319 thoughts on “Phillies Discussion, 7/22/24”

1. Jim. That is a really good point that the demands may lessen as the deadline approaches. Like you I hope the Phillies bounce back to the way they have played most of the season. Game 1 at Pittsburgh was ugly. Nice to read your write up on Tyler. Perseverance is really beneficial for some guys as they chase their dream.

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2. Hope the Phillips ‘wave’ goes all the way thru to the play-offs. The Philies could use that extra pitching spurt…as for Taijuan Walker, when he is ready will the Phillies send Phillips back down to LHV and activate Walker…seems that will be what they like to do.

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   1. That decision is likely a month away. A lot can happen between now and then. But, yes, if Walker were coming back tomorrow, there’s no doubt in my mind that Phillips would be optioned.

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      1. Although, there is some talk about a 6-man rotation for a while during the second half to keep the top 3 starters fresh.

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3. Just heard that Tait and Caba were promoted to Clearwater.

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   1. Nice

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   2. Is there a reason why Rickardo Perez (age 20, .845 OPS) wasn’t promoted? I guess he’s blocked by Dakota Katowski at 1B at Clearwater?

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      1. Yes.

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4. BTW, spoke with Joe Jordan at the Complex on Saturday. Who do we like from Texas? Robertson? Again?

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   1. Kirby Yates

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      1. Would be a great addition. Guy is nasty. Also a rental. So wouldn’t cost us a top guy. I can see an Aldegheri for Yates deal.

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5. Only name I see here mentioned for Phillies is Tanner Scott. Reason given is because of Braves and Dodgers left-handed hitters. Since Phillies are in rain delay been switching back and forth between Tigers and Reds games. Skubal is really good. I would not trade him if I were Tigers. Also, why some announcers claim it is hard to make an error in MLB anymore. DeLaCruz hits a ball to right of Riley and his throw is in the dirt and Olson has it bounce out of glove as he scoops it up. He is out by 3 steps if throw is good, or Olson makes pickup. Scorer gives him a hit. Soley based on he is a fast runner. Did not require a great play by Riley for the out.

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6. I have felt all along that Robertson could do another Philly tour. He is known and even though he has his warts, he can sometimes be very effective — and he is not going to cost another Ben Brown – even though I adhere to the flags last forever – and he along with others made ’22’s flag possible. That said I would not be at all surprised if he returned. He’s not my first or third choice but I guess he can still do it.

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   1. ……. that would leave me weak.

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7. Jason Adam of Tampa Bay is choice # 1. Trade Klassen for him.

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8. Yet another sloppy game – no offense against Cy Young for the Twins. I’m disappointed our team looks so inept.

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9. I posted a few weeks ago that Marte should be at Reading. Not even LHV. Look at his LHV stats this year and tell me he should be in the major leagues. They weren’t going to win anyway, but how discouraging must it be for the team to think you could be down two runs going into the 9th and have a chance and then find yourself down five runs with no chance. Bring up Lazar or somebody. Stubbs couldn’t do much worse.

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   1. Its clear from the time they got Marte they were enamored with his stuff and thought they could mold him into something special. But how many chances does he get before they pull the plug? Seems like hes had a ridiculous amount of chances and the same thing happens every time. Some guys just don’t put it all together. The Phillies seem to like guys who couldnt put it all together elsewhere and try to help them do that here, and its worked with a few guys. But I agree, time to cut their losses. No reason he should be up over Lazar.

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10. Bullpen upgrades could be for the spots held by Marte and Ruiz first. Soto has improved greatly over last month while Dominguez has had home run issues and Strahm and Alvarado have been less effective. I believe we have some dead arm issues and hopefully the break gave them some needed rest for the 2nd half.

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11. Since June 1st:

    Mets……27-15

    Phils……23-19

    Braves…22-22

    Nats…….21-23

    Phillies better hope the Mets do not catch and surpass the Braves for that play-off spot.

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    1. Any team that makes it is going to be a threat to the Phillies who will be off for a week before the playoffs start. I don’t view the Mets to be especially more troublesome than the Braves and I expect the Mets to get one of the two wild card slots.

       As for the team being in trouble – they aren’t. That said, they need another reliable bullpen arm or two (please, please, no more David Robertson – how many times can we have the same failed experiment with the same player ?- Please stop!) and they probably need a righty outfield bat. Everything else should work itself out and I expect them to have at least one more red hot stretch. They should still win between 97-103 games. This is a very good team and every team has down periods throughout the season. In their down period, they are still playing over .500 ball (from June 1) – they should be fine.

       But when the playoffs start, that whole season means nothing and they can’t be flat.

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       1. By the way, I expect that, like Weston Wilson, Lazar probably will get a chance here soon. Marte has good stuff, but he just doesn’t throw strikes and when he does, they aren’t quality strikes. This is a new era. Throwing 97 or 99, means nothing if you can’t throw strikes and command the strike zone.

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       2. I view the Mets as more troublesome then the Braves……Braves have lost too many stars…..and pitching in the play-offs comes to the forefront….Fried is looking like he is now leaking oil. And as for the 35-year old Sale….his play-offs have been mediocre at best and it has been three years removed now from his latest play-off experience. The team that is on a roll over the last two/three weeks of the season is the team to be wary of. Now the Mets’ starters are nothing special right now….with an average over 4FIP so far, so they may falter come Sep.

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12. Romus. That is a nice breakdown. I watched some last night and thought the Phillies looked good for the first 4 batters and then nothing. It is correct that teams go through these lulls. They showed last night on MLB that Mariners have lost a 10-game lead to Astros since June 19th. Hopefully it does not extend for a long period. Team really has not been good since that trip to London. Seemed to take something out of most though it is obvious not the Mets. So, no excuse. Someone posted awhile back the workload of the BP guys and showed it was pretty well distributed among them. Really should not be dead arms with them because Phillies starters have more games going deep in the game than other teams. Some of the leaders need to step up now and right the ship. That is what leaders are for. Bring the ship back on course when it kind of drifts off course for a while. I agree this is a really good team one of the best this season. But as one watches more games it is also obvious this team has some issues than must be corrected by the playoffs. Playoffs are a completely different animal now. Not the two best teams over the marathon season. Rather it is who manages to get in one of the six spots and then who plays the best the next couple weeks. Last season was perfect example. Rangers and Dbacks were not the 2 best teams. But they were for a couple weeks. They have the flags to prove it.

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    1. Dombrowski has to make a move…..needs to do something to put a spark into this group. He will probably make the trade that could get them re-energized again. It may not be a huge trade, but something around the edges.

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       1. I agree standing pat may not get it done in the end. The tricky part is what does get it done. Only thing I now see almost daily is something on Tanner Scott because of Braves and Dodgers lefthanded bats. But you brought up it is possible Mets move past Braves now. So now more wrinkles. I remember the season Dom Brown had that great first half and then really pretty average rest of time with Phillies. Hoping some of the guys who had those great first halves do not fall victim. Plus, you know now that Braves and Dodgers with all the injuries they have had are most likely going to be active the next week or so. That needs to be taken into account as well. Saw Tommy Pham hit one out last night for Sox. But most things I see they have cooled on most outfield guys. I would love to have Rooker in the lineup. It is amazing to me that he cannot play in the field. Saw it mentioned he has not played on defense since May 30. Wow. Wow. He looks more athletic than that. One thing is certain something will or will not happen in the next few days.

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       2. Romus. Real quick mention. Travel ball ends this week. Grandkid plays in K.C. Believe Bulls have facility there now. That is, it. Some schools start this week. Many do next week. All by 2nd week of August here in Indiana. Where did the summer go?

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          1. Dang….schools do not start around here until around Labor Day or the week thereafter.

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             1. It is crazy here in Indiana. We have some who are on a balanced schedule. They have a fall break of 2 weeks, 2 at end of year and 2 at spring and then think 6 for summer. They may be back by now. State Fair begins Aug. 2. Probably two thirds of schools back in session by then. It is nuts here.

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13. Cubs might make Neris available.

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    1. As far as I’m concerned, Hector would be a fine addition. We have a bunch of a guys who have been great (Hoffman, Strahm, Kerkering), a few guys who have been inconsistent (Alvarado and Soto), one guy who just hasn’t been good (Seranthony, sadly), a mop up man (Ruiz) and then the abyss (Mercado, Marte, Brogdon). We could use an extra solid guy at the very least. Hector can do that. He would help the team.

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14. For a while I’ve had in mind the image of a well paid Phillies team sitting uncomfortably on thick wallets. In particular guys getting paid like All Stars without the performance and guys who appeared to be on the trajectory to stardom who have stalled or taken a step back.

    Nothing would help more than the adrenaline a hot shot prospect called up and performing at a high level on a daily basis. Every team could use that but a veteran team getting ‘more veteran’ all the time could really benefit from that. The Phils have gotten a little of this from Marchan and Clemens but not enough to be sustained. I don’t think a daily dose of adrenaline is forthcoming from the system this year.

    But next year, an older Phillies will likely benefit from such adrenaline even more. I hope the Phils at this trade deadline don’t deprive themselves of a near term boost that a Crawford, Rincones, or possibly Miller might offer the team this time next year.

    The Phils don’t have a great history of developing quality starting pitching. They seem to be getting better with that lately. The Ben Brown for David Robertson trade is not one many of us look back on fondly. But that might well be the blueprint for the kind of deal they craft this year to address a need in the bullpen.

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    1. If the Phillies get 3 months of David Robertson in 2022 and 2024 in exchange for Ben Brown and Samuel Aldegheri, I’ll be pretty incensed. No . . . more . . . David . . . Robertson.

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15. I know the “they dont have to go big they just need to fix a few pieces” sentiment has become very common here. I just don’t agree with it. Make a splash. Robert, Arozerena, Rooker, whatever. I thought we learned our lessons over the years about clutching on to prospects.

    Love the Kirby Yates idea as a rental, but along with that I want a big bat.

