Utility infielder Matt Kata was released by the Phillies today.
Kata was in the running for a bench spot and seemed to be a favorite to make the team when you listed to Pat Gillick. His release should open the door a little wider for bench candidates Chris Roberson, Shawn Garrett, Josh Kroeger, Chris Coste and Danny Sandoval, and give a second life to veteran Tomas Perez, who had been rumored in trade talks. Along with Perez, the Phillies maintain Alex Gonzalez and Abraham Nunez as their top infielders off the bench.
The 27-year-old went 4-for-21 (.190) with the Phillies this spring.
The Phillies acquired Kata last season in a deal that sent Tim Worrell to Arizona, joining a long list of Ed Wade trades that yielded absolutely nothing.
Back when the deal was made, Wade said "We think Matt can contribute to the big league club. He's a versatile player and brings a lot of skills. Tim did an outstanding job for us a year ago and had some struggles this year. He expressed an interest in pitching closer to home, and we tried to see if there was a deal out there that could accommodate both him and the club."
When will a deal finally "accommodate" the Phillies for once, dammit?
Maybe I just missed it, because I was pretty busy last summer, but I don't think Worrell got savaged nearly enough. Yes, he had personal problems. Yes, I was glad he was willing to go on the DL rather than take up a roster spot. But the entire episode left me with a terrible taste in my mouth, when it felt to me as if he blackmailed the Phillies into the trade, and then pitched spotlessly down the stretch for them. If Worrell had been able to come back and pitch for us, he either would've added to a deep bullpen, or would've allowed us to trade Polanco for other needs or keep him to fill in for the struggling David Bell.
Posted by: Adam | Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 04:10 PM
"them" being the Diamondbacks
Posted by: Adam | Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 04:11 PM
Yep. You can't say enough about how destructive the Worrell situation was last season. Check my archives last month for my take on Worrell and take a look at his numbers before and after midseason.\
Oh, and let me be the first to say I will never bother predicting bench positions this early in spring. Last week, I picked Kata to replace Perez. Chalk it up as a learning experience.
Posted by: J. Weitzel | Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 04:13 PM
Not to worry, they only let Kata go so that they can trade Rodriguez to Cincy to get him back.
Posted by: RickSchuBlues | Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 04:20 PM
Seriously though...it's just a balancing out of all those Grimsley-for-Schilling deals Lee Thomas used to pull off every spring...
Posted by: RickSchuBlues | Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 04:22 PM
I think we are overanalyzing this...I mean what COULD we have gotten for Worrell last yr? He was an old reliever who looked to be nuts. I think Wade was a complete tool, but to ding him for this is an overreach imo.
Ryan "baby bull" howard.
Posted by: That Dude | Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 05:11 PM
So much for number 23.
Posted by: enrico | Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 06:20 PM
I am believing more and more that the last bench slot (5th outfielder) is not even on the team yet. Phils will claim this player off waivers or make a minor trade before they head north.
Posted by: Billy Mac | Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 07:12 PM
don't even get me started on tim worrell.
Posted by: gr | Wednesday, March 15, 2006 at 07:15 PM
Honestly, Lee Thomas was the Best at making trades while being the General Manager of the Phils. No one remembers that he had NO payroll, and then when Wade came in, magically, a high payroll came rollin out of Monty's pocket.
Posted by: John Anderson | Thursday, March 30, 2006 at 10:45 PM