2008-2009 Offseason Thread

[love_that_reefer]

I predicted Lowe would sign in Philly and still think they need him to have any chance of repeating.

[ljshorty89]

I don't see it. They had such little money coming off the books,a nd they replaced it with the Ibanez signing...

[love_that_reefer]

Winning a World Series creates money.

[ljshorty89]

True, but rumor has it they don't wanna increase payroll too much, regardless of how much money the World Series brought in.

[love_that_reefer]

Phillies cleared ~$23 million with Burrell, Iguchi and Gordon leaving.

[ljshorty89]

Howard will at LEAST get the same amount as last year in arby, Blanton will get a raise in arby, Ibanez costs 6.5 million this year, Myers will make an additional 3.5 million this year, Eaton makes a million extra, Rollins makes 500k more, Jenkins makes 500k more, Moyer makes 3 million more, Feliz makes 2 million more, Romero makes a million more, up to 2.5 million for Chan Ho Park, Hamels will get a raise in arby. By my count, that's 20.5 plus the raises for Howard, Blanton, and Hamels...

[love_that_reefer]

Phillies can move some payroll, especially Blanton.

[ljshorty89]

They could, but if they trade Blanton, their rotation is Hamels, Myers, Moyer....Kendrick and Eaton? Back half is iffy....hell, so are Myers and Moyer. Myers and Moyer have talent, but who knows if they will duplicate last year's success. That rotation loses a lot of umph without Blanton.

[love_that_reefer]

You are forgetting to add Lowe to that rotation. Hamels, Lowe, Myers, Moyer and Happ/Kendrick.

[ljshorty89]

But they'd have to trade Blanton first. Plus, if they trade Blanton, and Lowe ends up a Met, they end up in a shitty pitching position.

[love_that_reefer]

Why would they have to trade him first?

[ljshorty89]

So that they don't end up with everyone else knowing they're desperate to trade Blanton, having no team willing to pony up the prospects they would surely ask for, and having added 16 million dollars to their payroll.....they wouldn't HAVE to, but they'd probably prefer to...

[love_that_reefer]

Not at all. You don't get good prospects back in a salary dump situation. Phillies couldn;t get good prospects fpr Blanton anyway. The Phillies could hang onto to Blanton all the way up to ST if they wanted to. There are still teams desperate for pitching and willing to eat the $6-7 million Blanton will make. You get Lowe first, then trade Lowe.

[ljshorty89]

Blanton only made 4 million lat year. There's no reason to salary dump him. You could deal him, but he's younger and cheaper than Lowe, why deal him to sign Lowe?

[love_that_reefer]

To get better obviously. There is a reason to dump his salary. Get better, clear room and clear payroll. He was just one option for them to clear space for Lowe. Lowe would clearly be their number two starter if signed.