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    1. Dan. I have seen Yates pitch some and he has been good most of the time. I think he would work fine. My pick of your outfield guys if he could play outfield is Rooker. But apparently, he cannot. He would be a great addition in the lineup. He is a pure hitter. I have seen him a few times because if I see the A’s leading late in a game, I might tune in to watch Miller. Neither disappoints with what they do. If the Phillies were to go Big as you hope Miller would be my choice. He can hide some of the deficiencies they have at present. I would be all for Rooker’s bat but see no fit for him with Phillies. Who of the contenders needs a DH? Most likely where Rooker lands. Not Braves or Dodgers but I do not know where.

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    2. I agree on Yates and I agree on Arozarena or Lane Thomas. Don’t think either move needs to involve A list Phillies’ prospects. Those would be significant, move the needle moves. I could live with that even if Skubal went to the Dodgers, Robert to the Braves, Rooker to the Yankees and Crochet to the Orioles.

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       1. Arozarena and Lane Thomas are not rentals. They will likely cost the Phillies Caba.

          The Braves don’t have a history of trading for high priced players. They will likely be looking for rentals. Not to mention that their farm system is not great.

          The Orioles need to get Skubal and they have the prospects to do it.

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          1. Braves are in a little different situation now than they usually are though; many more injuries. We’ll see, you may be right. If they do decide to write the year off and not go for a splash thats all the more reason the phillies should imo.

             Lane Thomas shouldnt cost Caba. Arozarena, yeah. Id trade Caba and a second piece for Arozerena though. At some point you have to go for it while they have this core in tact. If Caba ends up being great, it is what it is. We can always get him back when Tampa inevitably puts him on the market when its time to pay him lol

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             1. Lane Thomas shouldn’t cost Caba, but I think people will be surprised at how much trade value it will take to get the players that they want.

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                1. Genuinely baffled by how many people think this is the move. Lane is fine. Hes basically league average. Do people really think that only using him vs lefties is going to make him that much better? That is not a “go for the title” move imo.

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                2. I like Lane as an acquisition candidate. He is a perfect platoon with Marsh. He mashes LHP.

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16. As to Neris – he is highly likely to move because he makes $8 M and has a contract that if he reaches certain appearances he is locked into next year also at $ 8 M and he is not far from that number. He is going to be expensive and his metrics this year show the following : walks up ; k’s down ; whip up ; and slightly more homers. He looks good on the surface but is “down” from what we remember.

    Jason Adam or Kirby Yates is who they need.

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17. Just seeing an article where Passan says the asking price for Miller is so high that even the most desperate teams for a closer have said no. Heyman has said he stays in Oakland for a week or so now.

    Those 4 guys sure could help those teams. Yikes. Other than Skubal all has some issues as well. Rooker vs Stanton. The other two are high risk injury guys who will command a big haul. Guess Skubal is my pick, but I do not see Tigers letting him go. Just my opinion. I watched him last night during rain delay. He does not disappoint either.

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    1. I found it useful to stick names to moves one could envision contending teams making. Such moves would (I) improve teams by addressing needs, (ii) cost heavily from the farm systems of teams buying at the deadline and (III) not guarantee any team success or make them the odds-on favorite to become 2024 champs. I think the same could be said were the Phillies pushing all their chips to the center of the table this year.

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18. Is there going to be a 2024 Draft Tracker on the site? I enjoyed keeping up with who has signed and for how much?

    On a side note, I was watching the rain delay coverage last night and there was a segment on the London Series. Next thing I know- I am on TV. I was the guy in the powder blue jersey who saluted then was kissed by the Phanatic outside Buckingham Palace after I said- “I’ve been looking all over for you.” Totally shocked to see myself.

    Ok back to the more important discussion now… I love Rooker but didn’t realize he can’t play OF (well). It’s been a very quiet deadline so far, but things should heat up by the weekend.

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    1. Congrats on making prime time Rain-Delay TV Philly……and with so many teams still in the play-off hunt, there are fewer teams that are sellers, so the slow trading. Whenever you increase total play-off team numbers this circumstance can occur…….MLB should think about extending the deadline until Aug 15th or just flex it between EOM July and mid-August.

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       1. Romus. TV would only catch you if you were at the bonfire with your bat.

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    2. There is a draft tracker, it’s just not on the site drop-down menu. You can find the link to it in the Draft Day 3 post towards the bottom of Jim’s write-up.

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       1. Found the tracker- Thanks Dan K

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19. Thanks, I was reading through the Day 3 post but I must not have gone down far enough.

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20. I saw earlier today that Phillies had signed 2 or the top 5 picks. I did not read article so do not know who was signed.

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    1. Don…14th rounder, LHP Spencer, from the Indy Sycamores, got away, is headed for Texas Longhorns…..there is a $150K savings there.

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       1. Romus. 3 letters. NIL. It is crazy right now. He was a lefty relief pitcher. They said pretty good but control issues. My guess in Texas he is going to get between $300 and $400 thousand. Being a pitcher maybe more. Saw today that they say Deion Sanders kid and another at Colorado may be the highest NIL guys. Skenes’s gal is supposed to be the most. The LSU gymnast. Just on a local basis. There is a kid at Greenfield who has blown up this summer on the basketball circuit. Braylon Mullins. A year ago, simply a nice high school player. Now a top 2025 recruit and considered the best shooter in the class. My grandson played against him in elementary, junior high and first two years of high school. In fact, two of Mullins classmates are on my grandson’s travel team this summer. He is a good athlete. Not a great one. But he can do what many cannot do. He can shoot the ball. Everyone wants the kid now. He just gave a final 10. All the top teams on it. No doubt in my mind he will get over a Million dollars to sign with one of these teams for the 2025 season Go to CBS and read about the SMU alum billionaire David Miller who decided SMU is going to be relevant again. There is no better time to be a college athlete. The $$$s being tossed around in unreal. Plus, it is all legal now.

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       2. Only a savings to the Phillies purse. Under slot signings for picks 11 thru 20 offer no additional dollars to apply to picks 1 thru 10.

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          1. Yeah…shame MLB does not have any pathway where they can divert those monies to other areas….like say international allotment. In the grand scheme of things $150K is not much, but to some kid from the DR or Ven it could mean something.

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             1. Romus. I doubt that most MLB teams are too concerned over $150,000. One thing I am surprised about is that MLB has not adopted that draft picks can be traded like in NFL and NBA. This is 2024. Just think what the Pirates would have been offered last year for the rights to draft Skenes. Skenes was a known commodity unlike many others. Yankees, Dodgers, Phillies, and anyone else with lots of money and players would have been lining up at the counter. Miller might have had some but not like Skenes. He was still somewhat unknown. Gosh the Twins guy was throwing 102 last night. Prediction. When is the first 110 mph pitch thrown? It will happen.

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21. “Genuinely baffled by how many people think this is the move. Lane is fine. Hes basically league average. Do people really think that only using him vs lefties is going to make him that much better? That is not a “go for the title” move imo.”

    “Go for the title” is a needle in need of threatening. A team with many major contracts going off the books imminently has to protect its investment and go all in. The Phils aren’t that team and has a success window beyond this season.

    Thomas, like Castellanos, is having a less productive power year than last year. Acquiring him now I see as a ‘buy low” move.

    The Phils now have neither a successor for Castellanos when his contract expires in 2026 nor a fill-in if he were injured tomorrow. Lane Thomas offers value now and in the future. He’s not an All Star but, instead, is that valuable complementary piece with value to teams competing for a title. He’s strong where Marsh is weak; hitting left-handed pitching.

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22. @jonmorosi

    The Phillies are looking at rotation upgrades. Garrett Crochet (White Sox) and Jack Flaherty (Tigers) are among the options they’ve discussed. The Phillies are hopeful that Taijuan Walker will return to their rotation in August.

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23. Morosi thinks Crochet and Flaherty are on the Phillies want list….both starters.

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    1. Romus. Wow on Crochet. Lots of reservations on my part. I have heard Flaherty being mentioned for many teams. Crochet may be sent to BP to cut back on innings. He is past what he has ever pitched at this point in a season. Whatever happened to your Sox closer. Drawing a blank on name at the moment. Do not see his name anywhere. Is he hurt?

       Personally, I want the Phillies to go for it to win. But it is so hard to win now. It is really a catch 22 deal. Mortgage the future for a shot at the gold ring this year. Not like back in our day when the two best teams at season’s end played a potential 7 game WS

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       1. Don….agree…..why mortgage the future if it does not get the ring…and for 29 teams or every one in the play-offs but one, it will not.

          How about this trade….Walker and Pache for Crochet and Robert….think the Sox will buy off on that?

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          1. Romus. I am sure they will. Skenes has 4 shutout innings so far. Pirates may regret leaving him down those first few weeks. They are really close to a WC spot I think now.

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    2. This doesn’t make any sense, the starting pitching is not the issue. I can understand going after Crochet because he’s controllable, but the Phillies have 5 starters under contract next season and Tyler Phillips and Andrew Painter. And Crochet will most certainly cost the Phillies Aidan Miller plus others.

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       1. Morosi isn’t the most reliable source. Especially for Phillies rumors (which are notoriously hard to come by, for some reason). Honestly, outside of like… Gelb and Jim, you can generally ignore whatever people are saying the Phillies are interested in. There used to be a couple other reporters that were pretty tapped into the Phils, but they’ve moved to other jobs.

          Morosi is the guy that reported Ohtani was flying to Toronto even though that never happened, by the way. Just to throw out a pretty famous example of him talking just to talk.

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          1. Teams in general have been very tight-lipped the last few years. I listen to our own beat guys and that’s about it.

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24. Skenes on mound tonight against Cards. At least Phils missed him.

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    1. We give you a territory in your home stomping grounds and give you a tag “Hoosier Don” and we are losing recruits like Spencer. You are supposed to be explaining that money isn’t everything. Exploit the “for the love of the game” aspect, ….. sheesh!

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       1. Bribe him with cheesesteaks.

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          1. Think Spencer may be eating big T-bones instead of cheesesteaks. They have Big Tex steakhouses where if you eat a 64 oz. steak, salad, and baked potato in an hour you get meal for free. Watched 3 guys try to do it one night in Amarillo. They were unsuccessful. So had to pay.

             Skenes has gone 8 but trails 1-0. May lose 1st game. Only 91 pitches so he may go out to 9th.

