To the average baseball layman, the list appeared deep, powerful and
versatile. Brett Myers and Cole Hamels to anchor a staff as the young
and dynamic righty-lefty duo. The moxie of Jamie Moyer and the
experience of Jon Lieber. Added to this Almost Fantastic Four were
the righty slants of former San Diego Padre ace, Adam Eaton and 17
game winner Freddy Garcia.
Certainly, here was a group of starting pitchers that could withstand
the advances of the New York Mets, slay the dragons from the Atlanta Braves and lay waste to any possible hindrances thrown their way by
teams like the St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres or Los Angeles Dodgers.
In fact, the staff was so deep that it appeared a mere formality to
move the veteran Jon Lieber in a trade for either a relief pitcher or a
young power hitting outfielder. The names of talent like relievers
Akinori Otsuka and Braden Looper as well as outfielders like Alex Rios
or Chris Duncan were mentioned almost as an afterthought.
Yes, teams would literally be lining up to bid on the sixth starting
pitcher on a Phillie staff that only had room for five. Then, a funny
thing happened on the way to October. The list began to take a free
fall, as is wont to happen when the list is composed of starting
pitchers. First, the teams priciest off-season acquisition, Freddy
Garcia, came down with a sore arm in the spring and was disabled to
open the campaign.
The disabling of Garcia opened up an eventual spot of Lieber in the
rotation, though Manager Charlie Manuel seemed loath to acknowledge
this for about a month. Then, the teams relief closer, Tom Gordon,
proved that the whispers were about to become a scream as he finally
acknowledged that his formerly trusty right arm was as badly damaged
as many had surmised.
Just when Gordon appeared headed for the disabled list, opening day starter, Brett Myers, bravely nominated himself for bullpen duty and for awhile he appeared a John Smoltz clone with one dominating save after the next. Then on a balmy evening in Florida, Myers clutched his right arm, a clutch that continues to have ramifications even today.
Although Garcia attempted to come back and pitch it was obvious to one
and all that he was not right and eventually he joined both Gordon and
Myers on a disabled list that is quickly becoming a Who's Who of
Formerly Famous Phillie Pitchers.
The feeling here is that while both Gordon and Myers will soon
resurface in the Phillie bullpen, Garcia has thrown his last pitch in
anger as a Philadelphia Phillie. Try as he might to avoid surgery,
labrum tears and frayed rotator cuffs rarely heal completely on their
own, and it is my opinion that if he weren't headed for off-season
free agency Freddy Garcia would already be having shoulder surgery.
So, with Garcia gone and Myers in the bullpen, the Phils have lately
found their formerly six man strong starting pitching staff reduced to
four. Oh, they have recalled young Kyle Kendrick from Reading of the
Double-A Eastern League and his two game totals have proven
exemplary to this point.
Yet, the feeling remains that Kendrick's inexperience may eventually
catch up with his natural exuberance and energy at being promoted to
the major leagues and when this happens the Phils will once again be
staring at a situation they thought unimaginable in the spring...a
club one starting pitcher short of the playoffs.
With this in mind, and with the acknowledged compliment to a Phillie
organization that continues to find players within the system who
quickly and easily move up to the major leagues and plug the hole in
the dike when needed, it still appears the club will attempt to deal
for a starting pitcher before July 31.
Of course, it takes two to tango at a dance and equally it takes two
to deal in baseball. Regardless of how much a team may desire to
bring in a player of their acquired taste, the opposing trading
partner must eventually be agreeable to the trade. It must be in
their interests as well as the Phils to do a deal that truly makes
sense for both parties.
Let’s take a not so cursory walk around the big league rosters and see
if we can possibly step inside the mindset of Phillie General Manager
Pat Gillick and what he may pursue over the following six weeks. The
walk becomes somewhat easier by the very teams we can quickly
eliminate.
Certainly, teams in contention will not be in any mood to trade away a
talented starting pitcher when they will probably be in the market to
acquire one, much like the Phils would like. This allows us to
eliminate National League teams like the Mets and Braves, Brewers and
Cubs, Cards and Marlins, and Dodgers and Diamondbacks. Each, in their
own way, feels that a playoff berth is still within the realm of
possibility and, indeed, in the rumbling, bumbling National League,
such is the case.
On the American League side of the fence, forget the Red Sox and
Yankees, Indians and Tigers, Twins and Angels, Athletics and Mariners.
