Be In The Center Of The Action
New Braves outfielder Rick Ankiel told The Atlanta Journal Constitution that he hasn’t ruled out a possible return to the mound later in his career. Ankiel began his career as a highly touted starting pitcher but control problem resulted in a successful transition to the outfield.
"I keep thinking when I can’t run any more and I still want to be in the game, maybe I’ll give (pitching) a shot," Ankiel said. "For now, I’m an outfielder and that’s how I look at it."
New Braves outfielder Rick Ankiel told The Atlanta Journal Constitution that he hasn’t ruled out a possible return to the mound later in his career. Ankiel began his career as a highly touted starting pitcher but control problem resulted in a successful transition to the outfield.
"I keep thinking when I can’t run any more and I still want to be in the game, maybe I’ll give (pitching) a shot," Ankiel said. "For now, I’m an outfielder and that’s how I look at it."
The Red Sox have placed first baseman Kevin Youkilis (thumb) on the 15-day disabled list, according to The Boston Globe.
Youkilis, who is hitting .307 with 19 homers and 62 RBIs, is the fifth position player from Boston’s opening day lineup to land on the DL this season.
With Youkilis out, the Red Sox activated infielder Mike Lowell from the disabled list to start at first base. Lowell is hitting .213 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 31 games this season.
Lowell hasn’t played since June 22 because of a sore hip and was rumored to be a candidate to be designated for assignment earlier this week.
The Red Sox have placed first baseman Kevin Youkilis (thumb) on the 15-day disabled list, according to The Boston Globe.
Youkilis, who is hitting .307 with 19 homers and 62 RBIs, is the fifth position player from Boston’s opening day lineup to land on the DL this season.
With Youkilis out, the Red Sox activated infielder Mike Lowell from the disabled list to start at first base. Lowell is hitting .213 with two homers and 12 RBIs in 31 games this season.
Lowell hasn’t played since June 22 because of a sore hip and was rumored to be a candidate to be designated for assignment earlier this week.
The A’s website reported righthander Ben Sheets will have surgery next week to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow.
A similar procedure sidelined Sheets for the entire 2009 season.
"It will be a significantly long time again," Sheets told the website. "Probably about 12 months, I think, then I’ll be back dominating."
Prior to the injury, Sheets went 4-9 with a 4.53 ERA in 20 starts this season. He will be a free agent following this season.
The A’s website reported righthander Ben Sheets will have surgery next week to repair a torn flexor tendon in his right elbow.
A similar procedure sidelined Sheets for the entire 2009 season.
"It will be a significantly long time again," Sheets told the website. "Probably about 12 months, I think, then I’ll be back dominating."
Prior to the injury, Sheets went 4-9 with a 4.53 ERA in 20 starts this season. He will be a free agent following this season.
The Chicago White Sox came out publicly on Monday and, as the report puts it, "backed away from their manager" with regard to his comments that Latinos aren’t given the same luxuries that Asian players (and white and black players, for that matter) are given.
The ChiSox felt Ozzie’s thoughts on the support system for Latino players are "incorrect." But that doesn’t necessarily make him wrong.
It also doesn’t make MLB or the White Sox wrong either. Let’s separate this into two parts.
First, Guillen’s claim that the Latino players aren’t given the same help in acclimating to the game as Asian players is entirely true, but it has nothing to do with racism. It’s simple economics. The Asian players who come to play Major League Baseball have almost all been transplants from other professional leagues and have come into MLB with top-dollar price tags. In fact, because of the system in place between MLB and some Asian leagues, several players have been shipped over to America with gigantic price tags and fees, procured by secret bid, tethered to negotiation rights. This is a far cry from finding a 16-year old kid in the Dominican Republic and paying him a few thousand (or even hundred thousand) bucks to come play in the States.
The Asian players have extra help, including interpreters, because teams already have more invested in them and need them to acclimate to make the investment pay off. The minor league system, for better or worse, is constructed to weed out the players who aren’t able to make it at the highest level. In that regard, Guillen is totally right in that Latino players aren’t given the same playing field as those in the minor leagues who can speak English. It’s harder for Latin kid on his own to succeed, and near impossible for him to navigate the landscape through the minors and avoid every speed bump, including performance-enhancing drugs. So, in a way, Ozzie is right, even if the motivation behind it — or at least the juxtaposition of his point with that of Asian players — isn’t entirely fair.
Now, the second part is less about what he said and more about the process through which this situation was handled. A say-anything-he-wants coach had his annual soapbox that spread across the entire country through both tradition media outlets and social media. Everyone was, is and will be talking about Ozzie’s comments. That’s a win for him, because whether or not you agree with his assertion, he planted the seed and the debate and discourse – including the paragraphs above — are suddenly omnipresent in the industry.
The ChiSox then came out and told their own manager — and fellow member of Major League Baseball — that he’s wrong:
"Ozzie may not have been fully aware of all of the industry-wide efforts made by Major League Baseball and its clubs to help our players succeed in the transition to professional baseball, no matter the level of play or their country of origin."
It’s brilliant PR, even if the team or the league will never admit it. A very hot-button topic was brought up in a genuine setting by someone who has a close, personal investment in the situation. That person put out specific challenges to both his direct employer and the league in which they participate. That, in a way, gave the team — and league — ample opportunity to defend their own progress using this exact situation as their counterpoint example.
In other words, Guillen’s claim actually opened the door for both the White Sox and Major League Baseball to laud their own programs in a completely organic way. This isn’t a press release to pat themselves on the back. This explanation from MLB …
"Major League Baseball and the White Sox provide a number of programs to help our foreign players with acculturation, including English language classes and Spanish language presentations related to the risks of and testing for performance-enhancing drugs. The team also has Spanish-speaking staff assigned to serve as liaisons for our Latin American players."
… helps to naturally spread the word of their involvement with the Latin community in both this country and overseas. It may not have been Guillen’s intent to set them up for this PR spike. It may not have been the team’s goal to use Guillen’s comments as a catalyst for discussion, either. But it worked.
It’s the beginning of August and baseball is, for the next few weeks until football really starts going, the biggest game in town. This is the perfect time of year to discuss topics like this, and not just about the growth of the game in other countries and how that ties into the game here, but more about the programs – like the new drug testing – that are in place in the minors. It would look so disingenuous for MLB, or any league, to publicly pat themselves on the back about their advancements in cultural equality, unless they were challenged on it. And who better to make that challenge, from a PR standpoint, than one of your own out-spoken members?
We are talking about this now, which is important. But in most cases it hasn’t devolved into soapboxing that so many racial issues in sports have a tendency to become. Guillen can be unpredictable at times, but this situation – so far – is actually a PR win for everyone. Even if it may not have been intended that way.
You can read/listen to more from Dan Levy at OntheDLpodcast.com and follow him on Twitter @onthedlpodcast
The Chicago White Sox came out publicly on Monday and, as the report puts it, "backed away from their manager" with regard to his comments that Latinos aren’t given the same luxuries that Asian players (and white and black players, for that matter) are given.
