Kyle Lohse and the Phillies?

The Philadelphia Phillies have re-opened talks with Kyle Lohse and his agent Scott Boras. Lohse has lowered his demands to now 3 years and somewhere around 25 million. A deal like this is doable for the Phillies and would not be entirely bad. Is he worth a little over 8 million? No, however, Adam Eaton is not worth 8 million and this is the market we live in. In reality, he probably deserves 2 years, 8-10 million. He has been a pretty mediocre pitcher, but he did pitch decent for us and could be a big lift to our rotation.

Lohse had said he down to three clubs, but the teams have not been released.

Recently, Ruben Amaro Jr. participated in a chat with MLB.com.

- They are discussing the upgrade of third base. They have had discussions with Pedro Feliz, who would be a great upgrade defensively, but he pathetic offensively.
- It is unlikely that the Phillies will re-sign Jose Mesa.
- Also, it is unlikely that they will pursue Bartolo Colon.

Continuing reading...

Phillies Off-Season News

The Phillies are showing interest in left-handed pitcher Randy Wolf and right-handed pitcher Bartolo Colon.

I'm not sure where to go on these. I think it is necessary that the Phillies add another veteran starter and if I had to pick between the two, I'd go with Colon. Randy Wolf has had success here, but he's is coming off a Tommy John surgery and shoulder surgery. Wolf also has not pitched more than 30 games in a season since 2003.

Colon on the other hand is also battling back from injuries and his fitness has always been a concern, but I think the Phillies may see a lower risk/higher reward with Colon. Colon also showed some signs of being a little normal in September, then again Eaton had one good month last year. Neither pitcher has the velocity they used to have. I'd be all for signing one of these guys to a 1 year deal, with a team option for 2 and and incentives that could improve the player's contract. Realistically, either one of these pitchers are going to be the 5th or 6th starter.

Phillies want nothing to do with Rolen. I don't blame them. He's always hurt and has 3 years, 36 million left on his contract. He's also a 'cancer' in the clubhouse as he has had a feud with almost every manager he's ever had.

In the same article, it mentions that Torii Hunter spoke to 950-AM and said when he looks at the Phillies, he sees a winner and a team going in the right direction.

However, "[Hunter] would be someone that we do not see as a viable candidate to play in Philadelphia," Amaro said.

Continuing reading...