Report: Phillies to Sign Juan Castro

According to several media outlets, the Phillies agreed to terms with free agent Juan Castro on a one-year contract with a club option for 2011 pending a physical. It’s expected to be announced next week.

Castro is listed as a shortstop, but he’s a utility player who will replace Eric Bruntlett on the roster this coming season. He played 20 games at second base, eight at third and two in left field last year.

The 37-year-old hit .277 with one home run and nine RBI in 112 at-bats with the Dodgers. He had a .311 on-base percentage and scored 18 runs after signing a minor league deal with Los Angeles.

In 15 seasons paying for the Dodgers, Reds, Twins and Orioles, Castro is a .230 career hitter with a .270 OBP. He’s a journeyman infielder, but he’s a guy who fits what the Phillies were looking for.

Philadelphia’s bench struggled all season long last year, and Bruntlett had one of the worst seasons a player could have. In 105 at-bats last year, Bruntlett hit .171 with a .224 on-base percentage.

Charlie Manuel loved Bruntlett’s versatility in the field, and that was the only reason he stuck around the entire campaign. They hope Castro can provide a modest offensive upgrade over Bruntlett.

The Phillies are still in the market for a third baseman and bullpen help, but with the signing of Castro, they can cross the utility player off their to-do list.

Filed under: Free Agents, Off-Season, Philadelphia Phillies , Eric Bruntlett, Juan Castro, Philadelphia Phillies

Halladay Will Not Re-Sign With Toronto

ESPN.com reports that Roy Halladay will not re-sign with the Toronto Blue Jays after his contract expires at the end of the 2010 season assuming that he is still a Blue Jay for this coming season.

Toronto went public during the summer that they would listen to offers for the right-handed pitcher, and it ultimately got to a point to no return for the Blue Jays.

Halladay wants to play for a winner, and that’s not Toronto. At this point in his career, he’s made enough money. Every player’s goal is to win a World Series, and Halladay knows that won’t happen with the Jays.

He’s not the kind of guy that would use the media to help him get out of a bad situation. Throughout the craziness that was July, Halladay never once said that he wanted to be traded or that he wanted out of Toronto.

Instead, Halladay said all the right things, but if you can read body language, it shouted “get me out of here.” After the trade deadline past and he was still a Jay, you could see the disappointment in his face.

Toronto can no longer salvage the situation, they have to get something for the six-time All-Star and 2003 A.L. Cy Young award winner. He’s too good to let go without receiving something other than a draft pick.

Former Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi failed to find a proposal that floated his boat, and it cost him his job among other reasons like signing Vernon Wells and Alex Rios to terrible extensions.

In case you haven’t realized with the multiple rumors thus far into the off-season, Toronto is desperate to trade Halladay.  Why else would they say that they would trade him to Boston or New York?

And while thinking about it, why would they call the Chicago Cubs, who have never really been linked to Halladay before, to seek their interest. The Jays are said to be talking to the Dodgers to boot.

Yesterday, I wrote that the Phillies should jump back into the Doc Halladay sweepstakes stating that they have the assets, drive and financial flexibility to do so.

Despite having over $100-million committed to 12 players next season, the Phils have no financial restraints from the ownership. They’ll spend money if they see it as a way of making the team better.

That may surprise you depending on if you believed that a few years ago, David Montgomery was unwilling to spend money for big-name players, but that’s this new era of baseball in Philadelphia.

Winning a World Series in 2008 opened the eyes of Montgomery, showing him that spending money to go for the crown every year will lead to more money made from attendance and merchandise.

The prospective of making it to the dance three years in a row, and becoming a dynasty in the process is something that has never been a reality with the Phillies in their history.

Acquiring Halladay will not be ask hard as it was during the regular season as the asking price will not be as high, and if it is, look for Toronto to screw the pooch once again with the handling of Halladay.

At this point in time, they have to get one top prospect or a Major League ready player in return for Doc. In July, they could have got a high return, now they could still get one, but it seems unrealistic.

Look at the Twins a few years ago, and how they handled trading Johan Santana. They didn’t ship him at the deadline when they could’ve got a big package, but waited until the winter, and got nothing.

Toronto already failed to get the most they can get for him since they didn’t trade him at the deadline, but now they have a chance to redeem themselves while getting a top prospect.

The Jays have no leverage, however, so finding a partner who is willing to give them a blue-chip prospect or a ML-ready player like J.A. Happ, who they could still realistically get if they were to trade with the Phils.