The ChiSox felt Ozzie’s thoughts on the support system for Latino players are "incorrect." But that doesn’t necessarily make him wrong.
It also doesn’t make MLB or the White Sox wrong either. Let’s separate this into two parts.
First, Guillen’s claim that the Latino players aren’t given the same help in acclimating to the game as Asian players is entirely true, but it has nothing to do with racism. It’s simple economics. The Asian players who come to play Major League Baseball have almost all been transplants from other professional leagues and have come into MLB with top-dollar price tags. In fact, because of the system in place between MLB and some Asian leagues, several players have been shipped over to America with gigantic price tags and fees, procured by secret bid, tethered to negotiation rights. This is a far cry from finding a 16-year old kid in the Dominican Republic and paying him a few thousand (or even hundred thousand) bucks to come play in the States.
The Asian players have extra help, including interpreters, because teams already have more invested in them and need them to acclimate to make the investment pay off. The minor league system, for better or worse, is constructed to weed out the players who aren’t able to make it at the highest level. In that regard, Guillen is totally right in that Latino players aren’t given the same playing field as those in the minor leagues who can speak English. It’s harder for Latin kid on his own to succeed, and near impossible for him to navigate the landscape through the minors and avoid every speed bump, including performance-enhancing drugs. So, in a way, Ozzie is right, even if the motivation behind it — or at least the juxtaposition of his point with that of Asian players — isn’t entirely fair.
Now, the second part is less about what he said and more about the process through which this situation was handled. A say-anything-he-wants coach had his annual soapbox that spread across the entire country through both tradition media outlets and social media. Everyone was, is and will be talking about Ozzie’s comments. That’s a win for him, because whether or not you agree with his assertion, he planted the seed and the debate and discourse – including the paragraphs above — are suddenly omnipresent in the industry.
The ChiSox then came out and told their own manager — and fellow member of Major League Baseball — that he’s wrong:
"Ozzie may not have been fully aware of all of the industry-wide efforts made by Major League Baseball and its clubs to help our players succeed in the transition to professional baseball, no matter the level of play or their country of origin."
It’s brilliant PR, even if the team or the league will never admit it. A very hot-button topic was brought up in a genuine setting by someone who has a close, personal investment in the situation. That person put out specific challenges to both his direct employer and the league in which they participate. That, in a way, gave the team — and league — ample opportunity to defend their own progress using this exact situation as their counterpoint example.
In other words, Guillen’s claim actually opened the door for both the White Sox and Major League Baseball to laud their own programs in a completely organic way. This isn’t a press release to pat themselves on the back. This explanation from MLB …
"Major League Baseball and the White Sox provide a number of programs to help our foreign players with acculturation, including English language classes and Spanish language presentations related to the risks of and testing for performance-enhancing drugs. The team also has Spanish-speaking staff assigned to serve as liaisons for our Latin American players."
… helps to naturally spread the word of their involvement with the Latin community in both this country and overseas. It may not have been Guillen’s intent to set them up for this PR spike. It may not have been the team’s goal to use Guillen’s comments as a catalyst for discussion, either. But it worked.
It’s the beginning of August and baseball is, for the next few weeks until football really starts going, the biggest game in town. This is the perfect time of year to discuss topics like this, and not just about the growth of the game in other countries and how that ties into the game here, but more about the programs – like the new drug testing – that are in place in the minors. It would look so disingenuous for MLB, or any league, to publicly pat themselves on the back about their advancements in cultural equality, unless they were challenged on it. And who better to make that challenge, from a PR standpoint, than one of your own out-spoken members?
We are talking about this now, which is important. But in most cases it hasn’t devolved into soapboxing that so many racial issues in sports have a tendency to become. Guillen can be unpredictable at times, but this situation – so far – is actually a PR win for everyone. Even if it may not have been intended that way.
You can read/listen to more from Dan Levy at OntheDLpodcast.com and follow him on Twitter @onthedlpodcast
BOSTON — Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana was carted off the field on a stretcher with his left leg in an air cast after blocking home plate for an out in the seventh inning of Monday night’s game with the Boston Red Sox.
Pinch hitter Daniel Nava singled to right and Shin-Soo Choo fired a strike to the plate. Santana made the catch, then blocked the plate with his leg as Ryan Kalish came in sliding hard.
Santana remained on his stomach in obvious pain as most of the Indians players on the field huddled around him. Television replays showed his left leg buckled.
He was seated before being helped onto a stretcher and off the field. The crowd gave him a nice ovation as he was taken off.
"He tested well with the trainers," manager Manny Acta said after the game. "They feel he doesn’t have any serious damage with his ACL or MCL. He’s leaving tomorrow for Cleveland to get an MRI."
Santana never left the ballpark and was in the trainer’s room after the game, but was unavailable to the media.
He was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 2008 and started the season at Triple-A Columbus where he batted .316 with 13 homers and 51 RBIs before being recalled June 11.
In 46 games with the Indians, he hit .260 with six homers and 22 RBIs.
The game was delayed for 12 minutes.
"He made a great play," outfielder Shelley Duncan said. "A game-saving play."
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
BOSTON — Cleveland Indians catcher Carlos Santana was carted off the field on a stretcher with his left leg in an air cast after blocking home plate for an out in the seventh inning of Monday night’s game with the Boston Red Sox.
Pinch hitter Daniel Nava singled to right and Shin-Soo Choo fired a strike to the plate. Santana made the catch, then blocked the plate with his leg as Ryan Kalish came in sliding hard.
Santana remained on his stomach in obvious pain as most of the Indians players on the field huddled around him. Television replays showed his left leg buckled.
He was seated before being helped onto a stretcher and off the field. The crowd gave him a nice ovation as he was taken off.
"He tested well with the trainers," manager Manny Acta said after the game. "They feel he doesn’t have any serious damage with his ACL or MCL. He’s leaving tomorrow for Cleveland to get an MRI."
Santana never left the ballpark and was in the trainer’s room after the game, but was unavailable to the media.
He was acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers in July 2008 and started the season at Triple-A Columbus where he batted .316 with 13 homers and 51 RBIs before being recalled June 11.
In 46 games with the Indians, he hit .260 with six homers and 22 RBIs.
The game was delayed for 12 minutes.
"He made a great play," outfielder Shelley Duncan said. "A game-saving play."
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The final few hours and days before the trading deadline didn’t lack for intrigue or action, but the regular-season power structure really didn’t change much after the flurry of activity.
Consider …
In the AL East, the Yankees and Rays still are the favorites, and the Red Sox still need to hurry up and get healthy.
In the AL Central, the White Sox still have the best rotation and the Twins still need Justin Morneau back in the lineup.
In the AL West, the Rangers still are the clear favorites.
In the NL East, Philadelphia might have closed the gap a little, but the Braves still have the better rotation and a few games on the Phillies.
