Whats Next

Now that Vernon Wells resigned with the Blue Jays ever single player the Phillies have targeted this off-season are with other teams. So now we have to ask who is going to protect Ryan Howard next season. The external options are really limited but there are a few internal options.

Internal

As I wrote about before, batting Rolling fifth would be a good idea. He has proved to be a very effective hitter and his style is more effective later in a lineup. His strengths are not patience and on-base and his power numbers are going up every year. This is the best internal option, especially since it allows Burrell to bat lower with much less pressure.

The other internal option is to bat Burrell fifth and hope he finally learns to deal with the pressure and puts up in the clutch. The good thing is that year in and year out, he hits 25-30 homers with 100 plus RBIs. If he can ever get back to his 2002 style he could still be an effective fifth hitter.

External

The free pool is completely bare; the only real power hitters left are Aubrey Huff and Shea Hillenbrand. Neither of them are very good fits for this team, they both play third as their primary position and the Phils just signed Wes Helms to play that position. Both could probably play the outfield but that would involve actually being able to trade Burrell.

Trades

The big news out of the Phils camp is that they jut swung a trade for Freddy Garcia. Since they struck out in the big hitters market they seem to be intent on improving the starting rotation. In the last few weeks we’ve added Garcia and Eaton, vastly improving the rotation.
Garcia, who went 17-9 with a 4.53 ERA, will step in as one of the top starters and will take some of the pressure off of Hamels and Myers. Those three guys are all capable of being a one starter for many teams, if they can overcome Citizen’s Bank Park. Garcia’s numbers shouldn’t drop too much since he’ll get a boost moving at NL but playing in this park should hurt a little. So for the time being we’ll say it’ll cancel out.

Now we come to the interesting part, since all we had to lose to get Garcia was Gavin Floyd and a prospect and he was suppose to start in AAA anyhow, we now have a surplus of pitchers. It looks like they are going to try to move Jon Lieber.

I don’t know if it’s possible but they should seriously look into trading for Vernon Wells, since he is the only heavy hitter that really makes sense for the Phillies. They are already trying to Aaron Rowand and its possible packing him with some of the better prospects and maybe Lieber that it could be enough to get Vernon. I know that’s a long shot but it worth at least giving it a shot.

There is another option providing that they get someone outside the organization to protect Howard. They could bat Rollins in the five-hole, he is much better suited to bat fifth anyhow. He’s much more of a free swinger and he is developing a power stroke. Last year he hit .277 with 25 homers and 83 RBI out of the leadoff spot, not to shabby. His OBP of .334 is lower then one would want from their leadoff hitter, so the only thing that suits him to leadoff is his speed.

Fultz

The Phils made a big mistake today by not offering Aaron Fultz a new contract or at least offering him arbitration. Fultz has been an effective reliever for the last few years, and would have been a big asset to the ailing bullpen. In 2005 he went 4-0, with a 2.24 ERA in 62 games and last year he went 3-1, with a 4.54, in 66 games. He is also very effective against lefties, holding them to .242 average over the last three years.
It appears that the plan is to use Matt Smith as the lefty handed specialist next year but given the lack of left handed relief pitching the exploding market for pitching, it seems to be that it would have been wise to keep Fultz around. Even if the Phils didn’t keep him, Fultz is a type A free agent, so just by offering arbitration they could get a first round pick in compensation.
While the financial terms are not available yet it appears that he is a bargain in comparison to some of the signings this year.