary. However, JTR is going to get hurt over the next four years. He may miss significant time (hopefully not). The DH will almost certainly be adopted this winter. Girardi will give JTR time at DH/1B to keep him healthy/fresh.

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            6. Right now, Knapp has 112 PAs. How many do you think Marchan is going to get? Maybe 175 if he’s lucky? Probably 150? At best, because he’ll be playing part time behind JT, he’ll be lucky to get 1 WAR. So whether or not Marchan is that good, he won’t play enough to make a big difference. So in that case, you trade Marchan.

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            7. Yeah. I don’t know what to tell you, other than thinking like that will hurt your franchise.
              Unless you’re trading a kid because he is blocked from the 40 man, and you’re afraid to lose him in the rule 5 draft (that’s not Marchan), you don’t trade prospects just because they are blocked at the MLB level. They hold value as low cost insurance vs injuries. Marchan for 3 months of Staring Marte holds lots of negative value for the Phillies. Save him. Have him available in case Realmuto goes down. Or use him in a deal that brings back a player under team control for a longer period of time.

              Under your philosophy, the LADs (one of the best run organizations in baseball) would have traded Keibert Ruiz a couple of years ago.

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            8. Yes, the Dodgers should have traded Ruiz. What has he given the Dodgers so far? 0.1 career WAR. That’s exactly what I’m saying. No matter how good Ruiz is, he’s not getting playing time. So what are the Dodgers waiting for? For Will Smith to get hurt? What happens if Ruiz gets hurt? Or worse yet, he starts stalling at AAA?

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            9. Andrew Freidman is a pretty smart dude. He just won the WS. He’s in the postseason every year. I’ll trust he’s making the right moves in LA.

              Again … I wouldn’t hold my breath waiting for DD to trade Rafael Marchan for Starling Marte (or any other rental player).

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          2. I agree Marchan and falter or medina would be the type of deal for marte. I honestly think the marlins could do better though. Marte is an underrated player and probably would sign a reasonable extension say 3 for 45 or 4 for 56 type.

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      2. rocco….I see, still trying to get rid of Williams. 🙂

        Marte is a two month rental, so Marlins may have to settle from any offers they will receive. And virtually every buying and a contending team has a CFer they are satisfied with.

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        1. I believe Williams is toast, Making this far was amazing , Marte is good at top of lineup, just hard to gauge what he would be worth for two months,

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          1. rocco….I think there are six teams, the Phillies would compete with, that could make a run for him…three in the NL….Reds, Cardinals and of course Gabe and the Giants…..and three in the AL…Rays, Yankees and maybe the WSox.
            A lot of hem are looking for pitching first, but some may want to try to jump start their offense with Marte. Will see what Dave D does in the these next two weeks.

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    2. Marte wouldn’t move the needle as much as a guy like Gallo. Granted, he’s not the CF Marte is, and probably best suited for a corner, BUT those bombs would account for a bigger uptick in adding crooked numbers to the box score. Gallo would cost more in prospects since he’s under contract through ’22. The bullpen must be addressed, and my guess is that Dombrowski will address it, but adding runs would also go a long way to preventing blown saves.

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    2. My son was watching this over the weekend. He is 9 and I’ve been explaining minor league baseball and the Draft and it is more difficult than you would think. So he shows me this and Im trying to explain that these guys arent really Phillies minor league players. We were going in circles. He LOVES baseball so I honestly cannot complain.

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  3. Marte would be a great add for this team and they would immediately try to extend him since there is no CF prospect waiting in the wings. They might even extend Cutch for another year and let the two buddies play together.
    Trading for a SP and a RP is what they need most but there will be lots of competition for pitching so the cost will be higher.
    The next ten games could dictate how aggressive DD will be. 4 Braves and 4 Nats games after 2 Yanks games will be telling. They need 6/10

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    1. If Dombrowski acquires Marte, I think we’ve seen the last of Odubel in a Phillies uniform. Perhaps the Marlins would take him as a no risk piece in the return package. Don’t pick up his option, but leave open the possibility of re-signing him at a much cheaper rate.

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  4. For the nonbelievers – 3 of 4 from the Marlins, which seemed to have the Phillies numbers for years. A ton of injuries in the division, I’m starting to see a path to the playoffs. I don’t think by that they are a serious contender, so the moves need to match this mindset. A playoff appearance due to a wounded division is nothing to Mortgage the farm on. That said it’s getting fun again. Seems like the Phils drafting may have improved, therefore I’m a bit more willing to trade now. I like the rumors of Buxton, and marte. Marte should hopefully be on the cheaper side, Buxton is intriguing but is hurt a lot. That’s a move you can. Make long term if he’ll resign. DD has a tough call ahead, while having to appease the owner/fanbase.

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  5. Hinkie was right. He convinced me. F it! Let’s try to win the NL East. It is ripe for the taking and they are playing good baseball. My only request is, if we are going for it, then don’t buy B- assets like we have in years past.

    Let’s get 2 closers. Kimberly and Iglesias. I would also love a guy like Marte to add some more punch to the lineup.

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    1. “Let’s get 2 closers. Kimberly and Iglesias. I would also love a guy like Marte to add some more punch to the lineup.”…….could be costly,
      and we probably still lose to the Dodgers/Giants or Pads in a 7 game series.

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      1. Romus, I know sometimes it must be hard for Jim, to keep up all the action, I dont think he knows, your a official Cub reporter, You still have your Jimmy Olsen badge?

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      2. Yes, v1. For sure. If Middleton/Dombrowski wait for the reincarnation of the 2007-2011 Phillies (or a team like that), we’ll be sitting around for a long time. Win the division, qualify for the playoffs (for the first time in a decade), and see what happens.
        As we sit here today, all indicators are favorable for the Phillies in 2021: NL East is very average, Phillies are healthy (the other contenders are not), and this team’s remaining schedule is the easiest in MLB.
        I’ve felt all along like the division was going to come down to which POBO/GM has the best July. I have complete confidence in DD. He’s a Hall Of Famer with a sterling track record of success. As a matter of fact, in years he’s started and ended the season with the same team, Dombrowski has currently won seven straight division titles. He’s going to make smart moves (this month and this winter).

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  6. I am very fascinated by Travus Jankowski. Except for a couple base tunings miscues at second base he seems to be a good piece for a team. Plays good defense and is a catalyst at the plate. Not any power but his speed is very welcome. Can he remain at center even though he hasn’t done it in the past.?

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    1. The short answer is Yes. He played in over 100 games for the Padres in 2016 and 2018. In 2016, of his 82 starts, 77 were in CF. In 2018, his 77 starts were roughly split among all 3 OF positions. 139 of his career 224 starts were in CF. He has committed FOUR outfield errors in his 7-year career

      He hit .245 and .259 in the two seasons where he saw a lot of playing time. I would play him as long as he’s being productive. Because of his age and experience, Girardi probably thinks along these lines, too. Travis Jankowski’s emergence might delay Herrera’s return from the IL.

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      1. I’m trying to think of any other outfielder that emerged at this age and became a regular and productive player for rest of his career.

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        1. The only player I can think of that comes close is Raul Ibanez. He more or less broke out at age 29. And Ibanez has WAY more power than Jankowski.

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          1. True. Raul hit 281 of his 305 homers at age 30+. Also of those 58 at age 40+.

            Thanks for the comp.

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          2. I think there was guy for the yankees or boston who broke in at 29 and if i am right won a batting title,

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            1. rocco… you talking about Sox Bill Mueller?
              He won the BA title when he was over 30…. he was already in the league for 5/6 years but never was considered an all-star caliber player.

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            2. if it was Bill Mueller, he didn’t last much longer after that. He won the batting title at age 32 and then was out of baseball by age 36. He had a nice career though with 23.9 WAR. Most players will never reach 20 career WAR.

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        2. Going back a ways but Bill Robinson’s career seemed like in started to hit its stride when he was in his 30s

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          1. Bill Robinson, yes, and also was a very nice man…..sons went to his hitting camp back in the late 80s.

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          2. Great example Bill Robinson!
            Exactly at 30 in 1973 for Phillies had a great year but at 34 with Pirates had an even better year 26/104/.304 and then 2 years later was one of the pieces at 36 for the World Champion Pirates in 1979. Ended his career for ’83 Phillies at 40.

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          3. Bill Robinson lived down the street from my Brother in Sewell, for a while Very friendly

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    2. His speed is a weapon and unlike Quinn he is not creating major gaffes on the field weekly. Yes he royally screwed up in his first home game as a PR. Since then I do not recall him making any more mental errors.

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      1. Fun Fact:

        Jankowski has gone by the nickname “Freddy” since his high school baseball career. The name originated from a childhood fascination with Fred Rogers, the host of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood

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  7. I want to make a push to win the Division. I believe a Playoff appearance is a good thing. I think we have a shot against the Padres and Giants with our SP, that assumes, they are at the top of their games, which is a big if. However, I think we have limited resources to make deals, and think a SP, a Closer, and another every day player, may be beyond our reach. I rank that Closer as our clear #1 need.

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  8. The 2021 Phils, no matter what DD does, will never match up on paper with some of the best teams in baseball this year. Having said that, in baseball the best team rarely wins the WS. The 2011 Cardinals were nowhere near the team the 2011 Phils were but they beat us and won the WS because they were the hottest team playing great ball. Not saying the Phils will win it all this year, but if you make it into the dance, you never know, so let’s go for it.

    I agree on Falter – should be in the rotation now and has good potential for the future. Additionally, he has a chance to play a significant role out of the pen this year so I’d be very hesitant to take him off this roster.

    I know we could use bullpen help, another starting pitcher, and maybe a CF, but I think this team could really use a clubhouse guy with experience winning. Think Dutch to the Marlins in 1997.

    And how much better does this team look defensively with Ronny T manning 3B? The upgrade defensively is significant. I don’t know that it makes any sense to keep starting him after Bohm returns, but if we are ahead in the 7th or 8th inning I hope we see Ronny T as a defensive replacement regularly, ala the late Kim Batiste 1993 style for the erratic Dave Hollins.

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    1. I agree, but there has to be a balance. Top prospects are a no go. Bohm & Howard I’d consider depending on the player. It’s likely a no. They need young talent to contribute that comes cheap. They are currently are best chances for the 2022 season. Make calculated bullpen moves and entertain the buxton trade if available & healthy. It’s tempting but I think I’d stay away, especially if you can’t sure up the bullpen

      Correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t sir Anthony supposed to be recovered for the 2nd half at some point?

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  9. To me it’s get a legit high end closer or don’t do much of anything cause if you don’t then you are just wasting your time as this team has no one that is a lock to close out tight games. Ranger was looking great until he started seeing time closing (small sample size), maybe Bradley is up next since they have tried everyone else and now that he’s healthy he seems to be doing better.

    When I read rumors they are in on this CF or that CF, I think great but if you don’t have a good closer and not someone that makes you nervous every time they are on the mound, then what’s the point of trading assets for a CF just to have the pen blow a bunch of games.

    I’m surprised trader Dave hasn’t already done a move or two to get help in the pen since it’s been such a huge problem for them, maybe prices were too high, or they know they are up against the lux tax and don’t want to go over no matter what.

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  10. IMO
    The team seems to be Rolling right now give the one or two additions they could make a run but Bets need to step up like yesterday.

    There was mention that 6 teams were looking at Falter prior to his 40 man designation. He has shown he hast “IT” but. His 1 batter out of the Pen yesterday maybe was a showcase request continue to not be able to see potential in there current Roster and system, not to mention developing system talent. My hopes they keep him, but Use him.
    Williams, Janikowski, Torreyes , Suarez and Falter bring a spark to this team but also have produced

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  11. The Phillies are sniffing around Starling Marte and that’s the correct call. His defense is on par with Odubel but his bat is the difference maker. Obviously Jankowski is red hot but you don’t know how long it’s going to last. Marte is a rental and his cost shouldn’t be too high. I doubt the Marlins will give him a QO, so they should be highly motivated to trade him. The Phillies should wait before pulling the trigger because I believe the price will go down. Why? Because teams are going to start throwing in the towel soon.

    In the NL, MIlwaukee is running away with the central. The big 3 in the west (SF, LA, SD) will likely make the playoffs. The Reds are 5.5 back of the wild card and they just lost 3 straight. You figure that if the Reds lose more games, they’ll be out next week. The Phillies play the Braves and Nats the next 2 weeks. Those series are make or break for those teams. The Phillies are not out of the woods. But I don’t think the Phillies will get serious about trading until after the Braves series. And even then, I think it’ll come down to the last day when it comes to trades.

    In the AL, it’s a little tighter. The Rays will likely make it but I think the A’s will get caught by the Blue Jays. Mariners/Indians/Yankees are hanging around but they don’t have the Blue Jays offense. And even then, I think only the Yankees would be motivated to make moves. And the Phillies can essentially stick it to the Yankees if they come in and beat them on Tuesday and Wednesday.

    Big series starting today: Reds vs Mets, Padres vs Braves.

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  12. I’ll say this about Luke Williams: his K rate of 20% in 70 PAs is very encouraging. K rate is the first rate stat to stabilize — there is useful information communicated by those 70 PAs. The takeaway: he doesn’t appear overmatched by MLB pitching. He is a utility piece, or perhaps a platoon player, but a minimum salary guy who can play a bunch of positions and also not be overmatched by MLB pitching is valuable.

    Girardi is wisely giving him ABs mostly against LHPs. I could see him as a platoon left fielder next year (with Moniak? Maybe Haseley if he is back?) . . . FWIW, Moniak’s OPS this year versus RHP is 220 points higher than against LHP . . .

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    1. In the past, 150 PAs was the normal magic number in determining stabilization.
      Perhaps it is now lower.

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    3. As much as I like Cutch, he’s not coming back at the option price. So if Moniak finishes Lehigh strong, I would totally platoon Moniak and Williams in LF to start. Or even CF since I’m getting the sense that Odubel won’t be back. And the player that continues to hit will get more playing time as the season progresses.

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  13. By the way, Cubs are looking for a catcher since they are unsure they are going to extend Contreras and are thinking of trading him IF they can bring in a young catcher. Marchan sure looks like a potential candidate to me and as Hinkie mentioned, the Phils are deep in catcher prospects. Not saying Marchan will get you Kimbrel but I do think he and 1 other player might do it.