Ruben Amaro Jr. doesn’t have starting pitching as a top priority this winter as they have to find a new third baseman, restructure the bullpen and strengthen a crappy bench.

However, if Toronto came calling offering Halladay for Happ, and two mid-level prospects, it’s hard to believe that Amaro wouldn’t pull the trigger.

Come to think of it, it’ll cost more than Happ and mid-level prospects to get Halladay. The Yankees or Red Sox will probably get him by trading Joba Chamberlin or Clay Buccholz.

Filed under: Off-Season, Philadelphia Phillies, Trades, Winter Meetings , Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, Philadelphia Phillies, Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays

Phillies Should Get Back in on Halladay

So last week the rumors resurfaced that the Phillies are still trying to acquire Roy Halladay from the Toronto Blue Jays, and the memories of the hours leading up to the trade deadline in July relinquished.

All throughout the middle month of the season, all the talk surrounding Major League Baseball was whether or not Toronto would stick to their word, and trade Halladay.

Then general manager J.P. Ricciardi said that he would listen to offers for the right-hander at the start of the month, and Philadelphia had the need, and the financial flexibility to make a blockbuster.

For a couple of weeks, Ricciardi played a game of chicken with the Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. as everyone in Ricciardi’s position would. Toronto was asking for the farm while the Phils weren’t willing to meet the demand.

In the end, the Phillies ended up acquiring another former Cy Young winner in Cliff Lee for far less than they would have had to give up to get Halladay, who isn’t much better than Lee.

With Halladay still under contract for another season, Toronto felt that they could wait until the off-season to trade him and still get the same value they would’ve if they shipped him at the deadline.

I believe that the way that Ricciardi handled the whole ordeal ultimately cost him his job. It got to a point where they kind of needed to trade Doc because he wanted out, and mentally, he was gone.

The Blue Jays hired Alex Anthopoulos as the general manager after firing Ricciardi in October, and Anthopoulos has the responsibility to dealing a bona-fide ace before things get worse for Canada’s only baseball team.

A few weeks into the off-season, we already know that the Jays are willing to trade inside the division, and that the Yankees and Red Sox both are players in the sweepstakes.

On Friday, we learned that the Jays called the Chicago Cubs to seek their interest in adding the 32-year-old starter. And then Yahoo Sports Tim Brown tweeted that Toronto are talking to the Dodgers about Halladay.

It’s obvious that the Blue Jays want to trade Halladay this winter, and not wait until next season’s trade deadline where they would have to settle for a sub-par package instead of getting a top prospect or two.

Toronto is looking pretty desperate to get rid of Doc while getting the best possible package they can at this point in time; remember Minnesota lost value when waiting until the off-season to trade Johan Santana.

This is why I think the Phillies should re-enter the Roy Halladay sweepstakes: they have the assets to complete a trade, they have the need to acquire another top-of-the rotation guy, and it makes (some) sense.

The Jays already know who they like in the Phils farm system from the scouting they were doing when the two sides were negotiating in July, and Philadelphia can afford trading away one top prospect.

In order to land Halladay during the summer, the Phillies were going to have to part ways with top pitching prospect Kyle Drabek, a Rookie of the Year candidate J.A. Happ and outfielder Domonic Brown.

That was entirely way too much then, and it’s way too much now. The circumstances have changed in the four months since the two teams have talked trade, and the Phils don’t need an ace anymore.

Negotiating is all about leverage, and at this point in time, the Blue Jays have none on any team because everyone knows they need to get rid of Halladay.

When someone knows that a product will eventually come down in price, they will, more often than not, wait the wave out until the price drops to within their range. It’s the same thing when trading in baseball.

Since Toronto has pretty much came out and said that they’ll trade Halladay, the rest of the league aren’t going to pay full price. The longer it goes on, the farther the asking price drops.

This soap opera has been going on for a few months now so you have to think that the Jays will not be able to pony a team to give up top value for the six-time MLB All-Star.

Let’s go back in time when the Phillies were aggressively trying to acquire Halladay. Several reports indicated that the Phillies offered the same package for Lee, however included Happ in the offer.

It’s well known that Amaro didn’t want to part ways with Drabek because of his potential. Despite already having Tommy John surgery, Drabek is a blue-chip pitching prospect who has been dominating the minors.

