Hot Offseason Action: Philadelphia Phillies
The World Champion Philadelphia Phillies didn’t have a lot of work to do this offseason — but the work they did was pretty lame.
The team’s only major free agents were LF Pat Burrell and SP Jamie Moyer. They opted to resign Moyer to a two-year deal, but let Burrell walk and replaced him with Raul Ibanez.
The net result? The Phillies will be almost exactly the same team in 2009 as they were in 2008.
True, Ibanez brings a little less power than Burrell, and a little more average. But at the end of the day they’re two LF with above average OBP and below average defense.
Moyer, for his part, led the Phillies in wins last season and posted a 3.71 ERA — nearly 1.5 runs lower than his 2007 ERA. Plus he’s a great guy, hometown hero and valuable mentor to young pitchers. It’s not hard to figure why the Phils really wanted him back.
What do Moyer and Ibanez have in common? They both refuse to act their age. Most players begin to decline around 28. Moyer didn’t hit his stride until his mid-30s, and he had one of his best seasons in 2008, at age 46. Ibanez, at 36, played in all 162 games last season and hit 23 HR with a .358 OBP.
The Phillies are betting that Moyer and Ibanez can continue to defy the aging process in 2009. And you know what? I think they might. I wouldn’t bet money on it, but stranger things have happened. The problem is, the Phillies signed Moyer to a two-year deal and Ibanez to a three-year contract and that’s a lot of years to be handing out to guys this old — especially when it’s become painfully clear that the market didn’t warrant giving them that many years or that much money.
The Phillies also made a few smaller moves, like signing Chan Ho Park, who can pitch as either a fifth starter or out of the bullpen. It’s hard not to like this signing.
The world champs also signed ace Cole Hamels to a three year contract, which buys out his arbitration years. I guess this is a good thing. It’ll no doubt make Hamels happy, and maybe more likely to sign a longterm contract with the Phillies when his current deal expires. But Hamels was going to be in Philly through 2011 regardless, so this really isn’t a biggie.
Hamels was one of eight Phillies who were arbitration eligible entering the offseason. After the team signed Greg Dobbs to a 2-year deal, they’ve got six arb players left. One of them is Ryan Howard, and he’s going to get another huge raise.
Oh, Philly acquired Ronnie Paulino from the Pirates, and he’ll compete for a backup catcher job. Paulino had a breakout 2007, but showed up to camp fat in 2008 and quickly fell out of favor in Pittsburgh. He’ll get a second chance in Philly.
Long story short, the Phillies offseason moves will likely do nothing to improve the team in 2009 and probably will hurt them in the long run, as Ibanez and Moyer are likely to decline, maybe very quickly.
Acquisitions: OF Raul Ibanez, C Ronny Paulino, Chan Ho Park
Losses: OF Pat Burrell
The Lineup:
1B: Ryan Howard
2B: Chase Utley
SS: Jimmy Rollins
3B: Pedro Feliz
C: Carlos Ruiz
LF: Raul Ibanez
CF: Shane Victorino
RF: Jayson Werth
SP: Cole Hamels
SP: Brett Myers
SP: Joe Blanton
SP: Jamie Moyer
SP: Chan Ho Park/J.A. Happ/Carlos Carrasco/Kyle Kendrick
CL: Brad Lidge
Grade: C-
- Hot Offseason Action Index -
January 18th, 2009 at 4:09 am
I see the Paulino trade being a surprising success. Dude rakes against lefties. Ibanez got too much (years and money), but he should do fine in the NL and in that lineup.
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January 18th, 2009 at 10:04 am
Ibanez would do even better if he were a DH. This offseason it’s clear that GM’s have come to realize defense matters, and it’s dramatically lowered the value of corner outfielders like Pat Burrell and Adam Dunn. I thought the Phillies were looking for a better defensive left fielder than Burrell, but they signed Ibanez. And he’s not better defensively — at least not significantly. He’s sure not better offensively. And they paid him more than Burrell got, and gave him one more year than Burrell got. So, while everybody says Ibanez is a great guy, and he’ll do fine in the NL, I just can’t get excited about the signing.
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January 18th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
It doesn’t make much if any sense to add Ibanez over Burrell. The Phillies are already a heavily lefty loaded lineup so even if it wasn’t Burrell it would have made more sense to acquire a right handed left fielder. (Why not make a run at Manny?) It makes me wonder if they are planning on moving any of their other lefty hitters. Ibanez may also be more likely to get injured considering his age and the fact that he will have to play the field every day. It will be much harder for him to defy the aging process when he’s not DHing.
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January 18th, 2009 at 7:03 pm
So, the World Champs did little to improve themselves and are pretty much the same team as last year… the team that won the World Series. That’s a bad thing?
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January 18th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Yes Rob, it is a bad thing. Because a) the team is 1 year older, and on average even older than that with the addition of Old Man Ibanez, and b) you can’t expect all the players to perform as well as they did last year (unless you want to bet money on Brad Lidge turning in another perfect season), and c) all 29 other teams are making moves to improve their ballclubs. If all you’re doing is treading water, that’s not good enough.
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January 18th, 2009 at 8:38 pm
Yep. Classic mistake. Historically teams that have gone to the world series have a tendency to try to keep the team exactly the same. After all these are the players who became heroes to a whole city and fanbase. So they feel enormous pressure to resign popular veterans, even if they are likely to decline. This was why the Red Sox had to resign Mike Lowell, for example.
