Phillies pitching links hot up + Hamels lays into Mets

With the Phillies no closer to resigning free agent pitcher Jamie Moyer, the rumours about a possible replacement are now hotting up, with GM Ruben Amaro Jr. admitting he is interested in former Dodgers starter Derek Lowe.

The righty is believed to be looking for a five year $80 million deal, and the Phillies are now the front runners in the race to sign him, after the Yankees shelled out a massive $160 million on top pitching free agent C.C. Sabathia.

That move could push Lowe's price up slightly, as he and former Toronto star A.J. Burnett are now the top two pitchers left on the market.

The 35-year-old has become well known as a durable pitcher with a great sinkerball, and a good postseason record.

Lowe has a 3.33 career ERA in the postseason, and he gave up just four runs in a perfect 3-0 playoff run for the Red Sox in 2004, when they won the World Series.

Last season he had a record of 14-11 in the Dodgers' rotation, but these stats would have been better had the Dodgers had any offence earlier in the season, before the late trade for Manny Ramirez.

A deal for Lowe would make Moyer's return less likely, although the Phillies could still do with another pitcher to add to their rotation, as behind ace Cole Hamels the only vaguely consistent pitcher is Joe Blanton.

You never know what you are going to get with Brett Myers and Kyle Kendrick faded badly at the back end of last year.

Moyer could still fill a spot in the rotation even if Lowe does sign, however very little progress has been made in terms of resigning the lefty since he filed for free agency.

At least the two parties are talking though and Philly have stated they want to bring Moyer back, which is more than can be said for the Phillies and left fielder Pat Burrell.

So far the management team have not even been in contact with Burrell, increasing the speculation that they are determined to look elsewhere to find the outfielder they desire.

If they do, then Philly are likely to try and find a right-handed batter to offset the mass of lefty hitters in the middle of their lineup.

Going back to pitchers, the word is going around that the team are on the verge of signing unattached right-hander Chan Ho Park, another former Dodger, to act as a middle-inning reliever and an occasional starter.

The 35-year-old South Korean was a regular starter at the turn of the century, but has been used more and more sparingly in that role over the last few years.

He has some reasonable stats last year, picking up a 4-4 record with five starts and an ERA of 3.40 for LA, but if the deal is done it will be interesting to see how he copes in a hitter-friendly ballpark.

Speaking of pitchers or rather pitchers speaking, ace Cole Hamels is in the process of becoming a true Phillies legend, after the World Series MVP laid into the rival Mets on a New York radio station.

In a truly gutsy interview in enemy territory trying to promote the Phillies' World Series DVD, Hamels slated the Mets and labeled them "choke artists" in the wake of their failure to make the playoffs the last two years.

Both times the Mets were seen as the class of the NL East, but both times they faded late in the season having led the division the majority of the way, allowing the Phillies to take back-to-back division titles.

Hamels said he would continue to see New York's 'other team' as choke artists until they prove otherwise, and then proceeded to attack Mets short stop Jose Reyes.

The starter suggested Reyes is a show-boater because of his finger-pointing home run celebration, acting like his hit has won the game, even if it is only come a few innings in.

The lefty also stated that he and the rest of the Phillies had had a go at teammate Shane Victorino, when he used a similar celebration after hitting a grand slam off the then Brewers pitcher C.C. Sabathia, in this year's NLDS.

It is great to see a young star standing up and criticising show-boating, in an age where massive salaries and massive egos are threatening to turn baseball into a soap opera.

Lidge finishes 4th for NL Cy Young

Phillies closer Brad Lidge had to do settle for something less than perfection for the first time this year, as he came in fourth in the National League Cy Young voting.

For those of you not in the know, the Cy Young award is an annual honour, awarded to the best pitchers in both the American and National Leagues, as voted for by the Baseball Writers association of America.

Closers rarely feature high in Cy Young voting, although Eric Gagne actually won the award back in 2003.

Lidge, who was a perfect 41-41 in save opportunities during the season and 7-7 in the postseason, was one of the main reasons the Phillies went on to win it all for the first time in 28 years.

After joining the club a year ago, the 31-year-old had an amazing 2008, throwing the pitches that clinched the Phillies' NL East Crown, as well as getting the final outs in the NLDS, NLCS and World Series.