Drabek is an untouchable to the Phillies as is Brown, who the Jays want(ed). Brown is a five-tool prospect who has the potential to become a superstar for years to come.

The package the Blue Jays asked for was the roof, and would have been the best return in any trade for Halladay; however the Phillies weren’t going to do that trade, and come to think of it, neither would anyone else.

While the Phils don’t have the prospects like they did in July since they traded Lou Marson, Jason Donald, Carlos Carrasco and Jason Knapp for Lee, they still have the crop to get Halladay, and afford it.

Even with trading four pretty respectable prospects to get Lee, Philadelphia still has a lot of depth in the organization for once in a very long time. When was the last time the farm system was this good?

Toronto asked for the Phils top outfielder prospect in Brown, but the Phillies also have another top-tier prospect in Reggie Taylor, who seems to have been the forgotten one.

At one point last season, many people Taylor to be the better prospect than Brown. Both guys are five-tool prospects, and one day could potentially turn out to be a superstar.

Some people think that it would be wise trading Happ this off-season because of the economical concept, which applies in this scenario, of buy low, sell high.

Happ was tied for the team lead with 12 wins in 2009 with a 2.93 earned run average. He was never considered to be anything more than a back-end-of-the-rotation pitcher, but he was performing as a No. 2.

I would have traded him at the deadline, and I would trade him now for Doc. Let’s face the truth that Happ will never accomplish as much as Halladay has thus far into his career from a statistical standpoint.

The asking price for Roy will not be as lucrative as it was before, but it will still cost a team some high prospects. Offering Happ, Taylor and a mid-level prospect for Halladay would give the Jays what they want.

Of course, Anthopoulos will want a pitching prospect who has a lot of potential like Drabek, but adding Happ, who is 27-years-old, would give them an immediate impact on their rotation.

Taylor would be ready to be called up in as soon as 2011, and would give them a player to replace Vernon Wells in the outfield, and would let them dump his salary at the deadline next July.

While the need for an ace is no longer as pressing as it was before the deadline, the Phillies certainly need another reliable starting pitcher since Cole Hamels is an uncertainty after a miserable 2009 season.

Lee was able to carry the rotation into the World Series, but he will not be able to do so again throughout an entire campaign. Hamels needs to return to form that got him the W.S. MVP in 2008.

The Phillies want to win as many championships as they can with their current core because they know how special this team is. Halladay presents a great chance of getting to their third straight Fall Classic.

With that being said, I’m not saying that Halladay is the only way the Phillies make it back to October baseball, and better yet, contending for a title. They have a great chance as it stands, but Halladay would make it better.

For both sides, the move makes sense. Toronto will still get a great crop of players while the Phils get another ace that would give them as strong as a rotation than the Yankees with Halladay-Lee-Hamels.

It would be a bold statement by the Phillies to the rest of the MLB, and to their fans. We know they are trying to win the World Series, and do whatever it takes, but acquiring Halladay would just reaffirm it further.

Filed under: Free Agents, Off-Season, Philadelphia Phillies, Trades, Winter Meetings , Philadelphia Phillies, Roy Halladay, Toronto Blue Jays

A Glance of What’s Going on With The Phils

Paul Hagen wrote a story in yesterday’s Philadelphia Daily News informing fans to expect a few fireworks in free agency. Hagen tells us that he doesn’t think that there will be any introductions of any new Phillies anytime soon.

Tom’s Take: It’s not really much of a surprise that he writes that; no one is really expecting the Phillies to come out of the gate to sign a top-notch free agent. They’re looking at third base, bullpen and bench, and all three positions will require some homework being done before jumping on the perceived top option.

Mike Potter reported that Omar Vizquel is no longer an option for the Phillies as he signed a one-year contract with the Chicago White Sox as the first notable free agent signing. Vizquel will be a backup in the Windy City.

Tom’s Take: Vizquel was an intriguing player that many believed that the Phils could be targeting to come off the bench, and backup Jimmy Rollins and Chase Utley at shortstop and second base. Players like Jerry Hairston Jr. and Fernando Tatis as potential targets.

Hagen reports that the Phillies say that the rumors of Pat Gillick returning to the baseball front office with the team that he built his reputation, the Toronto Blue Jays, are all false.

Tom’s Take: Gillick is a god in Philadelphia for putting together the pieces that Ed Wade left him, and getting the city their first championship since 1983, and the organization’s second title in their history. He knows how to build winning baseball teams, and I hope he goes to Toronto if he does return because my god, I don’t want him anywhere close to the National League.