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    1. Kimbrel is going to cost a lot. The Cubs don’t have to trade him now. They can still do it during the offseason if they don’t get their high price. If that other player is Stott, then yes, that would get the conversation going. But Marchan will NOT be the center piece of that deal.

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    2. I would offer Marchan, Luis Garcia and Cristopher Sanchez for Kimbrel. Two non-top prospects won’t get him. Three, maybe. Otherwise I rather go after the Twins’ Rogers and Buxton and cash for Ethan Lindow, Francisco Morales, Jhailyn Ortiz, Garcia and Marchan. You’re getting Rogers and (a hopefully healthy) Buxton through ’22. That’s 2 potential playoff runs. Risky but you’re not giving up the cream of the proverbial crop.

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      2. There is absolutely, positively no way you will get those players by offering those prospects. You’ll be lucky if the opposing GMs don’t hang up the phone right away or laugh in your face. You’re grossly overvaluing the prospects. How many times do I have to say it? You have to give talent to get talent.

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        1. I proposed it last week. Here it is again:

          Phillies get: (1.5 years of Byron Buxton) and (1.5 years of) Taylor Rogers
          Twins get: Spencer Howard, Bryson Stott, Roman Quinn, and Damon Jones

          I’d even eat Josh Donaldson’s money (for the 2022-23 seasons), and add his leadership to make this deal happen.

          Yes or No?

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          1. The Twins are saying that they don’t want to trade anybody that is not an impending FA. Is this a ruse? Who knows, but the Twins were in 1st place the last 2 years so maybe they think they can try for it again in 2022.

            I would say no. I don’t think Taylor Rogers moves the needle that much and he’s going to be really expensive next season. Byron Buxton is a talent, but he’s hurt all the time. And not a surprise, he’s on the IL right now. He hasn’t played over 90 games since 2017. There’s just way too much risk with Buxton getting hurt. He just can’t stay healthy. And if he can’t stay healthy when he’s young, what happens as he ages?

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          2. Yes. Looking at upside here. I like Stott and Howard’s value is dropping and our player development is I think about to get overhauled. Stott isn’t a top 100 guy. There is obviously risk but a lot of upside too. Not to mention that if you do those deals now, you might get a pick back of either or both walk in FA

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            1. Everything said about Stott now….similarly said about JPC a few years ….value dropping, not able to hit MLB pitching….struggled at Reading and LHV

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  15. Guru…disagree with you about the price of Kimbrel. Nothing is less valuable on a lousy and older team than an expensive closer. Kimbrel is also 1 of many potential closers on the market so its not like the Phils wouldn’t have other options. And I doubt the Cubs will pick up Kimbrel’s 16 million dollar option for next year when they are unlikely to contend. I think Marchan, Garcia and Sanchez is a perfectly fair offer for an over 30 year old reliever on a non contending team that will not want to pay him 16 million next year.

    Not only that, it behooves the Cubs, who have many more important fish to fry in the next 10 days, to try and make a few moves early and not wait till July 29 to make their moves. DD, who is a proactive guy anyhow, might be well served to try and get Kimbrel BEFORE the Braves and Nats series than wait till after. One more thing…if they liked how Hamels looked and are interested in signing him, his interest would increase several fold with a closer like Kimbrel added to a stable featuring Bradley, Suarez, Neris, Alvarez, Falter and Brogdon.

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    1. The Cubs are not going to give Kimbrel away. Getting Marchan, Garcia, Sanchez is the equivalent of giving Kimbrel away. If that was the cost, then Kimbrel would be a Phillie right now. And the Cubs will almost certainly pick up Kimbrel’s option. We’re not talking about the Marlins here. They have money to spend, they just want to rebuild quickly. Trading Kimbrel for elite prospects will help them get there.

      Have there been any earth shattering trades lately? No. Why? Because either the price is too high and/or teams are not sure whether or not to go for it. It takes 2 to tango.

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      1. I’m not predicting the Cubs won’t get a good return for Kimbrel … but … did you think they would deal (3 years of) Yu Darvish and (3 years of) Victo Caratini for Owen Caissie, Ismael Mena, Reginald Preciado, Yeison Santana, and Zach Davies?
        Marchan/Luis Garcia/Sanchez doesn’t look outrageous when you consider that previous deal.

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          1. Hang in there, Hawkeye. I believe you’re going to see some significant move(s) before the end of the month. DD is going to is going to cause a whole lot of traffic on one of these Open Discussion threads.

            Like

        2. I’m not sure what’s going on with the Darvish deal. For some reason, the Cubs traded him with 3 years left on his deal. And it’s not like he wasn’t performing. And Darvish had a partial no trade clause: he could block trades to 12 teams. Something is odd about this deal at its surface. That type of deal is not the norm.

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          1. Teams are more protective of their top prospects than they were a decade ago. The Marlins were open to trading JT Realmuto for a year. Nobody was willing to surrender any of their top prospects. The Nationals even said no when Miami insisted on Victor Robles. When Klentak offered up Sixto Sanchez it was game over because the Marlins couldn’t find another club ok with giving up a top 50 prospect for JTR (who hadn’t even turned 28 YO yet, and was an All-Star & Silver Slugger).

            High end prospects/young players hold lots of value because they are cost controlled for so long.

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            1. I don’t doubt that, but we’ll see what happens. Those teams won’t be giving away controlled players.

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        3. Different circumstances, in my opinion. Darvish was a salary dump where the Padres picked up $59M of the $62M remaining. Had the Padres picked up less money they would have been forced to add better players to that deal. With a little more than $5M remaining on Kimbrel’s contract by the end of this month, it changes the calculus and opens it up to more suitors.

          Kimbrel’s option will complicate any potential trade but the Cubs will have enough interest from contending teams that they should get a pretty good haul relative to his remaining value. Part of it will also depend on whether the trading team believes he can do it again in 2022 and exercise the option. The Cubs won’t care and will want value equivalent to almost a year and a half of his current production. Trade while his value is highest.

          The Cubs can wait for a deal they like or hold on to him, exercise the option (it could be triggered this year by a clause in his contract, anyway), and try again in the winter. But I bet they don’t because they’re going to lose some key players to free agency and Kimbrel will be more of a luxury on a rebuilding team with a high price tag. Their ownership has demonstrated (Darvish) that they’ll cut costs when it suits them. Curious to see where he ends up. My guess is with one of the NL West contenders or possibly Toronto.

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          1. I have it from a significant source that the Cubbies are having money problems and that’s been the case from 2019 till now. If you have been to Wrigley you will see a whole new area of hotels, shopping, parks, and a myriad of other upgrades that caused management to borrow all of the money to build and enhance the baseball venue. Call it a rebuild or whatever – they have been shedding salaries and expensive players for the last year. It won’t stop now.

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  16. I’d love to see Kimbrel in a Phillies uniform. It completely changes the complexion of the bullpen.

    Buxton concerns me. While in very limited action this year he has put up some great numbers, his career slash line is .247/.298/.453 with an OPS+ of exactly 100. Plus, as others have mentioned, he rivals Roman Quinn for time on the DL. (He currently is on the IL.) If you ignore his first season in the league and 2020, he averages about 105 games per season. I’d pass. Even though he is four to five years older, I’d take Marte, who is the more complete player.

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  17. Any love for Ian Kennedy from the Rangers for the last two months as a rental?
    Not as costly as most.

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    1. Romus, what would it cost DD to acquire Kennedy and Gallo? I would think Howard, Garcia, Ortiz, Marchan and Odubel (he was a rule 5 from Texas and Jon Daniels reportedly showed interest a couple years ago…before the well, you know) might be a conversation starter.

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      1. Wow…was not even thinking of Gallo…but I guess, why not.
        Yeah the four listed would sound about right……Doobie’s situation involves a buy-out of some sort or if they want him for 2022, then the Phillies may have to eat a partial of his option year that would be exercised.

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    2. This is the aisle that I see the Phillies shopping from. Kennedy would cost relatively little in prospect capital and still stay below the luxury tax threshold.

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      1. Agree Wayne…Dave D. has been uncharacrterislly slow in the trade market so far…..and perhaps he will lean for something less flashy then a Kimbrel and concentrate on the lesser relievers/closers available.

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  18. Definitely on my list, Romus, and will cost less in prospects than Kimbrel. Kennedy is having a really good year.

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    1. matt…….if Ranger is the real deal, and Hector the Protector comes around, adding Kennedy, with 15 saves on a very flawed rangers’ team, to the back-end mix with Bradley would give them a solid pen for the last two months.
      There is still Brogdon, Alvarado and then there is Coonrod coming off the IL soon. also.

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  19. The Twins are setting a lofty price for Jose Berrios: a pre-arbitration player on the ML roster and 2 top 100 prospects. Of note, Berrios wants to get seriously paid when he becomes a FA. He’s looking for $100M+.

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  20. I think Kennedy is the optimal reliever to get. He won’t cost much and he makes next to nothing. If the Phils can add yet another reliever they can attempt to put Suarez back into the rotation where he would be short on innings (maybe only go 5) but be far more effective than anyone else in the 4th or 5th slot. That way with the addition of 2 relievers, they can find a new starter. If he is paired with Falter or even Howard ? that would make for a great back end starter. Maybe Orioles’ Paul Fry ; Tanner Scott ; Pittsburgh’s Chasen Shreve ? Even Twins, Hansel Robles ? I don’t see Phillies willing to eat 5 mill + 16 mill and prospects for Kimbrel.

    The Cub pitcher that would be worth a rental would be Zach Davies. Free agent at year end and a changeup/control pitcher – he would look great in the back end of the rotation too !

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  21. Ian Kennedy is the likely route to go.

    Even though Moore hasn’t given the Phillies 5 innings, he’s been close and keeping the Phillies in the game. VV has been more of the problem lately. He rips the Marlins and gets ripped by everybody else. At this point, it’s too late for the Phillies to move Falter to the rotation as he’s not stretched out anymore. The Philies will need to manage VV and hope that he gets marginally better.

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    1. I’m not sure I follow your thinking. Falter would take, what, a few weeks to get stretched out? Our fifth starters rarely go more than 5 innings . . .

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      1. I think it’ll take longer than that, but right now, Falter is performing well as a reliever. If we move him to the rotation now, we risk weakening both postions as Falter would need time to adjust and we know that VV can’t be a reliable reliever. VV needs to get it done.

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    2. Like v1 said above … you’re either all in, or just stay out. Ian Kennedy (like Richard Rodriguez) is not going to solve the Phillies closer problem. IMO, he’s not a closer on a playoff team. His stuff isn’t great. He doesn’t K enough batters. Ian Kennedy is more of a Matt Klentak kind of move. I expect more from Dave Dombrowski. Raisel Iglesias makes a lot of sense.

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  22. Someone called WIP and said they saw Cole Hamels at a Starbucks in the area this morning
    One ….could be talking to the Phillies…or two, maybe just at the closing on the sale of his house….or both one and two..

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  23. Interesting, Romus, that nothing has leaked about the showcase, and how Hamels looked. Although, I did read that a few teams were already interested.

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  25. I just watched Alfaro have passed balls in almost every game we played them. They would love Marchan and I think Marte could sign an extension with us because we’re the perfect fit fit him. He would solidify CF for us. He’s good but he’s not great. Maybe we can get one of their RPs also.
    By the way, there’s no chance that Moniak and Williams split LF next year. Neither player is a starting caliber player so that would be awful. They’ll either sign someone or they might even sign Cutch for one more year if he hits like this for the rest of the year. Since June, he’s been tremendous. Obviously, he and Marte are buddies.

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    1. I like Cutch but he’s going to be 35 in October and his defense is a liability. He has 1 WAR this season. He’s a DH at this point. And if you sign a starter level LF, again, it’ll be similar to what Cutch got when he came here, 3 years, $50M. And that’s on the low side. The Phillies can’t afford to do this. Wheeler, JT, Didi, Nola, their salaries are going up next year. Add on Rhys and Eflin in arbitration, we’re talking $15M+ in salaries with no additional players. The Phillies are going to have start unproven players at CF and/or LF to save money. They got no choice.

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      2. If they do, they’ll lose big time. I don’t see that happening. Cutch has been fine on defense recently, not gold glove but fine. And his hitting has been great. He’s batting 4th if you haven’t noticed. If he hits this way the rest of the year, the Phils will resign him for one year with a team option. As for CF, I’m hoping for Marte but we’ll have to wait and see. DD didn’t come here to not spend money and not try to win.

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        1. Maybe you think Cutch’s defense has been fine, but the numbers say he really hasn’t been fine at all. In fact, his defense has been horrible (-1.1 dWar).

          If the Phillies really want to keep Cutch, they would just exercise his option at $15M.
          But as I mentioned before, the Philies have to keep costs down. They can’t spend money on everybody. At a certain point, you have to make the hard call. But the reality is, it’s not that hard of a call when it comes to Cutch.

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  26. This is nuts, Mets are starting our good friend Eickhoff and the Met’s defense is imploding for him. 4 errors in 2 innings! Mets are currently down 7-3.

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  28. Here is a Go For it deal…Odubel ($11m in 2022 salary), Kingery ($5m in 2022 salary), Bohm and a top minors leaguer not named Stott, Painter or Abel for Kimbrel and Bryant. And we try hard to re-sign Bryant in off-season.

    Who says no?

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    1. The Cubs will want to maximize their return on both players so I highly doubt they would package them for 2 lottery tickets (at this stage), a promising yet unproven young Bohm, and say an arm like Miller. The Phillies might do it but I don’t think Hoyer bites on that one.

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    2. I’m suspect they would take on $16M in salary for the level of those two players…If they lose Baez through FA as expected they will want Stott. The Phillies would be crazy to package Abel in any deal for a rental. Painter is professionally unproven and not viewed as anywhere near a lock that Abel is. As Mark8:29 says it will take Miller and at least another catcher (Marchan/O’Hoppe) to get their attention..

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      1. That’s definitely a “go for it” deal. The Cubs are looking to retool, not rebuild. Alec Bohm would help them do that. So … I think Jed Hoyer would be all over that proposal.
        However, I (and I;m assuming DD) would not do this. Alec Bohm is under team control for five more seasons after 2021. He’s worth more than 2 months of Chris Bryant and 1.5 years of Craig Kimbrel (especially @ 16M AAV).
        Right now, I would be looking to deal players not currently on the 26 man roster and/or take on money. I think a deal involving a current member(s) of the big club would be more likely to happen in the offseason. IMO, I still think there’s a chance Hoskins could be traded this winter.