In the NL Central, the Cardinals washed (lost a bat and gained a pitcher), and the Reds did nothing.
In the NL West, the division-leading Padres improved, and the rest of the teams are trying to figure out a way to catch baseball’s most surprising team.
Anyway, on to the poll.
1. Yankees (last week: 1). A quick New York newbie update: Lance Berkman is 1-for-8, Austin Kearns is 0-for-2 and Kerry Wood struck out three in his first inning, which was scoreless despite the fact that he allowed two walks and a hit.
2. Rays (2). Newcomer Chad Qualls is just the 14th pitcher used by the Rays this season. By contrast, Qualls was one of 25 different hurlers used by his former team, the Diamondbacks, this season.
3. Padres (3). Ryan Ludwick, the outfielder San Diego stole from the Cardinals, had 20 doubles, 11 homers, 43 RBIs, 45 runs scored, a .283 average and a .828 OPS. How those numbers rank, respectively, on the Padres: second (tied), second, second, third, third, second. So, yeah, that was a good move for San Diego.
4. Giants (6). The Giants are 14-4 since the All-Star break. In that stretch, their pitching staff has a 2.96 ERA (third in the majors) and 152 strikeouts (first). Matt Cain has started four times since the break; he’s 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA and holding opponents to a .150 average.
5. Rangers (4). C.J. Wilson hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in his past 11 starts, rolling up a 7-2 record and 2.75 ERA in that stretch. On the downside, though, he’s walked at least four batters in six of those starts and failed to last six full innings in four of them.
6. Red Sox (7). The Red Sox have won five of six and have four in a row against the Indians to start this week. After that, though, it’s four at Yankee Stadium.
7. Twins (12). Since the All-Star break, the Twins lead the majors with 6.47 runs per game (the Yankees are second at 5.88). Delmon Young, since the break, is batting .452 with a 1.214 OPS and 23 RBIs; he’s up to .335 and 81 RBIs on the season.
8. White Sox (10). Gordon Beckham isn’t quite putting up Delmon Young numbers, but after his horrid first half, the .379 average and 11 RBIs since the break is a huge relief for the White Sox.
9. Braves (5). Clearly, the Braves scouted Rick Ankiel exclusively after he returned from the disabled list—he hit .367 with six RBIs in those eight games—and ignored what he did before he got hurt—.210, nine RBIs in 19 games.
10. Reds (8). After the Reds—who are fighting for their first playoff berth since 1995—stood pat on deadline day, it kinda felt like GM Walt Jocketty pulling out his Hoosiers speech … y’know, "I would hope you would support who we are, not who we are not. … This is your team."
11. Cardinals (9). It seems odd that a team that has failed to score at least three runs on 34 different occasions this season would trade a starting outfielder with a .281 average, 11 home runs and an .827 OPS for a new No. 4 starter. Well, maybe "odd" isn’t the right word …
12. Phillies (11). Domonic Brown already has a couple of two-hit games for the Phillies. The team’s clear No. 1 prospect was hitting .327 with 20 homers, 17 stolen bases and a .980 OPS in the minors (65 games at Class AA, 28 at Class AAA).
13. Rockies (15). Is there a more schizophrenic team than the Rockies? Already in the second half, they have an eight-game losing streak and a four-game winning streak.
14. Dodgers (13). OK, maybe the Dodgers can claim that title. They opened the second half with a six-game losing streak, then won five of six and currently have lost five in a row.
15. Blue Jays (18). The Blue Jays have three starters with at least 18 starts and ERAs under 4.00—Ricky Romero (21 starts, 3.46 ERA), Shaun Marcum (21, 3.24) and Brett Cecil (18, 3.77). That’s something the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox can’t claim.
16. Marlins (20). Closer Leo Nunez has already matched his 2009 saves total (26), and he’s just getting better as the season progresses. He’s allowed just one run in his past 12 games (0.77 ERA) and struck out 17 in those 11 2/3 innings.
17. Mets (19). More than likely, the Mets’ fate will be decided over the next couple of weeks, when they face the Braves, Phillies, Rockies and Phillies (again). At 6 1/2 behind the Braves in the East and 7 1/2 out of the wild card, there’s no room for a slip-up.
18. Angels (14). The kid the Angels just called up, Peter Bourjos, has impressive numbers at Class AAA Salt Lake—in 102 games, he was hitting .314 with 85 runs scored, 13 doubles, 12 triples, 13 homers, 52 RBIs and 27 stolen bases.
19. A’s (17). The results weren’t pretty—10 hits and five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings—but at least Brett Anderson was back on the mound for the A’s last week. The young lefty starter who had a 4.06 ERA as a 21-year-old last season, has made just seven starts in 2010.
20. Tigers (16). You have to feel sorry for the Tigers, who have placed almost as many guys on the disabled list (three) as games they’ve won in the second half (four).
21. Brewers (21). So much for those hopes of being a darkhorse contender in the second half. The Brew Crew has lost five in a row and sits 11 1/2 games out of first place in the NL Central.
22. Nationals (25). So, in the second half, the Nats have lost series to the Marlins and Brewers (non-contenders) and won or split series with the Reds, Braves and Phillies (contenders). Guess that means their four-game set with the Diamondbacks this week spells trouble.
23. Astros (26). The Astros have won five in a row and allowed a total of four runs in those games. The "worst" start of the stretch? Wesley Wright gave up just four hits and two earned in seven innings against the Brewers on Sunday.
24. Royals (23). After a pair of 0-fers in his return to the majors, Alex Gordon has a seven-game hitting streak and a pair of home runs as the Royals’ new left fielder. True, he’s only hitting .286 in those seven games but considering he was at .158 when he started the streak, that’s quite an improvement.
25. Cubs (22). Carlos Marmol’s numbers really are amazing this year. In 49 1/3 innings, he’s allowed just 25 hits and struck out 92. That’s a strikeout-per-nine-innings ratio of 16.78; the previous best in the wild-card era of any pitcher with at least 49 innings was Eric Gagne in 2003—a far cry back at 14.98.
26. Indians (24). Chris Perez, the Indians’ official closer now that Kerry Wood is wearing Yankees pinstripes, hasn’t allowed a run in his past 14 appearances. For the season, he has a 2.13 ERA and a dozen saves.
27. Diamondbacks (29). Justin Upton is working on a 17-game hitting streak entering the week—he’s hitting .403 during the stretch—and has boosted his average to .282 for the season, with 16 homers and 13 stolen bases.
28. Mariners (27). Last year, Daniel Murphy led the Mets with 12 homers. Nobody on the Mariners has cracked double-digits yet this season.
29. Pirates (28). Youngster update: Jose Tabata has a 12-game hitting streak and is batting .397 over his past 19 games. Neil Walker is hitting .377 over his past 15 games, with a 5-for-5 showing mixed in there. Pedro Alvarez, though, has struggled lately; he’s hitting just .111 with one RBI in his past 10 games.