Yoon Chul, a staff reporter for the Korean Times, writes that free agent Chan Ho Park wants to start in 2010. Park is a free agent, and the Phillies want him back, but only as a reliever.

Tom’s Take: It’s so obvious to everyone that Park is best suited for the bullpen. The Phils know it, every MLB team knows it, and Park knows it himself. He wants to start so his friends and family in Korea can see him pitch, and I understand that, but you also want to pitch in the States so he’ll ultimately end up in the ‘pen.

Todd Zolecki relays that FOXSports.com reported that the Phillies are the favorites to land Mark DeRosa. Zolecki says that it makes sense that he signs with the Phils because he’s a Penn-graduate and has been linked to the team before.

Tom’s Take: Anyone surprised? A lot of people thought that he’ll be the guy that he Phillies would be going after in free agency. They’ve liked him in the past, and he’s now available for them again. You know what they say, third time’s a charm.

Filed under: Free Agents, Off-Season, Philadelphia Phillies, Resignings, Trades , Chan Ho Park, Mark DeRosa, Omar Vizquel, Pat Gillick, Philadelphia Phillies

Can Brandon Lyon Help the Phillies?

The Phillies top priorities this off-season are to upgrade the bench, find a new third baseman, and retool the back-end of the bullpen which was so good in their World Series season two baseball years ago.

On Monday, they made a huge step towards improving the bench when they decided to remove Eric Bruntlett from the 40-man roster, which means he will become a free agent.

I have already said that the Phils should get either Garrett Atkins or Adrian Beltre to replace Pedro Feliz as the Phillies everyday third baseman with Mark DeRosa being another guy that I wouldn’t mind picking up.

Yesterday, I said that the Phillies should take a chance on free agent starter Ben Sheets to solidify the starting rotation. So how to you fix a bullpen which ranked ninth in the National League last year.

As a whole group, the bullpen posted a respectable 3.91 earned run average, however they blew 22 save opportunities led by closer Brad Lidge and his 11 blown saves.

While Ryan Madson had a strong season as the setup man, his identity wasn’t known for most of the season because of the uncertainly that Lidge was each and every night.

And Scott Eyre had a terrific year in his role as the left-handed specialist, but he is a free agent and had surgery last week to repair some loose bodies in his elbow. To boot, he’s pondering retirement.

Ruben Amaro Jr. will have a pretty solid group of guys to pick from to improve the ‘pen, however I wonder if Detroit Tigers relief pitcher Brandon Lyon could help the Phightens in a setup role.

Lyon, 30, appeared in 65 games last year with the Tigers while posting a 6-5 record with a 2.86 ERA, and 15 holds in 78.2 innings. It was his only season playing in the Motor City.

In 2008, Lyon spent most of the season closing games out for the Arizona Diamondbacks in which he converted 26-of-34 save opportunities with a 4.70 ERA.

I think he’s a guy that the Phillies should target in free agency because his numbers from last year are impressive, and he is a guy who has closer experience so if Lidge falters again, you have a guy to fall back on.

Lyon can retire both right-handers and left-handers as shown last year when both hit .205 off him. What’s most impressive is that he only surrendered one home run to lefties while giving up six to righties.

In 21 save situations last year with the Tigers, Lyon allowed only 11 hits and four runs in 20 innings, which hammers out to a 1.99 ERA. He struckout 21 batters compared to just eight walks as well.

With two outs with runners in scoring position, opposing batters only hit .190 off him, which shows that he performs well when there are guys on second or third with one out to get.

The only disturbing stat regarding Lyon is that in three games playing at Citizens Bank Park, he has given up two runs in 2.1 innings, which is a 7.71 ERA.

He has been pitching in pitcher’s parks the last five seasons while playing for the Diamondbacks, and Detroit. Adjusting to a hitter’s haven like the Bank would be something he would have to do.

Another plus in signing Lyon for the Phillies that he has proven to be a very good postseason pitcher. In five playoff games, Lyon has allowed only one hit, and has five strikeouts to go with no runs allowed.

Lyon would be a solid option as a seventh-eighth inning guy for the Phillies depending on how they plan on determining the closer. Will Lidge be handed the job or will Madson get a fair shot?

Filed under: Philadelphia Phillies , Brandon Lyon, Free Agency, Philadelphia Phillies