Let’s fire up the rumor mill. Turn the cranks, put the heat on, get cases of liquor and warm holiday somethings, because it’s Hot Stove season and Ruben Amaro is getting ready to blow some money on aging players while neglecting his bullpen and bench.
Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports (probably because Amaro told him) that the Phillies are interested in…
The Phillies are targeting big-time free-agent outfielders and baseball people expect them to be in the mix for Jacoby Ellsbury, Shin-Soo Choo, Nelson Cruz and possibly Curtis Granderson.
The Phillies have long been interested in Marlins star outfielder Giancarlo Stanton, but there’s no evidence to this point Miami would consider trading him.
The Phillies have a team built around superior starting pitching and veteran infielders but have a clear weakness in the outfield, where they got subpar production this past year. One person familair with their situation said they were even prepared to try to bring back Hunter Pence, who signed back with the Giants for $90 million.
That may show their level of interest in the position because they didn’t hesitate to trade Pence in the summer of 2012.
It’s too early to start breaking these down, but basically, Amaro is INTERESTED IN EVERYBODY HE’S HEARD OF OR WHO WAS ON TV ONCE. Something tells me that Nelson Cruz, at 33, and Jacoby Ellsbury are his top two targets. Cruz is a power guy who doesn’t get on base a lot, strikes out a lot, but hits for power and is about two years past his prime and declining. Ruben loves those sorts of guys.
And then there’s Ellsbury, who just won a World Series, was on FOX all month and played next to Shane Victorino, so Amaro certainly has interest in him because Amaro likes things that are familiar or resonate. Ellsbury is only 30, but terribly inconsistent and an injury risk. And he’s exactly the sort of guy Amaro would overpay. I can’t wait!
And I’m just ignoring that Pence thing.
14 Comments
STOP SPENDING MONEY. IT’S OVER
Lets be honest. Amaro is doing the job that every fan would do if he was in office. I love him spending like a drunken sailor.
Sign : SP Masahiro Tanaka, SP Josh Johnson, RP JP Howell, CF Jacoby Ellsbury, 1B/OF Mike Morse……also resign Chooch
Trade: Ben Revere, Darin Ruf, Cody Asche, Jonathan Pettibone, Sebastian Valle and Roman Quinn to the Feesh for Giancarlo Stanton and Steve Cishek….fuck, I know, it’s a pipe dream
They would have to put in Brown with that package for Stanton but otherwise great insight
Imagine this shit!
CF Ellsbury
2B Utley
RF Stanton
1B Howard
LF Brown
3B Franco
SS Rollins
C Chooch
Bench:
Morse 1B/OF
Hernandez 2B/OF
Galvis INF
Rupp C
Mayberry OF/1B
It will never happen, but goddamn that’s a good lineup when healthy
Please no more Mayberry. No no no noooooooo
That would be a train wreck:
Ellsbury – good pick up, but will be very over priced
Utley – 36 year old with bad knees… enough said
Stanton – would have to mortgage 2 lifetimes to get him
Howard – seriously ? May never play another game as a Phillie- total disaster
Brown – agree
Franco – huge ?
Rollins – 36 year old- not much left in tank- in retirement mode for next 2 years
Cooch – unless PEDs get legalized. Near the bottom of NL catchers
Just a thought Ron, my own personal opinion and thought process is all, and it IS a trainwreck currently, we both watched the same slop on the field the past 2 years right? Look at the Sawwx…they were in the literal shitter last year, got rid of big contracts, signed good players through FA (see Napoli, Vic, Ross, Uehara etc) and brought up a huge question mark although a highly touted prospect late in Boegarts.
The PHillies must make a huge splash in FA this year if they are to have ANY chance not just next year and beyond….it starts with Tanaka, sign this fucking dude and throw him in the 3 spot in the rotation, Gonzalez as the 4 and sign Josh Johnson as the 4 or 5 to help him possibly revive his career.
Ellsbury, yes, can be injury prone, but who isn’t? Revere has a noodle arm and NO pop, ellsbury is worth every fucking penny!
Utley looked fine to me last year
Stanton….yea, enough said…monster….and my proposed trade is not that far off what the Phillies would offer for him….the fish and their brass are fucktards
Howard- never play again? Reread what you wrote….that’s laughable…all the money they owe him and the fact that he will be healthy and trimmed down, except for the nose….dude will mash and be an rbi machine and naysayers will eat white dog shit
Franco – have you actually watched him play? I have, in the shithole known as Reading 3x this season…thanks christ I don’t live there….he is miles ahead of Asche, and RH dude
Rollins – solid glove….dick in the butt otherwise, thanks though for ’07-’09
Chooch – they have to resign him, they just do
Ellsbury was BORN to be a Philly. It’d be one way to upgrade from Victorino – arguably the two fastest guys in baseball. Ellsbury is all hustle.
100% chance it’s Ellsbury, 100% chance it’s for like 6 years, and 100% chance he misses 100 games next season with a strained hamstring
I hope Pube signs Cruz cause I LOVE HISPANIC HUNKS and Cruz has a large C O k so I can get my producer to get him on my show or I will punch him out !
perfect off-season to steal A-Rod from the Yanks IMO. Can be had for cheap bc Yanks want him gone. Utley, Howard. Rollins, A-Rod. BEST infield in baseball. Sign Elsbury. Re-sign Doc for CHEAP…. Best team in the NL next year.
This is sarcastic, right?
End of month stress has my brain a little foggy this morning. Please tell me this is sarcastic.
No, I am serious.