30. Orioles (30). Well, the Orioles got their experienced manager in Buck Showalter. He has his work cut out for him.
Ryan Fagan is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at rfagan@sportingnews.com, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ryan_fagan.
The final few hours and days before the trading deadline didn’t lack for intrigue or action, but the regular-season power structure really didn’t change much after the flurry of activity.
Consider …
In the AL East, the Yankees and Rays still are the favorites, and the Red Sox still need to hurry up and get healthy.
In the AL Central, the White Sox still have the best rotation and the Twins still need Justin Morneau back in the lineup.
In the AL West, the Rangers still are the clear favorites.
In the NL East, Philadelphia might have closed the gap a little, but the Braves still have the better rotation and a few games on the Phillies.
In the NL Central, the Cardinals washed (lost a bat and gained a pitcher), and the Reds did nothing.
In the NL West, the division-leading Padres improved, and the rest of the teams are trying to figure out a way to catch baseball’s most surprising team.
Anyway, on to the poll.
1. Yankees (last week: 1). A quick New York newbie update: Lance Berkman is 1-for-8, Austin Kearns is 0-for-2 and Kerry Wood struck out three in his first inning, which was scoreless despite the fact that he allowed two walks and a hit.
2. Rays (2). Newcomer Chad Qualls is just the 14th pitcher used by the Rays this season. By contrast, Qualls was one of 25 different hurlers used by his former team, the Diamondbacks, this season.
3. Padres (3). Ryan Ludwick, the outfielder San Diego stole from the Cardinals, had 20 doubles, 11 homers, 43 RBIs, 45 runs scored, a .283 average and a .828 OPS. How those numbers rank, respectively, on the Padres: second (tied), second, second, third, third, second. So, yeah, that was a good move for San Diego.
4. Giants (6). The Giants are 14-4 since the All-Star break. In that stretch, their pitching staff has a 2.96 ERA (third in the majors) and 152 strikeouts (first). Matt Cain has started four times since the break; he’s 3-0 with a 1.52 ERA and holding opponents to a .150 average.
5. Rangers (4). C.J. Wilson hasn’t allowed more than three earned runs in his past 11 starts, rolling up a 7-2 record and 2.75 ERA in that stretch. On the downside, though, he’s walked at least four batters in six of those starts and failed to last six full innings in four of them.
6. Red Sox (7). The Red Sox have won five of six and have four in a row against the Indians to start this week. After that, though, it’s four at Yankee Stadium.
7. Twins (12). Since the All-Star break, the Twins lead the majors with 6.47 runs per game (the Yankees are second at 5.88). Delmon Young, since the break, is batting .452 with a 1.214 OPS and 23 RBIs; he’s up to .335 and 81 RBIs on the season.
8. White Sox (10). Gordon Beckham isn’t quite putting up Delmon Young numbers, but after his horrid first half, the .379 average and 11 RBIs since the break is a huge relief for the White Sox.
9. Braves (5). Clearly, the Braves scouted Rick Ankiel exclusively after he returned from the disabled list—he hit .367 with six RBIs in those eight games—and ignored what he did before he got hurt—.210, nine RBIs in 19 games.
10. Reds (8). After the Reds—who are fighting for their first playoff berth since 1995—stood pat on deadline day, it kinda felt like GM Walt Jocketty pulling out his Hoosiers speech … y’know, "I would hope you would support who we are, not who we are not. … This is your team."
11. Cardinals (9). It seems odd that a team that has failed to score at least three runs on 34 different occasions this season would trade a starting outfielder with a .281 average, 11 home runs and an .827 OPS for a new No. 4 starter. Well, maybe "odd" isn’t the right word …
12. Phillies (11). Domonic Brown already has a couple of two-hit games for the Phillies. The team’s clear No. 1 prospect was hitting .327 with 20 homers, 17 stolen bases and a .980 OPS in the minors (65 games at Class AA, 28 at Class AAA).
13. Rockies (15). Is there a more schizophrenic team than the Rockies? Already in the second half, they have an eight-game losing streak and a four-game winning streak.
14. Dodgers (13). OK, maybe the Dodgers can claim that title. They opened the second half with a six-game losing streak, then won five of six and currently have lost five in a row.
15. Blue Jays (18). The Blue Jays have three starters with at least 18 starts and ERAs under 4.00—Ricky Romero (21 starts, 3.46 ERA), Shaun Marcum (21, 3.24) and Brett Cecil (18, 3.77). That’s something the Yankees, Rays and Red Sox can’t claim.
16. Marlins (20). Closer Leo Nunez has already matched his 2009 saves total (26), and he’s just getting better as the season progresses. He’s allowed just one run in his past 12 games (0.77 ERA) and struck out 17 in those 11 2/3 innings.
17. Mets (19). More than likely, the Mets’ fate will be decided over the next couple of weeks, when they face the Braves, Phillies, Rockies and Phillies (again). At 6 1/2 behind the Braves in the East and 7 1/2 out of the wild card, there’s no room for a slip-up.
18. Angels (14). The kid the Angels just called up, Peter Bourjos, has impressive numbers at Class AAA Salt Lake—in 102 games, he was hitting .314 with 85 runs scored, 13 doubles, 12 triples, 13 homers, 52 RBIs and 27 stolen bases.
19. A’s (17). The results weren’t pretty—10 hits and five earned runs in 5 1/3 innings—but at least Brett Anderson was back on the mound for the A’s last week. The young lefty starter who had a 4.06 ERA as a 21-year-old last season, has made just seven starts in 2010.
20. Tigers (16). You have to feel sorry for the Tigers, who have placed almost as many guys on the disabled list (three) as games they’ve won in the second half (four).
21. Brewers (21). So much for those hopes of being a darkhorse contender in the second half. The Brew Crew has lost five in a row and sits 11 1/2 games out of first place in the NL Central.
22. Nationals (25). So, in the second half, the Nats have lost series to the Marlins and Brewers (non-contenders) and won or split series with the Reds, Braves and Phillies (contenders). Guess that means their four-game set with the Diamondbacks this week spells trouble.
23. Astros (26). The Astros have won five in a row and allowed a total of four runs in those games. The "worst" start of the stretch? Wesley Wright gave up just four hits and two earned in seven innings against the Brewers on Sunday.
24. Royals (23). After a pair of 0-fers in his return to the majors, Alex Gordon has a seven-game hitting streak and a pair of home runs as the Royals’ new left fielder. True, he’s only hitting .286 in those seven games but considering he was at .158 when he started the streak, that’s quite an improvement.
25. Cubs (22). Carlos Marmol’s numbers really are amazing this year. In 49 1/3 innings, he’s allowed just 25 hits and struck out 92. That’s a strikeout-per-nine-innings ratio of 16.78; the previous best in the wild-card era of any pitcher with at least 49 innings was Eric Gagne in 2003—a far cry back at 14.98.