All have plus .500 records and dare not disappoint their fans with
the folly of a mid-season dumping of player salaries. Special mention
should also go to the Toronto Blue Jays, who are probably not headed
to any playoff berth this season but recently suffered the loss of
starting pitcher A.J. Burnett again. They will be in no position to
move a starting pitcher.
Still, this leaves an interesting list of eleven teams who might be
inclined to offer what the Phils need, a reliable and trusted starting
pitcher down the stretch. Those teams appear to be the Washington Nationals, Colorado Rockies, Houston Astros, Cincinnati Reds,
Pittsburgh Pirates, San Francisco Giants, Tampa Bay Devil Rays,
Baltimore Orioles, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers.
This list can be narrowed down a bit more by the fact that the D’Rays,
under Garry Hunsiker, will be in no mood to assist the Phillies in any
way, shape or form. A walk down memory lane reveals that Hunsiker was
the alleged front runner for the then vacant Phillie GM position until
Gillick seemingly came out of nowhere to take the job. Hunsiker
quietly took the Devil Ray job but has probably never forgotten the
disappointment at the Phillie snub and is unlikely to set out the
welcome mat for Gillick in his time of need. Scratch the D'Rays.
The Texas Rangers will certainly be in a mood to move salary and
pitchers but if the names Vicente Padilla and Kevin Millwood didn't
move you before, they are unlikely to move you now. Both are former
Phillie starting pitchers who left under less than happy
circumstances. Neither wants to come back, and neither is likely to
be invited back. More likely would be a deal for either reliever Eric Gagne or Akinori Otsuka should Gillick decide this is the best he can
do.
If the Phils do acquire either Gagne or Otsuka this would likely
involve moving Brett Myers back to the starting rotation, a move that
Myers has said he will not approve. Still, it is not impossible to
envision a scenario where Gagne, Otsuka or Chad Cordero of the
Nationals was brought to PhillieLand as a relief closer should Gordon
and Myers remain on the disabled list.
Speaking of the Nationals, there is no one of interest on their
starting staff and the same can probably be said of the Colorado
Rockies and Pittsburgh Pirates as well. This narrows the list down to
six teams and, truth be told, the names available are not exactly
names that will cause Phillie phanatics to order their playoff tickets
any time soon.
Yet, if one can capture lightning in a bottle, there is more than a
mere nugget of potential gold in this years list of possible gems.
Two names that definitely stand out are righty Matt Morris of the San
Francisco Giants and left-hander Mark Buehrle of the Chicago White
Sox.
Both Morris and Buehrle are solid starting pitchers who are not only
having decent seasons with their respective clubs but are likely to be
traded before the July 31 trading deadline. Morris sports an
outstanding 7-4 record with the Giants and already has logged 95
innings in 14 starts, with 3 complete games to his credit.
He is the type of workhorse pitcher who could well propel the Phils
into the playoffs, and at 32 years of age, is battle tested and
leadership skilled. He also remains a favorite of Pat Gillick, who
pursued him in the free agent market two seasons ago before Morris
decided to look West instead of East after so many seasons in the
heartland of St. Louis.
Mark Buehrle is a lefty with a no-hitter to his resume this year, and
a 4-3 record to his credit up to now. He is an upcoming free agent
this winter and the White Sox are resigned to losing him after the
season to the free agent market. This makes them inclined to move him
while they can and despite rumors of an Aaron Rowand for Mark Buehrle
deal, the Phils are not likely to make that trade.
Add to that the stigma of the Garcia deal, one which many Phillie
phans still believe was a case of acquiring damaged goods, and the
likelihood of a Phillie-White Sox deal appears slim. Watch for
Buehrle to probably end up in New York with either the Mets or
Yankees.
An interesting case can be made for the acquisition of either Bronson Arroyo of Cincinnati or Wandy Rodriguez of Houston but both come with
WARNING signs printly loudly over their names. Arroyo has struggled
badly with the Reds this year [2-8 record] and whispers of a bad arm
continue to haunt him.
Not so Rodriguez, who the Phils have long been enamored with for some
reason. The 5'11" lefty is still only 28 years old and does have a
4-6 record and 4.19 ERA to this point in the season after 13 starts.
Still, acquiring Rodriguez would mean adding a third left-handed
pitcher to the starting rotation and this is probably not something
Gillick is inclined to do.