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             1. Don ……… lived in Nebraska for 9 years. They had a restaurant, “Cattleman’s Mining Company. Specialty was “prime rib”, if you ate the first one, they’d give you the 2nd one free if you ate everything including the sides. The baked potato was the size of a football!😄

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                1. Same thing in Big Tex. Salad and baked potato were huge. They had guys up on a stage like area so all could watch.

                   Phillies offense is kind of stagnant right now. Skenes gave up a run-in top of 9th so trails 2-1 when taken out.

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       2. That is too funny. I like “Hoosier Don” Sometimes you get the Longhorn and sometimes the Longhorn gets you. Longhorns have lots of greenbacks out on the prairie. The amount of money these kids are getting is unreal right now. Even these 3rd year college kids are going to be able to get more than signing a baseball contract. Soon a scholarship to a major college will be a thing of the past. Basically, they are now.

          Skenes gave up a homerun to Arrenado so trailing 1-0 bottom of 6th. HR was an 83-mph changeup. Then struck out the next 3.

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25. Nori signed for $2.5m. Over $1.3m under slot. So that was the strategy in what was widely considered a weak draft. Take a below slot first rounder and an above slot second rounder.

    Two high upside college bats in 3rd and 4th and then high velo relievers in last 10 rounds.

    Solid strategy.

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    1. Now I guess we’ll see Spikerman come in, huh?

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    2. With the way we’ve been converting pitching projects into viable major leaguers lately, this honestly seems like the ideal draft strategy this year. I gotta imagine at least one of those guys will end up on the major league bullpen in the next few years.

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       1. That’s my view as well. If we take 10 high velo relievers in rounds 11-20 and one of them becomes a productive MLB reliever then that’s a great outcome.

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    3. Sorry. $720k under slot

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26. The Burkholder deal is not official, though the Phillies have put pen to paper with their picks in all 20 rounds except the second, third, fifth and 14th.

    https://www.nbcsportsphiladelphia.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news/phillies-sign-dante-nori-mlb-draft/600203/?amp=1

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27. Bleacher Report has updated farm system rankings after the MLB draft and the Phillies were at #11.

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28. Removing Hoffman for Soto in a tied game with men on. Someone please give me whatever Thomson is taking. He clearly sees things that other people can’t.

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    1. Soto made 9 pitches, 2 of which were strikes, to get the win. The game would be weirder if the ball was square — but not by much.

       Maybe Topper figured out the advantage to using his most reliable relievers — Hoffman and Strahm — in the 8th and 9th. It’s infuriating the way Thomson uses lesser relievers in the highest leverage situations.

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29. Assume you are referring to ‘lesser relievers’ like one Gregory  Soto,

     his splits over the last 10 games-or month facing 37 batters are 

    BA against- .161…OBP-.297 and SLG-.161…with 4 BBs. 

    Perhaps Top has seen a turn around for him.

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    1. Interesting choice of sample size for a guy like Soto who has been in Philly for a while. His agent would love the case you make. Your sample likely includes no work in high leverage, late game situations such as yesterday. That’s a small sample size, too, but hardly unique.

       The Phils are going to use Soto; I get it. With Soto’s history in Philly, it’s managerial malpractice to lift Hoffman for Soto in the 8th inning of a tie game. Soto had a left-on-left advantage which he promptly gave away by walking the first batter. He’s not a high percentage strike thrower in a league where hitters are increasingly accustomed to relievers offering velocity like Soto’s.

       Much like with Alvarado, when Soto combusts late in a game there’s scarce time for cleanup. I’m sure it’s not just fans in casual wear but players in uniform who find that demoralizing.

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       1. Evidently the one person not finding it demoralizing is the manager….he keeps putting him out there in those situations. I doubt Dombrowski, or anyone in higher management, will tell Top what to do when it comes to late game bullpen usage. More than likely decision are made after discussions between the manager, the PC and the bullpen coach.

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          1. I realize that managers who listen too much with the fans end up sitting in the stands with them.

             I realize also that I can’t persuade you of things your eyes can’t. Soto could perhaps close for a non-contending team like the Tigers but most of the free World can see that Soto is not the answer for what the Phils need at crunch time — cause Soto is the one crunched. I take no joy in pointing out the obvious in his case.

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30. I will ask,if DD is truly looking at SP… is it really out of the question Harper goes back to RF? Im sure if you asked him, he would, if it means a better offense/Overall Team.

    Also… it is really really weird to not see even 1 Trout rumor…Maybe this is the year it finally happens 😂

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    1. Harper is not returning to the OF, especially to RF. Also, not sure how him returning to RF makes the team better?

       Who’s playing 1b?

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       1. if Harpernis willing & able to go to RF, it opens the door for a Vladimir Guerrero Jr trade. Something a lot of possibilities. You episode think the Phils SP is set for playoff ball but rumors are swirling they are looking to bolster the SR… seems fishy but maybe if it’s true I can see them entertaining harper in RF for a playoff run, then back to 1B next year

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          1. Vlad Jr. is not a rental, he’s under contract for 1 more year. If the Blue Jays are smart, they trade him now. I’m sure they can get 1 top 50 prospect and maybe another just out of the top 100.

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    2. Harper at 1B is minimum league average defensively. In RF, he still has a good arm but his range isn’t great, and it’s reflected in his negative dWar.

       I guess you didn’t hear that Trout had to cut his rehab short because he’s still feeling soreness in his surgically repaired knee. That ship has sailed. With his injury history, he’s a DH waiting to happen. The Phillies shouldn’t want any part of Trout’s remaining contract.

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       1. Guru. I am sorry. I had not scrolled down past Tac. I did not aim to say what you had already posted.

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    3. Tac. I just saw something this morning that said his knee still has soreness in it. Thinking he is due to come off IL maybe.

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31. Oh boy, MLB Trade Rumors notes that the trade market for rental Mark Canha is “robust”. Prices are going to be high…

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    1. With all of the these teams that are in contention, it’s a serious supply-demand curve issue. People are going to overpay for plug-n-play pieces (like Brent Rooker) by a LOT I suspect. Yet another reason the team should consider a value-for-value trade like the one made for Logan O’Hoppe that netted Brandon Marsh. That was just sheer brilliance.

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       1. As much as I like Marsh I’d rather have O’Hoppe. Supposedly we had a CF problem and we did and Marsh was the answer (then) now we know he’s not. And we can also infer the FO or the manager doesn’t even believe he is an everyday player.

          O’Hoppe is a stud and likely to be for a long time. It was an overpay on our side without any question IMO.

          Those who try and defend it will point to a WS appearance but here we are still with a CF problem and a catcher who’s age is really starting to show.

          Maybe not by looking at JT because he’s in incredible shape but the bat has been on steady decline and this meniscus issue for a catcher is no joke.

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          1. We’ve had this debate for several years.

             I like O’Hoppe too. In fact, I HATED the trade when it was made. But it was made when Realmuto had 3 and a half years left on his contract and was the best catcher in baseball. There was no place for O’Hoppe to play for almost 4 years. They got Marsh who filled an immediate hole and, by the next year, he was already a 4 WAR player with more possible upside. Right now, O’Hoppe projects to have similar WAR, also with more possible upside.

             But the point is this. The team traded a young, affordable, very good player at a position where he would have been blocked for another young, affordable, very good player at a position of need. Under the circumstances, this was a brilliant trade even if you think O’Hoppe might be better than Marsh.

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          2. DMAR……if Marsh trimmed his beard would you like him more?

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             1. Romus. I would be happy if he would swing at pitches right down the middle of the plate. Just seems he has taken several really good pitches for strike 3 lately like a few minutes ago. Runners on 2nd and 3rd no outs and no ball beyond the grass on infield. Ouch.

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                1. Yeah…..taking a dead-red pitch, they must be guessing, wrong.

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             2. LOL Romus, I love the Kid either way. I can love him and still think it wasn’t an equal value trade.

                I’m not an all hail DD guy. He’s made some decent moves and some I would consider not so good.

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                1. I’m not an all hail DD guy, either. Some of his FA signings were not good at all – the Castellanos and Walker signings were pretty bad. But the Marsh deal was pretty ingenious, again, even if you think O’Hoppe might be better than Marsh (debatable, but I get it), because they wouldn’t have been able to play O’Hoppe and Marsh was plugged in right away.

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                2. This team was built by Middelton’s money and to a lesser extent Klentak, of all people, and Amaro.

                   Realmuto-Klentak trade.

                   Harper-Middleton’s money and under Klentak although scuttlebutt at the time was Klentak preferred Machado.

                   Stott-drafted under Klentak

                   Turner-Middelton’s money

                   Bohm-drafted under Klentak

                   Marsh-a DD trade

                   Rojas-international FA under Klentak

                   Casty-Middelton’s money

                   Schwarber-Middelton’s money.

                   Wheeler-Middelton’s money.

                   Nola-drafted under Amaro

                   Suarez-international FA under Amaro

                   Sanchez-Klentak trade

                   Walker-Middelton’s money

                   Where DD deserves credit is building a solid bullpen for the most part.  

                   Feel free to correct anything above that is incorrect. Other opinions welcome.

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             3. Romus ………. speaking of long hair ……. how did you like when O’Neil Cruz got tug out by his hair the other day. I guess that’s what they mean when they say “I was having a bad hair day.”

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          3. This, dmar.

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             1. That’s great work by you above NL 🙂

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32. Got it…….concerning Marsh, cannot be traded to the Yankees…..they have a grooming clause for players in their org. Marsh would need to introduce himself to a barber. Their policy….no beads. no mutton chops. no long hair. no long stirrups.” The policy though has since been amended to read: “All players, coaches, and male executives are forbidden to display any facial hair other than mustaches (except for religious reasons), and scalp hair may not be grown below the collar. Kind of like a military concept philosophy.

