Phils add Qualls to bullpen

January 31, 2012

The Phillies add more depth to their bullpen by signing the right-handed reliever Chad Qualls.

calltothepen.com

Phillies beat writer Todd Zolecki reports that the deal is for one-year, and worth $1.15 million.

The 33-year old Qualls made 77 appearances for the San Diego Padres in 2011, going 6-8 with a 3.51 ERA. The seven year vet had a WHIP of 1.25 last season, and a career WHIP of 1.27. His career ERA is 3.78.

Reliever Jose Contreras had right elbow surgery last year, and there is still uncertainty around his availability for this season. Therefore, Qualls provides more right-handed support out of the Phil's bullpen.

Dmitri Young works out for Phillies

January 31, 2012

wikipedia.org

Ryan Howard is expected to be out until May.

The 41-year old Jim Thome may be able to fill in at first until Howard comes back, and Ty Wigginton seems more than cable of doing so as well. But it doesn't hurt to look for a little extra help.

That is why the Phillies worked out Dmitri Young, according to a report by CSNPhilly.com.

Young is 38-years old, and has not played in the Majors since 2008 (that four year absence might be a problem).

On top of that, he only played 50 games in '08 with Washington, hitting a modest .280 average with four homers.

Young is a career .292 hitter, with a 171 home-runs. He also has a couple All-Star appearances.

Again, the Phillies have Thome, Wigginton, and even John Mayberry Jr. (played games at first in 2011) to use at first base, but it looks like they will look at any help that is out there.

Oswalt talks to Rangers

January 31, 2012

First the Red Sox had interest, but he had none.

Then the Cardinals were reportedly close to a deal, but that those rumors were denied.

Now CSNPhilly.com reports that Roy Oswalt met with the Rangers on Monday.

The Rangers have not made any deal yet.

The option for Oswalt to pitch out of the bullpen is available, but he has made it clear that he wants to start.

One team that is surprisingly in the mix. The Houston Astros, his former team.

Pat Burrell retires

January 31, 2012

A report by Joey Nowak of MLB.com confirmed that the 35-year old outfielder Pat Burrell, retired form Major League Baseball on Monday.
Burrell spent eight years playing left field for the Phillies, from 2000-2008.

He played for the Tampa Bay Rays from 2009 to part of 2010, before being traded to the San Francisco Giants, where he spent the rest of 2010 and 2011.


zimbio.com

Burrell won the World Series with the Phillies in 2008, in what would then prove to be his final year on the team.

In game 5 of that series, Burrell hit a 400 foot double off the inclined wall in center field that brought Geoff Jenkins (who hit a lead off-double in the resumption of the game) home, giving the Phillies a 3-2 lead in the sixth.

The Phillies won game 5 to clinch the series over the Tampa Bay Rays, by a final of 4-3.

Two years later, Burrell won another World Series with the Giants in 2010 (that one still hurts).

Burrell played 12 seasons in the Majors, hitting for a .253 career average, with 1393 hits, 292 home runs, and 976 RBI's.

Phillies avoid arbitration with Pence

January 27, 2012

Ben Nicholson-Smith of MLBTradeRumors.com reports that the Phillies and rightfielder Hunter Pence have agreed to a one-year, $10.4 million deal, avoiding arbitration.

Pence was the last arbitration eligible player left on the Phillies, so they now have all of them signed for 2012.

Pence, who will be a free agent in 2013, originally requested an $11.8 million deal, and the Phillies offered $9 million.

The $10.4 million Pence will receive is the midway point between both sides amounts.

Phillies add speed with Juan Pierre

January 27, 2012



zimbio.com

The Phillies have signed outfielder Juan Pierre to a minor league contract, according to MLB.com's Paul Hagen.

Pierre, 34, played in 158 games for the Chicago White Sox in 2011. He was placed in left and batted in the leadoff spot. Pierre hit .279  with a .329 OBP.

However, Ruben Amaro Jr. was looking to add speed to the Phillie's bench, and Pierre brings just that.

Last season, Pierre stole 27 bases, and stole a career high 68 in 2010.

Hunter Pence, Shane Victorino, have right and center field covere, while Laynce Nix and John Mayberry Jr. are expected to platoon in left. So, Pierre will be competing for a bench spot against the 36-year old vet Scott Podsednik, and possibly Dominic Brown.

Lidge signs with Washington

January 26, 2012

todayinndhistory.com

Brad Lidge will always be remembered for 2008.

He went 48 for 48 in save oppurtunities, the 48th save being the one that clinched the World Series title and bringing the first championship to Philadelphia in 25 years.

The years after, unfortunately, were not as successful. 2009 was a horrible year for him, and 2010 and 2011 had him battle through injuries for a while.

