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Jimmy Rollins Says John S. Middleton has Ambition to be 'Steinbrenner South'

12/23/2014

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Jimmy Rollins is now a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers but that doesn't mean his opinions of the Phillies disappeared.

CSNPhilly's Jim Salisbury sat down with Jimmy Rollins for an exclusive interview to discuss a number of topics including minority own John S. Middleton. Rollins described Middleton as a "man with the vision if they give him the reins."

Salisbury mentioned Middleton possibly becoming "Steinbrenner South" referring the late Yankees owner George Steinbrenner. Rollins believes "that's his ambition; to be Steinbrenner South. You can feel it. When you meet the guy, you can feel it. He wants to put a winner out there.

"He wants to be in control. Don't get it wrong. He wants to be in control but he wants to put a winner out there very badly. I know he would like to have more influence, obviously have majority ownership, then he can do the things he feels is best. I think he has to be muted just because of the way the ownership is done there but they listen to him. He's probably one of the youngest of that group but if he had his way, he'd be the majority owner and doing a lot of different things with the team I think."

Rollins, 36, batted .243/.323/.394 with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs for the Phillies in 2014. He exits Philadelphia as the Phillies franchise leader in at-bats (8,628), hits (2,306) and doubles (479) while finishing third in runs scored (1,325) and triples (111). Rollins played 15 seasons in Philadelphia batting .267/.327/.424 with 216 home runs and 887 RBIs.

The 2007 National League MVP led the Phillies to five consecutive National League East titles including two National League Championships and one World Series title.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
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Report: Cole Hamels for Wil Myers Swap 'Premature'

12/22/2014

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(Photo: Brian Blanco/Getty)
Don't get rid of those No. 35 jerseys just yet.

The San Diego Union-Tribune's Dennis Lin reports the San Diego Padres plan to enter the 2014 with their new outfield, including Wil Myers, calling the Cole Hamels trade rumors "premature." However, Lin notes "considering Preller’s recent level of activity and the hour-to-hour nature of the offseason, the situation could always change."

The Philadelphia Daily News' Ryan Lawrence reported yesterday the Padres have had discussions about trading for Hamels and using Myers as "trade bait."

Myers, who turned 24 this month, was acquired last week by San Diego but joins a crowded outfield that includes newly acquired outfielders Matt Kemp and Justin Upton. Myers batted .293/.354/.478 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs in 88 games for the Rays in 2013 en route to the Rookie of the Year award. He battled a wrist injury last season causing him to miss most of June, July and part of August. Myers batted just .222/.294/.320 with six home runs and 35 RBIs in 87 games.

Hamels, who turns 31 later this month, went 9-9 with a career-best 2.46 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in 30 starts for the Phillies last season. In nine seasons with the Phillies, Hamels is 108-83 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in 275 starts for Philadelphia. 

Hamels still has four years and $90 million remaining on his contract with a $20 million team option and a $24 million vesting option for 2019.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
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Report: Padres Have Had Discussions About Trading for Cole Hamels

12/21/2014

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(Photo: Brian Garfinkel/Getty)
The Cole Hamels trade destinations continues to grow.

The Philadelphia Daily News' Ryan Lawrence reports the San Diego Padres have had discussions about trading for Phillies starter Cole Hamels. The Padres would use recently acquired outfielder, and 2013 American League Rookie of the Year, Wil Myers as trade bait for Hamels.

Myers, who turned 24 this month, was acquired last week by San Diego but joins a crowded outfield that includes newly acquired outfielders Matt Kemp and Justin Upton. Myers batted .293/.354/.478 with 13 home runs and 53 RBIs in 88 games for the Rays in 2013 en route to the Rookie of the Year award. He battled a wrist injury last season causing him to miss most of June, July and part of August. Myers batted just .222/.294/.320 with six home runs and 35 RBIs in 87 games.

Hamels, who turns 31 later this month, went 9-9 with a career-best 2.46 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in 30 starts for the Phillies last season. In nine seasons with the Phillies, Hamels is 108-83 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in 275 starts for Philadelphia. 

Hamels still has four years and $90 million remaining on his contract with a $20 million team option and a $24 million vesting option for 2019.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
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Official: Phillies Trade Jimmy Rollins to Dodgers for Two Minor League Pitchers

12/19/2014

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(Photo: Mitchell Leff/Getty)
It is official.

The Phillies have traded Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers in exchange for minor league pitchers Tom Windle and Zach Eflin.

Rollins, 36, batted .243/.323/.394 with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs for the Phillies in 2014. He exits Philadelphia as the Phillies franchise leader in at-bats (8,628), hits (2,306) and doubles (479) while finishing third in runs scored (1,325) and triples (111). Rollins played 15 seasons in Philadelphia batting .267/.327/.424 with 216 home runs and 887 RBIs.

