I guess there had to be a time Dom Brown could try to prove himself after failing a few times before. I just didn't expect it to be with us in the basement, and after trading away Hunter Pence and Shane Victorino for scrap parts, or, at least, less than they are worth. I'll talk about the trades now and get to the other stuff later.
With our current situation, Shane had to go. He'll always be beloved in Philly, but he's on the decline now, or so it appears, and we weren't going to be able to afford what he wanted this offseason. I just wish we could have gotten more than a middle reliever (Josh Lindblom) for him. If the pitching prospect, Ethan Martin, emerges, maybe I'll have to eat my words. Hopefully so.
But Pence. Why, why, why? Aside from the fact that I love his hustle, and quirky, yet effective play, I simply cannot digest this move. What is the thinking here? To shed money? If so, then GM Ruben Amaro should have trade Ryan Howard, or Cliff Lee or someone who makes more. Howard is probably never going to launch 40 home runs or even hit .260 again, but he's being paid like the player he was in 2006. Is the thinking to rebuild? Are we taking lessons from the Astros? How could we rebuild anyway with the money committed to Hamels, Halladay, Lee, Rollins, Utley, Howard, and Papelbon? Trading any of them would have made more sense than Pence, who is the one bat capable of having a team built around (even if he crumbles at times in crunch time for putting too much pressure on himself).
Sure, the thought process is...wait. Pence isn't a free agent until 2014. What the heck is going on? How did this help? If Tommy Joseph, the catching prospect included with Nate Schierholtz and another guy, makes it big, then great. But what are the chances? 2012 is a lost season but 2013 doesn't have to be. Hunter Pence remaining a Phillie would only have made too much sense.
Changing gears a bit, I cannot stand Jonathan Papelbon. When the deal was announced I pacepalmed. Not even Mariano Rivera has ever been worth what the Phils are paying Papelbon. He's on the decline for sure: when he came up he was firing 103 MPH rockets to home plate. Now he's lucky to break 94. When we're paying him as a 35-year-old, he'll be relying on a 90 fastball to get guys out. So far this year, he's blown three saves and has four losses with a mid-threes ERA. Not bad, but there are probably 30 other relievers, all for less money, that could do that. And his three blown saves have come at the most inopportune times, completely blasting the slight momentum the team tried to put together: to end a four game win streak after the All-Star break, and the team proceeds to get swept, etc.
So how does our roster look overall? Here's an overview.
Our infield: Howard, who we can only hope comes alive. Utley, the same. I hate to say this, but I don't think he has much left at all. Jimmy, a shell of his former self. Polanco is too rattled by injuries and an aging body to be effective anymore offensively.
The outfield: Juan Pierre is the best we have now that Hunter and Shane are out west. Nate Schierholtz is a borderline everyday player, but he can't hit southpaws.. Mayberry will get one last chance to prove himself for the remainder of this year, but hitting righties for him in quite an obstacle. Domonic Brown, the erstwhile top prospect, has the cannon arm but will use the next two months as a final audition to make it in the bigs. This is the outfield of a rebuilding ballclub. (Problem is, we can't rebuild with this payroll.)
Starting pitching: Well, we have six more years of Cole Hamels. He's got the big bucks, which is well deserved for him. Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee, it's weird to say, are great unknowns now. Vance Worley is a good three or four guy. I'm surprised Joe Blanton is still here, but we need his innings-eating.
And the bullpen? I'd prefer not to talk about it. I'll always love and support my Phils, but me and the rest of Philly are currently in what was the norm pre-2007 in Philly, the "At least the Eagles look good" outlook.
Yep. Being a Philly sports fan is rough.
As a Giants fan, I feel bad for you here. I can see why you loved Pence.
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