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    1. Romus. The Phillies had 5 runners on in first two innings with less than two outs and both ended with 2 Ks. Wow. Baseball is my favorite. But I am not a huge fan of the way the game is played today. Young kids play the same way. Last night Pirtates got leadoff man on trailing 1-0 and announcer said Grandal had to bunt. Other said not likely. Said teams do not want to give away any outs. Taking strike 3 on a pitch right down the middle to me is giving away an out. Anyway, Grandal hits a one hopper back to pitcher and double play. Even the Cards pitcher was like saying Thank you. Next guy a single. But no runs.

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33. Oddly enough the only players hitting anymore are Casty, Harper and Trea. It is almost near impossible to score any runs. Casty’s numbers from June 1st, despite all the haters, are quite good per a Matt Gelb article today in Athletic. He sports an .810 OPS since June 1st which is 15th best among NL OF ; has a .770 OPS since May 1 which is 19th among NL OF. Now I know that doesn’t change his range but I am not surprised to see him have a much better second half – he almost had to !!!! Still not what we might like for consistency but he has shown up lately.

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    1. RU. To me here on TV so many of the at bats simply are not very good at bats by several guys. Swing at bad pitches and take good pitches. Not going to score much if several guys are doing that.

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    2. He’s definitely been hitting better lately, but to hold up being the 15th best OF in the NATIONAL LEAGUE (not even in baseball, just the NL) as some kind of accomplishment to me is crazy. He’s 23rd by the same parameters in all of MLB, by the way. And 23rd for a bat-first player is just not good. And when I say, “bat-first” I should really be saying, “bat-only”. He’s literally DEAD LAST in UZR/150 among all qualified OFs.

       So yeah, good for him for not being an offensive anchor all year long. But even during this turn-around, he’s not hitting nearly well enough to be considered a good OF.

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       1. Agreed. Castellanos is a bad baseball player. He is terrible defensively. Has poor strike zone judgement (tied for 6th worst strike zone judgement in all MLB), and is a very mediocre hitter. The guy has a sub .300 OB%. And I just hate watching him play. I think that he plays the game the wrong way. His kid seems cool though.

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          1. I would rather see Justin Crawford in RF then Castellanos. Yes, Crawford likely won’t hit enough to be a viable RF but his defense alone should get him positive WAR (and more than what Castellanos is producing).

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             1. You can’t have 2 outfielders (Rojas and Crawford) who can’t hit MLB pitching along with Marsh who can’t hit LHP.

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34. Don’t understand continuing to play an injured Marsh at this point. Guy’s elbow is obviously hurting and it’s impacting his swing.

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    1. Possibly his fielding too. The key play in LF today he seemed to slow a lot down near the fence. I remember Bryce doing that after he hurt his elbow

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35. What a brutal loss. Kerkering has another meltdown and Soto gets a guy to second by plunking a guy and then throwing a wild pitch. That is classic Soto.

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    1. It’s even worse because Strahm actually did everything he needed to in order to get them out of that jam as well. Groundball that we just couldn’t turn for a double play, then a fly ball that Marsh just misses.

       Time for a team meeting, because your SP shouldn’t need to literally give up 0 runs in order for the team to win games. And since the break, those are the only two games we’ve won.

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36. 2nd game in a row where Aaron Nola left with a 3 run lead and the team lost it for him. Could be 13-4 right now.

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37. The Phillies have a history of stinking it up vs interleague teams. They need to clean that crap up.

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38. I would have guessed Realmuto’s return to a team with 8 All Stars would’ve have spurred a take-off. Instead it’s marked the continuation of the opposite, playing a team without its best player, Correa, who is one of their 2 All Stars.

    The Phils are not doing well against low budget, gritty, non-star laden teams. Maybe such teams won’t make it to the playoffs reducing that reason to worry.

    The Phils are being exposed and showing more gaps than were evident a month ago when some could reasonably endorse standing pat at the deadline. Now the Phils look like one of a half dozen clear contenders, but certainly no front runner. The Phils’ recent performance argues against going all in. A team playing like they are now won’t go far in the playoffs no matter who they acquire in the coming week.

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39. It has also become clear they need at least 2 tough relief pitchers who can pitch in high leverage innings. These blowups can’t continue.

    Jason Adam , Pete Fairbanks , Kirby Yates (if Texas sells) , Yimi Garcia

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40. Is there a way to access the draft tracker other than going through the Day 3 draft post?

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    1. Well you just need the URL, so the easiest way would be to Bookmark it on your browser.

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41. Klaw has new rankings:

    20: Miller

    29: Painter

    35: Crawford

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    1. He has always been high on Crawford.

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       1. Man, I am so used to Keith Law thinking so much less of our prospects than we do. He actually thinks more of Miller and Crawford than I do. I don’t even begin to know how to handle that!!! LOL.

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42. The team that frightens me now are the Mets……29-15 since June 1st, one of the best teams in the majors over the last two months. Astros are 28-16 in that same time period and now are in 1st place in the AL-West..

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    1. That’s kind of been the trend in the past couple of seasons. 2022 when we played the Astros they were pretty darn good for an entire season and in the playoffs.

       Between us and the DBacks last year the NL sent two teams to the WS that probably had no business being there based on regular season record.

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       1. DMAR…must be the water down there at the sports complex in south Philly…..Eagles implode at the end, Sixers get bounced early in the play-offs, Flyers implode in their last 3 weeks of their season……my fear now is, will the Fightin’s follow suite!

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          1. I wwas thinking along these lines the other. Do coaches with personalities as different as Topper, Sirianni, Nurse and Tortorella have the ability to get their Philly teams to run through the tape?

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43. Romus. Good points. Mets and Phillies have gone in different directions since the London games. Everyone knew the Astros would come back. Too many good players. I think they were like 12-24 out of the gate. They caught Mariners in a month down 10 games. Dodgers up and down. Phillies, Braves, Yankees kind of in free fall. Next couple weeks will be critical. Otherwise, Mets may be right on the tail of the Phillies.

    Other day you were dissing me on the ISU kid spurning Phillies for Texas. Seeing this now. Scholarships are going up in these sports.

    Football 105 from 85. Basketball 15 from 13. Baseball 34 from 11.7. Wow. Softball 25 from 12. Kind of wow. Volleyball 18 from 12. As I have stated it is a great time to be a college athlete. Money is being thrown around like it is candy. Ohio State only gave football players 20M for this season. Oregon is said to be at the top of the NIL with Nike and Phil Knight. As someone asked the other day NIL will be huge for baseball and softball going forward. Plus, with the free transfer yearly basically a kid is an unrestricted free agent on a yearly basis. Simply see who ponies up the most $$$$s each year.

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    1. NIL will kill collegian sports…..Oregon’s recruiting class is top 10 in the nation according to Rivals…..wonder why!

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       1. Most likely top 2 or 3. Big18 is now loaded with cash cows. Thinking regarding you comment or NIL the horses have left the barn. I am a farm boy.

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44. Seeing Phillies being mentioned with Thomas and Finnegan of Nats. Realistically I see those as more likely the kind of move they make. Think both could be positive additions to team. I know Thomas has been mentioned here before. Not sure on Finnegan.

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    1. Finnegan would be a decent addition. Live fastball, doesn’t walk too many. Would probably be our 3rd or 4th best reliever and knock Marte or Ruiz off the roster, which would be an obvious upgrade.

       If only he were lefty to knock Soto out of the late-game options, that would be ideal. But the Phils will definitely gauge what Finnegan will cost. He’s having a good year and still has 1 more year of control, so it won’t be cheap. But hopefully the fact that he’s not the youngest guy on the market will suppress the prospect cost a little bit.

       I’d also ask them about Robert Garcia. He’s a lefty, and while he’s had a fair amount of bad luck to inflate his ERA (4.29), his peripherals are excellent. But he’s also got less than a year of service time, so I doubt they’d part with him for anything reasonable.

       Other lefties I’d like them to target: Chafin from the Tigers, Nardi from the Fish (if they’d sell low), and Rogers from SF.

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       1. Doubt vey much Rizzo will ever trade with the Phillies..

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45. Mason Miller has a fractured LEFT pinkie. He’s likely not getting traded so we can thankfully avoid talking about him for the next 5 days.

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46. Most guys have felt he was not on the market anyway with the asking price. I would not think being on his left hand would be much of an issue. They could probably tape if somehow and can catch a throwback. He gets lots of those because not many balls hit.

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    1. The A’s have placed Mason Miller on the 15 day IL.

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47. Watching the Phils flounder a bit instead of making me want to go for major quick fixes at the deadline makes me favor a measured approach. If the Phils end up playing like they are now in the playoffs, there is no acquisition they can make now to correct for that.

    The trajectory of Suarez (signed through 2925) and Sanchez encourages the thought of an extended timeline for title contention.

    Mid-grade moves to improve the pen and OF would satisfy me. The prospect of Crawford becoming a part of the OF mix by mid-year 2025 I find exciting. The thought of Painter slotting into the rotation early in ’25 I find exciting. Ditto Marchan moving into the backup catcher role.

    For what they need now, the Phils can retain A list prospects (4 or 5) while remaining in or just off the lead coming down the stretch.

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48. Romus. You may be correct on Mets. I just put the Extra Inning channel on to see who play tonight. Mets may move ahead of Braves this weekend. Only 1 down in wins and 2 in losses. At New York so you could see a series win here.

    Guru. Maybe the IL will mean only 5 prospects instead of 6 for Miller. I am only kidding. I fractured my right pinkie in a high school basketball game, and they taped it and I played on. It is crooked today though. But that was 1970 and I was not worth a boat of prospects.

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49. For those David Robertson guys he is shooting for save number 2 right now against White Sox. Three up three down. 177 for career. Rangers 5 in a row. Phillies used to do that. Let’s hope they get back on that wagon.

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50. All of the draft picks have signed, and their bonuses have been posted on the draft tracker. There’s been no activity on the Day Three post. If you guys are done with it, I’ll close it tomorrow, COB.

    2024 Draft, Day Three and Beyond: July 16 | Phuture Phillies

    2024 Draft Tracker – Google Sheets

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51. Just an FYI for those of you who have spoken some on NIL and baseball. Nijaree Canady the Stanford softball pitcher has just committed to Texas Tech for over a million dollars. Texas Tech is a nobody in college softball. But 2 people John and Terry Sellers are forking up the money to bring her aboard. NIL has arrived in college baseball and softball. She was the college player of the year. But Romus she always lost to Oklahoma. I figured for sure that was where she ended up.