The 2007 National League MVP led the Phillies to five consecutive National League East titles including two National League Championships and one World Series title.

Windle, 22, went 12-8 with a 4.26 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP in 25 starts for Class-A Advanced Rancho Cucamonga. He was a second round pick out of the University of Minnesota in 2013. MLB.com ranked Windle as the No. 7 prospect in the Dodgers system with a scouting report of the 6'4", 215 lbs. left-hander.
Windle has a ceiling as a No. 2 or 3 starter, if he can improve his changeup and command, and if not, he has enough pure stuff to be a closer.

Windle's best pitch is his nasty slider, which reaches the mid 80s. He can drop it in on the hands of left-handers or on the back foot of right-handers. After working at 90 mph to 94 mph with his fastball during his junior season with the Gophers, Windle pitched more at 88 mph to 92 mph in his pro debut. Lengthening his stride during instructional league helped him reclaim that lost velocity.

Windle's delivery looks a little stiff, and it features some recoil, leading some scouts to question whether he can develop the third pitch and control to remain in the rotation. Windle is starting to throw his changeup more often, and it has made some progress.

Eflin, 20, was acquired by the Dodgers earlier on Thursday from the San Diego Padres in the deal that sent Matt Kemp to San Diego. Eflin went 10-7 with a 3.80 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP with Single-A Advanced Lake Elsinore. MLB.com rated Eflin as the No. 10 prospect in the Padres system with a scouting report of the 6'4", 200 lbs. right-hander.
Eflin throws his fastball in the low 90s, and he can occasionally add a bit more velocity. He has advanced feel for his changeup, which might be his best pitch. At its best, Eflin's breaking ball is a solid third offering, though it has a tendency to get slurvy.

Eflin's whole arsenal plays up, thanks to his control and the good downhill angle he creates. He is built like a prototypical right-hander, and he has the look of a future middle-of-the-rotation workhorse.
Seems like a decent return for Rollins, who only had one year remaining on his contract.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
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Phillies Select Infielder Odubel Herrera and Pitcher Andy Oliver in Rule 5 Draft

12/11/2014

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The Rule 5 Draft - where the Phillies are looking for the next Shane Victorino.

The team selected infielder Odubel Herrera from the Texas Rangers with the ninth pick in the Rule 5 Draft. In the second round, the Phillies selected left-handed reliever Andy Oliver from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Herrera, who turns 23 at the end of the month, batted .321/.373/.402 with two home runs and 48 RBIs in Double-A last season. ESPN's Jayson Stark cites a scout saying Herrera "can really hit. Raw defensively but big-league ready bat." His best position is at second base with the ability to slide to shortstop and even the outfield.

Oliver, 27, pitched well out of the bullpen for Triple-A going 3-4 with a 2.53 ERA and a 1.28 WHIP in 48 games. The 6'3", 215 lbs. lefty pitched in seven games, all starts, for the Detroit Tigers between 2010-11 going 0-5 with a 7.11 ERA and a 1.83 WHIP.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
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Report: Phillies Trade Antonio Bastardo to Pirates

12/10/2014

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(Photo: Jonathan Ernst/Getty)
Less emotional than Jimmy Rollins, for sure.

The Philadelphia Inquirer's Matt Gelb reports the Phillies have traded relief pitcher Antonio Bastardo to the Pittsburgh Pirates for minor league pitcher Joely Rodriguez.

Bastardo, 29, pitched in 67 games for the Phillies in 2014 going 5-7 with a 3.94 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP. In six seasons with the Phillies, Bastardo was 20-18 with a 3.72 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP in 275 career games.

Rodriguez, 23, is a 6'1", 200 lbs. left-hander who pitched in 30 games (21 starts) for Double-A Altoona in 2014 going 6-11 with a 4.84 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. He signed with the Pirates as a 17-year-old free agent out of the Domincan Republic in 2009. He was named Arizona Fall League pitcher of the week for week No. 3.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
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Report: Jimmy Rollins Traded to Dodgers

12/10/2014

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(Photo: Mitchell Leff/Getty)
The end of an era.

ESPN's Buster Olney reports the Phillies have traded shortstop Jimmy Rollins to the Los Angeles Dodgers. CSN Philly's Jim Salisbury reports the Phillies will receive two minor league pitchers in return.

Rollins, 36, batted .243/.323/.394 with 17 home runs and 55 RBIs for the Phillies in 2014. He exits Philadelphia as the Phillies franchise leader in at-bats (8,628), hits (2,306) and doubles (479) while finishing third in runs scored (1,325) and triples (111). Rollins played 15 seasons in Philadelphia batting .267/.327/.424 with 216 home runs and 887 RBIs.