26. Indians (24). Chris Perez, the Indians’ official closer now that Kerry Wood is wearing Yankees pinstripes, hasn’t allowed a run in his past 14 appearances. For the season, he has a 2.13 ERA and a dozen saves.
27. Diamondbacks (29). Justin Upton is working on a 17-game hitting streak entering the week—he’s hitting .403 during the stretch—and has boosted his average to .282 for the season, with 16 homers and 13 stolen bases.
28. Mariners (27). Last year, Daniel Murphy led the Mets with 12 homers. Nobody on the Mariners has cracked double-digits yet this season.
29. Pirates (28). Youngster update: Jose Tabata has a 12-game hitting streak and is batting .397 over his past 19 games. Neil Walker is hitting .377 over his past 15 games, with a 5-for-5 showing mixed in there. Pedro Alvarez, though, has struggled lately; he’s hitting just .111 with one RBI in his past 10 games.
30. Orioles (30). Well, the Orioles got their experienced manager in Buck Showalter. He has his work cut out for him.
Ryan Fagan is a writer for Sporting News. E-mail him at rfagan@sportingnews.com, and follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ryan_fagan.
TORONTO — The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired pitcher Jake Westbrook from Cleveland and also sent outfielder Ryan Ludwick to the San Diego Padres.
The three-team trade involving a pair of division leaders was announced Saturday.
The NL Central-leading Cardinals got Westbrook and cash. They also got minor league pitcher Nick Greenwood from San Diego.
The NL West-leading Padres acquired Ludwick. The Indians got Double-A right-hander Corey Kluber from San Diego.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
TORONTO — The St. Louis Cardinals have acquired pitcher Jake Westbrook from Cleveland and also sent outfielder Ryan Ludwick to the San Diego Padres.
The three-team trade involving a pair of division leaders was announced Saturday.
The NL Central-leading Cardinals got Westbrook and cash. They also got minor league pitcher Nick Greenwood from San Diego.
The NL West-leading Padres acquired Ludwick. The Indians got Double-A right-hander Corey Kluber from San Diego.
Copyright 2010 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Cardinals, Indians and Padres agreed to a three-team deal Saturday that sent P Jake Westbrook from Cleveland to St. Louis and OF Ryan Ludwick from St. Louis to San Diego. The Cardinals also received cash and minor league P Nick Greenwood, while the Indians netted minor league P Corey Kluber. Westbrook, a two-time 15-game winner missed the 2009 season after Tommy John surgery, was 6-7 with a 4.65 ERA in 21 starts for the Indians this season. He will help solidify the back end of the Cardinals’ rotation, which is missing Ps Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse because of injuries. Ludwick is hitting .281 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs and will provide the kind of power bat the Padres desperately need.
The Dodgers added the veteran starting pitcher they had been seeking, picking up P Ted Lilly from the Cubs. Los Angeles also received IF Ryan Theriot and cash in the deal. In exchange, Chicago got 2B Blake DeWitt and minor league Ps Kyle Smit and Brett Wallach. Lilly is 3-8 with a 3.69 ERA in 18 starts this season. He will join a Dodgers rotation that features SPs Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla. Theriot, who can play second base and shortstop, is hitting .284 with a homer, 21 RBIs and 16 stolen bases this season. DeWitt is batting .270 with a homer and 30 RBIs.
L.A. also picked up reliever Octavio Dotel from the Pirates for right-hander James McDonald and minor league outfielder Andrew Lambo.Dotel went 2-2 with 21 saves and a 4.28 ERA with Pittsburgh and will work in a setup role in Los Angeles. McDonald was 0-1 with an 8.22 ERA in four games (one start) for L.A.
The Pirates and Diamondbacks, a pair of last-place National League teams, pulled off a five-player deal. Pittsburgh acquired C Chris Snyder and minor league SS Pedro Ciriaco in exchange for IF Bobby Crosby, OF Ryan Church, RP D.J. Carrasco. Snyder hit .231 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs for Arizona, while Crosby (.224-1-11) and Church (.182-3-18) served largely in reserve roles with Pittsburgh. Carrasco, who posted a 3.88 ERA in 435 relief appearances, will be called upon to help fortify Arizona’s MLB-worst relief corps.
In a separate move, the Diamondbacks dealt P Chad Qualls to the Rays for a player to be named. Qualls was the on-again, off-again closer in Arizona this season, saving 12 games but posting an 8.29 ERA in 43 appearances. He will serve in a middle relief role for Tampa Bay.
In a deal that was agreed upon Friday night but didn’t become official until Saturday afternoon, the Yankees acquired 1B Lance Berkman and $4 million from the Astros in exchange for P Mark Melancon and minor league IF Jimmy Pared. Berkman, who was in the midst of a career-worst season (.245-13-49) with Houston, will serve primarily as New York’s DH. The Astros’ first-round draft pick in 1997 had spent his entire professional career in Houston’s organization.
A day after acquiring OF Austin Kearns from the Indians, the Yankees hammered out another deal with Cleveland, picking up P Kerry Wood and cash for a player to be named. The righthander was activated from the disabled list Saturday after being sidelined since July 12 because of a blister. Wood was 1-4 with eight saves and a 6.30 ERA in 23 appearances with the Indians this season. He could assume the eighth-inning setup role recently vacated by P Joba Chamberlain in New York.
Adding to their outfield and bullpen depth, the Braves picked up OF Rick Ankiel and P Kyle Farnsworth from the Royals in exchange for P Jesse Chavez, minor league P Tim Collins and OF Gregor Blanco. Ankiel, who has been limited to 27 games because of injuries, hit .261 with four homer and 15 RBIs for Kansas City, while Farnsworth was 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in 37 relief appearances. Chavez was 3-2 with a 5.89 ERA in 28 appearances, and Blanco hit .310 with three RBIs in 58 at-bats for Atlanta. The Braves also acquired minor league OF Wilkin Ramirez from the Tigers for a player to be named later or cash. Ramirez was designated for assignment earlier last week.
Boston addressed its catching need by dealing for C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was with the Rangers’ Class AAA affiliate. Texas acquired minor league 1B Chris McGuiness, minor league P Roman Mendez, a player to be named and cash considerations, according to The Boston Globe.
The Giants acquired P Javier Lopez from the Pirates in exchange for P Joe Martinez and OF John Bowker. Lopez posted a 2.79 ERA in 50 appearances with Pittsburgh. Martinez was 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in four games (one start) with San Francisco, and Bowker hit .207 with three homers and eight RBIs in 82 at-bats. In another bullpen move, the Giants acquired P Ramon Ramirez from the Red Sox. Ramirez was 0-3 with a 4.46 ERA in 44 games with Boston.
The Marlins added P Will Ohman from the Orioles for P Rick VandenHurk. Ohman had a 3.30 ERA in 51 appearances with Baltimore; VandenHurk posted a 6.75 ERA in two games with Florida.