Instead, teams should take stock, think realistically, deal away experienced veterans on the downside while their value is sky high, and try to get even better.
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January 18th, 2009 at 8:52 pm
And yet the Phils didn’t re-sign Pat Burrell. They traded him for an older, crappier version of himself!
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January 18th, 2009 at 9:37 pm
The Phils needed to improve at third and catcher – and did not.
I know Phils fans love Carlos Ruiz for his postseason heroics, but during the season, he was a bonafide rally killer. The man melts outs – and you can talk all you want about his game calling and defense, it just doesn’t justify a guy hitting .200 in your lineup, even in the 8 hole.
The Phils have gotten by on offense for the past few years, but their offense has been in decline, and they are not shoring it up.
I also am not sold on Howard – he is now an automatic out against lefties. He was so awful against lefties in the playoffs, it was painful to watch. His OBP is also on the decline.
I’m a huge Phils fan, even though it doesn’t sound like it – I love my team – but they are not built for sustained success.
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January 19th, 2009 at 10:13 am
Sarah’s right that the Phillies can’t count on Brad Lidge to turn in another perfect season. And they probably should worry about Cole Hamels making it through 2009, because he has a history of injury and pitched 30 innings more than he did in 2008 (see: Verducci effect).
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January 19th, 2009 at 10:24 am
All 29 other clubs are improving their teams while the Phils tread water? Could you overstate the situation even more? At least for 2009, I like the Ibanez deal better than bringing back Pat the Bat. I don’t expect Lidge to be perfect, I expect him to be among the best closers in the game. This team is older, but not old! Ibanez and Feliz are the only regulars older than 30.
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January 19th, 2009 at 11:48 am
Rob,
Why do you like the Ibanez deal?
A) He is a bad defender as bad if not worse than Burrell. (Can’t hide him at DH in NL)
B) Phillies are already loaded with lefty bats.
C) He has gotten more money than players like Burrell and Milton Bradley that are younger and better than him.
All other teams haven’t improved and it’s questionable that the Phils are even treading water. Their team may be weaker than it was at the start of 08. If you are just happy they won the Series and don’t care what they do this season then that’s fine. I just don’t see how anyone can argue Ibanez makes this team better in 09, 10 or 11.
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January 19th, 2009 at 2:25 pm
The Phils paid a premium for getting to make their choice. They could have waited to see how the dollars would shake out, and maybe spent less, but they chose not to. I’m cool with that. Bradley is only better than Ibanez when he’s not a) perpetually injured or b) a tempermental distraction. As a whole, Burrell is NOT better than Ibanez. At best, they are the same player, but Pat’s skills would be more likely to decline faster if he stayed in the NL (again, he can DH in Tampa).
I’m not saying that Ibanez makes them a better team, I am saying that this is a good team regardless, and Ibanez is NOT a downgrade at all. Yes, I wish he were a righty (or preferably a switch-hitter) but if that’s my biggest issue… I’ll deal.
Meanwhile, the Phils have signed Hamels and Madson to three year deals, keeping the core of this team intact. I’m looking forward to a great 2009 for the Phils.
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January 19th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
Ibanez is four years older. I would at least have liked them to have made Burrell the same offer they made Ibanez — I think they blundered by not even making him a serious offer.
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January 20th, 2009 at 10:10 pm
According to some reports, they didn’t make him any offer. Serious or otherwise.
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January 21st, 2009 at 3:08 pm
Yeah, reports were a bit vague. I think they didn’t make him an offer, and didn’t have any “serious” convos with his agents. Anyway, big fail.
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January 21st, 2009 at 5:03 pm
On top of the Ibanez blunder, am I the only one who thinks their rotation is at best average? Sure, there is no denying Hamels is a stud, but as someone else pointed out, can he stay healthy? Myers is a schizo that is seemingly incapable of throwing together a complete and consistent season? Jamie Moyer’s season will be a far cry from this year, and there really isn’t much to say for Joe Blanton.
As said above, Feliz and Ruiz do little to scare anyone, and can Rollins bounce back to have a good year?
They are already going to be without Utley and Romero for at least the first 50 games. Your talking about a team, who despite last year, has historically started slow under Charlie Manuel. Throw in the seemingly inevitable downgraded year Lidge will have, and the Phillies look pretty mortal.
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January 22nd, 2009 at 6:20 pm
Not much to say for Blanton? The guy is a workhorse who will give you 200 innings of better-than-.500 pitching who will keep a team in the game. He’s a good middle of the rotation guy.
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January 30th, 2009 at 5:07 pm
Finch:
No Utley for the first 50 games? Might want to tell him AND his doctors, who as recently as this week said they’re on track to return by Opening Day.
I’m not going to say the Phils had a fantastic offseason, but they shored up the rotation, have four guys competing for the 5th slot, and bolstered the best bullpen in the NL. They’re not going to be pushovers.
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January 31st, 2009 at 8:19 am
Does anyone know why the Phils haven’t signed right-handed bat/3b/OF Ty Wigginton in case of more problems with Feliz’s back?
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January 31st, 2009 at 2:39 pm
The Phillies have Greg Dobbs who can play third, so they’re not desperate. I think they might sign Wigginton, but they’re waiting in the hopes that his price will come down.
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January 31st, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Thanks, although I believe Wiggs is at least as good as Dobbs(who excels as a PH) in the field and could possibly hit 30 homers at CBBP with 400 plus AB’s.
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