Now, Lide's four-year run in Philadelphia is over, as CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury is reporting that Lidge signed a one-year, $1 million with the Washington Nationals.

Lidge only made 25 appearances in 2011, posting a 1.40 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He pitched 19.1 innings and earned and 0-2 record with one save.

Lidge had a shoulder injury that kept him out for a little over the first half of the season, last year.

Lidge, 35, expressed interest in returning for a fifth year, and so did Ruben Amaro Jr., but there were other priorities that the team had to address and nothing ever materialized.

Though Lidge is going to an NL East rival, I wish him the best of luck.

I know that Phillies fans won't ever forget what he helped bring to the city.

Valdez traded to Reds

January 25, 2012

The Phillies made another deal today, sending utility man Wilson Valdez to the Cincinnati Reds for left-handed pitcher Jeremy Horst.

Valdez, 33, signed a one-year deal earlier this month to avoid arbitration with the Phils, but now Cincinnati will be taking care of his contract.

Valdez mostly filled in at shortstop, second base, and third base in the 2010 and 2011 campaigns, while Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, and Placido Polanco were injured.

joemontanasrightarm.com

But on May 25 against the Reds, when the game went into the 19th inning, Valdez was sent out to pitch. He pitched a scoreless inning and got the win in a 5-4 walkoff victory.

Valdez earned himself a spot in Philadelphia Sports lore that night, where he got three batters out, one of which was the NL MVP Joey Votto.

He has a 1-0 record, with a 0.00 ERA as a pitcher.... Talk about perfect.

As a position player, Valdez hit .249, with a single home-run, and 30 RBI's, in 99 games of the 2011 season.

Horst, 26, appeared in 12 Major League games, and 36 Triple-A games last season. He posted a 2.93 ERA in the Majors in 15.1 innings, and a 2.81 ERA in the Minors in 51 innings.

Update: Cordero agrees to deal with Jays

January 24, 2012

Monday, it was reported that the Phillies were one of four finalists for free-agent reliever Francisco Cordero.

MLBTradeRumors.com's Ben Nicholson-Smith, now reports that Cordero has agreed to a one-year,  $4.5 million deal with the Toronto Blue Jays.

Fielder to Tigers

Sorry, I couldn't avoid this one.

Prince Fielder has finally signed with a team, and they are in the American League.

Fielder has agreed to a 9-year, $214 million deal with the Detroit Tigers. The same team that his father, Cecil Fielder, played for.

Fielder will be playing first base, meaning that the current first baseman Miguel Cabrera, will be switching positions.

Cabrera will most likely become the DH, since Victor Martinez is out for the year with a torn ACL.

The Tigers were a team that no one even knew were in the Fielder sweepstakes.

The Phillie's division rival Washington Nationals, were rumored to be the favorite to sign Fielder. Fortunately, Phils fans can breathe easy now, knowing that one of the most fiercest hitters in the game right now is not within their own division.

Fans of any other AL team, central division especially, that is not the Tigers though (maybe except the Angels) have to be worried now considering that both Fielder and Albert Pujols of the Angels are there.

Plus, the Tigers easily have the best pitcher right now in Justin Verlander.

Former broadcaster Andy Musser passes away

January 24, 2012

abclocal.go.com

Former Phillies broadcaster Andy Musser passed away on Sunday, at the age of 74.

Musser was on the Phillies broadcast team from 1976-2001. He also did the broadcasts for Super Bowl VI (1972) and VII (1974), The NBA All-Star Game in 1966 and 1970, the Masters in 1972-1973, and the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship in 1975.

Musser is survived by his wife, son, daughter, and four grandchildren.

Todd Zolecki reported that a memorial service will be held on January 31.

You can read Zolecki's full article of Musser on the Phillie's website. The story is in the link below.
http://philadelphia.phillies.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20120123&content_id=26445860&vkey=news_phi&c_id=phi

Phillies in pursuit of Francisco Cordero

January 23, 2012

MLBTradeRumors.com

zimbio.com

The Phillies are rumored to be in pursuit of free agent reliever Francisco Cordero, according to Mark Polishuk of MLBTradeRumors.com.

The Phils are likely to be one of the four finalists in the Cordero sweepstakes, along with the Angels, Blue Jays, and Orioles.

If the soon to be 14-year veteran chooses to sign with the Phillies, he will likely be the set up man for Jonathan Papelbon.

Cordero has spent the last four seasons with the Cinncinati Reds as their closer.

In 2011, Cordero put up 37 saves and finished with a 5-3 record. He struck out 42, had an ERA of 2.45, and a WHIP of 1.02.

I will post more details as soon as they become available.

Moyer signs with Colorado

January 19, 2012

CSNPhilly.com is reporting that the 49 year-old, now former Phil, Jamie Moyer has signed a minor league contract with the Colorado Rockies.