Two other hurlers who are most assuredly available are righties Kyle Lohse [3-9] of Cincinnati and Steve Trachsel [5-5] of the Baltimore
Orioles. Both could probably be had for a song, but alas, this is a
tune the Phils are not likely to sing. They have had ample
opportunity in the past to sign either of these two righties and
quickly passed go without so much as collecting $200. No doubt, that
will once again be the case.
This leaves but one hurler left...one that is probably not available
and might not wish to pitch in Philadelphia anyhow. Still, if any
hurler could possibly A] come to Philadelphia with the potential to be
a solid starter, B] is young enough to fit in for years to come and C]
is not a highly paid veteran who might upset the balance of power
within the Phillie clubhouse, it would be this right-handed pitcher.
Phillie phans who recently witnessed the 17-5 pounding at the hands of
the Kansas City Royals may have forgotten that at one point in the
game the score stood 6-5 Royals, with the Phils in full speed ahead
form. That is until one Zack Greinke entered the fray and completely
shut down the Phightins'. He was dominant that day and has the talent
to be dominant again.
There are obvious roadblocks to any Greinke to Philadelphia deal. For
one thing, Zack Greinke is a mere 23 years of age and the Royals might
be less than inclined to move him now. For another, there are rumors
that his psyche could not withstand the rigors of a Philadelphia
phandom that can be as harsh as it is engaging when it comes to their
hometown heroes.
Still, in my opinion, Greinke is exactly the kind of high risk, high
reward hurler who might just help turn a Phillie season around, not
unlike another youngster, Dick Ruthven, did back in the 1978 season.
Much like Greinke, Dick Ruthven was underachieving elsewhere but sill
talented enough to turn it around at any moment.
When the Phils acquired Ruthven at the trading deadline his record
with the Atlanta Braves was decidedly under .500 but from that point
until the end of the season, he parlayed a 13-5 record in PhillieLand
to a National League playoff berth for the team. Both Greinke and
Ruthven had arm problems in their past, yet both were healthy when the
Phils showed interest.
It may well behoove the Phils to at least make a phone call to Kansas
City and find out what it might take to acquire the talented but
enigmatic Zack Greinke. The Royals have always had a love affair with
swift young outfielders and might be inclined to accept Michael Bourn
as partial payment for the services of Greinke. Stay tuned.
There is yet one more interesting scenario which could unfold, one
that every Phillie phan should be aware of over the next month and a
half. Under the Gillick Regime, the team has shown no reluctance to
bring up young pitchers from Double-A Reading and immediately place
them in the starting rotation.
Last year, both Cole Hamels and Scott Mathieson found themselves smack
in the middle of a playoff race in August with the Phils after opening
the campaigns in Reading. This is exactly the same story with Kyle
Kendrick, currently holding down that prized fifth spot in the Phillie
starting rotation, if albeit precariously at the moment.
A few days ago, the Phils promoted their most prized pitching
prospect, right-hander Carlos Carrasco, from Clearwater in the Florida State League to Reading. On the surface, this move might mean little other than a well deserving promotion to an outstanding young hurler. Perhaps. More likely is that the Phillie brain trust has determined that they might well be best served by looking to within the system for that elusive fifth starting pitcher.
It could still become Kendrick, if his first two starts against the
White Sox and Indians were not mere mirages. Or, it could well be
that Carrasco, still only 20 years of age, will become the chosen one
should he dominate at Reading as he did at Clearwater this year. He
is coming off of a 12-6 record at Lakewood last season and is widely
considered the best prospect in the entire organization.
The Phillie Blueprint on this is already in place. Hamels, Mathieson
and Kendrick have seen to that. All had success after their
promotions and all are expected to become bulwarks of a strong Phillie
staff heading into the second half of the early twenty first century.
Along with Carlos Carrasco. T
This is a Philadelphia story well worth watching for as the team
attempts to once again overcome a dreadful start and thrust themselves
back firmly into the National League playoff race. Indeed, there are
many stories expected to unfold as Spring bids its latest adieu and
Summer quickly says hello.
Along with the renewed vigor of Ryan Howard, the continued brilliance
of Chase Utley and the determined stances of Cole Hamels, the Phils
attempts to bring in a fifth starting hurler like Carrasco or Greinke
make this a team well worth watching right about now...just for
starters.
Columnist's Note: Please email all questions and comments to allenariza@earthlink.net and I will respond. Thank you! CD from the Left Coast