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    3. There’s no way the Cubs will agree to that. And if the Cubs really have money issues, they wouldn’t be taking back salary like that. And Kingery is stll owed $8.25M in 2023.

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    4. In light of the fact that the Cubs went through a similar situation with Addison Russell and it was a horrible experience, there’s no way they’re taking Odubel in a trade. Kingery is owed $15M over the next two years ($6M in 2022, $8M in 2023, and $1M buyout) and the Cubs are cutting corners on productive players.

      The Phillies aren’t giving up on Bohm unless it’s an offer they can’t refuse but this isn’t it. Bryant will be 30 next season and given the long-term contract Boras will get for him it’s not going to age well. Even in his prime his defensive metrics sucked and the Phillies need to address their defense with any future long-term signings.

      I think both sides say no.

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      1. Joe Giglio
        @JoeGiglioSports
        ·
        One GM thinks the Phillies have a real shot at Craig Kimbrel.
        MLB GM believes Craig Kimbrel will end up on Phillies or Giants
        Cubs 33-year-old closer Craig Kimbrel has a 0.53 ERA this season with 21 saves in 35 games, with 58 strikeouts and 11 walks in 33.2 innings.
        audacy.com

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        1. I thought last night that San Francisco was a pretty good bet for Kimbrel but would not be surprised if LA or SD got involved. Not just because he would be a good acquisition but you can block him from the other two divisional opponents. None of them have financial constraints nor concerns.

          I’m not ruling out Kimbrel to the Phillies but they’re going to need to play well over the next 10 days for it to even become a possibility. The Cubs are going to wait for as long as possible to get as many teams involved to make the best trade.

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          1. Wayne…agree. Cubs are in the driver’s seat and running the auction…..and can wait until 31 July.

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            1. From what I’ve read, the two teams to beat for Craig Kimbrel are the Astros and A’s. Pretty sure the Phillies could put together a more attractive package than Houston. It will be interesting to see if San Diego and Atlanta enter the bidding.

              I still think Raisel Iglesias is a good option for the Phillies. He’s a rental, and should cost less.

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            3. The way relievers are, over the next 2 weeks Kimbrel might pitch himself out of the limelight and another may enter from another team or from within.

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    5. If you are just going for it for 2021,
      a carpe diem move,
      …just Abel and Bohm alone will get you Kimbrel and Bryant.

      Not sure in the long run makes any sense, but for 2021 it get what you want.

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      1. As much as I want to win the Division and be in the Playoffs, Romus, that is a hard no from me. No Abel, period, and almost no Bohm as well.

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        1. matt…..in one sense makes ..no sense….but playing the Devil’s advocate,
          …. Ed Wade said yesterday….the Phillies drafting of Abel and Painter back to back…is the highest risk factor, with the most failures, of all drafted eligible players when you go HS RHPs…it is well documented
          As for Bohm…..odds are, he will not be a third basemen long term…..so where does he go…first base….he has to have some pop being over there, that is still a question.
          .

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        2. What if they resigned both? Hold up before you say “Yes”, because it’s a payroll issue & possibly bad contract too

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  29. I can’t believe we’re talking about doing what we always say good franchises never do. We caught some luck with the Braves woes but I’m not sure it changes things.

    I mean yeah there are some guys I’m sure you’re willing to part with. I don’t know who those guys are my hope is DD and his staff know.

    I see a deal every year or two and say wait a minute they got that guy for those players wow.

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  30. Bohm will likely be better over the next three years. Maybe he becomes a 20 HR guy, hits .280, and maybe his ISO — which is .100 this year — gets to .200. He’s talented enough to show that improvement (note: his first 500 PAs in the majors, he’s hit 10 HR, so this would be a significant improvement). However, if he is a first baseman — which appears likely since he’s right about to turn 25 and doesn’t appear to be a major-league caliber third baseman — that’s just not that valuable. He will be cheap over the next three years, at least. But if that’s the outcome — a maybe 2 WAR player — that will be really disappointing for the 3rd pick in the draft.

    Like

    1. Getting a 2 WAR player at the #3 pick would not be ideal but not as bad as it seems.

      From 2000 onward, here are the number of players with 20+ career WAR at their draft positions:

      #1: 8 -> 2013 Carlos Correia was the last one
      #2: 4 -> 2015 Alex Bregman was the last one
      #3: 3 -> 2011 Trevor Bauer was the last one
      #4: 1 -> 2005 Ryan Zimmerman
      #5: 3 -> 2008 Buster Posey was the last one
      #6: 2 -> 2011 Anthony Rendon was the last one (note that Zach Wheeler will likely be the 3rd later this season)
      #7: 5 -> 2014 Aaron Nola was the last one

      Not only is it hard to draft a ML player, but drfating one that has 20+ career WAR is even harder.

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  31. I would move Bohm but there is no way Im moving Abel. i realize there is tremendous risk for HS RHP but I see how the Braves have built their teams by drafting pitching early and we have tried by drafting bats. We have pieces that teams want and I have faith DD can get something done. Personally I want nothing to do with Buxton, he is always hurt, he started on fire but has not played in 2 1/2 months. The Cubs have $$$ issues and have a ton of pending FAs, I expect them to sell multiple marquee pieces at the deadline.

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  32. I still think Joey Gallo would be a good fit here. And although Ian Kennedy isn’t Craig Kimbrel, he would stabilize the backend of the bullpen. Brogdon, Alvarado, Ranger and Coonrod are solid arms, if not yet closers. Not sure what it would take, but I would offer Spencer Howard in a package with 3 or 4 other prospects other than Stott and Abel.

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    1. Where would Joey Gallo play? He can play CF but he’s better suited for the corners. He would likely be a negative defender in CF.

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      1. CF, 3B, LF, and more than likely next year…DH. His offensive pedigree precedes any concern about where to position him on the diamond.

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    2. mark8:29 ..Gallo and Harper are both native to Vegas…as is Stott.
      Gallo brings me back to memories of a LHB version of King Kong Kingman.

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        1. Yes….that would work well with this team and their need for better, consistent defensive play.

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          1. Yes, a lineup of…
            Segura 2b
            Harper rf
            Realmuto c
            Gallo 3b/cf
            McCutchen lf
            Gregorius ss
            Hoskins 1b
            Bohm 3b/Jankowski cf
            Wheeler p
            …would be pretty potent if healthy.

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        2. Gallo is not a plus defender at 3B or CF. Gallo hasn’t played 3B since 2017. It looks like the Rangers moved him off 3B when he made 13 errors. Gallo has mostly played the corner OF. In 2020, he won a GG playing RF almost exclusively. In 561 games, he’s played CF 55 times.

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            1. Then the Phillies can trade for him during the offseason. He can play LF in 2022 and then we can QO him for 2023.

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    3. I would trade Howard and Marchan (or Rojas) for Kimbrel. It would be a fair deal, it would help Chicago a lot and it wouldn’t kill us. I would be loathe to trade Bohm or Falter. Falter has a chance to be a really super player – a low cost, effective starter. Just what we would need for the next 6 or 7 years.

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      1. And the Cubs were keen on Spencer Howard 4 years ago and understand had him work out for them in Wrigley…Theo is gone and he was the President then, …but Hoyer was there as the GM and now the PoBO.

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        1. That is correct, Romus. Mr. H mentioned that some time ago. Johnny Almaraz took him in the second round before the Cubs’ pick.
          I think everybody is going to be asking for Spencer Howard this month. DD won’t give him away for a rental.

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  33. 32 minutes of John Clarke with Dave Dombrowski.
    Dombrowski says the team is open for business. Everyone is available. He’d be crazy to not consider Mick Abel (“I didn’t draft him”) for a guy who could help the club this season!

    JK. 🖐😎

    .

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    3. Okay, the best thing about the Clarke interview had nothing to do with the interview itself. It was the fact that DD was sitting behind a framed pennant indicating the Phillies were the National League champs for 1964.

      Uh . . . isn’t that something we’d like to forget?

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        1. They made up those pennants two weeks or so before the season ended…..and began selling them, along with tickets ……just sadly collector’s item of particular no value. For the Phillies to have it on their walls somewhere in the bldg…..a reminder I suppose not to ‘count your chickens’

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          1. I know they made them, along with the tickets.

            But I don’t want to see that behind my new GM on TV – it says “Hey, welcome to Loserville.”

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  34. Ok. I was just stirring the pot with the trade above. I don’t do that either. Mostly wanted to get some chatter on here about a “go for it” trade.

    I would love to hear your bold, go for it trades. Not nibble around the edges trades. Like all in, let’s go for it, but not kill our future completely trades. Trades that optimize the next 2-4 years (ie Harper’s and JTR’s prime)

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    1. You go for it in this case by trading any and all prospects other than Stott and Abel. Just not for a rental unless other additions are longer term and cost effective.

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    2. If the Phillies want to get a cost controlled player, they will have to part with Stott and/or Spencer Howard. There’s almost no way around it.

      The Twins are setting a high price for their players.
      The Angels have given no indication that they are in sell mode.
      The Cubs are definitely in sell mode but they won’t be giving their players away.

      Now this can change in the next 10 days.

      My bold trade is Howard and Lindow/Pipkin for Kimbrel.

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      1. First off, I think I’d do that trade. I think Howard will become a reliever. His arm is telling us that. And he could be a really good reliever, but it limits his value. Lindow or Pipkin are a reasonable second piece.

        Second, here’s how we should think about the trade. What is it worth to give up some value for a player who could get us to the playoffs, but is highly unlikely to help us get a championship? So, yeah, we can suffer some pain, but if you give away too much, you are completely sacrificing your future, which would not be worth it.

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  35. I watched the DD interview, and got the strong impression that Abel is not getting traded, and we are definitely not going to be Sellers. I don’t trade Abel at all, obviously with the caveat that anyone can be traded, and make me an offer I can’t turn down. I didn’t want to totally steal from the Godfather! I found him to be a straight forward guy, within the natural limitations of what a good trader can and cannot say, and thought John Clark did a very good job.

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  36. Eflin on IL, with tendinitis. He has had that problem before. Add another SP to the list of needs, if you didn’t already have one on there. Another piggyback scenario, do you think? With maybe Sanchez and Falter?

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  37. Great example this year between a poorly run franchise and a well run franchise. The Angels played Pujols every day and he put up a 66 OPS+. So they DFA-ed him. The Dodgers realized that he could still hit lefties, so they grabbed him and put him in that role. He’s put up a 117 OPS+ for them.

    I remember an interview years ago with a veteran NBA player who had joined the Spurs. He was asked what the difference was between playing for Popovich and playing for other coaches. He said something like “You always heard about what you couldn’t do. This is the first place I’ve played where they focus on what you CAN do.”

    I am hopeful for the DD era. He made some minor blunders off the bat (e.g., giving away Irvin — who, by the way, has been much better on the road this year — so he could sign Moore), but I don’t think he’s going to screw up the trade deadline.

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  38. Chase Anderson is still on an injury recovery protocol of some kind and can’t begin to pitch in games until end of July.

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  39. Sorry to hear about Eflin, he did not look right in his last outing. Hope he rebounds quickly for himself and the team.
    IMO Sanchez to be put into SP seems to be a stretch. Yankees are hurt yes but these Yankees are the AAA players Sanchez struggled with.
    Is it me or do the Phillies have a plan for any of these Young pitchers or are they just taking a crap shoot. Falter has done everything they have asked, Howard has been a trooper too going to AAA. Do the Phillies have a Plan. Let the Young Gun that has done what they’ve asked him to do, stats show then bring in the Young Arm for 3 then cleanup with BP

    Phillies have Young Arms on the 26 man and one in AAA that the Phillies need to Show They believe in OR hope for ?

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  41. Like

      1. .

        Not only is half the team unvaccinated … nobody wears masks in the dugout/clubhouse. What did they think was going to happen?

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  42. Howard hasn’t been able to help the team as anything but an opener this year; let him continue to work on what he’s doing in AAA. Give Falter or Sanchez the start and have the other one ready to go in a long man/piggy back role.

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  43. It’s official, Bailey Falter tested positive for COVID. He’s out 10 days.

    Bohm has been cleared to return, but has not been activated yet.

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  44. Let’s go back in time. The Phillies sign Brett Anderson instead of Chase Anderson. Chase signed for 4 mil and has been a bust. Brett is getting 2.5 mil and has had a pretty good year as a #4 starter.

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  45. Ok…Im all in. Bohm, Stott, Howard and O’hoppe or Rojas for Gallo, Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy. The question is do the Rangers value our top young players enough to part ways with their assets or can they trade Gallo or Gibson alone for better prospects. I think Bohm has a chance to be the best of the 5 Phillies above but we instantly improve our defense trading him away with Torres or Segura at 3rd base. Gallo goes to center field and Gibson becomes our number 3 starter moving Eflin to 4. Kennedy helps our bullpen. You asked for big proposal and here is one.

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    1. With Nola not being Nola, this is what makes me weary of going all in. The division is open for the taking, but it is fools gold for 2022 and Beyond. I’m not giving up bohm & stott & Howard. Gallo is likely a poor defensive CF as well.

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        1. Take the freebie,that the division should be this year, but you can’t mortgage the farm just to “get in & roll the dice”. Sure it could happen that they win … like putting in a backup QB that outplays the greatest QB of all time … but that is extremely unlikely to happen … let alone lighting to strike twice in the same city …. And that city being philly. Take your best swing at it by trading lower graded prospects … not bohm, stott, Howard, etc. if it cost that much that player better be around for a few years. You only have so much fire power, and ammo.

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  46. Just a complete fail on Nola’s part tonight. He had trouble getting through that patchwork Yankees lineup a second time. Couldn’t make it through a third time. The team needed Aaron to give them some innings tonight because Eflin is going to miss tomorrow night’s game, and Nola’s COVID buddy, Bailey Falter is unavailable again (BP game).

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  47. I don’t know what is wrong with Nola, but he seems to have lost his command of a couple of his pitches. I read the story about our low % if vaccinations on the team and wonder if that is an issue in making deals. Can a player try to stop a trade because he doesn’t want to come to a team under 85%? Is that permissible under the rules?

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    1. His fastball command is just not there, and that hurts his changeup. That HR he gave to Sanchez, Nola missed location by a foot. It was supposed to be on the outside edge and went middle in. It looks like a lost season for Nola.

