Philadelphia Phillies storyline: The GM’s creative juggling ahead

Michael Young was the 2nd domino to fall for the Philadelphia Phillies.  How will the remaining dollars be spent by Rube Amaro?

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Check out:  Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Amaro’s new course

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When the stove is hot, I will continue the process of the previous Monday’s approach, if appropriate.  For early birds Sunday evening is post time. Due to a strong response and a complicated off-season, my reviews will be weekly until spring training ends. The new summer schedule will allow me to publish the best 3 storylines each week, but there will be an updated calendar included with each feature:  Posts involving commentary, polls and stats will be listed for the upcoming 7 days.  This review is updated (2nd posting).

Jeff Karstens Dials Up A 2-Seam Fastball On August 31 In Milwaukee

2ND DECEMBER

BASEBALL-FIX MONDAY

Next On The Docket:

The initial offer was Vance Worley and Trevor May for Josh Willingham, but the Twins’ counter proposal was Ben Revere. That wasn’t the bat with pop, however; there is the rareness of an affordable center fielder. As a reference, Willingham is under contract for $7M per over 2 years, and he blasted 35 bombs last season. Meanwhile, Texas needed to free up money for Justin Upton and Josh Hamilton, while they experienced an overcrowded starting lineup. When I realized that Young could be had for $7.6M or less, I knew Amaro had found his third baseman.

Corner Outfielders:

Raul Ibanez Smokes A 4th-Inning Single During ALCS Game 2 On October 14 In Detroit

The general manager now has $16.91M for 3 pieces, which can break down to $7-8M (RH outfield lumber), $5-6M (a 8th-inning set-up arm) and $2-3M (a 5-slot rotation hurler). That’s $14-17M for a Cody Ross, a Mike Adams and a Jeff Karstens or a John Lannan. Ross is asking for $8.33M per over 3 tours, which is in the same area code as Willingham and Ryan Ludwick. There is also the platoon possibility of Raul Ibanez and Scott Hairston, while the other corner is handled by Dom Brown with John Mayberry Jr. Plus in left, you can combine any L/R of Darin Ruf (RH), Laynce Nix (LH), Ibanez (LH) or Hairston (RH). Besides Adams, there is Brandon Lyon, Jon Rauch or Jason Frasor for 8th-frame duty. It is also reasonable to expect that Jonathan Pettibone or Ethan Martin could earn the role vacated by the Vanimal behind Kyle Kendrick.

Starters:

Chris Capuano Loads Up In The 3rd On September 27 In San Diego

It is important to note that the Dodgers have 8 wings for a 5-man staff.  They have Clayton Kershaw, Zack Greinke, Josh Beckett and Ryu Hyun-Jin.  The final spot will be for Chad Billingsley, if the shutdown was successful. Ted Lilly is supposed to be ready by spring training after he went under the knife.  With the Dodgers picking up half of their 2013 pay, Chris Capuano and Aaron Harang would be the most appealing to the Phils, but there will be competition from other organizations.

Free-Agent Back-End Arms:

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** He pitched with a mild case of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome, where the rib bone pushes against a nerve to cause numbness.  He faltered only in his last appearance, producing a 2.79 ERA before that.

Mike Adams Deals A 4-Seam Fastball In The 8th At Home On September 27 Against The A’s

Many of these combinations have traveled beyond the exploratory stage. Rube only appears to be nowhere near a deal, which is by design. The recent trade for Young is an excellent example. Sources from Dallas knew that Josh Lindblom was in the swap on Friday morning, but locally it wasn’t revealed until Saturday afternoon. Another thing about Amaro is that he understands that Young will be extremely motivated for a 2011 repeat. He averaged .338 with 11 homeruns and 114 RBI for that 162. Remember, stars generally impress everyone in their first campaign with a new club. By the way, the brain trust treated him like a number one pick to win him over. And don’t think the market has dried up, Rube has 9 free agents and 2 rookie studs to consider before the unsigned bargains, like Ryan Madson last winter.

$178M Maximum Before The Luxury Tax:

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Update:

The red pinstripes–if true–offered Josh Hamilton top dollar ($80M) for 3 years, however; he will probably get a 4-season deal elsewhere. Alfonso Soriano at $10M for two 162’s is acceptable, but the asking price of top prospects is too steep. That stated, it will take a lot of negotiation to reach an agreement.

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This is the 6th storyline for 2013. Check out my recent publication (A History Of Success) on the Phillies page or my author archives, where there is an excerpt photo. Also, my new weekly feature is Suds Or Studs.

I will periodically publish the 2013 ERA For The NL East and the 2013 ERA For The MLB 5. Thank you, to all who bookmarked my page.

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Philadelphia Phillies: 2012 ERA for the NL East at final game 162

Philadelphia Phillies: 2012 ERA for the MLB 5 at final game 162