Among the rumored deals that fell through Saturday: The White Sox were unable to reach an agreement with the Nationals for 1B Adam Dunn; according to FOXSports.com, the White Sox and Angels contacted the Dodgers to ask about OF Manny Ramirez; the San Francisco Chronicle reported the Giants made a late effort to acquire Brewers OF Corey Hart; Seattle and Atlanta discussed 2B/3B Chone Figgins, according to ESPN; FOXSports.com reported the Mets offered P Oliver Perez and 2B Luis Castillo to the Cubs for P Carlos Zambrano.
Among the veterans who were the subject of trade speculation the past few days/weeks but who weren’t traded before Saturday’s deadline: Brewers 1B Prince Fielder; Orioles IF/OF Luke Scott and IF Ty Wigginton; Astros P Brett Myers; Blue Jays 3B Jose Bautista; Red Sox 3B Mike Lowell; Marlins OF Cody Ross; Rockies P Aaron Cook and OF Brad Hawpe; Diamondbacks SS Stephen Drew, 2B Kelly Johnson and 1B Adam LaRoche; Pirates P Paul Maholm; Royals OF Jose Guillen.
Although the nonwaiver trading deadline has passed, player movement should continue through August. In order for a player to be dealt now, however, he first must clear waivers. With so few teams willing to add salary, the prevailing sentiment is that most players will clear waivers, making them eligible to be dealt. The next deadline to track: Aug. 31. Trades must be completed before then in order for a player to be eligible for the postseason with his new team.
The Cardinals, Indians and Padres agreed to a three-team deal Saturday that sent P Jake Westbrook from Cleveland to St. Louis and OF Ryan Ludwick from St. Louis to San Diego. The Cardinals also received cash and minor league P Nick Greenwood, while the Indians netted minor league P Corey Kluber. Westbrook, a two-time 15-game winner missed the 2009 season after Tommy John surgery, was 6-7 with a 4.65 ERA in 21 starts for the Indians this season. He will help solidify the back end of the Cardinals’ rotation, which is missing Ps Brad Penny and Kyle Lohse because of injuries. Ludwick is hitting .281 with 11 homers and 43 RBIs and will provide the kind of power bat the Padres desperately need.
The Dodgers added the veteran starting pitcher they had been seeking, picking up P Ted Lilly from the Cubs. Los Angeles also received IF Ryan Theriot and cash in the deal. In exchange, Chicago got 2B Blake DeWitt and minor league Ps Kyle Smit and Brett Wallach. Lilly is 3-8 with a 3.69 ERA in 18 starts this season. He will join a Dodgers rotation that features SPs Clayton Kershaw, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda and Vicente Padilla. Theriot, who can play second base and shortstop, is hitting .284 with a homer, 21 RBIs and 16 stolen bases this season. DeWitt is batting .270 with a homer and 30 RBIs.
L.A. also picked up reliever Octavio Dotel from the Pirates for right-hander James McDonald and minor league outfielder Andrew Lambo.Dotel went 2-2 with 21 saves and a 4.28 ERA with Pittsburgh and will work in a setup role in Los Angeles. McDonald was 0-1 with an 8.22 ERA in four games (one start) for L.A.
The Pirates and Diamondbacks, a pair of last-place National League teams, pulled off a five-player deal. Pittsburgh acquired C Chris Snyder and minor league SS Pedro Ciriaco in exchange for IF Bobby Crosby, OF Ryan Church, RP D.J. Carrasco. Snyder hit .231 with 10 homers and 32 RBIs for Arizona, while Crosby (.224-1-11) and Church (.182-3-18) served largely in reserve roles with Pittsburgh. Carrasco, who posted a 3.88 ERA in 435 relief appearances, will be called upon to help fortify Arizona’s MLB-worst relief corps.
In a separate move, the Diamondbacks dealt P Chad Qualls to the Rays for a player to be named. Qualls was the on-again, off-again closer in Arizona this season, saving 12 games but posting an 8.29 ERA in 43 appearances. He will serve in a middle relief role for Tampa Bay.
In a deal that was agreed upon Friday night but didn’t become official until Saturday afternoon, the Yankees acquired 1B Lance Berkman and $4 million from the Astros in exchange for P Mark Melancon and minor league IF Jimmy Pared. Berkman, who was in the midst of a career-worst season (.245-13-49) with Houston, will serve primarily as New York’s DH. The Astros’ first-round draft pick in 1997 had spent his entire professional career in Houston’s organization.
A day after acquiring OF Austin Kearns from the Indians, the Yankees hammered out another deal with Cleveland, picking up P Kerry Wood and cash for a player to be named. The righthander was activated from the disabled list Saturday after being sidelined since July 12 because of a blister. Wood was 1-4 with eight saves and a 6.30 ERA in 23 appearances with the Indians this season. He could assume the eighth-inning setup role recently vacated by P Joba Chamberlain in New York.
Adding to their outfield and bullpen depth, the Braves picked up OF Rick Ankiel and P Kyle Farnsworth from the Royals in exchange for P Jesse Chavez, minor league P Tim Collins and OF Gregor Blanco. Ankiel, who has been limited to 27 games because of injuries, hit .261 with four homer and 15 RBIs for Kansas City, while Farnsworth was 3-0 with a 2.42 ERA in 37 relief appearances. Chavez was 3-2 with a 5.89 ERA in 28 appearances, and Blanco hit .310 with three RBIs in 58 at-bats for Atlanta. The Braves also acquired minor league OF Wilkin Ramirez from the Tigers for a player to be named later or cash. Ramirez was designated for assignment earlier last week.
Boston addressed its catching need by dealing for C Jarrod Saltalamacchia, who was with the Rangers’ Class AAA affiliate. Texas acquired minor league 1B Chris McGuiness, minor league P Roman Mendez, a player to be named and cash considerations, according to The Boston Globe.
The Giants acquired P Javier Lopez from the Pirates in exchange for P Joe Martinez and OF John Bowker. Lopez posted a 2.79 ERA in 50 appearances with Pittsburgh. Martinez was 0-1 with a 4.91 ERA in four games (one start) with San Francisco, and Bowker hit .207 with three homers and eight RBIs in 82 at-bats. In another bullpen move, the Giants acquired P Ramon Ramirez from the Red Sox. Ramirez was 0-3 with a 4.46 ERA in 44 games with Boston.
The Marlins added P Will Ohman from the Orioles for P Rick VandenHurk. Ohman had a 3.30 ERA in 51 appearances with Baltimore; VandenHurk posted a 6.75 ERA in two games with Florida.
Among the rumored deals that fell through Saturday: The White Sox were unable to reach an agreement with the Nationals for 1B Adam Dunn; according to FOXSports.com, the White Sox and Angels contacted the Dodgers to ask about OF Manny Ramirez; the San Francisco Chronicle reported the Giants made a late effort to acquire Brewers OF Corey Hart; Seattle and Atlanta discussed 2B/3B Chone Figgins, according to ESPN; FOXSports.com reported the Mets offered P Oliver Perez and 2B Luis Castillo to the Cubs for P Carlos Zambrano.