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    2. Nola has to be perfect to win , With his lack of a good fastball, Keep praising him, Putting past WAR numbers up, I heard Tom McCarthy say the Yankees problem some think is how much the FO goes by sabermetrics, Which if you read WAR there only a tool not the end all to baseball, On this site, Not one person talks about what they see its WAR, OPS, Amazing how Geeks are runining this sport, with numbers instead of trusting there eyes and instincts, and ability to see talent, Without GEEK numbers.

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  48. An ERA closer to 6 than 3 is problematic and with Nola struggling and Eflin on IL, the trade deadline may not matter much.

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    1. I understand Kintzler. He says he’s healthy and we need him to get right.

      I don’t understand DLS at all. Is he not supposed to be the long man? He actually has worse WAR than David Hale if you can believe that. He has arm talent but he’s just not getting the results. This is now parts of 3 seasons where he’s not getting it done. How many chances is he supposed to get?

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  51. Last night is pretty much why I would have traded Nola in the offseason. Maybe the one point they could have sold high on him. Last night is also why I don’t buy at least not with prospect capital.

    I know this is hard to sell to the casual fans and no one wants to speak the re#$%^& word. Maybe they start buying the retool word LOL

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    1. On Nola…its been almost exactly 5 years removed form his PRP (Aug/Sep 2016), perhaps it is time for a ‘booster’ protocol after the season is completed.
      I noticed , same typee thing happened with Masa Tanaka….Auf=g 2014 was his PRP therapy……and for the next two or three years afterr he was very effective, then he began inconsistent pitching effectiveness for the next few seasons.
      Something similar is happening with Nola…’17, ’18 and ’19 he was effective, last season and now he is inconsistent and his effectiveness has slid and trendy downward.
      Not even sure they even give PRP ‘booster’ therapy!

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    2. Let me get this straight.

      In 2020, Nola was on track for 4 WAR. Nola was still only 27. He was still under control for 3 more years. Nola actually finished 7th in Cy Young voting.

      But you wanted to trade Nola during the offseason because you had the foresight that 2021 was going to be a really poor year for Nola. Huh. Then you need to be hired by the Phillies because you’re now the Oracle of baseball. You need to start advising DD ASAP.

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        1. Then you should start compiling what the Phillies should do next offseason and put that on the record too.

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          1. I’ll vouch for DMAR. He definitely called for the Phillies to trade Nola this past winter. He wanted to take advantage of Nola’s value to help the team get younger.
            Chaim Bloom, eat your heart out.

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        1. Why is that funny? So no records in a shortened season is legitimate? The Dodgers didn’t win the title last season?

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          1. Really y want to defend your statement. Players sat out less games and a Championship with a asterisk next to it for ever, Players not playing with covid going thru teams, well if you think you right so be it, but its still funny

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            1. If you want to put an asterisk on all of 2020, that is your call. All I’m saying is that Nola pitched well in 2020. Whether players sat out or not, that’s not in Nola’s control. He did his job and did it well in 2020.

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            2. Nola….I think sometime people only remember how a player finishesthe season and not the whole season collectively….in Nola’s case, his last 4 of 5 games in Sept. were bad in 2020….no getting around that, and the Phillies missed the play-offs.

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  52. DMAR, forget the fanbase for a minute. Let’s talk Ownership. If another rebuild was in the offing, and I considered trading Nola last off season to signal a rebuild, not so much anymore, would they have hired Dombrowski, or someone else? I don’t believe DD was brought in to do anything other than Win now, and I don’t think he came here to do anything other than win now.

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    1. At the end of the day Matt I haven’t been about what they will do or what DD was brought in to do I’ve only been about what they should do.

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  53. It’s a bad loss whenever you lose with your #2 starter and starting lineup intact against what is essentially a AAA lineup and a SP with a slightly below 5.00 ERA.

    Another way to strengthen your bullpen is to deepen your starting rotation. With Eflin on the shelf and Nola in regression, it might behoove Dombrowski to explore the SP market as well.

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  54. DMAR, I am not questioning your desire to trade Nola. I agree that you posted that position many times. Do you think that if the Ownership of the team felt that way, they would have hired Dombrowski, or gone another route? I don’t know the answer, but my opinion is no way.

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  55. Here is a question. The division is weak, and injuries are making it easier to win than it should be. It’s fools gold for 2022 IMO, Acuna will be back and instantly make the breves better, etc. should the Phillies both Buy & Sell? Trade McCutchen? segura? Maybe even a Nola if the return is good. Go get bullpen help, a number 3 and whatever makes sense for a 3 year window. Restock the farm, but also take a swing at weakened division. Set the team up for a big offseason by clearing the books of salary, and adding prospects to trade for other pieces

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  56. This really falls at the feet of Middleton. His decision to hire McPhail and Klentak was a bad one. Ok beginners mistake mulligan granted. However he then follows that with perceived intervention on Arrieta and then Harper. I say perceived because I don’t know if MK was on board with those moves or not.

    From the outside looking in it felt like JM was running point on those two. I could be wrong. I get he wanted a gate boost and Harper is a really solid player and person to do that.

    Then again he screws up by forcing the Gabe firing and not cutting bait then with obvious failings of McPhail and MK. He allows that to persist one more year.

    Then he fails in his assessment of where the org is in terms of talent and abilities to compete for WS titles. Pure conjecture on my part. I’m not alone in my thinking that a talent such as Chaim Bloom should have been brought in to run this franchise.

    Then DD comes in late. I don’t blame DD he wanted a job JM offered him one and he took it.

    Who knows what the conversations are behind closed doors. I’m sure DD knows or knew coming in this team wasn’t ready and wasn’t a piece or two away. I’m sure he knew there wasn’t much of anything in the pipeline.

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  57. Somebody got their wish because Spencer Howard is back, presumably to take part in tonight’s bullpen game. Moniak was sent back to Lehigh.

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    1. I’d start Howard. Let him pitch only two innings. He’s been dominant in the first two IP of his MLB starts this season. Opposing hitters are slashing .091/.189/.121 during innings one and two of his 2021 starts w/the Phillies. Then get him out of the game, and ask Christopher Sanchez for three innings.

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  58. Remember Nomar Mazara? At one point he was a top 25 prospect for Texas. I’m pretty sure Philadelphia wanted him as part of the Cole Hamels deal. He just got cut by the Tigers at age 26. His career WAR is 1 over 6 seasons.

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    1. I remember him well. That was a tough time and why if I were a GM I would do everything possible to avoid handing out a No Trade Clause.

      Now I don’t remember if Cole had full no trade or limited no trade I just remember at the time there were a few clubs with possibly better offers on the table he would not waive for.

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      1. Hamels had 20 teams on his no-trade clause.

        It’s crazy to think that Hamels might have went to the Red Sox if Swihart was part of the deal.

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        1. These were their Top 10 in 2015. Betts and Bogaerts were on the list just the year before.

          C Blake Swihart
          LHP Henry Owens
          CF Manuel Margot
          LHP Eduardo Rodriguez
          3B Rafael Devers
          INF Michael Chavis
          RHP Matt Barnes
          3B/OF Garin Cecchini
          LHP Brian Johnson
          RHP Michael Kopech

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      2. No trade clauses aren’t handed out lightly, for that exact reason. But Hamels was one of the best pitchers in baseball at that time, so there’s no chance he signs an extension without one. When you’re that good, you’re going to get paid. Full stop. So you might as well also decide on where you want to play.

        And if the situation changes and you want to move on, you want a say in where you move on to. So yeah, elite players want NTCs, and they get them because there will ALWAYS be teams willing to pay them AND give them the clause.

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      1. Alfaro’s career WAR 1.9 but yeah of their (Rangers) top 10 prospects at the time none of them really became anything special.

        Luke Jackson 1.3 WAR. Luis Ortiz was another young promising arm they wouldn’t give up. Drafted 1st round of 2014 he went no where.

        Brinson was there with Nick Williams. Although somehow Brinson was flipped for Yelich. So I guess the point is stash them in the MiLB and get other clubs thinking they are really good then flip for MVPs

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  59. You have to hand it to RAJ whatever you’re opinion of him as a GM he simply loves the game of baseball. I mean you have to right? GM to 1st base coach Red Sox to 1st base coach Mets to occasional color guy for the team that fired him as GM.

    I don’t know the name of the show CSN is running with Charlie and Bowa but on one episode you had Ed Wade sitting with Amaro Charlie and Bowa. Each fired fired a manager sitting next to them haha.

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    1. In basball, or any sport I guess, …unless a manager or GM is fired due to cause…..cheating/sexual nature/domestic abuse…..ie, John Coppolella, Jeff Luhnow, AJ Hinch , the Mets GM…….a firing is like a badge of honor, and you move on proudly to the next club.
      You ain’t nobody until you have been fired, then you become a valuable asset on the open market..

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  60. Who besides Spencer Howard would it take to acquire Jon Gray from Colorado? Eflin is hurt and who knows whether he’s effective upon his return. And Nola? Well, you tell me what he’s got in the tank for the rest of the season. Wheeler and ???? heading down the stretch? Uh-uh. Go get me another SP, DD!

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    2. Mark the Carpathia sailed by a month ago actually probably 6 but she made another loop to ask again if we were ok…

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      1. DMAR, I normally track with you but for the life of me I don’t understand what you just posted.

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        1. Carpathia rescued people from the Titanic way back when…..DMAR is making a metaphor….or is it a simile.

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  61. Benny Montgomery signed slightly below slot at $5 Mil. I know we were rumored to be in on him if he dropped.

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  62. Are there any players for the DBacks, Orioles or Rockies that would be a good rental and wouldn’t cost much?

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    1. I like Ketel Marte I might pay a handsome randsome to get him. I don’t know the complete contract status of MadBum (he may have NT clause) but he’s owed a decent amount $60 mil next 3 years maybe the salary relief gets them on the line

      Cedric Mullins came out of no where. He’s 26 and has never had a season like he is having. He cannot become a FA until 2026. Maybe they choose to sell high but what is high for us. We’re pretty barren.

      I’ve given up on scouting the Rockies you never know what to make of their players.

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  63. Jayson Stark was just on the Fanatic. Some of the highlights:

    * Rad flags flying loudly on Nola.
    * Dombrowski has a history of being aggressive at the deadline, and usually makes very good deals.
    * Middleton is all in on DD, and is willing to allow the POBO to make all decisions
    * Middleton will allow DD to eat money to get a trade(s) done.
    * The team is not likely to trade their top prospects. They have a good number of middle tier prospects that they are more likely to deal … along with taking on bad money.

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      1. BTW … Stark and Matt Gelb will have a story up on the Athletic shortly with more on what may be ahead for the Phillies before the trade deadline.

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        1. Hinkie on another note who have we NOT signed yet from the draft that you really want and will it get done?

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          1. Last I saw, only two players haven’t signed (Ty Collins and Seth Halvorsen), so he’s got a short list to choose from.

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        2. DMAR … your Ketel Marte/MadBum idea seems like the kind of deal DD is looking to make. However … according to Jim Bowden, the DBacks will not move Marte.

          The trade that I immediately thought of after listening & reading Jayson Stark is this:

          Cubs get: Nick Maton, Erik Miller, Christian Hernandez, and Dominic Pipkin
          Phillies get: (1.5 years of) Craig Kimbrel, (2 months of) Andrew Chafin, and (2.5 years of) Jason Heyward (and his bloated contract).

          Chafin (who has been excellent this season) allows Ranger Saurez or Bailey Falter to head to the rotation.

          And the two draft picks who have yet to sign are Ty Collins (16th round) and Seth Halvorsen (19th round). I don’t know anything about Collins, other than he’s a 19 YO JUCO RHP. I know Halvorsen pretty well. There’s a lot to like about him. He’s got a great pedigree, is very athletic, and has a lively arm. The Univ of Missouri RHP was Mr Baseball in Minnesota as a prepster; and was a Twins 30th round pick. In college, he missed most of 2019 w/TJ. He’s so athletic that he played the OF in 2020 while rehabbing from the arm surgery. He throws a mid to upper 90s FB (T100). The secondaries ( SL/CB/CH) need to be a little more consistent, but when they’re on, they’re abv avg. He’ll turn 22 this winter, but has a chance to break out as a 4th year SEC pitcher in 2022, so I’m not sure he’ll sign for 125-thousand. I suspect (but am not sure) that the extra 40-thousand dollars they have left may be earmarked for 14th rounder HS LHP Jose Valadez-Acuna.

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            1. OK, Jim. Thanks. I knew JV-A was signed, I just didn’t know the amount he ended up with. TBH … I’m kind of shocked that a HS pitcher with a Texas Tech commitment took day three slot (125-thousand dollars).

              So … I guess Halvorsen is weighing a 146-thousand dollar signing bonus offer. 146-thousand dollars is the slot for the Phillies’ 10th round pick, and the amount Logan Cerny signed for. It’s also about the same bonus Jason Ruffcorn got as the Phillies’ 8th round pick.
              If I were Halvorsen, I would head back to Missouri for my 4th season. He’ll probably be their Friday night starter. If he has even a pretty good season as a SEC SP, he could make a good amount more next year even as a 22 YO. Griff McGarry got 322-thousand as a 4th year pitcher this month. His UVA teammate Andrew Abbot (another 22 yo/4th year pitcher) got 1.3M.

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            2. UPDATE: I just read Halvorsen will pitch for Tennessee instead of Missouri if he doesn’t sign with the Phillies. He transferring for his senior season.

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          3. According to the Draft Tracker, Valadez-Acuna signed for $125k slot. So the extra $41,550 bonus money is still available for Halvorsen and/or Collins.

            As an aside, the Draft Trackers lists Valadez-Acuna as 6’1″ and 120 lb, which I assume is incorrect. That would be really skinny, even unhealthy.

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    2. Hinkie in line with my post at 4:03 above about Marte and MadBum. It turns out MadBum has limited no trade of 5 teams not sure if the Phillies are on that list

      But in a nutshell it gives us a punchers chance to acquire Marte who is an absolute stud.

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    3. Bad money for giving up only 2nd tier prospects means seriously going over the luxury tax threshold if they’re getting serious upgrades. And maybe next year as well unless they lose enough salary – Cutch, Velasquez, etc, and/or trade Hoskins in the winter. If so, it seems like Middleton has decided to go for broke $$$ wise while holding on to the top young, cheap controllable talent, little as there may be.