    On a Phillies note. Maybe the Phillies can get going this weekend and then get-well next week vs the Yankees. MLB Tonight guys just said that since mid-June Yankees have the 2nd worst record in baseball next to White Sox. Hope it extends another week at least.

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52. I see Phillies will face 2 former farm hands:

    Ben Lively

    &

    Carlos Carraso

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    1. Neither of whom are striking many people out this year.

       Which means we’re either going to tee off on them or allow them to set a new career high in K’s.

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53. Arizona strikes first on acquiring a Marlins reliever. Puk is off the board, and it only cost them a system top-10 (admittedly with some helium) and a top-30. I’m not sure who I would list as comparable from our system, but I definitely would have matched that offer. Puk has been very good since returning to relief work.

    Hopefully that bodes well for the RP market, though. Maybe we can get a steal or two.

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54. Article on ESPN raved about the one hitter, 21 years old in AAA with 28 HRs this season. The other hitter just got promoted to AA. For Puk it seemed steep but I’m not sure how many years of control he has left.

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    1. His power outburst this year is the only reason he was top-10 in their organization. To put it in perspective, the kid was left unprotected in the rule 5, taken by the Guardians, and returned to the DBacks to start the year. He’s bad defensively (1B at best, possibly a DH only), has a questionable eye (strikes out on breaking balls A LOT), and is very slow. His power could absolutely carry him if he’s finally able to watch sliders instead of swinging over them, but he’s very much a huge risk to ever hit in the majors.

       Pintar, on the other hand, arguably has better tools (he’s got good speed and power, plus decent defense up the middle), but he’s a college guy who hasn’t yet shown that he can hit AA or higher pitching. So it’s not like he’s a sure thing, either.

       So yeah. Those are two profiles that we could absolutely part with in our own system. Especially for a lefty reliever with multiple years of control (two more arb years after this one, FA in 2027) and has been very good out of the ‘pen and, frankly, elite this year. I’m pretty sad we didn’t beat that offer unless the Marlins just wouldn’t take something reasonable from us.

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    2. His power is his carrying tool, but there’s a reason he was left unprotected from the rule 5, taken, and returned to start the year. He’s a 1B at best (more likely a DH), and his eye is questionable. If he’s finally able to lay off breaking pitches, he could hit enough to be a starter. But he’s a very risky prospect.

       And Puk has two more arb years after this season. And, frankly, he’s ranged from good to incredible as a reliever (with this year being incredible). He’s a lefty that really would have helped us, and I’m hoping the only reason we didn’t match the offer is that the Marlins wouldn’t take any reasonable packages we put together.

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       1. I think Puk was one of the guys being considered as the 1 pick by Phillies back in the day. I always liked him at Florida.

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       2. Puk is just ok. Obviously the controllable years are nice, but he’s already 29 and his walk rate ticked up considerably. He’s more or less a lefty specialist right now.

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          1. The increase in walk rate is only from his time as a starter at the beginning of the year. Once the Fish sent him back to the ‘pen, his numbers returned to being great. 9.8 K/9 (which is low for him) and 1.8 BB/9 (also a career low) to go along with a 2.08 ERA.

             For his career as a reliever, he’s 10.9 K/9, 2.7 BB/9, and 3.44 ERA. He’s definitely better against lefties, but he’s a direct upgrade over Soto.

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55. And now Arozarena to the Mariners. So two pieces that would have fit our needs off the board.

    Still plenty of options out there, but it does worry me a tiny bit.

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    1. Mariners badly need some hitters. They have the pitching.

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       1. Fairbanks of the Rays, and Estevez (sp) of the Angels are really good adds if they can Be had without giving up the top 3-4 in our system.

          Not just because I’m a phan of the team, but I’m hoping the Phils pull it off this year. Another year of FA for the dodgers, they could really pull away. Their rotation next year will be sick. This year is a great opportunity to get it done, especially with the braves down Stridor. Not to mention they are in position to skip the first series to avoid a team with a 1-2 punch like the Pirates.

          I have faith, but it will be tested 🙂

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56. I saw on Twitter 12 and 22 in Seattle system plus a PTBNL

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    1. It’s an odd trade for a controllable, established veteran like Arozarena. Both of the players that Tampa received will be from low-A and both were not high draft picks. So essentially those 2 players are lotto tickets. There’s a PTBNL attached also so I’m assuming it’s somebody better. Otherwise, hard to believe that Tampa couldn’t do better than this for Arozarena.

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       1. Why hard to believe! Tampa was not going to want to pay Randy A., , even in an arb year, double digit million $$$ salary…Dipoto read the tea leaves right. Made an average offer and the Rays jumped on it. The PTBNL…if allowed by MLB, willing to bet it turns into cash knowing the Rays org.

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          1. You have a point because I would project Arozarena to get at least $10M next season, maybe even $11M. There’s no way the Rays want to pay that. However, that cost for a starting OF is perfectly fine IF they produce. His current 0.8 WAR obviously doesn’t look good.

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       2. If the compensation is valued as Lite (3rd piece PTBNL), are we to conclude that the Phillies interest in Arozarena was lukewarm at best or maybe never was …. despite all the media attention.

          I think Puk could have been useful.

          I hope DD doesn’t play a pat hand. Bottom 3rd of our lineup is beyond weak some nights.

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57. Romus and oldruff. These next 2 series will be interesting. Guardians were shut out for the 10th time yesterday. Yankees have 2nd worst record in MLB since middle of June. Phillies definitely have an oil leak at the moment. I think a 4-2 is needed. Phillies need to get back to winning series again. Right now, they are just another opponent on the other teams schedule the way they are playing. Maybe the friendly confines of CBP can get them back on track. Hope so.

    Romus. BTW I think you are correct on the Mets. I think they pass and put the Braves in the rear-view mirror soon. Maybe this weekend. I also noticed last night on Mets broadcast the Pirates are now only 1.5 games out of WC. That is a team you do not want to play in a short series and maybe get a double dose of Skenes. Finally, did you guys see Crochet’s demands? He wants guarantee to remain a starter. Plus, he wants new team to give him an extension if he has to pitch in October. I would tell him enjoy his next few years in Chicago. For me he is not the kind of guy Phillies, or any team should want. ME. ME. ME. Pass. But someone will probably bite. Most likely Yankees or Dodgers. Dodgers are used to guys being on IL for long periods of time.

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    1. Hoping the Mets mojo runs out in August…Lindor is putting the team on his back right now. Hope if the Phillies have to ever face them in the play-offs it is in the NLCS…nothing earlier.

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       1. He was overdue, wasn’t he? Didn’t need to do as well as he is though!

          Thomas & Finnegan going to fly or Robert Jr. Gotta do something IMO.

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       2. Romus. I think Mets and Pirates may be huge thorns if they get in. Just my opinion.

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    2. Essentially Orion Kerkering cost Nola (and the Phillies) 2 wins because he came in both times right after and gave up multiple runs. So that turned 4-2 to 2-4 for those 2 series.

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       1. Glad you brought up Orion, IMO he has to get better in throwing the FB for strikes and its placement.

          Also, I’m getting nauseous of relief pitchers walking batters or hitting them with pitches. I think he owns 2 hbps in his last two appearances. BTW he isn’t the only one that has that distinction.

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          1. A pet peeve of mine when I was running teams was guys coming into a clean inning with nobody on and the lead and they couldn’t throw strikes.

             Solo HRs do nothing but kill a rally. BB a few guys on the other hand and now you’ve pretty much made it easy for them.

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             1. completely agree. would have much rather seen Orion come in and give up b2b home runs than do what he did and nibble at the strike zone and end up putting 3 guys on

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58. Wow … more coming after this one … Austin Hays (Orioles) to Phillies for Seranthony and Pache

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    1. Hays with an .894 OPS vs LHP this year

       lifetime .791 vs LHP

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       1. guess we need 2 BP arms now?

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          1. Definitely a precursor to another move. Gotta say I like the outside-the-box thinking on this one. Hays isn’t a world-beater, but he’s decent offensively and has been very good against lefties this year. He’s also an adequate defender with the ability to play CF in an emergency, and even has another year of control left.

             And all it cost was a back-up OF who ran out his welcome and a reliever who has flashed brilliance but has been maddeningly inconsistent. A guy who couldn’t get playing time for two guys who needed a change of scenery

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59. Romus ………… I just heard DD say to you, pick up the other line! What is the next “domino”? Come on don’t be holding out you got us on pins n needles!

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60. I like this deal more for who they didnt give up than who they got. Hays is a fine platoon and will be an upgrade over Pache or playing Marsh vs a tough lefty. Hes not as good as Lane Thomas, but I assume the Nats were more interested in prospects than MLB players, and by doing this they dont give up any prospects and still fill a need. Now they can use prospects for other trades.

    A lot of us have debated the idea of “selling the farm” and being able to pull off this trade without giving up a Jean Cabrera or Aldegheri is great. I am all for trading prospects for Robert but what worried me was if you give CWS a package for him, then a bunch of the next tier guys for the LF platoon and bullpen help, suddenly your farm is pretty depleted. This was a great way to fill the need without any of that.

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61. Two underachievers for one who may be able to contribute. Phillies luck Seranthony becomes what we all thought he might. Lots of mention on Kerkering. I have never been as big a fan as many on here. I think he has potential and one day even in the near future it may all click. For me he just is not very consistent. Maybe a little Neris in him. Best pitch normally not a strike and then serves one up right down the middle. I guess I just keep remembering game 3 of NLCS when Phillies got a 1-0 lead and boom in like 2 or 3 pitches it was 1-1 and really the series I thought changed on that move. I just did not like him being brought in at that time. Felt better options. Sure, some more moves are in the works. Does free up a roster spot with the 2-1.

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62. A Hays/Marsh platoon in LF is a VERY productive left fielder. I imagine a bullpen arm will be acquired.

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    1. I expect Hayes to play every day. If he isn’t playing in LF I expect him to play in CF.

