Well I am finally all settled into my new home in Frederick, MD and have begun my career in baseball with the Frederick Keys. Although I am denied most access to Philadelphia sports channels here in Baltimore/Washington country, it doesn't stop me from looking at what's going on with the Philly teams. Over the past week or so, the Phillies saw Jayson Werth sign with a division foe. That is now a past memory as Ruben Amaro inked Cliff Lee to a five year deal to put together a frightening rotation for opponents. My thoughts...
Lee takes rich over filthy rich: Ruben Amaro Jr. gave all Phillies fans a late Hanukkah/early Christmas present. After trading away Cliff Lee at the end of the 2009 season, Phillies fans were angry. Lee was shocked.
“At first, I didn’t believe it. I thought we were working out an extension with the Phillies,” Lee said the day after the trade. “I thought I’d be spending the rest of my career there. … I was under the impression they wanted to keep me there for a long time. In my mind, it was going to happen.”
The prospects in the Lee deal were pretty much worthless and Amaro mended the wounds with the addition of Roy Oswalt during the season. Ruben completely fixed his mistake today. A five-year deal worth around $120M with a reachable vesting option for a sixth puts Cliff Lee back in Philly. Yep, believe it. Lee has spoken very highly of the Phillies during his time with Seattle and Texas and left a lot of money on the table to sign with the Phils. He had loved his brief time in Philadelphia in 2009 and let that be known to Phillies management, which had to make a payroll exception to sign him. He chooses comfort over cash which says alot to his character. Many expected Lee to take the big bucks to join his buddy from Cleveland, CC Sabathia in NY. Others in Texas had confidence Cliff would return to Arlington. The Phillies were very stealthy throughout the winter meetings. They did not get into talks with Lee until after the meetings had ended and the experience that Lee had in Philly played a huge part in the signing. Lee, the 2008 Cy Young winner, joins the 2010 winner, Doc atop the rotation in 2011. In 2009, Lee went 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA and won the only two games for the Phillies in the World Series against the Yankees. Cliff was expecting an extension after the '09 season but was shocked to find out his move to Seattle. He was then traded to Texas and helped lead them to the World Series. This deal will put together possibly the best rotation in the history of baseball with Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels.
The signing of Lee means alot to the Phillies organization and it also sparks the beginning of some changes. The arrival of Cliff means the likely departure of Joe Blanton. Joe has been a huge part to the Phillies success during his tenure in red & white pinstripes. He has $17M left on his salary for 2011-12 and it looks like the Phillies have already put him on the market, according to ESPN. They also have the option of unloading Raul Ibanez who has $11.5M on his contract in 2011. There are going to be many changes in the upcoming weeks for the Phillies but they have taken the "win now" perspective to a whole new level.
Lee's deal also brings up future questions. Do the Phillies resign Hamels when he becomes a free agent after next season? With Oswalt having a $16M mutual option for 2012, it is tough to think that the Phillies will be able to afford Cole and Roy if he continues to improve. It all depends on numbers. With Halladay, Oswalt and Lee around him, Cole may take a hometown discount to stay in Philly. With Joe Blanton gone, the fifth starter is up in the air...not like it really matters. It looks as if Kyle Kendrick and Vance Worley will battle it out in spring training. Does this deal make the road to the bigs Phillies pitching prospects such as Jarred Cosart harder? It is a tough thing to say but yes. With these four aces here for the time being, the minor league pitchers will have to continue to develop because they still play a big part in the future of this organization. Half of the current players on the Phillies are from the system. Speaking of that, another question arises for fans that are Phillies haters. Does this move make the Phillies like the Yankees? It is hard to say. Sure, they spent money on a huge free agent, but the rest of their team was home grown or acquired through trade. They got Oswalt for J.A. Happ, they got Halladay for top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek and the signed the most underrated free agent, Placido Polanco, in 2010. Rollins, Howard, Victorino, Utley, Ruiz, Hamels, Madson and Domonic Brown have all spent time in the Phillies farm system which shows that the team is home grown for the most part. The Yankees have gotten better in previous years with their signings. They got A-Rod, CC Sabathia, AJ Burnett and Mark Teixeira through big free agent deals. Fans of other teams can compare the red pinstripes with the blue but the fact is that the Phillies are not the Yankees. Big names like Halladay and Lee take pay cuts and less money to sign in Philadelphia because it is a great place to play with an electric atmosphere.
Werth signs 7yr/$126 million deal with the Nationals...now what?: Let me lead off by saying that I am SO happy I don't have to deal with anymore Jayson Werth name puns. I was done with them after the first time i saw it. Anyways, Jayson Werth did so many good things for the Phils and he provided spectacular outfield play along with some great offensive numbers. Werth had to earn a spot with the Phils after his arrival in 2007 but eventually beat out Geoff Jenkins for the starting spot. Since then, we have been treated to one of the most potent lineups in Phillies history. Werth helped us win the 2008 World Series and make it there agin in 2009. Let's not forget the four straight division titles and back-to-back NL Pennants. He came here in 2007 and departs in 2010 after having quite a career in red pinstripes. He has the ring, the impressive resume and now he has the money. In my opinion, I appreciate all Jayson did for this team and would have loved to see him back but to be perfectly honest, I was never a big fan of his attitude. When I think of the Phillies team, I think of the jokers like Howard, Madson and Rollins...the players that make that locker room a great atmosphere. I seemed to notice that whenever Jayson was interviewed, he just didn't show that same edge that I noticed. He didn't show the desire to be a Phillie for the rest of his career, which is fine...who wouldn't want $126 million? I want someone who cares more about Philadelphia organization than the money. Sure, I am not in his shoes but I would want every chance to win another World Series, so I would want to go to a team that had a chance to do that while I am in my prime. I am sure I am not the only one surprised by this deal though. Signing a 31-year old outfielder who has never hit more than 100 RBIs or had a .300 average at seasons end seems extremely risky. Werth probably has 3-4 good seasons left in him in my eyes but has a chance to bring championship experience to a young Nationals team.
The departure of #28 from right field opens the door for a free agent or some in house talent. A small sample size is a tough way to judge but let's just say that top prospect, Domonic Brown, did not impress too much in his short stint with the Phillies. In 35 games with the big league squad, Brown hit a dismal .210 and struck out 24 times in 62 at-bats. Expect Brown to start the year off in Triple-A to work on his game some more. Keep in mind, Brown was a 20th round pick in the 2006 amateur entry draft. This short time in the bigs is tough to judge the Phillies top prospect so I expect him to get a good amount of playing time in 2011 with his platoon partner, Ben Francisco. Francisco always seemed to have a lot of pop to his swing and he may turn into the next Jayson Werth. In 88 games for the Phils, Francisco posted a mediocre .268 average but seemed to be one of the more consisten Phillies bench players. He split playing time with Brown filling in for an injury. Just watching Ben at the plate is an experience. He has great pull power and always seems to hit the ball hard. Given a chance, I believe he can grow into a good everyday player. He also provides a much needed right handed bat to the lineup with the loss of Werth. With Dom and Ben available as in house talent, expect Ruben Amaro to maybe pick up another bench outfielder to back these guys up if all hell breaks loose. With all of the injuries in 2010, you have to imagine that a healthy 2011 will be good even with Brown/Francisco over Werth. I have a lot of faith in Ben and Dom and believe they will help the Phils to yet another NL East title in 2011.
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