Phils can’t get enough pitching

The Philadelphia Inquirer and Chicago Tribune are both reporting that Phillies GM Pat Gillick is trying to land yet another starting pitcher. The Phillies just signed Adam Eaton and already have Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Jamie Moyer and John Lieber under contract.

Ever since he got to Philly, Pat Gillick has let it be known that he is obsessed with starting pitching. He just can’t get enough of it. Even though the Phillies already have what would have to be considered one of the most complete starting staffs in the NL, and even though the team has almost no bullpen, he just can’t leave well enough alone.

Still, Gillick has built winners before, so we’ll just assume he knows what he’s doing.

If the Phillies do land one of the White Sox’ available SPs (Freddy Garcia, Oliver Vasquez or Mark Buehrle), they could turn around and trade one of their excess pitchers for a big bat or a set-up man. The Inquirer says the Phils already have a deal in place with the Brewers:

To get Garcia, the Phils most likely would have to part with centerfielder Aaron Rowand and a prospect, possibly pitcher Gavin Floyd, and maybe more.

If the Phils were successful in landing Garcia, or another pitcher from the White Sox’ stable, they could then peddle Jon Lieber to Milwaukee for outfielder Kevin Mench and late-game reliever Derrick Turnbow, a former Phillies farmhand. That deal appears to be in place, pending the outcome of talks between the Phils and White Sox.

Landing Garcia would be great. A rotation with Garcia, Myers and Hamels at the top would be hard to beat. But trading Rowand…man, that would hurt. There’s a reason the White Sox want him back so bad. He’s exactly the kind of player every team wants in its clubhouse. He’s nothing short of inspiring, on and off the field.

As for Turnbow and Mench, well, I dunno. Turnbow was bad last year. He lost his job as the Brewers’ closer and never returned to form. And Mench didn’t do much after he moved from the Rangers to the Brewers. Of course, it can take a while to adjust to a new league. But just a couple weeks ago, the Phillies were talking about the possibility of fielding an outfield with Aaron Rowand, Alfonso Soriano and Shane Victorino. Now they’re talking about an outfield with Pat Burrell, Victorino and Mench. That’s kind of dissapointing.