Lidge is famous for his outstanding slider/fastball combination which devastated the League this year, giving him a 1.95 ERA and 92 strikeouts, including that of Eric Hinske which brought the title 'World Champions' back to Philadelphia.

Here is the pitch that sealed it all:

Lidge can still add a couple of honours to his perfect season, as he is nominated in two categories for the 'This Year in Baseball Awards'.

Lidge is up for Closer of the year, whilst his World Series strikeout of Hinske is shortlisted for best postseason moment.

Also up for awards are Ryan Howard (Hitter), Charlie Manuel (Manager), Pat Gillick (Executive), while Matt Stairs, Carlos Ruiz and Chase Utley are all nominated alongside Lidge (Postseason moment).

Make sure you give them your support and VOTE NOW!!

Phillies off-season updates

The baseball world is continuously moving, even through the winter, and the World Champion Phillies are no exception.

No team ever stays exactly the same from one year to the next, and already the Phillies are making changes to their lineup, whilst trying to keep together the backbone of a roster that won the World Series, just over a month ago.

Let's look at all the Phillies off-season news in turn and examine exactly what it means for Philadelphia in 2009.

1. Chase Utley's injury

The second baseman could miss the start of the season after having surgery on his right hip.

The rumours are that Philly are not too concerned about finding a replacement for the All-star, and that should Utley not be ready for opening day, they have a couple of internal options.

The most likely is that they are willing to entrust the position to Eric Bruntlett, who filled in for shortstop Jimmy Rollins when he got hurt last season.

He won't provide the same production as Utley but Bruntlett proved in the World Series that he can chip in offensively, as he knocked in a home run in the Phillies only loss in Game 2 (see home run video).

The other option is promoting young prospect Jason Donald, but this would be more risky, despite Donald's good showing at the Olympics and during the minor league's off-season competition.

However, It was rumoured today that the Phillies are interested in signing the Astros free-agent infielder Mark Loretta, who would provide a viable stand-in at second or third base.

Even so, all Philly fans will be hoping Utley rehabs well, as there are few players in all of Major League Baseball, that can match the quality he brings to the lineup.

Another injury concern is third baseman Pedro Feliz, who has had surgery on his back.

However he is expected to be back long before opening day, with just a 2-3 month expected recovery time.

2. Free agents

Three members of last season's Championship winning team have already chosen to test the free agency market: Left fielder Pat Burrell, starting pitcher Jamie Moyer and reliever Tom Gordon.

Within the last 24 hours, the Phillies have decided not to offer arbitration to any of the three.

Arbitration is a complicated concept, but it basically means that the Phillies now get to negotiate with all three players on their own terms.

Had Philly offered arbitration to the trio and they had accepted, it could have guaranteed them all a pay rise which the Phillies can't really afford, especially with the possibility of having to make similar offers to other key players, including ace pitcher Cole Hamels.

However, it does mean that should any of them leave to join another club, the Phils will get no compensatory draft picks in return.

Of the three, Moyer has appeared the one most likely to return to Philadelphia, and the management have made it clear that resigning him is one of their top priorities.

Yet negotiations seem to have stalled somewhat in recent weeks, and no negotiations seem to have been started as yet with either Burrell or Gordon.

Should Burrell not be resigned, the team will have a gaping hole in left field, but several names have already been linked with filling the void: Rocco Baldelli (Tampa Bay Rays), Juan Rivera (LA Angels) and Raul Ibanez (Seattle Mariners), although the latter is now less likely after being offered arbitration.

Of the three, Ibanez would be the best fit as he is the only natural left fielder, with the other two both spending last season on the opposite side of the outfield.

Ibanez is also the only one who's offensive production would really match Burrell's, as he has consistently hit above .280 for the last 8 seasons.

Rivera's production had also been high prior to last season, but like Burrell he had an offensive slump in 2008, hitting below .250 for the first time in his career.

Baldelli has been injury riddled the last few seasons, and wasn't all that impressive for the Rays during the World Series, or the postseason as a whole, hitting just .200.

However, the Phillies have been reluctant over the years to shell out for big name free-agents, and Ibanez would fall under this category.

This is also why Philly are determined to resign Moyer, as strong starting pitching comes at a high price, especially as A.J. Burnett (Toronto Blue Jays) and Derek Lowe (LA Dodgers), two pitchers the Phillies are rumoured to have been tracking, have also been offered arbitration.