       I Love this deal. Great dealt by DD

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       1. I’m stunned by this deal because the Phillies got they wanted (an OF who mashes lefties) and didn’t have to give up any prospects. The downside is that Hays defense has declined this year (he played mostly corner OF) and his salary will likely jump into the $8-$9M range next season.

          I think everybody was tired of Seranthony’s inconsistency and now the Phillies don’t have to decide on his 2025 team option. Pache was a throw in.

          This is an A+ deal by DD.

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          1. Agreed. He has really shown creativity. First with the Marsh deal that no one saw coming. And then this deal.

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          2. Hays had a calf injury earlier in the year which may have contributed to his slow offensive start. I wonder if it’s impacted his defense, too. If so, his defense should gradually improve over time. But if not, at least it’s not so bad that he needs to hit like Ohtani to make up for it.

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             1. I’d prefer Hays in there ilo Rojas against RHPs

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       2. Not sure he will play everyday but I do expect him to play some against righties with Marsh/Rojas sharing time in CF vs. some RHP.

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          1. https://x.com/PhilsTailgate/status/1816958036696600744

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       3. What I don’t love about Hays the player is his inability to take a walk. Swings a lot, pull happy hard swinger with two strikes. A definite upgrade offensively to Pache but woof…9 walks this year.

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          1. Here’s hoping FT changes the line up card tonight to include Hays in LF and Marsh In CF. As of right now, with Hays being available tonight, he has Rojas in CF and Hays on the bench.

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          2. Hays’s walk rate is in line with his career numbers. he has never been a high walk guy. even last year when he was an all-star.

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63. Just seeing Hays was an All-Star last season. So, hoping this works better than the Merrifield move who was also an All-Star.

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    1. Don….I like the deal….once Hays became a full timer in 2021 he put up 2 or 2.5 WAR seasons.

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       1. Romus. I have seen Hays some. Extra Innings allows me to catch at least a bit of lots of games nightly. He has always been ok for me. Defensively do you put him between Pache and Marsh? Maybe slightly better than Marsh in outfield and less than Pache? Seranthony has always been a teaser. Just when you think he has it he drops off. He and Soto are my disappointments. Kerkering needs more time to see where he really falls. The other two have had lots of time to make the most of it. Write up saying it is a strange deal between contenders so maybe it makes both better. That is a good thing.

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64. Any word on which reliever is getting called up to take Seranthony’s spot? I assume it’s either Tyler Gilbert or Max Lazar. Both of them are deserving.

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    1. I am very intrigued by Lazar

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65. Hays had a calf injury this year which hurt his defense.

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66. Trade rumors are saying Phillies are interested in Estavez of Angels. Be a rental. He has 20 saves in 23 chances. A righty. Thinking a lefty might be more in order but we will see.

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67. Now that Seranthony is gone, I think the Phillies have to be the heavy favourites to sign Hoffman in the offseason. Currently, the Phillies will have Alvarado, Strahm, Kerkering, Soto (likely) under contract for 2025. Covey and Ruiz can battle it out for the long man role. That leaves 3 open spots and likely one of them will be Hoffman.

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    1. As a side note, the Phillies need to make Michael Mercado a reliever permanently and let him air it out. I want to see the guy that was throwing 97 in ST. There’s a possible bullpen spot for him if he performs in ST next season.

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       1. Mercado might be the bullpen replacement for Seranthony, at least until they trade for a reliever which will happen soon.

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          1. I don’t know if I can rely on Michael Mercado right now. His starts have definitely made me wary.

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             1. Just don’t think they want to use a 40-man spot for a Lazar or Gilbert, especially since I suspect a reliever(s) in a trade within a few days.

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                1. The Phillies have 39 players on the 40, and with Seranthony getting traded and with 3 of them on the 60, there’s actually 5 extra spots for the rest of the season. 4 if Rucker makes it back before the end of the season.

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                2. Not about the 40 spot as much as starting the options on those guys. Add them for a week and they need to be optioned.

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    2. Please no Soto

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68. ibelieve tyler phillips could b switched too the bullpen later in the season or playoffs. he has very good control, poise and that sweeper gives hitters fits

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69. Hays vs RHP:

    2024: 103 PA, .204/.262/.323 for a .585 OPS

    Career: 1440 PA, .256/.308/..419 for a .727 OPS

    And against LHP:

    2024: 72 PA, .328/.394/.500 for a .894 OPS

    Career: 684 PA, .272/.328/.463 for a .791 OPS

    Take that career .791 OPS against LHP and pair it with Marsh, who has a career .796 OPS against RHP, and that’s a helluva left fielder. For comparison, this year Kyle Schwarber has a .794 OPS, which is 24% better than league average.

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    1. I assume Weston Wilson’s role will be greatly reduced.

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    2. Yes. Exactly. And we didn’t give up any prospects for that upgrade.

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70. Would not be surprised to see DD acquire 2 relievers now which would give them the ability to send Orion down (due to his optionability) to get some work on his command.

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71. So thankful for Sir A. Wish we could’ve sent Soto instead. I’ll be a fan from a far. Him & Alvarado were big reasons for the past success. I’d like to see him regain his form here. He will in BAL no doubt in my mind. I’m sure DD will replace him. Kind of wonder, complete speculation on my part, but wonder if he became unhappy with how he was being used. Either way, I love Sir A’s time with the Phillies. One of the prospects who lived up to the hype.

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    1. Seranthony had 2 good years, 2.5 years of replacement production, and lost 2.5 years to injury/TJ. That’s not what I would call “living up to the hype”.

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       1. I’d argue you there … his numbers in the playoffs … Wow. Love him for it. No doubt in my mind he will regain his form. DD weakened the bullpen to strengthen the bench or the everyday lineup? Will see, I’m sure the BP is only temporarily weakened. I’m sure he will be adding arms soon.

          I’m going to check this Lazar player out soon. Internally they may have an upgrade, we shall see.

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          1. Lazar…TJ in 2021…..BP work in 2022…..velo last year, low 90s …92-94T95 but does have exceptionally plus MLB spin rates. Change-up is plus. Assume velo is the same now or a tick higher with the same spin rates. He has plus control, good command by the metrics Year prior to his TJ there was Covid, 2021 was TJ and 2022 was his first recuperated year…so almost three years in purgatory. Unique delivery in the over-the-top fashion, reminiscent of pitchers from past era.

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72. Looks like Michael Rucker got activated off the 60 IL and will be joining the team.

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73. I always thought Seranthony was going to become the guy. Last year when Topper brought in Kerkering in Game 3 I thought Seranthony would have been a better choice. Still do. Results may have been the same or he may have gone 3 up and 3 down. Never know. Only know that game changed the Series. He was always kind of the same on the mound if things went well or poor. I too wish him the best and figure he will be very good for O’s. Though they did not hit gold with Kimbrel. Believe he had his 6th blown save yesterday.

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74. I think DD is going to shock the world in the next few days with the trade of Mr Castellanos and some $$$$ in exchange for a few prospects that will support two other trades – one for another OF and a reliever. DD made a point today of saying there are far more buyers than sellers so this might be the best time to get off that contract some to an offense needy team like Pittsburgh or a few others. I think he wants to remake this OF significantly to be more athletic, more consistent, and more balanced. Hays is a great first step.

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    1. Buddy, that stuff your drinking must be 100 proof. If DD divests himself of Castles, I’ll send you a cheesesteak fob. No fooling, I promise!

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       1. Skeet…..maybe he is thinking Casty and a minor league pitching prospect like a Griff McG, go to the Angels for Trout and where Moreno eats 50% of Trout’s remaining contract.

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          1. If we start a go fund me for “bring Trout Home Again” Jim will be smoked, but if Moreno would underwrite 50%, I guess it could be a win/win, huh?

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             1. Moreno could be one of the worse owners in baseball…..akin to the Wash NFL team’s former owner. I have to give credit to Mets’ billionaire ……he seems to be listening to his latest GM.

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          2. Trout is hurt. Stopped his rehab assignment to go to the doctor

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             1. He is, but the scans came back clean. He’s just dealing with scar tissue soreness, so it’s not a new injury or re-injury.

                That said, Trout’s not coming to the Phils. He’s a loyal guy, and he’s going to stay with the Angels until he retires. It’s depressing how much they’ve wasted him (and others), but I hope he can play the rest of his career with no regrets.

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    2. From the outside looking in, it certainly does seem like a seller’s market. But the returns in the trades that have been made so far make me wonder how true that really is. I thought pitching would be way more expensive than it’s been so far.

       Of course, it could just be that teams are coveting specific prospects that the industry doesn’t (yet) rate as highly.

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75. Not quite certain, but with Eflin and Aroarena now ex-Rays, they may have surpassed the A’s as the lowest payroll in MLB.

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    1. Nope. A’s started the year about 26M lower than the Rays. Taking out a little under half of Arozarena and Eflin’s only amounts to about 9M.

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       1. Well they are trying awfully hard it seems. Brandon Lowe could be next in line…..that will get them a little closer.

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76. Hoosier Don, ………. how did you like the fundamental skills employed in the basic MLB rundown in the 1rst inning? I bet that stuck in your craw!

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    1. oldruff. You are not going to believe it but I missed it. One of our dogs is really old and I went out to get him. Must have been great. I did not see a replay. I got on now to admit that I have seen several travel ball umpires who have been much better than this guy tonight. These pitches are not even coming close to home plate. I am not sure he is not worse than Angel Hernandez. Rob Gregg maybe the worst I have seen this season.

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77. Oh good, we have another contender for worst ump of the year again.

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    1. I don’t think Angel was as bad as this guy, he reeks!

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78. How in the world did these guys make the major leagues. He is awful.

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79. Ok, this HP Ump is awful, but who taught Harper how to play 1B

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    1. martin. Again, that is a play one sees at the young travel kids’ games all the time. Probably should not see it at an MLB game. My son told me last night I should help with little one’s team next summer. No way. The way the game is played today has passed me by. I always taught kids to anticipate every pitch the ball is coming to you and know what you are going to do. Now they are thinking if they have any message in the dugout on their cell phone.