Among the veterans who were the subject of trade speculation the past few days/weeks but who weren’t traded before Saturday’s deadline: Brewers 1B Prince Fielder; Orioles IF/OF Luke Scott and IF Ty Wigginton; Astros P Brett Myers; Blue Jays 3B Jose Bautista; Red Sox 3B Mike Lowell; Marlins OF Cody Ross; Rockies P Aaron Cook and OF Brad Hawpe; Diamondbacks SS Stephen Drew, 2B Kelly Johnson and 1B Adam LaRoche; Pirates P Paul Maholm; Royals OF Jose Guillen.
Although the nonwaiver trading deadline has passed, player movement should continue through August. In order for a player to be dealt now, however, he first must clear waivers. With so few teams willing to add salary, the prevailing sentiment is that most players will clear waivers, making them eligible to be dealt. The next deadline to track: Aug. 31. Trades must be completed before then in order for a player to be eligible for the postseason with his new team.
Edwin Jackson, who threw a no-hitter against the Rays on June 25, has been traded from the Diamondbacks to the White Sox, according to MLB.com.
In exchange for Jackson, Arizona gets young righthander Daniel Hudson and minor league lefthander David Holmberg.
Jackson is 6-10 with a 5.16 ERA in 21 starts this season and has allowed an NL-high 77 earned runs.
Hudson is 1-1 with a 6.32 ERA in his three major league starts this season after going 11-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 17 starts at Class AAA.
Holmberg is 1-1 with a 4.46 ERA in eight rookie league starts.
There is speculation that the White Sox will try to flip Jackson to the Nationals in a package for first baseman Adam Dunn.
Edwin Jackson, who threw a no-hitter against the Rays on June 25, has been traded from the Diamondbacks to the White Sox, according to MLB.com.
In exchange for Jackson, Arizona gets young righthander Daniel Hudson and minor league lefthander David Holmberg.
Jackson is 6-10 with a 5.16 ERA in 21 starts this season and has allowed an NL-high 77 earned runs.
Hudson is 1-1 with a 6.32 ERA in his three major league starts this season after going 11-4 with a 3.47 ERA in 17 starts at Class AAA.
Holmberg is 1-1 with a 4.46 ERA in eight rookie league starts.
There is speculation that the White Sox will try to flip Jackson to the Nationals in a package for first baseman Adam Dunn.
Phillies fans are never happy unless they are miserable. Trust me, I am one, so I have firsthand knowledge. We love … live … to complain about our sports teams, and that goes double for a franchise that, until the last few years, was an absolute laughingstock in its sport. We wear 10,000 losses (and counting) like a badge of honor. Winning? It’s almost like we still haven’t properly figured out what that’s supposed to feel like.
So with that, Phillies fans — and media, please we’ll get to the media in a second — must find something to complain about in order to feel properly balanced while rooting for our favorite team. But what’s to complain about when your team has won three straight division titles and has gone to two consecutive World Series, winning one?
Honestly, Phillies fans … what is there to complain about? Oh, right, Cliff Lee. When all else fails, complain about the one that got away.
The Phillies traded some of their top prospects – yet held on to the very top guys in the system – to acquire Cliff Lee in the middle of the 2009 season. He immediately became a hero in Philly, carrying the hopes and dreams of millions of Phillies fans on his left arm (it’s a wonder he could even throw). In the offseason, Ruben Amaro felt the negotiations to extend Lee’s contract were going nowhere and saw a chance to get Roy Halladay, the pitcher Amaro really wanted all along when he had traded for Lee during the season.
Feeling that the Phillies couldn’t afford both Cy Young pitchers, Amaro traded Lee for moderate prospects and gave up some of his top farm hands – though not the heavily-coveted Domonic Brown – to get Halladay. Could the Phillies have kept Lee and gotten Halladay? Probably. No, not probably. Certainly. They certainly could have done that, but they felt it was too much money to spend and had erroneously locked up way too much money in Jamie Moyer and, to a lesser extent Joe Blanton, to make keeping both aces financially viable.
It’s been seven months and Amaro officially realized that he was wrong. While he couldn’t get Lee back from the Mariners and he wasn’t able to get Dan Haren away from the Diamondbacks, Amaro did the absolute next-best thing. He fleeced the Astros for the service of Roy Oswalt – this deal is an absolute robbery – without giving up any of his top prospects in the minors and getting back $11 million dollars to help defray the cost of Oswalt over the next two years.
Amaro is, in essence, getting a year and a half of Oswalt at half price and gave up his fourth starter in J.A. Happ – a solid pitcher who is already in his late 20s and likely won’t be anything more than a good third or fourth option in any rotation – as well as a speedy center field prospect who can’t really hit and a Class-A project at shortstop who has over 100 strikeouts and 42 errors in less than 100 games this season.
An absolute robbery. Yet still, if you read the message boards and comments on local news websites (note: I strongly suggest you do not do either of those things), all you hear about is "Cliff Lee Cliff Lee Cliff Lee." The Phillies just traded for, nay stole, one of the best pitchers in the National League over the last half decade – admittedly a pitcher with a bad back, but one that hasn’t really kept him out of the lineup and, while in his 30s, is still younger than Halladay – and still people can’t let this Cliff Lee thing go.
Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News has a column titled: Phils should have just kept Cliff Lee. Here’s his lede:
IT’S ALL RIGHT to be unhappy with the trade that sent Cliff Lee packing last December. There were good, sound arguments for pairing him with Roy Halladay at the top of the Phillies rotation and going all in to try to win a second world championship in 3 years.
Why not just submit a column that starts: I couldn’t think of anything else to write, so I’m going to look back in my archives and whine about something I already whined about six times in the last seven months.
Let it go, Paul. Let it go, Sal Paolantonio, who was on Philadelphia radio hosting a show when the deal went down and said that the Oswalt trade finally "washes away the stain" of trading Cliff Lee. Let it go, Jayson Stark – probably the most respected and beloved Phillies reporter in recent memory – who went on ESPN and joked about what it would be like if the Phillies had Halladay, Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Lee. He knows that would be impossible, but he said it because he knew some crazy fan in Philly would hear it and call into talk radio to complain about why that didn’t happen.
For full disclosure, it wasn’t just the Philly media who were on this angle. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal gave us his "shoulda been you, Cliff" take on the trade. MLB Network dedicated an entire segment to the Lee angle just minutes after the Oswalt trade was official. Already sick of hearing about it, I changed the channel. Even Stan McNeal falls back on the "what if" argument. Rumor has it they actually dragged out an equine carcass, draped Lee’s old Phils jersey on top of it and passed around a Louisville Slugger, taking whacks until everyone on the set felt properly satiated. It’s just a rumor.