The management have stated that pitching is their priority, but the Phils are likely to try and find a cheaper answer, than chasing the big fish.

In terms of Gordon, the Phillies don't appear worried about resigning him, especially after his mediocre season where he went 5-4 with an ERA of over 5, which is far from great for a reliever.

One thing is for sure, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has a lot of decisions to make over the coming months.

3. Done deals

There have already been a few players going in and out of the club, some of which are bigger than others.

The Phillies recently added veteran reliever Mike Koplove to try and bring more depth to their bullpen, but the 32 year old has only made seven appearances in the Majors since 2005, so how much he will actually add is in question.

A bigger deal for the Philadelphia bullpen, which was so stifling last year, was the resigning of left-handed pitcher Scott Eyre on a one year $2 million deal.

Eyre came up big for the Phillies down the stretch, going 3-0 with an ERA of 1.88 and 18 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings, after signing from the Cubs in early August.

The south paw was very good at his job of retiring left-handed hitters, allowing an average of just .220 off their bats and only giving up one home run.

The final move to this point was the release of outfielder So Taguchi, after less than a year in the city of brotherly love.

Taguchi had a poor year, hitting just .220 as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement for Burrell, a job which he eventually lost to Bruntlett.

His departure was expected, but all Philadelphia fans will be hoping that there are no surprise departures of key players between now and April.

Watch this space...

Surgery means Utley could miss start of title defence

Phillies star second baseman Chase Utley, could miss the start of the 2009 season after having surgery on his right hip.

The three-time All Star has been ruled out for four to six months, with the latter meaning he would miss the first few months of the Phillies' title defence.

However a four month recovery could mean Utley will make it back in time for opening day, when the Phillies will host division rivals the Atlanta Braves, on April 5th.

Early signs are that the surgery was successful, but it is still too early to give an accurate return date for the left-hander.

Utley was key to Philadelphia's championship winning season, hitting .321 and knocking in a league-leading 21 homers through the first week of June.

After that he cooled off, going .272 with 12 home runs the rest of the way, with his decreased production costing him a shot at the National League MVP.

The hip injury had supposedly been niggling away at the lefty since spring training, but Utley put up with it all season long and throughout the playoffs, where he hit just .220 but did come up with two big home runs in the World Series.

This video shows every single homer the Phillies hit in their Fall Classic victory over the Rays... just so you can all enjoy them again! See if you can spot Utley's big shots:



His loss would be a big one for the Phils, who need a consistent hitter like Utley to make up for the streaky form of slugger Ryan Howard.

No doubt new GM Ruben Amaro Jr. will be keeping a close eye on his progress, to see whether or not he needs to bring in a temporary replacement through free agency.

On a brighter note for Philly, third baseman Pedro Feliz also had successful surgery on his back and should be ready to go in 2-3 months, meaning the Dominican will be fit for the Phils' opening day date with the Braves.

Pair of champion Phillies file for free agency

Patt Burrell and Jamie Moyer to test the market

Two key members of the Phillies team that won the World Series just over a week ago, have asked to join the free agent list.

Left fielder Burrell and starting pitcher Moyer both played key roles in a Phillies season that ended with their first championship since 1980.

Burrell may have only hit .250 during the season, his lowest batting average in 5 years, but he still smashed 33 home runs, got 86 RBIs and ranked third in the league with 102 walks.

His worth was proven at times in the post-season, coming up with some crucial hits against the Brewers and hitting .333 in the NLCS against the Dodgers.

However one of his famed problems is his streaky nature and in the World Series he was cold, going only 1-14. He also has some defensive issues.

Depending on price, the Phillies may well choose not to resign him and go in a different direction.

If they do, new GM Ruben Amaro Jr. will have to find someone to replace a guy who has averaged 31 homers and 99 RBIs the past four years- no easy task!

Moyer on the other hand, had a great regular season, notching up 16 wins with a 3.71 ERA.

The lefty had a poor postseason, with all three of the Phillies playoff loses coming on the back of his starts, but as the oldest active player in the majors (turning 46 later this month), he can be forgiven for looking jaded.

Despite his age the Phillies seem willing to keep faith with Moyer, who has suggested he wants to pitch until he is 50.

Depending on the deal he desires, both parties seem happy for the southpaw to return to Philadelphia.

Burrell's future however is more uncertain.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, they are about to find out that keeping together a championship winning team is a very expensive business!