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80. Phillies are playing like they are in a fog. I just learned something I never knew on the double steal. Because of out at 3rd guy to 2nd did not get a steal. I saw Reds do one successful other night against Braves and DeLaCruz was back guy and they said it was weird to get his 50th stolen base that way.

    Maybe it is these City Connect uniforms that is blinding the ump. Because he seems worse, if possible, on Phillies batters.

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    1. Yeah, it’s because you can’t assume that the guy at 2nd would have been safe since they can only throw to one bag and they successfully did so. So, in theory, they could have chosen to get the guy at 2nd instead.

       But if both guys are safe, then the defense just failed to prevent runners advancing.

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81. Ben Lively would have been this good for us had we employed the 25″ home plate. Dang grounds crew, so hard to get good help these days. Don’t believe me ask Joe Torre!

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82. oldruff. Was the first blown steal/pickoff worse than this one? This one was bad. Guy has to run 90 feet. You only need to make a decent throw to 2nd. Yikes.

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    1. Yep, it was ugly, like no one knew what their responsibility was in the pickoff. Ran the guy back to 2nd and Turner didn’t bother to get in position, ugly!

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       1. oldruff. I just saw replay of first one. Pretty bad. But not sure 2nd one was not worse. To me both of those are on Sanchez. What is he thinking. Throwing behind the runner when he is running full speed 30 feet or so down the line not a smart move. First one was one you see in the 9- and 10-year-old games all the time. Team is always well off when other team starts to throw ball around. Sad part is these two plays have cost them all 3 runs tonight. Not thinking Phillies are going to be in danger of being 3 runs ahead tonight late in the game.

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83. Big fan of what Cleveland just did. I was always taught you played to win the game. Not pad your stats. Plus, Phillies defense is just awful.

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84. I don’t think I got the guts to take this one to the end. You guys have a good night, if you can? I’ll leave you with this ……… where in the heck is Dallas Green when you need him!

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85. I was just reminded that this homeplate umpire is the same one that called for another “cival war” [sic]. How does he still have a job?

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86. Romus. I just switched to the Extra Inning 8 game screen. Phils on small screen is better right now. What I wanted to mention is it looks as though Mets pass Braves tonight. 7-2 Do not believe they will look back.

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87. The errors and poor defence aside, if the Phillies can’t score runs, it won’t matter if they trade for anybody. I’ve said this before, the Phillies will go as far as the starters take them. 6 hits (3 from Stott) are not going to cut it.

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88. I feel like I am watching reruns of Game 6 and 7 vs. Arizona in last year’s debacle. And that umpire ruined tonight’s game for all.

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89. Phillies 9-10 in July…..in their 10 losses they have scored a total of 23 runs, but in one loss they scored 7 runs vs the Pirates. Their potent lineup has become impotent.

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    1. The bottom 1/3 of the lineup has been anemic, but there were a couple instances when they produced and the top shutdown. If we can keep Stott (last night) going and some of the new faces can add a little adrenalin maybe we’ll be OK.

       Put last nite’s abysmal showing in the rear view mirror. DD got anymore up his sleeve? I liked the last one, see if it bears fruit.

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       1. Not sure how much more he can do with adding to the team, other than maybe one more reliable reliever…..the $20M plus players need to do what they are being paid to do.

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          1. 👍

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    2. Romus. Led 7-4 in that loss.

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90. Phillies Minor Thoughts mid-season prospect rankings.

    https://philliesminorthoughts.com/phillies-2024-midseason-prospect-ranking-and-trade-deadline-preview/

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    1. Walton is an interesting prospect to me. He is only 19, missed a lot of time this year but is still holding his own in the FSL. He hits the ball hard and was a high school kid last year. Seems to be a raw talent. The kind of kid I would like to see the Phillies keep and develop.

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       1. Yeah….he is a real athletic type…great size…but always comes down to the hit tool….probably his run, field, arm and power tools are above average to plus, but just too many swing and miss so far in his small sampling. The hit tool, contact ability, may be the most important tool to the majors.

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          1. Romus. Interesting points. I am not sure contact ability is the most anymore. Contact guys were back in our time. Not many of those guys in today’s game. I liked that the Guardians squeezed a run in. That is not done in today’s game. BTW Guardians have been struggling to score and they did win. Phillies had runners on 2nd and 3rd against Twins no outs. Pop up to 3rd, K, K. Some will say not to do that in first inning. You just said how many runs have been scored in July. I am a WIN guy. The most important thing is to figure out a way to win. Phillies did lose that game after leading 4-1. Maybe a run or two might have been a different outcome.

             Here is something I have noticed. All these young pitchers are like 6’4″ or more it seems. All throw hard. In the travel circuit the thing I have observed the last two years is the kids throw hard but most of them are like Lively last night and need a 25″ plate. Kids last two years on grandson team have no idea what a strike is. I am not sure what they are teaching them. But one of those guys who I know well only spoke of the velo one night when I was in his facility over the winter, so I think I know.

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             1. Don….next time tell him, velo without spin is helo…like a helicopter, will come in straight and flat. The good hitters will tee off on it.

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                1. Romus. What I see is velo without direction. Those equal ball 4. Lots of them. So, I am wondering if instructors are just trying to get the kid to throw as hard as he can. The kid on the Dodgers who never got drafted till his 6th try and then in 2nd round and now on Dodgers said he spent the winter before his last season at East Tennessee State throwing as hard as he could. One caveat was he always had good control and apparently that was maintained. Some of these kids are dangerous because they have no idea where pitch is going. Lots of HBPs as well. Closet in my era that I faced was kid at South Alabama. Buddy threw three fastballs. One down the middle. One at your ribs. One behind you. You had to guess which one you were going to get.

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91. Oh boy, Ranger just hit the 15 IL and Kolby Allard is back in the bigs. Looks like the Mercado experiment as a starter is completely over.

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    1. Saw it coming on Ranger. He hasn’t been right since he took that comebacker off the hand. They keep saying it’s his back, so I guess it’s just a coincidence, but he was clearly dealing with something that prevented him from locating like he usually does.

       Honestly, I wish it WAS his hand instead. Backs tend to be way more problematic.

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92. Ranger to IL due to back soreness. Allard called up.

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93. From the KBO to MLB success, Ben Lively, Erick Fedde…..is David Buchanan next????

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94. Romus. Just seeing Senga likely done for Mets after 1 start for season. Also, Yankees get Chisholm. Senga is what I would have hesitation on Crotchet. When something is used more than ever before sometimes bad things happen.

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    1. Yeah Don…..in 2020, Crochet missed the first three weeks of his junior season at Tennessee with mild shoulder soreness. He wound up pitching only 3 1/3 innings; COVID ended the college campaign after four weeks. If not for his abbreviated work, he might have gone higher than 11th in the draft, where the White Sox grabbed him

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       1. Romus. I would be cautious of him. I saw chart on him last night on MLB and he has pitched very few innings besides this year. He is already over double. Plus, MLB guys were not too keen on his dugout presence saying he wanted an extension if he had to pitch in October. They kind of said the same as I do. Let him rot in Chicago for next few seasons if that is his attitude.

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95. Phillies pitching staff is a real mess. Allard has terrible minor league stats then there is Marte and Rucker and Ruiz. Yikes.

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    1. They just need able bodies on the roster that don’t require 40-man moves until trades get finalized.

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96. Yankees get Jazz for three prospects….their 19, 20 and one not on their top 30

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97. Chisholm is a perfect fit for the Yankees ………. if ever a perfect marriage, that is it.

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98. Phillies just traded for Estevez from Angels. Klassen and Aldreghetti to Angels

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    1. Surprisingly steep price based on what all the other trade returns have been.

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99. Aldegherri and Klassen for Carlos Eatevez. He better be good for the Phillies!

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    1. This is pretty much what I expected. I knew it would be Aldegheri plus someone.

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100. Really like this deal. Losing Klassen hurts a little. Aldegherri is a 5th starter imo. Klassen has some potential. But Estavez has been great this year. I really like him in the closer role. Good deal DD.

     I wonder if he is done shopping?

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     1. I expect another bullpen piece. Tanner Scott? They could use a lefty.

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        1. Yankees were pushing hard for Scott…though thought he would be in the deal with Jazz

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     2. I think he is finished now.

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101. Good trade – relievers are going to be sky high in value ! Scott is going to cost a lot – this works and Phil’s swap future possible 4/5 rank for a top closer. Now what ? Another strong 7 th inning relievers

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102. Hope Marsh comes alive now. No one needed this HR more than Marsh.

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     1. Stott last night and Marsh tonight. Hopefully that means the end of this awful stretch and the start of another red-hot streak.

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        1. Yep…..the young core may be coming around.

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103. Estevez has been very good this season for Angels. Believe 20 of 23 saves. That will work. It will be interesting on Scott. Many felt he might be most desired simply because of lefty bats for Braves and Dodgers. We will know soon enough.

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     1. Not sure they will go with four LHPs in the BP……unless Alvarado or Soto are dealt in the deal for Scott if it happens.

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        1. Come playoff time, you have an extra bullpen arm since you only need 4 starters. Don’t think that would stop them from making a trade.

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        2. Romus. No idea but Scott is the name I see. Both would be rentals I believe. Think Estevez is a free agent.

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104. Angels are starting to look like Phillies West…and vice versa…..now just need Trout to put the cherry on top. (tic)

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105. Wondering if DD put this into his thinking:

     shaking up the bullpen just due to the fact that the Phils & Braves look to be on a 3rd straight playoff matchup. Take into account the regular season & the way Thomson uses the bullpen… their batters have gotten a lot of looks at our relievers. Add 2 new ones give it a good wrinkle. A lot of people are saying Scott… but it’s the same thing, he’s seen them a lot too. Sounds like they will go with him, Soto is too much of Mitch Williams worry imo. Walks too many. I like Fairbanks of the rays, but that is likely out now

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     1. Braves may not make the play-offs…Mets could pass them and Padres are rolling and now with DBacks making their move in the West the NL-East may only have two play-off teams and the West with three team.

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106. Great job Tyler. Another win with a shutout. Believe someone mentioned that is only way Phillies have won games lately.

