Skip to main content

Still Sizzlin' Stove in NL East

The offseason Stove continues to stay Hot. The competition made some moves this weekend. The Metropolitans signed Tim Redding this weekend to a one year $2.25 million deal. This signing by the Metropolitans bothered me more than the Mets getting JJ Putz and Francisco Rodriguez. Redding, the former DC Nats pitcher, really owned the Phillies early last season. The Phillies did really get to Redding in one of his 4 starts against them last year, but in April and May Redding made two starts and in those starts, Redding threw 13 1/2 scoreless innings. Tim Redding is one of those pitchers that baffles the Phillies offense. Take away the 5th inning against the Phillies on July 30th, and Redding has a 1.14 ERA against Philadelphia last season.

Our Phillies should expect to see Redding four times in 2009 and, at 6-7 innings per outting, that's likely more innings than they'd face Franny and the putz.


Also cookin' on the stove this weekend were the Braves, who were craving Asian food. Atlanta signed a big addition for their pitching staff this weekend, inking former Chunichi Dragon big gun, Kenshin Kawakami to a contract. No details on the terms of the contract yet, and the deal is pending a physical examination. "KK" was the Central League's rookie of the year in 1998.


In home land news, our Phillies are reported to be interested in adding a right handed bat for the bench. The bench is normally reserved to 5 spots, and the Phillies, with the recent addition of former Brave Marcus Giles, will have plenty more than 5 players, battling for those 5 spots. Keep in mind that Chase Utley may not be ready for opening day and that perhaps Eric Bruntlett or Giles would be starting in his spot. Considering that point, the following men would be competing for 5 rosters spots: Ronny Paulino, Geoff Jenkins, Chris Coste, Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs, Bruntlett or Giles. Then there are minor leaguers Brad Harman, Lou Marson and Jason Donald who will definitely be hungry in spring training.

According to the Inquirer, the two righty bats that the Phils are interested in are Nomar Garciaparra and Gabe Kapler. With the already full bench, the Phils would need to get rid of an existing contract, if they did sign another righty hitter. Stairs and his $1 million contract might be the easiest to unload, as Dobbs is rather appealing to the Phils due to his low salary and position versatility, and Geoff Jenkins is owed $8 million minimally ($6.75 for 2009 and at least a $1.25 million buyout in 2010), so it would be tough to get another team to take Jenkins' contract on.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What the hell else was I going to write about...?

It will be too late for many people's liking, but it's really about time to NEVER USE BRAD LIDGE IN A SAVE SITUATION ON THE ROAD AGAIN. Lidge in 2009 road games- 0-6, 8.10 ERA, 15 saves, 10 blown saves. One of my favorite statistics that I regularly update here on PhoulBallz is the percentage of games that Brad Lidge has allowed earned runs in this season, compared to the 18% he allowed in 2008. This year, Lidge has allowed earned runs in 43% of his outings. And, as a reminder, in 2007 Brett Myers allowed earned runs in just 21% of his relief appearances. Considering Lidge's season-long struggles, what is the solution when Brett Myers is ailing with a back muscle/shoulder injury, when Chan Ho Park has an injured hamstring, when Ryan Madson looks just as inept in the 9th inning as Brad Lidge seems and when JC Romero is still unavailable to pitch due to a forearm injury? Well, on Wednesday night, with Hanley Ramirez batting with two outs and the tying run on 3rd base, your an...

Watch Out For the Bat Boy

Stop ice grillin' the Phillies players, bat boy. I am watching YOU. I don't know what is on your mind, bat boy, but don't even think about doing something slick. You might wear the Phillies' uniform, but it is clear that you are a Yankees fan. It's all over your pale little "I wanna grow up to be like the Robert De Niro character in The Fan " face. The World Champs should be cautious around this kid. He could be dangerous. ------------------------------------------- Follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter HERE !

Greatest Comeback I've Ever Witnessed

I was lucky enough to be in the building for the Phillies' game 4 NLCS walk off victory. I would like to write about it as though I'm reporting on it. I'd love to be able to jot down a story and go off to bed, like I did after game 3, but I don't think that is possible. I feel like I did last year following game 5.2 of the World Series. I was up all night, unable to come down off of that Phillies high. I have the same feeling right now. You all know what happened. I don't need to tell you all a story about the game. It's very likely you've got the image of Jimmy Rollins lacing that double off Jonathan Broxton burned in you brain, frame by frame already. I know I do. With two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, my lady began to collect her things, strapping her purse on across herself. I shot her a quick look as though to convey, "What are you doing?" She shot back, "I'm getting ready to go." I replied, "I'm getting ready to...