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    1. From the Atletic story:

      So there are indications they’ve asked about every closer who could be available, a group that includes Craig Kimbrel (Cubs), Raisel Iglesias (Angels) and Richard Rodríguez (Pirates). But they’ve also looked into a variety of setup men, and appear open to anyone they view as an upgrade for a bullpen that had more blown saves 23 (most in the majors) than saves (22).

      In addition, the Phillies have checked in on Kris Bryant, Starling Marte and a number of available outfielders. But clubs they’ve spoken with say they’re not interested in trading No. 1 pitching prospect Mick Abel or anyone they consider to be a “building block” in the construction of future contending teams.

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  65. Lotta smoke around Bryant/kimbrel. Could be a Dombrowski special. Bohm and some prospects. 2 to 3 year window to make it happen. Pay Bryant core of Harper Bryant and realmuto. Kimbrel becomes team mvp day he puts on uni.

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  66. If Howard throws 93-95 and tops out at an occasional 97, he’d be fine. He doesn’t need to overpower everybody. I don’t believe they should trade him. He just pitched 3 really nice innings on 3 days rest.

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  67. Meanwhile, we should be hitting the Yankees Pitcher all over the park. Hoskins’ AB was particularly terrible, 2 guys on, and he fell over hitting a weak FB to RF. If you fall over, maybe you shouldn’t swing! I am all for adding, but how about our regular players stepping up? Did has been a big disappointment, as has Nola, I want more from Hoskins, despite his HRs, and Harper, too! Maybe carry the team for a bit? Just really frustrated! We should be up about 7-0!

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  68. Half way through and the boys are putting in a listless effort on the road yet again. Sanchez needs to be pitching in AAA.

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  70. A game we should have treated the Yankees emergency SP like a BP Pitcher, and we failed to show up, with ABs that were just awful. With RiSP we are terrible, Hector just failed as a 7th inning Pitcher, but the ABs are what made me sick tonight. We are barely watchable, play with such a lack of energy or juice, instead of licking our chops to face a guy throwing 91, without much else. Just terrible, not to mention depressing.

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    1. Realmuto has done almost exactly what he would have been predicted to do – he’s playing at rough a 4 WAR pace, which is what he’s done for the last 4 years or so. And it’s unlikely to change. He may be the best catcher in baseball right now, but he’s still just a moderate level star. And in two years his age may begin to show.

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    2. Another move I was against them making. I clamored for McCann at half the cost if not less than half. He’s having a bad year with the bat but I’m sure the money I saved would have allowed me to improve somewhere else. Semien for example was had on a 1 year deal by Toronto.

      And not to beat a dead horse but 2 seasons in a row this team crashed and burned. And not even in the playoffs but simply to make the playoffs as a WC.

      I was dumbfounded that they wanted to bring the same thing back for another round.

      I wanted to be pleasantly surprised but was in the frame of mind this was what we would get. So I am not chewing any chords when I watch them lose these types of games.

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  75. I wonder how well we would have done in this two-game series if the anti-vaxxers weren’t so anti.

    Would Nola have pitched better if he hadn’t missed one or two earlier starts? It was his longest stretch ever between starts.

    What if Bailey Falter had been available? If Bohm had his bat in the line up, especially given how well he was hitting before COVID.

    Maybe somebody needs to sit Nola down and explain that he’s now a veteran and a role model and the Phillies might not be short handed if they had been vaccinated, and see if he’d do the mature and loyal thing and get vaccinated and lead by example.

    He’s either a member of the team or he isn’t. He either owes teammates and fans or he doesn’t

    If it’s every man for himself — a personal choice — then it’s not a team.

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    1. Yeah, one hears a lot about “personal choice” (and not just with the Phillies), but little about “personal responsibility”.

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    2. i wonder why i should care about the phils, when half the team doesn’t care enough to get vaccinated so that they will be available when needed.

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  76. Get Kimbrel. Trade for whatever of Kyle Gibson/ Ian Kennedy from Rangers, Merrill Kelly of Dbacks, or other inning eater SPs/ BP pieces you can get for little prospect capital.

    I don’t think Kimbrel will cost a lot in prospects. The Phillies are the only team that are willing to spend and have a need out of teams that could go to the playoffs. He is 33yo with a big 2022 salary and 2 down years before this.

    Also, find what players are addition by subtraction players (like VV?) and get rid of them. I don’t care if all you can do to get them off the team is DFA. Just do it.

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  77. Guys, I wanna dream of winning too, but this team is just not a winning team in need of another piece or two. The defense stinks. The bullpen, while improved, is still poor. The lineup and rotation are inconsistent and have holes. And the defense stinks. (*wink*)

    Id suggest it’s also missing a winner’s heart and soul!
    The 80 team had that in Rose.
    The 93 team had attitude all across the clubhouse.
    The 08/09 team had the swagger of JRoll.

    This team has some stars but it’s not a good team and it’s missing the “it” factor.

    So please don’t be buyers and risk giving up something of actual value or taking on salary that constrains us in the future.
    Id rather we’re realistic about 2021 and make moves starting right now to prepare for a better 2022! It’ll be DD’s 2nd year. Let’s let him have 15 months now to make us real contenders!

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  78. So Hinkie/cidai Yes Howard was Good/Great for 2 plus happy for Him . But did anyone notice the shoulder shrugs , body discomforts. Forget about innings, stretching him out. Are the Phillies blind.
    Can anyone remember a similar #1 Prospect that had similar issues and the Phillies traded him only to see the pitcher continues to have issues .
    Help the player. Someone in the organization can think about NOW and much he can contribute and not loose value

    Develop

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    1. Ricky bo said something last night that stuck with me, He said i was the 2nd best prospect as a reliver for the Phillies, Why cant Howard be a late inning relief pitcher? They are jerking this kid around, put him in bullpen

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      1. rocco…agree…put Howard as the closer..
        Next spring he can be stretched to start again.
        He is 25-years old..he is mature enough to handle it….empower and challenge him

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  79. It’s 1 loss, but If you can’t get away from hovering around .500, it doesn’t seem like a good idea to sell the farm . It’s nice that JM is okay with exceeding the payroll… I just how it’s by a lot. Because it’s going to take a lot of money to fix this & you’ll probably still needs prospects to sell.

    Kimbrel, Bryant, Hendricks – Abel, stott, bohm, Howard, and others. Bryant looks like he already padded his numbers for the year

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  80. I have to confess that when Hoskins got picked off/caught stealing I was so mad I shut it down. Didn’t see the inevitable loss, and Hoskins?! What a dumb play! As articles were written about us exceeding the Cap and looking for SPs and BP help, we play like that. Awful, now Harper limping again! The ABs were bad, and that’s from McCutchen and Hoskins and Realmuto, and then Neris giving up another bomb, Nola pitching so poorly, I just had enough when Hoskins made that play.

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    1. Ha, I hear that. Luckily i cut the chord. I watch all the games through a highlight reel on YouTube. All 27 outs per side, 1 pitch per. Not as fun but saves a lot of time. There is a sense of suspense too.

      The other issue, we are expecting them to win, because the division is wounded, they are buyers, and Middleton said he was good to go over the limit – but this is a seriously flawed team. It can lose the game for you in a variety of ways, but mainly the bullpen & defense. If they make the playoffs it will be down to the last few games imo. They will hover around .500. This team just has the feeel that even Kimbrel would blow saves for them

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      1. One thing the team is lacking is, that one ‘nasty boy’…the Rose, the Utley, the Dykstra, the Werth…Yankees have Gardner..though past his prime now, Dodgers have Turner….Cardinals had Molina in his prime
        I think Harper has some of those attributes….but he will have to get nasty with his own teammates at times.

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      2. I get up to go to bathroom at around 2am i ask the remote for phillies game and i see the score, saves me from getting pissed off at Neris who i hate

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  81. I watched the whole thing. Every pitch every out. Again Howard is a tantalizing talent I would not want to part with.

    I don’t want any rentals especially for a guy like Howard, Marchan and Stott. I won’t even mention Abel and Painter as those are no brainers as not to trade.

    If they want to or can get something for guys like O’Hoppe Morales, Muzz, Yhoswar, Ortiz, Maton, Dohy, Jones, Warren etc.. by all means take a swing.

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    1. DMAR … agree. I would not trade any top prospect for a rental.
      The only point I would differ on is Yhoswar Garcia. He would be on my “do not trade” list right now. He hasn’t played enough yet to know exactly what they’ve got. Once upon a time, the White Sox made that mistake with Fernando Tatis jr.

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      1. I certainly do not want to give up Tatis Jr LOL man the White Sox what the H were they thinking for James stinking Shields. Not even Tampa Bay Shields…

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        1. DMAR…Tatis was ranked number 30 among all international players that year…and a skinny kid….at the time it was the right move…..Padres saw something they liked in him, but Preller also wanted to rid the Padres of the highest paid Padre player in their history at that time …Shields.
          WSox and Rick Hahn saw Anderson as their future shortstop.

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          1. Good Point Romus. I’m just thinking of all the players the South Siders had at the time why did Preller pick out Tatis? Someone saw something. a SS generally can play anywhere on the field so Anderson shouldn’t have been a blocker.

            I have yet to see Yhoswar play but just reading Jim’s write-ups on what he does on the base paths has me thinking he’s got something special….maybe.

            And Guru is always saying and he’s right you have to give talent to get talent.

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  82. DMAR, I am with you. I can’t help myself from rooting for them. Last night was just too much, but there are so many flaws. Such poor approaches to ABs, let alone, actual performances, with RISP. I don’t get it. And, I am sorry, I can’t listen to JoeG tell us he isn’t worried about the Offense. “It will come around.” Really? When might that be? This has been a years long issue. I would like a little more fire out of him, not make believe stuff like with Scherzer. Romus also nailed the make up of the team. No Dutch or Utley or Rollins.

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    1. Matt a repeat of a post above. This team folded like a house of cards two seasons in a row under two different managers and not even in the playoffs. It was a team scrambling for a low expectation WC berth.

      if that didn’t call for blowing it up or tearing it down I don’t know what would. Instead like a masochist they wanted to do it again.

      Like

    2. I don’t often get to see the Phillies on TV, but I saw parts of a couple games in the recent series against the Marlins. Hoskins had a couple terrible ABs with a man on 3rd base and less than 2 out. There was a single infielder on the right side, stationed midway between 1B and 2B. Yet both ABs it appeared Hoskins tried to pull everything, including pitches thrown on the outer half. He failed both times to get the runner home, striking out once and hitting a soft liner to the left side of the IF the other AB. In both cases his approach appeared awful, and exactly what the Marlins wanted/expected him to do.

      And in general, IMO the approach of many Phillies hitters against the shift leaves much to be desired, especially when situational hitting is called for.

      Like

  83. GO FOR IT! TRADE PROPOSAL

    Joey Gallo, Kyle Gibson and Ian Kennedy for Spencer Howard, Erik Miller, Luis Garcia, Jhailyn Ortiz, any minor league catcher they want, and Odubel Herrera.

    Like

  84. What is the likely hood of Howard going from SP to a closer? It seems like he’d have a good Chance imo, especially if he can fire up for 1 inning, easily go 2. If this is the case, is it worth trading him away. It would be exactly what they need – young, controllable, CHEAP talent, making significant contributions.

    Probably should give him the audition if they are even considering trading him, no?

    Like

    1. The Phillies are trying to keep Howard in the rotation, and Howard wants it also. His best value is as a starter. There is no doubt that he could be a reliever with his talent. We can debate until the cows come home whether he should be in the rotation or the bullpen. But for now, after what he did yesterday on short rest, he should remain in the rotation. Guys in the bullpen have to pitch better.

      Like

      1. Their greatest need….one of them…is to avoid setting the MLB record for blown saves….Howard may be able to prevent that record setting venture.

        Like

  85. MLBTR is reporting that KC’s GM is saying that Whit Merrifield is “more available” now than in the past. He would make a nice upgrade in CF here.

    Like

    1. Is CF really the problem? Merrifield has 2 WAR. The combination of Jankowski/Herrera has given the Phillies total 2.1 WAR. The Phillies have more pressing issues than CF.

      Like

      1. Low team energy…or even NO energy. CF isn’t the biggest problem but it’s about a lack of something more. Merrifield has 25 stolen bases. I don’t think this coaching staff or even the players know that you’re allowed to try to steal bases.

        Like

          1. True, it’s on Joe G who’s also disappointed this season. We talk about the greatest needs this club has – and there’s no perfect clubhouse – but the chemistry here really sucks. No leadership. Good solid citizens like Cutch, Didi and JTR, but there’s no fire. Yes, the bullpen needs an upgrade. And yes, the defense has to improve. The baserunning is suspect at best. But the roster needs a pulse first.

            Like

        2. mark8:29 – The Phillies are 8th in baseball in stolen bases per game. Here’s the top 10.

          1 San Diego
          2 Miami
          3 Kansas City
          4 Tampa Bay
          5 Detroit
          6 Texas
          7 Colorado
          8 Philadelphia
          9 Chi Cubs
          10 Milwaukee

          Like

          1. Okay. Thanks for that info…I guess it just doesn’t feel like they steal that many for an offense that desperately needs any edge it can get.

            Like

  86. People are looking Hector’s runs yesterday, but he pitched well. He threw a good pitch to Florial and he had a swinging bunt single. Hector made a good pitch to Stanton and poked a single to RF that barely got past Segura. He should have been out of the inning before Odor’s HR. That is just bad luck.

    Like

    1. The single that just got past Segura was bad luck, the 3 run Bomb was not. He still has to make the Pitches to get out of the inning. It’s bad luck if there was an error on the next play scoring a run, but not giving up a HR. Sorry, Guru

      Like

      1. That swinging bunt was bad luck. So Hector had 2 bad luck plays before the HR. I’m not saying that the HR was a good pitch. He still has to make pitches to get out of the inning which he didn’t. But those bad luck plays essentially turned into extra outs that the Phillies gave the Yankees.

        Like

  87. At this point in the season I like to check in on team stats and the 1st one I go to is team OPS. Generally teams top 10 in OPS is where your division leaders are…

    You find the outliers of course such as the Brewers but generally when you look at a team that far out of team OPS rankings you find a team that pitches and plays defense exceptionally well.

    The Phillies do not OPS all that great as a team 14th and we all know that they don’t pitch or play defense exceptionally well.

    So you could try to improve the pitching but can you do that well enough to overcome bad defense and mediocre OPS? I don’t think you can.