     I could see Braves not making it with all their injuries. Do not discount Pirates if they add any bats. I would not want to see them in a short series. Cards are right there as well. Saw Phillies wanted Arozerena but article said price was too steep.

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107. Romus. Seeing tonight that Heyman is saying Phillies are in deep on Scott. Sounds like a bidding war. Yankees, Dodgers, Orioles, Arizona and one more. I do agree about the familiarity concern that was mentioned above.

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108. Klassen borderline Top 100:

     https://x.com/kileymcd/status/1817335175157588016

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     1. Yeah. That was the big piece. Hurts to lose him. But honestly a win for our player development staff.

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109. Hard to evaluate value for new acquiree Alvarez. Even harder to evaluate prospects, perhaps. If it were possible would people trade a 6th round pick in next year’s draft for Alvarez? 4th round pick? Pretty sure everyone would with 20-20 hindsight trade the prospects we traded for J T for Alvarez. Of course, most people probably didn’t mind including Ferguson Jenkins as a throw -in with the Bob Buhl trade!

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110. Significant, DD got a closer and starting left fielder and didn’t give up any of our top guys:
     Miller, Painter, Crawford, Caba, Tait or Abel (although Klassen is better than Abel imo). Losing Klassen hurts. But he is still a very high risk prospect.

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     1. I was going to ask – poll how many would trade Abel over Klassen? But I’m guessing most of us at this point would have traded Abel. Best part is, Klassen was basically expendable, u less moving to the pen. I suspect they resign Ranger. Only one spot left at that’s basically Painter’s. I get it, but I was intrigued by a write up on Abel that the Phillies staff changed his mechanics and the rest is a loss of control on the FB, lowerred his velocity too. They are working him back now. Hopefully they can get him back and better than before

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     2. It’s a steep price for a rental closer but I mentioned previously that people would be shocked at how much trade values would be. But the Phillies have all of their rotation under contract for next season (and 3 starters for minimum 3 years) and Andrew Painter and Tyler Phillips. The Phillies can absorb losing Aldegheri and Klassen.

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111. The cost of Estevez was very high given they will have him for the final push – but the cost was really less than what it appears because pitching lab improved both prospects considerably. In the end they traded improved players for a need. Also – the cost of the 2 remaining closers, Scott and Finnegan is likely to be much more as names are removed. This was all in….

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     1. I’d kinda like Chaffin from Detroit as well. Some may say too many lefties but Strahm isn’t a typical lefty.

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        1. Yeah, Strahm has very slight reverse-splits for his career. Alvarado himself has very minor differences for his career, although this year it’s been much more pronounced.

           Really Soto is the only one of the 3 that should be considered a lefty specialist. So getting another lefty shouldn’t be an issue for the rest of the regular season, and it absolutely wouldn’t be an issue in the playoffs. Just get whatever (good) reliever we can for a good deal.

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112. For what it’s worth, MLB Pipeline has slotted Klassen #3 and Aldegheri #8 in the Angels system. Marty Winks just recently had them #7 and #13 in ours.

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113. For now, the Phils have a core bullpen of 6 including Estevez, Hoffman, Kerkering, Strahm and Soto. They have 3 healthy core starters in Wheeler, Nola and Sanchez. They have 3 starters on IL (Suarez, Walker and Turnbull) and likely in need of innings management. They have Tyler Phillips.

     The Phils can’t count on all 13 being healthy at playoff time. But can they plan around the idea of bumping someone from the above 13 if they add another reliever now without a corresponding subtraction? If they need only 4 starters,do they, in adding a reliever, scratch Turnbull? Walker? Phillips? I was thinking of this as I watched Phillips bask in the glow of his shutout yesterday.

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114. Here is what another quality reliever – non/closer – cost Padres :

     Jason Adam to Padres for MLB’s rated prospects # 3, 8, 12. The # 3 was their #1 choice in 2022 draft, Dylan Lesko.

     I can’t imagine what Marlins are going to get for Tanner Scott ? 5 players ?

     Meanwhile Adam is having a great season but is a 7th/ 8th inning pitcher.

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     1. Looks like striking early was definitely the right call this deadline. Prices are going up rather fast for trade pieces.

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115. Alec Bohm had some nice plays yesterday, so I checked his baseball reference page. Everyone knows about his hitting — and all the doubles! — but his defensive WAR this year is 0.0. Huge improvement! Many of us did not think he would ever be a league-average defender. I’m sure it took a ton of work by Bohm, and good coaching by Bobby Dickerson too.

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116. Oops. Left off Alvarado.

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117. Did DD really have to trade our only 2 pitching prospects actually performing in the minors? Aldegheri is no big deal but Klassen? Ouch! He could not have traded one of our many hitters? Our pitching prospect pool was weak to start with.. We draft any SP in the draft..

     Having 4 guys in the bullpen that can lock down a game is going to be so important in the playoffs.. I just don’t like giving up one of our only pitchers with huge upside and actually performing.. Not to mention total lack of restocking the farm with pitchers.. How many damn outfielders do we need..

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     1. As much as we know our prospects, the other teams are scouting our system too. So it’s not DD who is freely saying that Klassen is available. It’s highly likely that the Angels have a list of our players that they want, and basically DD is negotiating which players that are on that list that he doesn’t want to part with.

        Instead of Klassen, do you want DD to part with Caba or Tait?

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     2. Based on what the Padres just paid for Adams, yeah I think it was probably a requirement that we gave them either Klassen or Painter. And no rental is worth Painter, so Klassen it was.

        It stings for sure, but Klassen is no sure-thing. And you have to give talent to get talent. Just gotta trust our system to keep coaching up the guys we still have. The next Klassen might have just been drafted.

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        1. If Dombrow was to sell…wonder what Alvarado would bring back in a trade right now….signed thru 2025 and a FIP of 3.2 ain’t top of the line great when it comes to late inning relievers, but not terribly bad.

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118. Ought to have Schwarber Day every day of the year, those Schwarber banners/towels can’t cost that much.

     Also, ought to have Schwarber work with the LHBs against LHPs. .336 avg.

     Allard’s stuff looks very hitable and the Guard’s aren’t being cheated any on their swings, that’s for sure.

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     1. I’m shocked that Allard’s stuff looked that bad. He was sitting 89-91 and it was only a matter of time before he got hit hard. I would be a little surprised if he got another start.

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119. Thomson said Marsh got the start today against a lefty as a reward for last night. Hope he keeps that mentality going, because Marsh has looked good against this kid. Hit the ball over 107 MPH on both his ABs so far and has a hit. If he’s going good, he’ll hit lefties just fine.

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120. Painter would never be dealt for a rental. Supply and demand, with so few teams out of it prices are high. As others have stated, our pitcher development program has really done a fantastic job over the last few years. The hope/plan is that in this year’s draft/international signings, a couple of players take to the changes/programs put in place and continue the trend.

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121. Tough series. Game 1 could have been a 1-0 win but the first base blunders. Good game 2. Game 3 just a game of inches. Two infield hits instead of two infield ground outs. Then boom and boom. Phillies just cannot manufacture any runs right now. Maybe it will get better.

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122. Romus ……… like you said, time for the $$$ money players to kick it in gear. Hitters 2 – 6 today a pathetic zero for 18. Guardians 4 Schwarber 3 on Schwarber Day.

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     1. Yankees up next then a long road trip…..Mariners, Dodgers, and four with the DBacks,,,,could be something that we will not want to see over the next 13 games.

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        1. Romus. Things could get interesting in a hurry if overall play does not improve. All 12 runs in series came via the HR. I realize that is how the game is played today. But I sure miss the days of when a guy got a hit. His teammate made a productive out and moved him up to 2nd or 3rd. Then low and behold the next teammate found a way to drive him in for a run. I know. I am really old school. But I miss those days. Not just the Phillies. Baseball in general is that way today. I can see the same thing on my 8 games at a time screen. Someone mentioned above on this that Phillies are only winning now when they get a shutout from the pitchers. That has got to change. Fast.

           Romus. A 4-9 or something like that may let the Mets or Braves back in the race. Really surprised Mets go 0-2 after moving ahead. Now right back where they were 4 games ago.

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           1. Yeah Don…those days are gone ..a different era of baseball. The big money guys need to right the ship and get it together. Maybe they are pressing more than usual, who knows.

              And look at how the Rays are going thru a rbuild…..Isaac Paredes becomes the sixth player traded by the Rays this month, including four in the last few days, joining Randy Arozarena, Zach Eflin, Aaron Civale, Phil Maton and Jason Adam…..getting tons of young talent….and all on the cheap side of salaries. Their farm system may win the MLB Super Bowl soon.

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     2. Not really fair to Bohm, who was 0-2 but had two walks and just got on top of two pitches that he hit hard.

        Harper’s outburst was concerning, though. His timing is off and he’s mad at himself about it.

        Trea has clearly cooled off, and now we have to pray that Castellanos isn’t already back to being a complete waste of roster space. Hays I’ll give a little bit of time to adjust to his new team before I worry about.

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123. I’m okay with losing klassen, unless you think they are not going to resign Ranger. There is no spot for him. It’s weird to say, but was he going to beat out painter next year? He’s not supposed to. It’s a good trade. If Klassen was performing well,would you think the FO would trade Ranger at next years deadline? Move in Klassen, and use Ranger to stock the system? If not, klasswn was 110% expendable … especially if Phillips is for real. I don’t even want to say it to jinx anything, but yeah… I’ll pack his bags if it gives the Phils a better chance at the WS this year. Don’t care how good he becomes. Time to strike with the braves faltering AND before the Dodgers get their SR back next year

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     1. And we need Mavis Graves to take a leap like Samuel Aldegheri. Replace the guys we trade with internal development.

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        1. Eiberson Castellano (23 years old at Reading) has been performing well. He likely won’t be ranked in the top 30, but if he continues on this pace, he’ll get an opportunity sooner rather than later.

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     2. Generally I only care about the opportunity cost of trading prospects. What else could we have gotten in a trade centered around them?

        I think in Klassen’s case, we probably could have gotten someone with another year of control. But I don’t know which of those guys would be better than Estevez, so I’m not all that worried about it.

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