Light the hot stove: Phils need spare parts

Pat Gillick hinted to the Philadelphia Inquirer today there’s still work to be done in assembling a winning team, and could be shopping around for help.

The Phils are still looking for a beefy left-handed bat off the bench. According to the Detroit News, the Tigers could release first baseman Carlos Pena as early as today or try to trade the left-handed slugger before the end of spring training.

This is the final day players under contract for 2006 can be jettisoned for one-sixth of the salary owed them -- in Pena's case about $470,000 of the $2.8 million he has coming for 2006, the paper reported. Chris Shelton is the starter at first and Dmitri Young also plays the position, so Pena is viewed as a player that no longer fits.

The Phillies would rather have a power-hitting outfielder from the left side, but have several options in that regard to break camp, including Chris Roberson, who is swinging a hot bat, and Shawn Garrett, both switch hitters.

Beerleaguer take
Pena, a former first-round pick of the Rangers, would make sense as insurance at first, but would primarily serve as dynamite pop off the bench. In 260 at bats last season, the 27-year-old hit 18 homers with a line of .235/.325/.477. He’s a much better hitter against right-handers.

Another key benefit is he holds a lot of value in a trade in case another team’s first baseman goes down with injury. They would have no problem selling high to a desperate team.

It’s worth keeping an eye on the situation. Often times, teams that face each other in spring training get together on deals, such as the Reds quickly snatching Matt Kata off waivers (though that wasn't technically a deal). Joker Marchant Stadium (Tigers) is less than an hour from Clearwater. Gillick also seems to have the ear of American League teams.

As for relief pitching, it’s going to be much harder to find good arms than spare outfielders or displaced position players. I'd rather solve the pitching problem from within rather than deal for scraps at this point.

Comments

[J. Weitzel]

Question: What else have you heard in terms of quality spare parts around the league that could shake loose for the Phillies to grab?

And what do you think about this:

Start Bell on DL no matter how he feels. Keep Roberson, but keep the shuttle to Scranton warm. Trade Tomas.

Roberson
Pena
Fasano
Victorino
Nunez/Gonzalez

12 pitchers

This is as close to extending your spring training as it gets, and it's also not half bad if they're willing to spend on Pena.

[gr]

i have to shrug my shoulders. i understand about the wheeling and dealing, but you want to keep the guy aropund just in case you can flip him for not-all-that-much? who's roster spot will that be? this feels like getting josh kroeger all over again, except without the ability to play the OF. how is a .250-hitting pinch hitter going to help us? we already got, like, 9 of those.

[RickSchuBlues]

In the same way the Phillies ought to consider looking from within to patch up their bullpen, I think they ought to do the same when considering the bench. Why is some mediocre 'veteran' bordering on release from some other team necessary? Give a guy like Roberson the shot. He's earned it, he's got nothing left to prove back in AAA. He's obviously not considered a starting prospect, but neither was Jason Michaels, and he developed into a strong fourth outfielder who worked his way into a starting role with another club. This team has enough marginal castoffs from other teams on the roster as it is.

[Billy Mac]

RickSchu,
I am a Roberson fan, but AA to Majors is a big jump. I don't think Roberson is ready yet and getting 4 ABs a week for the Phils is not going to help his development. Starting everyday in AAA will. The Phils have 3 outfielders that will play everyday and will never be pinch hit for. The 4th outfielder Victorino will be the primary backup for all 3 OF positions and may pinch run or be a defensive replacement for Burrell. Abreu and Rowand won't come out of games. The 5th outfielder is essentially a pinch hitter. My preference would be for the Phils to get a veteran left handed hitter with some power to essentially just pinch hit and play OF in emergencies. Fasano will not pinch hit, since he is your backup catcher. So that leaves you Nunez, Gonzalez, Victorino (a rookie) as your 3 primary pinch hitters -- assuming David Bell is healthy. I would not want another rookie here. I would prefer someone like a Ricky LeDee type or what the Phils hoped they would get with Michael Tucker. Perhaps this is Pena.

[Billy Mac]

Strike my last comment about Pena being an emergency outfielder; he's strictly a first baseman. My point is the Phils will be fine with 4 outfielders, although I would prefer the last bench spot be someone who can play some outfield. Nunez could play a few innings in a pinch though. My point is the last bench slot should go to someone who is first and foremost a left handed pinch hitter. Let's hope the Phils don't think this can be Tomas Perez.

[John Salmon]

I know there's no good spot for Pena-but I'd get him. The Phils' bench as currently set up is hopeless offensively, let alone powerwise. Nobody talks about how much offense the team lost with Lofton/Michaels being replaced by Rowand-but it'll be plenty. Any useful bat is worth picking up.

[RickSchuBlues]

Why did they ever get rid of Ledee, anyway? Oh yeah, Felix Rodriguez. Well, that was worth it.

I'm not as hung up on having to hit all minor league classes in yearly ascending order as you or Mike Arbuckle might be. Roberson, by the way, is 26 or 27 by now. He wasn't even called up last September, for no good reason. I'm of the opinion that he at the very least possesses the talents of Victorino, at least offensively. It might hurt him to only get a few at-bats a week, but very possibly he could have success and fulfill a larger role. If he isn't forecasted as a starter, then what's the harm of getting some use out of him for the major-league team, now?

[Tom G]

The Braves bring up guys from AA all the time.

[Adam]

AA to majors is a huge jump for someone on the younger side, but Roberson is 26 and played 4 years of college ball. The only reason he took so long getting to AA was that he struggled early in his pro career, bit he did quite well in AA last year. I think he could make the jump.

I don't think Pena is a good idea. Firstly, if we pinch hit with him, we'd either only be inserting him for one AB, or we'd be pulling Howard, and he's basically a much worse version of Howard.