    Now if you take a look at a team like the Blue Jays that is #1 in team OPS you ask what is their problem and you get a more singular answer its pitching.

    The Braves and Mets are also interesting. The Braves are 9th in OPS but its likely to leak out without Acuna Jr and their pitching has been pretty bad as well.

    The Mets are 19th in OPS. Their pitching and defense has been carrying them but I’m not thinking at a sustainable level if DeGrom is missing from their rotation for any length of time and their OPS doesn’t improve dramatically the Phillies or Braves can run them down.

    Like

    1. I look at fWAR, and also team OPS….Phillies and Mets neck and neck 16th an 17th in fWAR…..in a flawed division.
      And digging into the weeds the reasoning is everything you mention above…..poor defense, poor bullpen effectiveness and their RISP is not the greatest either.

      https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=8&season=2021&month=0&season1=2021&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=&enddate=

      https://www.fangraphs.com/leaders.aspx?pos=all&stats=bat&lg=all&qual=0&type=1&season=2021&month=0&season1=2021&ind=0&team=0,ts&rost=0&age=0&filter=&players=0&startdate=2021-01-01&enddate=2021-12-31&sort=9,d

      Like

  88. According to a report from PhilliesNation, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com says that one NL club has inquired of the Rox about acquiring Trevor Story to play….CF.

    Like

  89. Still think trade Bohm and some minor league pieces to try to get Kimbrel Bryant. Take shot this year next 2 by signing Bryant. At that point start selling and eat some of contracts to get minor league pieces that will match up with current young minor leaguers.

    Can’t tear down 5 months after signing realmuto. Nibbling around edges means boring mediocrity for foreseeable future. Take a shot or continue to watch this krap.

    Trade Bohm now. Below average defensive left fielder or first baseman that hits 15 to 18 homers is not a building block for championship

    Like

    1. Scott Boras is not going to let Bryant sign for under $25M per year. The Phillies cannot afford this. The Phillies are already paying Harper/Wheeler/Realmuto a combined $77.4M in 2022. The Phillies can’t have 4 guys taking up $100M+ of salary.

      What’s crazy is that the Mets have Cano/DeGrom/Lindor making a combined $94.1M for 2022. The Mets will likely let Stroman walk (can’t QO him a second time) and maybe let Conforto walk (another Boras client) unless they QO him. Then they have Noah Syndergaard to worry about.

      But in the end, both the Mets and the Phillies are highly unlikely to absorb another mega contract unless they want pay luxury tax.

      Like

    1. Phillies must like Janco in CF for the foreseeable future.
      He has been a pleasant surprise…outside of getting tagged out by a catcher, not even in a rundown, at second base..

      Like

      1. Jankowski has been hot but his career OPS is .644 which means it was lower than this when the season started. He has a .904 OPS right now. I would love for him to keep it up but it’s highly likely that he will regress.

        Like

        1. These guys usually get exposed, by over-exposure….if that makes sense.
          There is that initial burst when they get that opportunity, then the leveling off to a more replacement player.

          Like

  93. Bad game again so far, although Matt Moore has gone 5 innings. Of course we are losing 6-0! Hard to know where to begin to fix this ness. Another awful offensive performance and I know Morton can pitch but 2 singles, one didn’t leave the infield. Why is Herrera back in LF?

    Like

  94. Phils rally in 7th oh forget that Miller and Jankowski in big spot. Trade for some real baseball players please or we could wait another 5 to 6 years for the burgeoning talent in the system

    Like

  95. Understatement of the year: The All-Star break couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Phillies.

    Like

  96. Sorry Hinkie, I don’t follow.

    It wasn’t a break that disrupted their 5-1 start on April 6.
    Nor their 8-of-11 win streak on May 15.
    Nor their 7-of-9 win streak on June 14.
    …And also not their 7-of-10 streak entering the break, especially given they won 3-of-4 directly following.

    All season the Phils have flashed success that was followed every time by the reminder of their mediocrity. They are just a streaky .500 team.
    The real culprit is their many flaws.

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  97. Look at how bad the ERA are in our bullpen, Look at braves ERA. This team is toast, Just not good enough, The really bad part is there is no help i n the minors, Just a total failure by Middleton to put the right people in place to be a champ,

    Like

    1. Rocco – you’re completely correct. As the events of the last few years unfolded, I slowly reached the conclusion that this mess was Middleton’s fault primarily. He hired the wrong people and then, after hiring them, he forced them to make “go for it” decisions that were premature and ended up making things worse in the long run (although he was right about Harper over Machado – Machado would have been a full blown disaster here – there’s no doubt in my mind about that).

      We will see, over time, if he’s finally put some of the right people in place. Barber’s two years on the clock now and early returns on the draft are not great, but we shall see. We shall also see on Sam Fuld. But overall? It’s been pretty bad.

      Like

  98. It goes back to evaluating Chaim Bloom and Matt Klentak, and deciding that Klentak was the better choice. I know MacPhail had a lot to do with that, but I am still lost as to why Middleton hired MacPhail also. A total failure. I can, however, listen to Dave Dombrowski speak and believe I am listening to someone who has some knowledge of what he wants to do, and cares about success. I came away from listening to MacPhail, every time he spoke, and feeling either aggravated or wishing he would go away.

    Like

  99. LOL the only way forward is to tear it down or Hinke it…

    Again you have to keep BH there is no trading that contract. Nothing to be ashamed of it happens. The only thing shameful is to continue trying to put band aids on a gaping machete wound.

    Like

  100. DMAR, “gaping machete wound”, made me LOL! I find it increasingly difficult to argue with you about the trade deadline. I just know that they will do something, and hope they don’t trade anyone that will get me all p’d off. And, can I ask why Rhys Hoskins grounded out to the 3B, Popped out to the 3B, and Fouled out to the 3B? He is #1 on my “has to change his approach to hitting” list.

    Like

    1. matt13….the one thing you do not want to see…is Rhys hitting with men on 2nd or 3rd…he is poor in those instances…..this year slashing .235/.280/.398…….career-.247/.372/.484
      He must have a mental thing going on when he sees those ducks sitting lazily on the pond and he can’t find the trigger..

      Like

      1. Romus I got up at 3,03 am to go to bathroom, did my philias score and slept like a baby until 6, better than watching them, The at bats with runners on drives me crazy, The pitching in the minors is so bad, with the low batting averages in the minors across the board, How can we have these high era at LHV, READING, terrible

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  101. I agree Romus, but that is his job. Not to take BBs, but to drive runners in. The ability to read the strike zone is supposed to be to force the Pitcher to throw the ball over the plate, so the hitter can hammer it. Not for the BB to be the whole reason for the AB. He still looks at too many good pitches, especially with runners on.

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  102. matt/rocco……hate this feeling…..but feels like a long weekend, and a Braves sweep of four at CBP.
    Hope I am wrong all the way.

    Like

  103. Romus i told you about a restaurant on broad street when y go to games. Pesto, There a big article about it as 5 star, and about Vedge which i didnt like, I walked out Hungry at vedge

    Like

    1. rocco…thanks…heard about Pesto…neighbors just went there a few weeks ago…good food.
      Vedge…..I am sure I will end up there too, someday
      On Locust…….meat-less place …..no TOFU, squash, stuffed avocados for me….eggplant parm may be the way I will need to go

      Like

  104. Can we trade owners John Middleton for John Henry. What the Red Sox are doing is somewhat miraculous.

    They hire DD in 2015 Cherington resigns. He in turn fires Farrell who got them to the playoffs I believe 2 seasons in a row. in 2016 and hires Alex Cora and allows his GM to trade 4 of their best prospects for Chris Sale. Cora wins them the WS in 2018.

    DD gets fired in 2019 and is replaced by Bloom. Bloom has to fire Cora and trade Betts. Then Cora gets rehired a year later and has his team in 1st place. SMH

    Like

  105. Waiting on Hoskins is like the game of golf. You hate to play it most of the time but then you hit that one great shot or you have that one great round. you keep on going back. With Hoskins, he has that one great game or goes on a streak for 3 or 4 games and you think, “He’s starting to come around” but then you see his BA and worse, his BA with men in scoring position.

    Just like the rest of you, I have been waiting ten years for the Phillies to be relevant again. Just like the rest of you, I get pissed when they make a move toward the top and then go into one of their “walkabouts”. It is hard rooting for this team hoping that the high salaried players will carry them along and the minor leagues will begin to develop some really good talent that will help.

    Let’s face it, this team has a really slim chance of winning the NL East. It’s more realistic to believe that this team will end up in 4th place or even last before they will win the division. Ownership is hearing the grumblings of the rank and file and in turn is feeling the pressure to do something once again at the trade deadline to appease the fans. But what can they do realistically?

    Don’t trade away the few prospects that we have. Don’t make panic moves that are going to be futile. As many have written here, the Phillies are not one or two or even five players away from being a contender. The payroll is near the top, the minor league cupboard is bare, and the players at the MLB level just aren’t good enough. Lose five of the next eight and wait until next year.
    .

    Like

  106. Do you guys like that feeling? Thats the feeling a team pulling your leg, hovering over .500 feels like. I’ll wait a few games more, but the reality is that this team isn’t good enough. He could get lucky, but it will be one hellva bumpy ride. It will not be enjoyable imo, it will be stressful as hell watching them squeak into the playoffs.It’s a lot of stress for an “appearance” but who knows, maybe Nick Foles sprinkles some fairy dust on the mound. I’m thinking this team should sell McCutchen, Seguara, Marchan, Hoskins, and strengthen the bullpen for next year. Buy some pieces that makes sense for a 2-3 year window,

    Like

  107. Mets get Rich Hill, and ciada, you made me even more pessimistic than I was! We are not selling, Tom, and whether that is the right approach is besides the point. They are not going to sell. So, all I can hope for is to not trade any prospect I have some belief in, and hope they acquire something that helps, so that the rest of the season isn’t as awful as the last 3 games. My bar is now so low on this team, I am just hoping it stays close until September. Then, I can concentrate on the Eagles making me pull my hair out!

    Like

  108. I saw that Rocco, and I think they will be better than that. However, it is certainly not an optimistic start to Training Camp. If that happens, our new Coach will be one and done, and all those future picks are going to go to Houston for DeShaun Watson, who I want no parts of. See? You are getting me all riled up in July when I have the Phils already depressing me!

    Like

    1. I think the Cleveland Baseball Team would have a better ring to it. Think of all the money and man hours they spent to come up with a bush league name. And the logo is absolutely horrendous.

      Like

      1. The name is not great, the font is weird but the logo is even worse. A baseball sandwiched between 2 flying G’s?

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            1. Now I can just see it, the people of Pittsburgh submitted names for the team….I would be willing to bet the majority were….”The Mistake on the Lake”

              Like

    3. Denny……the irony bewteen the movie and the Cleveland adopting this new name, ….the initial tune to the movie was Redbone…Come And Get Your love……one of my favs…..the band members, the Vegas brothers were part Indian and Mexican.

      Like

  110. It’s amazing how some Phillies fans can be so cruel to the players. I don’t understand why the need to be so negative and to actually make it personal.
    Come on Cubs…make it happen.

    Like

    1. SWorks14 your funny, You should see how rotten a lot of players are to fans, I have over the years working in Restaurants have seen a lot, they can be real creeps, Steve Carlton was one a real creep,

      Like

    2. Im sure glad Cubs fans don’t chant “F#%k Bryce Harper” in the bleachers during games. If you don’t think every fan base has a “bottom 10” group of drunk, uneducated baseball fans that just say stupid, personal stuff, you’ve got a long 15 years ahead of you bud.

      Like

    3. Mr. H. … I understand how you must feel as a parent. I don’t blame you at all for taking what some fans say to heart. I agree it can get rough here (Mike Schmidt got booed unmercifully). But I gotta’ also let you know it’s really no different anywhere in the northeast. I’m also not certain Chicago is much different than the Northeast when it comes to impatient/loud fans.
      I think people need to be patient with younger players. I still believe Spencer has a bright future. I hope it’s here, but like I once told Matt Moniak … sometimes a trade can open the door to a greater opportunity somewhere else. From your comment, it seems like you’ve heard some trade rumblings concerning your son to the Cubs. TBH … I think every team will be asking for your son in trade talks this/next week. Obviously, Spencer is well thought of around the league. I hope he has a great career (hopefully here). You have been more than generous with your time on this site, and everyone should show you and Spencer respect.

      Like

    4. Just know that the vast majority of us are still cheering for your son (and will continue to do so even if he were to join another team). And any criticism we might have is about allowing him to tap into his tremendous potential, not about the quality of his being.

      I also feel obliged to mention, as someone who has first-hand experience with every teams’ fans… it’s not better in Chicago. In fact, Cubs fans pride themselves on tailoring their insults to specific players. That’s not an exaggeration. They research players to make their insults more unique and hurtful. It’s usually directed at opposing players, obviously, but when you’ve got the ammunition sometimes there’s friendly fire. And they’re not the only ones. I was actually at the game where Nationals fans started harassing Harper about his newborn son. Talk about crossing the line.

      Philly gets a bad rap because of how vocal they are when a player is doing poorly, but it goes both ways. And at the end of the day, Philly protects its own. There’s a reason Utley got standing ovations for hitting homeruns AGAINST us. And as terrible as his contract was, Ryan Howard is still beloved here. It’s the City of Brotherly Love. Brothers fight, we yell, we don’t always get along. But we’re still brothers, and we want what’s best for you.

      So anyways, try to just ignore the negativity. It’ll be there no matter where or when. But your son has already done a remarkable thing in even making it to the majors. And he had an awesome showing against the most storied franchise in the world. We know he can be (and is) great. We just hope it can be for a long time in red pinstripes.

      Like

    5. I’m pretty sure I mentioned to you in the past, you should avoid reading what people write about your son. People can be extraordinarily cruel when posting anonymously.

      Like

  112. Even with its warts this is best chance Phils have to make playoffs for foreseeable future. Atlanta healthier next year Mets healthier next year. Go for it. How awful if Phils would have traded dom brown for a couple xtra years of halladay in his prime. At least with wheeler a hopefully improved Nola Kimbrel closing u could win a series and have some fun.

    Like

    1. Patso … 100% agree. This might be the best chance this group will ever have of making the playoffs.

      Like

  113. Someone at SBNation thinks that Francisco Morales, Erik Miller, Adonis Medina and Logan O’Hoppe would be enough to get Kimbrel and Bryant, simply because the Cubs have a dearth of pitching on their farm. I think they could do much better, although it would pain me to give up Miller.