The 2007 National League MVP led the Phillies to five consecutive National League East titles including two National League Championships and one World Series title.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
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Ruben Amaro's Recent Honesty is Refreshing

12/9/2014

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(Photo: Rich Schultz/Getty)
This offseason, perhaps more than those in recent years, is imperative for the Phillies to get it right.

The Phillies are coming off of their second consecutive 73-win season and third straight non-winning season. The last few offseasons were spent with general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. telling the media, and anyone who would listen, that the Phillies were not as bad as they appeared and could make a push towards a playoff run.

That was clearly not the case.

This offseason is different. The front office seems more focused on the future and interim president Pat Gillick appears like he has more say in what is going on with Amaro & Co. It is evident in how the Phillies say they are operating and everything Amaro is telling the media. It's a totally different animal.

Amaro spoke with Philadelphia-area native Tyler Kepner of The New York Times about the offseason ahead and his honesty was refreshing.
“We’re a lot more realistic about it than we were in July, because now you see a pretty great shift,” Amaro said. “Teams just don’t want to give up the talent. They’d rather give up the money than the talent. So we have to have an understanding of that, and at the same time we have to identify the guys that are still pretty talented and not take a bath.

“Listen, our ownership group is not saying, ‘You have to trade these guys.’ But we as an organization, together, have decided we need to make a change."
It gets better.
“You identify, and fans identify, with players like Rollins, Utley and Howard, who are arguably the best players at their positions in the history of our franchise,” Amaro said. “It’s hard to cut them loose. And yet, sometimes, you have to have that mentality like, you know what, maybe we were a little too loyal, maybe we were thinking that we could squeeze some more blood out of the stone.

“But that’s also a good learning experience for me. Maybe we’ve got to do things a little differently, and think about doing that shift a little earlier.”
If I didn't trust Kepner, I'd swear that wasn't Amaro talking. He sounds like a different person. A person who seems determined to help, dare I say, rebuild instead of retool for 2015.

Who knows if Amaro is the right guy to turn the franchise around but, for the first time since everything went south on the field, Amaro sounds like he is really in tune with what needs to happen for the Phillies to regain their spot of prominence in the National League East.

Let's just hope he acts rationally on those new rational thoughts.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
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Report: Phillies Doing 'Intensive Homework' on Dodgers' Minor-Leaguers

12/2/2014

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(Photo: Brian Garfinkel/Getty)
The stove is heating up.

USA Today’s Bob Nightengale reports the Phillies are doing “intensive homework” of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ prospects “in preparation of Cole Hamels trade talks.” This news comes just over a week after Nightengale reported the Red Sox had the most serious talks with the Phillies regarding Hamels.

Hamels is the Phillies most valuable trade chip and Ruben Amaro Jr. is reportedly asking for a hefty return for the All-Star lefty.

Hamels, who turns 31 later this month, went 9-9 with a career-best 2.46 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP in 30 starts for the Phillies last season. In nine seasons with the Phillies, Hamels is 108-83 with a 3.27 ERA and a 1.14 WHIP in 275 starts for Philadelphia. 

Hamels still has four years and $90 million remaining on his contract with a $20 million team option and a $24 million vesting option for 2019.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
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Report: Phillies Never Made an Offer to Yasmany Tomas

12/1/2014

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(Photo: 6 ABC)
Trying to wrap my head around this.

WIP's Jon Johnson reports Jay Alou, the agent for new Diamondbacks outfield Yasmany Tomas, said Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. never made an offer to Tomas. Alou stated Amaro claimed he "needed to clear salary" and his "hands were tied."

Tomas is a power-hitting outfielder that projects as a corner-outfielder when he gets to the United States. The 6'1", 230 lbs. has tremendous power which he unveiled at the 2013 World Baseball Classic as one of the youngest members of the Cuban squad. Baseball America listed Tomas' raw power at a 70 on the 20-80 scale which is phenomenal but comes at a price. Tomas has a upper-cut swing which leads to issues with breaking pitches and adds some swing-and-miss to his game.

The Phillies were reportedly "all over" Tomas but "cooled on the idea" of signing him days before he signed a six-year, $68.5 million deal with Arizona last week. There are nuances to the structure of Tomas' deal with the Diamondbacks that would not have made sense for the Phillies but not making an offer to a guy who plays a position of need is difficult to sell to an already upset fan base.

-Steve Dolan
Follow Steve on Twitter @SDolan3
Follow Whiz Wit on Twitter @WhizWitSports
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