All I want at the Trade Deadline…
By falese | June 19, 2008
Category: Local News
Is a starting pitcher. As the 2008 baseball season races towards it’s halfway point in New York and the July 31st trade deadline, baseball fans in Philadelphia find their beloved team on top in the Eastern division of the National League. It’s been a very entertaining season thus far. Highlights include Chase Utley and his ascent into the pantheon of Gods, Cole Hamels being King Cole of the Starters, Cholly taking over, and the resurgence of one Patrick the Bat. That being said there has been plenty of frustrating moments as well. Chief amongst these being Brett Myers and his general suckitude.
After Monday’s beatdown of the Sawks many are saying this is a potential world series matchup. I am leary of such lofty prognostication (especially after the bad starts by Grandpa and the Kid), but the fact remains the Phillies are playing some excellent ball this year. Having a good start was key but the reason they have maintained is purely the O. The Phillies starters are a combined 25-21. They are getting quality pitching from their number 2, 3 and 4 spots with Moyer and Hamels leading the way with 7 wins a piece. The kid Kendrick is also pitching well but getting his fair share of run support.
Which leads us to my (and frankly everybody else’s wishes, maybe even the head of Penorious Inc) wishes for the trade deadline. A quality starting pitcher to pick up the slack from the ass face and ass end of the rotation-(Myers/Eaton).
Erik Bedard
A complete stud last year on a complete shit of a team, Bedard was traded to the pennant hopeful Seattle Mariners to pair with King Felix to form an imposing 1-2 punch. Oops. The Mariners are terrible, worst record in the bigs terrible, and may have commenced on a rebuilding mission. This season he is 4-4 with a 4.14 ERA playing on a cellar dweller. Seattle is an older team, stuck with crappy Richie Sexson to play in the outfield. Ichiro is getting older and they are looking to rebuild. Maybe package T.J. Bohn and a Joe Savery along with a blue chipper like Gregory Golson to get Bedard out of Seattle. Hell throw in Brett Myers. Just get Gillick to tell his old Seattle buddies that he’s still young and developing, rather than the truth that he’s mediocre. Bedard is a three pitch southpaw with the third being a changeup. His fastball reaches 96 and he has a deadly slurve/curve. He’s still relatively young and still arbitration eligible. He would be pretty expensive after this year but it wouldn’t be beyond the realm of possibility he could resign. With a rotation made up of Hamels, Bedard, Kendrick, Moyer and Ass-Face or Ass-End the Phillies could be one of the top rotations in the NL and match up with some of the best the junior circuit has to offer (I’m looking at you Sqwaks). The notion of having three lefties, all with pretty nasty changeups would give opponents fits. Imagine the angst that rotation would cause in Queens. Thats reason alone to do that deal.
I think there is a better than average chance the Phils get him out of Seattle. The Gillick connection will help, the Mariners have an old outfield and the Phillies have a plethora of bluechip outfielders in the system. Greg Golson (Reading) is viewed as the highlight of the bunch. He’s a speedy center fielder with a little pop in his bat (tied for the team lead in homers, second in RBI) that would be ready to take over the middle for Ichiro-san when he switches to another outfield position. They could package Golson, with the pitcher named Ass-Face who could be transitioned back into a closer in the fat pitcher league (did anybody see bartolo colon? jesus go take some laps) and a few draft choices.
Its easy to say that Bedard would instantly become our best option after Hamels. He’s a power pitcher with a good changeup. You know, sort of like a certain goatee wearing Ass-Face was supposed to be. I grade him lower here because I worry about health. He has been injured in every professional season he’s had, last year with a strained oblique. It probably comes down to conditioning. Which could be seen as a reason for Ass-Face’s struggles. I think its less of a risk with Bedard, but at least he’s not Ass-Face.
C.C. Sabathia
Cy Young winner, this years Santana. That’s a pretty quick and dirty description of C.C. Sabathia. He’s an absolute stud on a mediocre team. This season he is 5-8 with an ERA of 4.26. Not dominant numbers but he’s 29 and already has 1,000 strikeouts. If the Indians continue their decline they will most likely look to move him for pieces to rebuild. If they are fielding offers for him this year as a rental player the Phillies will be wise to consider it. He has a fastball that reaches the upper 90’s and is very good at changing speeds. He keeps hitters off balance with his curve, slider, and changeup. He’s an ace. On a good team he is a guarantee for 15 wins. Cholly was his manager during his early career and he has experience with Mike Hargrove as well. And he’s from Vallejo, so him and J Roll are the NORCAL boys. Offering up the Indians some prospects (Golson probably once again) maybe enough to get him for a stretch drive to the World Series. With Sabathia on the team the Phil’s could interchange the Ass-Face and Ass-End of the rotation for only one ineffective start every fifth day. Hamels would stay in his number two role and face the second best pitcher on every team he faces. God just thinking about C.C. in red stripes makes me tingle.
That being said it ain’t gonna happen. Penurious Inc. will not mortgage a young prospect (read cheaper player) or prospects for a bonafide ace for a stretch run. Especially when they committed money to Ass-Face. Expect Sabathia to touchdown in the Bronx or Boston or even Cleveland. As long as its not in Queens. After the season he can be had for money alone. And that totally prices him out of the Phillies budget.
Greg Maddux
Jamie Moyer Part Deux. He even has an x in his name to match the deux. Greg Maddux is the Rich Man’s Jamie Moyer. I don’t think he needs much introduction. He’s a brain with a gold glove and location so good he can throw thread through a needle. (wow cheesy metaphor, but it’s baseball) He’s got a no trade but would probably waive it to get in a pennant race. Him and Jamie Moyer could team up to form the Old Balls Club. It would be awesome to have Maddux around to teach the kid Kendrick some location and control. He would be a stretch drive addition with invaluable playoff experience, something this team could really use more of. San Diego sucks but they have a dearth of pretty good pitching and I think Maddux could be had for a T.J Bohn or an Eric Bruntlett. It would be cool to see a sure fire hall of famer, but the fact remains he is still a pretty good option for a fifth pitcher. Ass-End could be sat down with his enormous salary and used for spot starts. I would applaud this conservative move but not nearly as much as the first two.
Randy Wolf
Wolfie! We could get Wolfie back! He’s out there in pitcher-ville, San Diego. He’s actually not too bad right now being a coupla years removed from Tommy John surgery. It would be a chance to get the Wolf Pack back. He’s pitching good, not great, ball and could be had pretty cheap. This is a move that will probably happen. He liked Philly, they liked him, he wanted more money, they are penorious. Wolfie went to LA, then SD pitching ok in both places. The Phil’s signed Ass-End to replace him, and look how well that worked out. He would be an improvement over Ass-End for sure, but not the interesting or dynamic move many want.
There you have it. Four pitchers, two to fix the issues caused by Ass-Face’s ineptitude and two to fix the ineffectiveness of Ass-End. The talk and attytood surrounding this team is that of a team out for a championship, so I don’t doubt they will be making a move. However I will always doubt that Penorious Inc. has the collective balls to go out and make big move. This ownership is predicated on being cheap, and keeping young talented players ensures that. So we can all hope that this will be the year that the owners will realize that champions are expensive, but championships in this town are priceless.
June 20th, 2008 at 8:28 am
I really like Bedard…and you’re right, Seattle has the worst record in the bigs, so it could be a major fire sale out there. Only questions are whether management is ready to step up to the plate and do what needs to be done (otherwise have fun watching him on the Red Sox or Yankees) and if Pat Gillick has learned how to use a cell phone yet. I sure hope so on both counts, this team could go places.