Complaining about the Phillies losing Lee the day they gained Oswalt is like complaining the franchise traded Ryne Sandberg the day they drafted Chase Utley. Let it go. Lee is a great pitcher, and it would be great to still have him. Clearly Amaro knows that. So what do those who perpetually bring up Lee want him to do? Would it help to have him go on the public address at Citizens Bank Park and apologize? How about a press conference in front of the Liberty Bell where he can publicly admit he was wrong? Maybe he can wear a Phanatic costume and we can all throw baseballs at him with Lee’s face stamped between the seams.
How about this? How about Amaro rectifies the Lee situation by getting one of the top arms available this year – another bona fide ace go to with Halladay – without leveraging the future very much at all. How about with all the injuries the Phillies have had this season – more than 130 games missed from their starting infield alone – Amaro has produced a team that’s just 2 1/2 games out of first place in the division, 1 1/2 in the wild card. And that’s before Oswalt has even stepped on the mound in a Phillies uniform, which will happen tonight in Washington.
"Oh, but it should have been Cliff Lee pitching tonight …" Shut up and go away. You can come back if there’s another parade. That way, we won’t be able to hear you complaining over the high fives and confetti.
You can read/listen to more from Dan Levy at OntheDLpodcast.com and follow him on Twitter @onthedlpodcast
Phillies fans are never happy unless they are miserable. Trust me, I am one, so I have firsthand knowledge. We love … live … to complain about our sports teams, and that goes double for a franchise that, until the last few years, was an absolute laughingstock in its sport. We wear 10,000 losses (and counting) like a badge of honor. Winning? It’s almost like we still haven’t properly figured out what that’s supposed to feel like.
So with that, Phillies fans — and media, please we’ll get to the media in a second — must find something to complain about in order to feel properly balanced while rooting for our favorite team. But what’s to complain about when your team has won three straight division titles and has gone to two consecutive World Series, winning one?
Honestly, Phillies fans … what is there to complain about? Oh, right, Cliff Lee. When all else fails, complain about the one that got away.
The Phillies traded some of their top prospects – yet held on to the very top guys in the system – to acquire Cliff Lee in the middle of the 2009 season. He immediately became a hero in Philly, carrying the hopes and dreams of millions of Phillies fans on his left arm (it’s a wonder he could even throw). In the offseason, Ruben Amaro felt the negotiations to extend Lee’s contract were going nowhere and saw a chance to get Roy Halladay, the pitcher Amaro really wanted all along when he had traded for Lee during the season.
Feeling that the Phillies couldn’t afford both Cy Young pitchers, Amaro traded Lee for moderate prospects and gave up some of his top farm hands – though not the heavily-coveted Domonic Brown – to get Halladay. Could the Phillies have kept Lee and gotten Halladay? Probably. No, not probably. Certainly. They certainly could have done that, but they felt it was too much money to spend and had erroneously locked up way too much money in Jamie Moyer and, to a lesser extent Joe Blanton, to make keeping both aces financially viable.
It’s been seven months and Amaro officially realized that he was wrong. While he couldn’t get Lee back from the Mariners and he wasn’t able to get Dan Haren away from the Diamondbacks, Amaro did the absolute next-best thing. He fleeced the Astros for the service of Roy Oswalt – this deal is an absolute robbery – without giving up any of his top prospects in the minors and getting back $11 million dollars to help defray the cost of Oswalt over the next two years.
Amaro is, in essence, getting a year and a half of Oswalt at half price and gave up his fourth starter in J.A. Happ – a solid pitcher who is already in his late 20s and likely won’t be anything more than a good third or fourth option in any rotation – as well as a speedy center field prospect who can’t really hit and a Class-A project at shortstop who has over 100 strikeouts and 42 errors in less than 100 games this season.
An absolute robbery. Yet still, if you read the message boards and comments on local news websites (note: I strongly suggest you do not do either of those things), all you hear about is "Cliff Lee Cliff Lee Cliff Lee." The Phillies just traded for, nay stole, one of the best pitchers in the National League over the last half decade – admittedly a pitcher with a bad back, but one that hasn’t really kept him out of the lineup and, while in his 30s, is still younger than Halladay – and still people can’t let this Cliff Lee thing go.
Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News has a column titled: Phils should have just kept Cliff Lee. Here’s his lede:
IT’S ALL RIGHT to be unhappy with the trade that sent Cliff Lee packing last December. There were good, sound arguments for pairing him with Roy Halladay at the top of the Phillies rotation and going all in to try to win a second world championship in 3 years.
Why not just submit a column that starts: I couldn’t think of anything else to write, so I’m going to look back in my archives and whine about something I already whined about six times in the last seven months.
Let it go, Paul. Let it go, Sal Paolantonio, who was on Philadelphia radio hosting a show when the deal went down and said that the Oswalt trade finally "washes away the stain" of trading Cliff Lee. Let it go, Jayson Stark – probably the most respected and beloved Phillies reporter in recent memory – who went on ESPN and joked about what it would be like if the Phillies had Halladay, Oswalt, Cole Hamels and Lee. He knows that would be impossible, but he said it because he knew some crazy fan in Philly would hear it and call into talk radio to complain about why that didn’t happen.
For full disclosure, it wasn’t just the Philly media who were on this angle. FOX’s Ken Rosenthal gave us his "shoulda been you, Cliff" take on the trade. MLB Network dedicated an entire segment to the Lee angle just minutes after the Oswalt trade was official. Already sick of hearing about it, I changed the channel. Even Stan McNeal falls back on the "what if" argument. Rumor has it they actually dragged out an equine carcass, draped Lee’s old Phils jersey on top of it and passed around a Louisville Slugger, taking whacks until everyone on the set felt properly satiated. It’s just a rumor.
Complaining about the Phillies losing Lee the day they gained Oswalt is like complaining the franchise traded Ryne Sandberg the day they drafted Chase Utley. Let it go. Lee is a great pitcher, and it would be great to still have him. Clearly Amaro knows that. So what do those who perpetually bring up Lee want him to do? Would it help to have him go on the public address at Citizens Bank Park and apologize? How about a press conference in front of the Liberty Bell where he can publicly admit he was wrong? Maybe he can wear a Phanatic costume and we can all throw baseballs at him with Lee’s face stamped between the seams.
How about this? How about Amaro rectifies the Lee situation by getting one of the top arms available this year – another bona fide ace go to with Halladay – without leveraging the future very much at all. How about with all the injuries the Phillies have had this season – more than 130 games missed from their starting infield alone – Amaro has produced a team that’s just 2 1/2 games out of first place in the division, 1 1/2 in the wild card. And that’s before Oswalt has even stepped on the mound in a Phillies uniform, which will happen tonight in Washington.
"Oh, but it should have been Cliff Lee pitching tonight …" Shut up and go away. You can come back if there’s another parade. That way, we won’t be able to hear you complaining over the high fives and confetti.
You can read/listen to more from Dan Levy at OntheDLpodcast.com and follow him on Twitter @onthedlpodcast