Moyer will be competing for a roster spot, but Colorado will also have him mentor the younger pitchers.

Ibanez contacted Yankees

January 18, 2012

No one has picked up Raul Ibanez so far, but reports are being made that he has contacted the Yankees about possibly being a designated hitter.

There are no details on how the in-depth these talks were, or if there was any interest at all.

I'll keep you updated if more becomes available.

Details on Valdez's arbitration

January 18, 2012

Wilson Valdez reached a one-year deal with the team on Tuesday to avoid arbitration. However, what he will be paid in 2012 was not known yet.

Valdez will receive $930,000 this season.


Pence still left for arbitration

Hunter Pence is the only arbitration eligible player left on the team.

Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com reports that Pence filed for $11.8 million, and the Phillies countered with a $9 million offer.

The two sides have until February to reach an agreement, or go to a hearing in February, where a panel of arbitrators will decide if Pence gets his $11 million or the club's $9 million.

Phillies will have "every oppurtunity to secure" Hamels

January 18, 2012

CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury reports that Cole Hamel's agent John Boggs, expects his client to receive a contract comparable to that of Cliff Lee's, where he will make at least $20 million a year.

That presents a problem for the Phillies considering that they already have Lee, Roy Hallady, and Ryan Howard already making over $20 million a year.

In addition, Boggs states that Angel's pitcher Jered Weaver's recently signed 5-year, $85 million contract will not be comparable to Hamels. Boggs explains that Weaver gave tha Angels a home town discount, and that he and Hamels won't be looking for that kind of deal.

Salisbury writes that Boggs and GM Ruben Amaro Jr. will talk during spring training to try and make a deal, but at this point there is no real deadline to get things done.

There is an upside however. Boggs says that Hamel's preference is most likely to stay in Philadelphia, and added that "We’ll always give the Phillies every opportunity to secure him.”

You can read Salisbury's full article at CSNPhilly.com by clicking on the link below.
http://www.csnphilly.com/blog/phillies-talk/post/Agent-expects-elite-contract-for-Hamels?blockID=633252&feedID=693

Phils, Hamels avoid arbitration, agree to one-year deal

January 17, 2012

Great news, Cole Hamels will remain in Philadelphia for at least another year.

According to CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury, The Phillies agreed to a one-year, $15 million deal with Hamels. 

Salisbury also reports that the club has agreed to a deal with Wilson Valdez, avoiding arbitration with both players.

Hunter Pence is the last player on the team that is arbitration eligible.

Recap

January 17, 2012

It's been a while, but the blog is finally back to full form. Let's recap what what was missed shall we?

After hitting his 600th home-run with the Twins in 2011, Jim Thome comes back to the Phillies for one more year, hoping he can finally win the championship ring hat has eluded him his entire career.

The Phillies didn't stop strengthning their bench their, adding utility player Ty Wigginton from the Rockies, then picking up outfielder Laynce Nix in free agency.

J-Roll signed on for another three years in Philly, after the market for him getting a five-year deal turned out to be a non-existent one.

Ryan Madson was on the free-agent market for months before the Reds gave him a year, after the Phils decided to go with Jonathan Papelbon as their closer.

The day after New Year's, CBP transformed from a ballpark into a Winter (Classic) wonderland.

Then just recently, the Phillies signed RHP Joel Pineiro to a minor league deal with an invitation to spring training.

A lot was missed, but now That Phillies Blog is back in full form.

Update

January 12, 2012

Hello everyone,

Recently there haven not been any posts, and I apologize for that. As I mentioned previously, I've had a very important paper to take care of for school. It has taken up a lot of my time, and unfortunately, the blogs had to take a back seat for a while. Again, I'm very sorry for this. But, I am happy to say the paper is done, and I will be updating the blogs daily again. Originally, I set the deadline for my return on January 10, but the due date for the paper was pushed back. Now I will be returning on Tuesday, January 17. You may see some changes to the look of the blog, as I am looking to redesign it. In addition, I am also happy to announce that I will be making YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter pages for the blogs in the near future.

Again, I am deeply sorry for any inconvience I have caused over the last few weeks. I thank you for your patience.

- Nick

P.S. I wish the best of luck to Ryan Madson with the Cincinnati Reds.

Howard cleared for exercise

January 6, 2012

http://www.csnphilly.com/blog/phillies-talk/post/Phils-Howard-cleared-to-begin-exercises?blockID=625814&feedID=693

- Courtesy of CSNPhilly.com

Halladay makes off-season rescue

January 1, 2012

http://www.csnphilly.com/blog/phillies-talk/post/Halladay-rescues-boy-from-anaconda-bite?blockID=621716&feedID=693

- Courtesy of CSNPhilly.com