    Like

    2. Morales’ inclusion would make me shiver.
      The guy could be a top of the rotation pitcher.
      His stuff is certainly there…..it is a matter now of ‘heart and head’.

      Like

      1. If DD does manage to land Kimbrel, I believe Nick Maton would be part of the package heading to the Cubs. They’ll be looking for a MLB ready SS as insurance for Javy Baez leaving via free agency. And (not that it matters … but) Maton is an Illinois kid.

        Like

  115. Matt13 – I don’t think Rich Hill to the Mets is that big a deal. If he had anything left in the tank, the Rays would never have traded him. It’s just the Rays fleecing another team ala Chris Archer to the Pirates.

    Like

  116. Now that Bohm is back, Joe Girardi needs to run his #1 lineup out there for the next 7 games (3 vs Braves/4 vs Nats). The Phillies have a cake walk schedule beginning in August, but that won’t matter if they don’t keep their heads above water this next week.
    No days off for JTR/Hoskins/Segura/Didi/Bohm/McCutchen/Odubel/Bryce until next weekend.

    Like

  117. SWorks14 – If you scroll up to July 20 at 8:37 PM, you will see I wrote very positive things about your son. Lots of guys on this site feel the same way. Yet, a lot of them are so desperate for a winner that they are willing to make any trade possible to make the post season. Please, bear with us and with the fans in attendance.

    Like

  118. Bohm is at best avg left fielder. This team is in no mans land. No farm system. A .500 mlb team with big contracts that draws 15,000 people a year after no fannies in stands. A bad rebuild but enough talent to take a shot. Dodgers won a WS because of one pitcher Orel Hershhiser long time ago. Add some pieces take a 2-3 year shot then blow it up. They are not blowing it up after last couple big signings.

    Bottom line this owner is nice guy but completely blew the rebuild. His fault

    Like

  119. I’ve really had it with being the Angels of the National League, but without the two of the best hitters in baseball.

    Until I see a material improvement from the farm system and the ability to keep the right players we develop, I am really not hopeful.

    Like

  121. I saw a few people mentioned that the new Cleveland team name is kinda lacking. Just for the sake of spreading information, it seems to be related to their “Guardians of traffic” statues that they have at each end of the bridge leading to the park. They’re a bit of a local landmark.

    So naming themselves “Guardians” is pretty in line with, say, the Rockies.

    As for whether or not its a lame name even with the backstory, well… it’s not like baseball teams are known for good names. There’s 3 teams named after their uniform socks (BoSox, ChiSox, Reds), as well as 3 teams named directly after their location (Angels, Phils, Twins).

    And, as alluded to before, at least they aren’t “The Cleveland Baseball Team” for two years…

    Like

    1. Allowed names should be after fish, mammals, animals, fowl and I guess clothing attire…..and also food…..and maybe sex, ie the Macon Whoopies

      Like

  122. Patso, I don’t know how nice of a guy Middleton is, I never met him. But, I did believe him when he said he would do anything to win. He was not truthful. This team, with all its flaws, would be in first place had he not imposed a salary cap, one with minimal penalties for exceeding. I have said it before, claiming Brad Hand off waivers, no LTC, no prospects, and this fundamentally poor, defensively awful team, would be in first place. He gets zero sympathy from me.

    Like

  123. Something may … or may not … be happening.

    Like

  125. Why all the comments about how improved the Braves and Mets will be next year to justify a go-for-it even if we’re not good enough posture?

    I believe DD yr2 could be memorable with strategic moves now and all off-season (+ next trading deadline). The Phillies could be as improved as anyone! …We aren’t far, we’re just not close this year. Too many holes. Don’t repeat the mistakes of the last regime. For once, plan over a year for the next season!

    Like

  126. i would like to address the Howard Situation, It seems his Dad thinks we are ganging up on him, i Think its more the people on here for most part understand, how bad The people in charge have run the minors, the development is terrible, the draft choices, bad, Now we have a kid in Howard who for three innings holds really good velo and secondary stuff, Why do the Phillies have to make him a starter now, when the bullpen is terrible, Is it so terrible for Howard to become a kimbrel type at a lot cheaper price right now,? Why give up the Farm for Kimbrel when we might have someone who can be as effective, if given the chance, maybe i am way off base, but i would like to see Howard in late innings, the only question is can he go more than a night, will it effect his stuff to pitch two nights in a row, like to see what he can do,

    Like

  127. So, if we connect the dots here, is it possible that Howard, Stott and Rojas could be heading to Wrigley for both Kimbrel and Bryant? I would demand that Jed Hoyer include an extra incentive piece to make that deal. Only 2-3 months of KB, and only a year plus of CK and his $16M per annum would have to be mitigated by the Cubs sending at least a young, high floor, controllable player who can help the big league roster either now or real soon.

    As for Mr H, I don’t know what’s going on with how the organization is handling Spencer. It’s troubling that they can’t seem to decide whether he’s a starter or not when he’s showing evidence that he’s certainly a back of the bullpen candidate. The question is whether he’s got the mentality to be a closer. But until they find out, how will WE know…unless sadly he winds up becoming the next Bruce Sutter…for the Cubs.

    Like

    1. So let’s expand this potential blockbuster if in fact the Phillies are going all in. The Cubs may certainly want a catcher with Contreras’ likely exit at season’s end.

      To the Cubs:
      Spencer Howard
      Bryson Stott (*Dombrowski goes after a FA SS this winter)
      Johan Rojas
      Logan O’Hoppe

      To the Phillies:
      Craig Kimbrel
      Kris Bryant
      Kyle Hendricks (under contract thru ’24)

      The Phillies rotation down the stretch could be:
      Zack Wheeler
      Aaron Nola
      Kyle Hendricks
      Zach Eflin (healthy?)
      Cole Hamels (perhaps from late August on?)

      Like

        1. Middleton, MacPhail and Klentak painted the Phillies into this corner, and then JM brought Dombrowski in…so while I don’t want to trade top 5 prospects, this is the situation they find themselves in. Otherwise the money spent on Harper, JTR and Wheeler is sunk cost in their prime.

          Like

    2. Phillies will need to compete now with the Dodgers for Kimbrel….they have blown 6 saves in the last month, and Roberts and Friedman are now ready to pull the trigger for a reliable BP guy.

      Like

      1. Romus … the LADs will be interesting. They are probably in “do whatever it takes to repeat” mode. However, there are going to be some consequences. The Dodgers were the only team to go over the LTT last year. Their 2021 payroll already sits at 253M. So they’re 43M over the cap right now. At that number, (by my calculations) the Dodgers are in for a ~20M$ tax hit + their first pick in the 2022 draft will drop 10 spots (which would cost the club ~650-thousand in bonus slot dollars).
        If Andrew Friedman can shed 3M of salary, the team will still have to pay about 20M, but they will at least save their spot in next summer’s draft.

        Like

        1. You also have to remember the Dodgers have already lost their second round pick in 2022 thanks to the Trevor Bauer signing. Not one of Friedman’s better decisions.

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          1. You gotta’ believe the Braves, A’s, Giants, Astros, and maybe Padres & Red Sox will be players for Kimbrel in addition to the Phillies (and possibly Dodgers).

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            1. …which drives up the cost in prospects. Dombrowski has both the MO and motivation to make the bold move while the other contenders have better balanced rosters and they aren’t quite as desperate to pay the piper.

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            2. Also … if reports about Middleton willing to ignore the LTT are correct, DD can save some prospect capital by taking on Jayson Heyward’s bloated contract.

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          2. Hinkie…..yes the Dodgers and Friedman do need to be creative after this season…..Bellinger and Seager, along with Buehler will soon want the $$$$

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            1. mark … about your trade proposal above:

              I’m not sure Jed Hoyer would be willing to package Kimbrel and Bryant. He can probably do better selling them separately.

              If I was Dave Dombrowski, I would first look to use my best trade pieces in a deal with Minnesota for Buxton and Taylor Rogers (and maybe even Josh Donaldson). That sets the Phillies up better for 2021-2022.
              If Derek Falvey isn’t selling, I would then pivot to the Cubs. A realistic second piece to ask the Cubs for (something Hoyer might be willing to include) would be either (not both) Zach Davies or Andrew Chafin. They’re both on expiring contracts. Davies would slot in as the Phillies #4 starter. Or Chafin would move into the Phils’ BP and free up either Ranger or Falter for the BOR.

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            2. Hinkie, my “proposal” is basically taking the rumblings from last night’s pulling of Stott and Rojas, and the Howard speculation. How likely? Not very, but some iteration of what’s being bandied about. Rojas is a high ceiling ticket. I also like Stott’s profile although he’s not a longterm SS IMO. But I’m simply resigned to the inevitability….

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  128. Matt13 he along with several Phillies were at a MD charitable event he took time to talk to everyone and genuinely seemed like nice person. Just think he made some bad decisions. Maybe now he has rectified. DD is here for quick fix then probably off to sunset. This year right now seems like time to make a move. Get into playoffs with an ace wheeler and stud closer who knows

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  129. Dr. Romus – I think Darrick Hall read your post about maybe being cut and got ticked off. Last night he went 2-4 with an HR and got off the Interstate. His average is now up to .201.

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  130. Phillies, Mets and Blue Jays reportedly have scouts at the DBacks/Cubs game at Wrigley today. Now, naturally all MLB teams this time of year are saturating ball parks with major league scouts. But nonetheless it is worth noting…both the Cubs and Dbacks have players who might fit the bill. Man, how I would love to see Ketel Marte in red pinstripes. Switch hitter, versatile middle infielder and CF.

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  131. Anybody besides me find it crazy that Heath Hembree picked up his 7th save for the Reds last night?

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    1. The life of a reliever……for all we know, next season, Hector Neris may be in line for the Reliever of the Year award…. with another team….that is how it goes.

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    2. ciada – I watched it and was dumbfounded. He K’d pitcher Wainwright (a good hitter) for the final out. I had to check his stats to make sure – sure he has a 4.52 ERA ? And Reds had already used 5 relievers.. Last year he couldn’t save squat.

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  132. mark8 – I like that deal. Marte could plug into Hererra’s spot for this and the next couple of years. It would be 8 next year and 10 the year after. He could play CF, 2B, or even SS in a pinch.

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    1. But unsurprising. The crown jewel of the system is a 19 year old who walks a lot of guys. I’m sure Abel’s ceiling would get him in the top 100.

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    2. He commented that Jasson Dominguez is “maxed out”, he said the same thing about Viars our 3rd round pick.

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  134. v1, I am not KLaw’s biggest fan, but I don’t think any of our guys were cheated out of a spot on the list. A shame, but reality. Hoping next year’s list has a different result for Phillies’ representation.

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  135. Not sure if this is another Bob Nightengale miss, but he says the Phillies have interest in Dbacks RHP Merrill Kelly who’s pitching now vs Cubs. Not impressed if he’s supposed to be an upgrade. His calling card is going deeper into games than the Vinny’s, Moore’s and Anderson’s of the world.

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    1. He would help this year, that’s for sure. However, next year would be interesting. Wheeler, Nola, Eflin are locks. The other 2 should be filled by Howard and Falter. If Kelly comes in, it’s likely that Falter would be the odd man out which would be a shame.

      If the Phillies go after rotation, it should be a rental. It keeps costs down and gives Falter a shot to stick in the rotation where he would have his best value.

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  136. Adam Haseley on the Covid IL. What a rough season for the young man. I know no specifics, but that just was announced.

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    1. Unless he’s the victim of a breakout case, it means he wasn’t vaccinated. I have no sympathy for him on that – or for anyone else on the Phillies who turned down the shot(s) and got COVID. That’s their fault.

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  137. Lot of scouting activity at the Cubs – Snakes game. Phils seeing Merrill Kelly, under control for another year vs. both Chafin and Tepera for the Cubs. If I had to handicap it – I guess Tepera is the Phils target.

    The fact that Dodgers want Kimbrel – as reported – makes acquiring him very tough.

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  138. Picked up Tyler Phillips off waivers from Rangers. Right handed starting pitcher, looks like a project for future.

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    1. Coming home for Tyler…Bishop Eustace kid.
      All he needs now is some good home cooking and Tony and Luke’s cheesesteaks and he will turn things around

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  139. Another episode of the Vinny Experience, as we are down 3-0 in 2d. I may be looking for a SP first! Romus, my favorite st Tony Luke’s is the chicken cutlet, provolone and broccoli rabe!

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    1. matt13…..that is very tempting…the chicken cutlet/provolone/rabe would hit the spot right about now.
      As for Vinny……will be riding into the sunset in 8 weeks.

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  140. I gotta say, earlier in the year I was genuinely worried VV would pitch well enough that the Phils would extend him. I was worried because I’ve had enough of him, and even if he was a respectable #3 starter, I wanted it to be for someone else just for my own peace of mind.

    I’m no longer worried.

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  141. 2 1/3 tonight, 4 runs, 2 on, just numb watching this. Not that the offense did anything other than Bryce in the first 2 innings. But it seemed so futile with Vinny on the mound.

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  142. It’s time to take VV out of the rotation and give somebody else a shot. His time as a Phillie should be over.

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  143. Need something to take my mind off the Phillies…Ortiz with another dinger tonight…number 15.

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    1. Along with Moniak…3 for 4 (2HRs)….. and Brito.

      Mickey is red-hot and other teams might find him pretty attractive right now.

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      1. Moniak is hot but you’re not going to get as much value as you think from him. Teams will take him but they are going to lowball the Phillies for him. Something like Moniak for Tepera. The Phillies should just keep Moniak and see how it plays out.

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        1. Yeah can see that.
          Hope Dave D. does not move him at a lowball price.
          Last 21 games hitting .370+

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        2. So Joc Peterson who never hit more than. 249 in his career and is hitting. 230 was obtained by Braves to replace Acuna and uis leading off on a contending team is more worthy of a major league than Moniak. Why? Note JP is making $7,750,000. Where is the logic?

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          1. It’s all about past performance. Pederson has a career OPS of .794. All the Braves are hoping for is he comes close to that for the next 2 months.

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          2. The logic is that, historically, he walks a ton and hits for a lot of power. Meanwhile Moniak typically has done neither at an impressive rate, nor has he hit for average at the major league level. There’s more to offense than just batting average, hence how guys like Adam Dunn have long careers.

