Friday, October 20, 2006
Talking Phillies
Pat Gillick wants Pat Burrell gone. Oh, he won't come out and say it, he can't, but if you read between the lines, you can definitely tell Burrell's days playing left field in red pinstrips are over.
That statement and the fact that Pat tried to move Burrell this past season before the trade deadline shows you that Burrell is gone. Now Pat just needs to find a buyer. The market for Burrell is slim and his huge contract makes it slimmer. Pat is an average fielder and shows flashes of power at the plate. Many speculate that his inconsistent power is due to injury and having to play out in the field. If that is true, then that cuts almost all NL teams. The only NL teams that would consider him are those that are most desperate, and I really don't see any out there like that. So that leaves only AL teams.
People believe the Phillies had a trade lined up that would have sent Burrell to Baltimore in exchange for starting pitching, but Burrell, and his wonderful No-Trade Clause, rejected that. That deal might still stand, and the prospects of riding the bench or DHing every day might change his mind. The other usual suspects are the Yankees that there infinite wallets, and the Red Sox.
I can't see the Yankees. They have Matsui in LF, the only position Pat can play, and Giambi in DH. Unless the Yanks trade Matsui to the Phils, not happening, or they trade Giambi, not happening either, there is no reason for him to go to New York.
That leave the Red Sox. Ortiz is DH, so that isn't an option. That leaves LF. Now, you're thinking, they have Manny, Burrell isn't an improvement there. Right, but Manny, being Manny, for the past few offseasons has moaned about wanting out. Manny and Manuel have a very good Manager/Player relationship from back in Cleveland and Manny and Pat make almost the same salaries...the Phils would need to pick up more since Manny makes more, but Manny would be an upgrade and would be PERFECT protection for Ryan Howard. Pat in Boston would be a fresh start and with the smaller LF, he wouldn't be a defensive liability.
Will this happen? I doubt it. I put the odds on Pat not being a Phillie next season at about 65%. It Gillick can make a deal, it will be made, but the options are small. If Burrell isn't traded, look for the Phillies to trade Rowand. With the wonderful play of Victorino, and highly touted prospects Michael Bourn and Chris Roberson making strides this past season, Rowand has become expendable, especially if he can bring them a good starter or a top set-up man.
"We're going to have to continue to look for a little more offense," Pat Gillick said. "We know that at this point, Pat has had a difficult time protecting [Ryan] Howard. We're going to have to continue to have to make an adjustment in that area. And naturally, we're going to have to continue to improve our pitching."
That statement and the fact that Pat tried to move Burrell this past season before the trade deadline shows you that Burrell is gone. Now Pat just needs to find a buyer. The market for Burrell is slim and his huge contract makes it slimmer. Pat is an average fielder and shows flashes of power at the plate. Many speculate that his inconsistent power is due to injury and having to play out in the field. If that is true, then that cuts almost all NL teams. The only NL teams that would consider him are those that are most desperate, and I really don't see any out there like that. So that leaves only AL teams.
People believe the Phillies had a trade lined up that would have sent Burrell to Baltimore in exchange for starting pitching, but Burrell, and his wonderful No-Trade Clause, rejected that. That deal might still stand, and the prospects of riding the bench or DHing every day might change his mind. The other usual suspects are the Yankees that there infinite wallets, and the Red Sox.
I can't see the Yankees. They have Matsui in LF, the only position Pat can play, and Giambi in DH. Unless the Yanks trade Matsui to the Phils, not happening, or they trade Giambi, not happening either, there is no reason for him to go to New York.
That leave the Red Sox. Ortiz is DH, so that isn't an option. That leaves LF. Now, you're thinking, they have Manny, Burrell isn't an improvement there. Right, but Manny, being Manny, for the past few offseasons has moaned about wanting out. Manny and Manuel have a very good Manager/Player relationship from back in Cleveland and Manny and Pat make almost the same salaries...the Phils would need to pick up more since Manny makes more, but Manny would be an upgrade and would be PERFECT protection for Ryan Howard. Pat in Boston would be a fresh start and with the smaller LF, he wouldn't be a defensive liability.
Will this happen? I doubt it. I put the odds on Pat not being a Phillie next season at about 65%. It Gillick can make a deal, it will be made, but the options are small. If Burrell isn't traded, look for the Phillies to trade Rowand. With the wonderful play of Victorino, and highly touted prospects Michael Bourn and Chris Roberson making strides this past season, Rowand has become expendable, especially if he can bring them a good starter or a top set-up man.
# posted by Bill Lutz @ 2:29 PM 