            That being said, Pederson this year has been mediocre at best. So this has to be a Hail Mary for the Braves. And there’s still hope that Moniak can be more than he’s shown (and we’re all cheering for him; he seems like a really good, hard-working kid). But track record dictates that one of the players is viable in the majors and the other isn’t. And their current teams reflect it.

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          3. Joc:

            2015: #8 prospect in mlb!

            ‘15-‘19: > 25 HR in 4 of 5 yrs. Including 36 in 2019!

            2020 playoffs… .382 BA, .991 ops, WS ring!

            2021: slow start, much better since. GREAT trade for Braves, gave up nothing.

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      1. Hinkie if i remember right about a month ago, I Think it was Moniak dad was saying that he is starting to get it and the kid will shine, Something like that. since then this kid has really come on, The fourth outfielder comments by scouts, maybe true but i believe he can help us now and in the future, based on what i have seen from him on tv,

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  145. Kimbrel would be a rental. Do you really think the Phillies would pick up his $16M option for next year? Those days of Papelbon are over. VV, like Hoskins, is like golf. A good start (or shot) here and there and we think he’s finally gotten it. Don’t jettison out the farm for a pipe dream (unless you can get Workman and Phelps, of course).

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    1. I would think they would have to pick up his option unless he stunk here like Phelps last year.

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  146. I want to report a crime.
    24,000 Phillies fans that went to CBP had their money stolen tonight.

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    1. yes, it was a bad night for a spontaneous trip down to CBP- nothing to do and my son wanting to go on a beautiful night trumped my normal policy of never attending a game started by VV. at least i bought the cheapest seats available and never sat in the them.
      just hope this keeps them from giving anything away in trades- with Eflin out you could argue they need 3 starting pitchers and 2 relievers, and even then, their hitting/defense might not be good enough.
      when the most entertaining part of the game is Freddy Freeman needing 4 tries to toss a ball over the net from the on-deck circle…..

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    1. Charlie Morton and Smyly. As often mentioned on PhuturePhillies, it’s tough when you can’ scout your own players;

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      1. smyly got 11 mil, and while he’s been better then our 4-5, has thrown just 88 innings and left last night with knee pain.
        Morton has been good, though making 15 mil- he seems to fade after the 5th inning from following most of his starts- his record wouldnt look as good if the Phils BP was following up instead of the Braves.

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  148. I can’t say it enough. This team has too many holes and no mojo. Please do not repeat the annual error to “go for it”.

    Tonight may be the Minor’s best boxscores of the year. It’s been getting more fun to read them. Hopefully 2021 draftees will only add to a strong finish!

    Let’s be smart and build on momentum for 2022 and beyond. Don’t piss away assets on the annual pipe dream.

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  149. I just can understand how a Organization can keep running out V.V and De los they both stink, Its like you know you cant win at the start of the game, why waste your money, It would have been better to give the money to charity and go have a couple drinks, I blame this all on Middleton he just never realized the people behind the scenes are so important, terrible owner, another daniel snyder

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    1. The gang of four all pitched in on this debacle…..Middleton, MacPhail, Klentak and Kapler….some with more of a contribution than others.

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      1. Romus ….

        Middleton
        MacPhail
        Klentak
        Kapler

        ♫ One of these things doesn’t belong here. One of these things doesn’t belong ♪

        And v1 … hang in there. Things are probably about to turn around. After today’s game with the Braves, the Phillies should go on another hot streak (maybe win 8 of 11).
        Is this team flawed? Of course. But that’s what the trade deadline is for. Fixing your club’s faults. The question Dave Dombrowski needs to ask is this: Can Aaron Nola and Zach Wheeler get back to throwing like they are capable of? If the answer is yes, the rest of their warts (mainly a closer and BOR arm) can be taken care of via trades. If Nola in unfixable this season, and Eflin’s knees aren’t going to get better, then yeah, 2021 is sunk.
        I’m hoping Nola looks good today. This team’s core is not getting younger. By 2023, Harper/Realmuto/Wheeler will almost certainly be on the down side of their careers. IMO, this core’s window is open over the 2021-22 seasons.
        I’ve listed the reasons to go for it a dozen times already (division is avg/key injuries to other contenders/Phillies core is in their prime/extremely friendly remaining schedule/finally have a competent [Hall of Fame] GM).
        DD isn’t going to fork over top prospects for rentals. If he trades a Stott/Howard/Rojas/Marchan, it will be for a guy(s) who will be here thru 2022.

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        1. Hinkie….though, Rojas and Marchan do have players in the system, at their respective positions (OF and catching), that could supplant them in the prospect ranking.
          Moving top prospect pitchers and middle infielders would cause me agita.

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        2. Agree about trading for rentals when it comes to Stott and Howard but I’m not so sure about Rojas/Marchan. Both guys have had bad seasons and have probably seen their stock drop (Rojas moreso I think) so it’s hard to gauge what their value is around the league. I don’t think DD would hesitate to trade them for a player he thought could put us over the top in the playoff race; whether that player exists is another question.

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          1. Marchan is fast and a excellent catcher, i dont get why people cant see that, Why is Rojas stock dropped cause of one season he is only twenty yrs old. really cant figure out why anyone would want to unload a kid who is highly thought of by scouts, makes zero sense,

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            1. I’ve liked Marchan for awhile so I’m not hoping he goes but he’s got a .500 OPS in AAA with 2 XBHs in about 150 PAs. There’s always been a question about how much power he’ll have so it’s very possible other teams look at him and see just a backup catcher; there’s not a ton of value in that.

              About Rojas, there’s nothing special about being 20 at that level. The league leader in OPS is 20. Former Phillie Curtis Mead is 20 and had a .999 OPS in the eastern league, same level. Lots of legit prospects are the same age. I’m through giving the Phillies the benefit of the doubt here. Rojas was really interesting when he was doing well against older players in Williamsport. Now two years later, one level higher and he can’t break a .700 OPS. Is it the old chestnut “he just needs to get stronger”? He’s another lottery ticket type in the mold of Brito, Garcia, Ortiz, etc. Good to have around but not exactly rare and not a top prospect.

              Dombrowski’s MO isn’t to hoard these guys; I wouldn’t get too attached.

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  150. Wow, Amaro roasted Vasquez. Skewed him up, with a little tartar sauce ease the burn. VV is done if they are letting Amaro rip him like this.

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  151. What are the Phillies doing throwing Torreyes out there when the game was out of reach? Knapp was the better option there. He has proven that he can pitch a no run inning before. Besides, it would have been great to see him pitch the ball and then run behind home plate to catch it.

    On a serious note, what is this ridiculous “hold” statistic for pitchers worth? Last night Greg Holland enters the game with a 9-6 lead, gives up two runs, gets pulled, and yet gets credited with a “hold”. I liken it to the closer who comes in with a 3 run lead, gives up 2, gets the final out and a “save”.

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    1. Well yeah, that’s exactly what it is: the non-9th inning version of a save. They should probably stop giving pitchers “blown saves” for blowing leads before the 9th inning and start calling them “blown holds”.

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  152. I have been onboard the go get a Closer and a SP, but last night was just awful. It’s easy to pick on Vinny. He was terrible again. But we didn’t lose 15-12! The hitters didn’t show up. Smyly is not Warren Spahn. Didi has been a huge disappointment both offensively and defensively. Another botched routine grounder. When is Bryce going to get hot and carry the team for 3-4 weeks? Today would be a great start! And Torryes is a much better 3B than our “future Star” Alec Bohm, who cannot play 3B. And Rhys is starting to remind me of Armon Gilliam. You guys remember “the Hammer”? Put up good numbers but his teams didn’t win. When a good team added him they realized his numbers were empty ones. When I hear that Rhys is among the extra base hit leaders, I ask why they never happen in the clutch. Why his ave. With RISP is terrible. His stats are Armon Gilliam stats. So I don’t know how much help we get without trading any of the guys I won’t trade, Abel, Stott, Rhojas, Morales, anyone drafted this year… looking at next season we have Wheeler, Bryce, JTR, maybe Eflin. Where is the rest if the team coming from? Thanks for letting me vent!

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    1. matt13….must be mental for Rhys with runners on 2nd and 3rd…..whereas Cutch…is clutch. Cutch for his career has a .296 BA with RISP….slash of .296/.415/.483.
      Maybe Rhys is pressing too much.

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  153. He needs the men on front to get on base, he has a beautiful swing vs LHP right now, driving the ball the other way.

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  154. Chase Anderson finally back from COVID, Sanchez optioned to LHV. Jankowski on COVID, Moniak takes his place.

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  155. Now 42 on 40 man roster. Haseley and Jankowski are COVID, when they come off the list 2 players will need to be removed from the “40” list.

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    1. Anyone who replaces a player on the 40 for Covid can be taken off it with no repercussions, so there’s no decision to be made for those moves.

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  156. Both Jersey Shore and Reading have 4 starters batting under .200 today. Maybe we should have drafted a few hitters and not so many pitchers.

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    1. I saw he just came up from Low A Threshers today to LHV and pitched 5 innings and only gave up 2 hits and no runs.

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      1. He was one of the bigger signings 4 years ago out of Columbia…over $500K (2nd to Luis Garcia’s $2M plus)…so they must have seen some projection in his arm.

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        1. Pitched 2018 in GCL and half of 2019 in GCL and half of 2019 in Williamsport. 6 starts with the Threshers this year with a 4-1 record.

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  158. Aaron Nola answered the question Dave Dombrowski needed answered. Yes. He can straighten himself out. And now the POBO knows he has the TOR to compete. Circumstances (I’ve listed them ad nauseam) dictate the Phillies need to go all in/buy. I’m confident the team will go on a nice little run here this week (vs Nats and Pirates). DD will be wheeling and dealing.

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    1. Scherzer was pulled yesterday…..so he still may be hurting, or he may be packing and headed out .

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      1. Sherzer has 10 and 5 rights so he isn’t going anywhere without his permission. And Boras is saying that the acquiring team needs to give him an extension before he waives it. So with Sherzer being nicked up and his no trade protection, I doubt he’s going anywhere.

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        1. He will go……he will not refuse a chance to get to the WS again….Boras can lament all he wants.

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        2. I’d give him an extension to come here depending on the prospects we’d give up. I wouldn’t give up anything of value for a player making what he makes.

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    2. Nola pitched 7.2 scoreless innings against the Yankees 6/13 then followed it up with 6 ER in 2.1 IP his next start. Then 5.1 scoreless with 12 Ks followed by 7 ER against the Marlins. One start doesn’t mean he’s “back” and I hope DD doesn’t look at it that way.

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      1. Nola…..GameScores….20 starts
        1. 8 starts GSc …..55 or over
        2. 3 starts……………50-54
        3. 5 starts……………40-49
        4. 4 starts……………less than 40
        ………..basically somewhere between a number 3 or 4 in a rotation.
        His next 12 or so starts he needs to put the metal to the pedal.

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        1. Romus you so negative, Nola the little i watched, cause of the horse races, Had a 95 mph fast ball, when he is 94 and above he is good,

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          1. LOL…….just the facts.
            He is just not consistent this year……but he has 12 more starts to right the ship.

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            3. I like his chances against some weak offenses. His next start will be against PIT who just sold off on of their best bats and then Washington. We’ll see how he does. The good news is it seems to be all mechanical and they know what he’s doing wrong.

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  159. Jhailyn Ortiz appears to have finally had his breakthrough year. Two homers again today and a double. Now that he’s good – seems so likely they will trade him. Kinda feeling sick about it.

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  162. I’m not sure how much action there will be for the trading deadline since teams are hoarding their prospects (as well they should be). For example, look at the Rockies. They can’t compete with LAD/SF/SD in the NL West. They should be tearing it all down. They have Trevor Story and Jon Gray as FAs. A decade ago, they would have easily gotten 2 top 100 prospects for them. Now, they’ll be lucky to get even 1. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to just give both of them the QO? If the Phillies gave Abrahan Gutierrez for Jon Gray, is that better for the Rockies than a second round draft pick? Gutierrez is not even in the Phillies top 30 (although he probably should be). What does this mean? This means that unless teams move off their prices, there won’t be that much movement. And I think you’ll see the QO start coming into play more than ever. The Rockies are not going to give their players away nor should they.

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    1. Teams are between a rock and a hard place, when stars want out in free agency, without signing an extension.
      Rockies have no leverage…must sell low if they want to recoup anything at all.
      Sox did a good job with Betts last year, trading him before spring training….and getting basically just Verdugo. Jeter Downs can still become a player but better play better than he did last night vs the Pigs.

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    1. I don’t think either guy goes 4 innings. Sorry, I still root for Spencer, but the team has done nothing to help him become a 6 inning Pitcher. Moore is a crapshoot. He went 5 last outing only because we thought 6 runs allowed was ok. SP is the necessity by Friday, not a Closer. And, I wouldn’t have believed that I would have said that a few weeks ago.

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  164. I definitely want to see what the Padres gave for Frazier. The Pirates sold high on Frazier. Frazier is starter level but he’s having a career year in 2021. He’s still under arbitration for 2022.

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    1. Source: RHP Michell Miliano is the third player going to Pittsburgh from Sam Diego with SS Tucupita Marcano and OF Jake Suwinski in exchange for UT Adam Frazier.

      So the Padres gave up their #5 prospect (Marcano, not in the top 100) and the other 2 are not in the Padres top 30. So basically the Padres gave them a non top 100 prospect and 2 lotto tickets. The Pirates lowered their price. And from what I’m hearing, Pirates fans are pissed.

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      1. Padres have the next two months with him….then his final control arb year next season, then he is a free agent.
        Pirates fan base may be pissed….but he turns 30 before next season, and they would have probably lost him for less next July.

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      2. Marcano sounds a little bit Stott-like but he’s younger and doing better at a higher level.

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  165. I don’t know if this name has been talked about, but I was listening to DD talk during the Pregame Live show and Sam Fuld as well recently. Fuld mentioned St. Louis by name as a team that wasn’t sure what they were doing and DD mentioned talking to a club with a better record than the Phillies… which I think may have been the Cardinals.

    Adam Wainwright would fit our rotation perfectly and Girardi is familiar with Andrew Miller from NYY. Idk if the Cardinals would move Wainwright but I could see the Phillies getting Miller as they like to acquire Girardi guys.

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  166. I know Segura has taken a lot of heat, but he was huge today offensively and defensively. He is our best hitter this year and deserves some recognition.

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