BigDaddyLoco
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| #1 Posted on 2.12.02 0613.38 Reposted on: 2.12.09 0613.43 | What exactly are the boys in Philly thinking? When was the last time that signing average players, (David Bell) aging players (Tome Glavine) and a guy that's only going to be able to play DH in a couple of years (Jim Thome) to BIG money contracts the best way to fix a team? This strategy never works out, especially on a subpar team like Phillies. Just because you have the money under the *cap* doesn't mean you need to go blow it right away. This might(if they sign all three of course) make the Phillies a team that finishes over .500 the next two years, but most likely they're out of contention in late July. Then two years from now when they have no money and are scratching their heads we can all point and laugh. Promote this thread! | | Zaphod
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| #2 Posted on 2.12.02 0833.58 Reposted on: 2.12.09 0838.10 | Just my thoughts on the big three Philly went after.
Bell: A better player than his numbers indicate. Good defense, decent power, and fundamentally sound. He's not someone you could build a team around, but he'll be a fine addition.
Thome: For a first baseman, defense is far less important than power, and he has MAD power. More importantly, he gives them left-handed power, which they desperately needed. As long as he doesn't drop one out of every three throws from 2B, SS, 3B, P, and C, they'll be happy despite his poor defense.
Glavine: While his best years are definitely behind him, he's still very good. He'll also be a big, positive influence on the young pitchers on the staff, improving their performance as well.
All three: Seem to be class acts and clubhouse leaders. What they bring in terms of stats will be nice bonuses. The intangibles are the reasons why I'd like any of them on my team. Also, with each one they sign, the Phillies renew fan interest that much more, which would result in more money in 2004 to fill any remaining holes (catcher, center field, still more pitching).
If the Phils manage to sign all three, I think they'll remain in contention until late August or early September, with an outside chance at a wild card. | Simba
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| #3 Posted on 2.12.02 0840.42 Reposted on: 2.12.09 0840.43 | Well, actually the Phillies finished one game under .500 this season and finished only 2 games out of first the year before. They have a great core of young talent, but lack some real veteran leadership. Yes, they're overpaying. They have to. They are moving into a new stadium next year and they want to field a competitive team. They are also a large-market team with a severe lack of identity. Seriously, can a casual baseball fan name more than 2 Phillies players? Having some big names attracts some attention to the market and shows future free agents that they are willing to spend the money to win. I agree that the long-term effects are not the best. However, they want to win now. Seeing how they only field a championship level team every 10 years, I can't blame them. | Bullitt
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| #4 Posted on 2.12.02 1445.24 Reposted on: 2.12.09 1446.03 | I'm guessing they're thinking with Atlanta losing some of their top pitching, maybe...just maybe...they can unseat the Braves next season.
So load up and make a run at them... | Spiraling_Shape
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| #5 Posted on 2.12.02 1541.04 Reposted on: 2.12.09 1543.58 | Yeah, they did overpay a little for Bell, and it looks like Thome`s going to sign here. I doubt we`re going to get Glavine, but maybe someone like Jamie Moyer for 2 years?
Simba`s right about the current state of the Phils. They have two solid corner outfielders, an OK infield that is getting a major upgrade (we just have to find someone who`ll take Travis Lee). They have some good young pitching that needs to be consistant (only Vicente Padilla had a good year start-to-finish, Randy Wolf had a great 2nd half).
If the Mets are still a mess and Atlanta can`t keep Glavine AND Maddux, then I don`t see why the Phils can`t make a run at 1st place.
P.S. - If you`re wondering where they`re getting all this money from, ESPN.com says: Last offseason, the Phillies supposedly offered Scott Rolen $140 million over 10 years. And now they get Thome for $87 million and David Bell for $17 million. If they can somehow add Tom Glavine at around $30 million for three years, they would have Thome, Bell and Glavine for about the same amount they offered Rolen, who was traded to St. Louis in July.
(edited by Spiraling_Shape on 2.12.02 1346) | Guru Zim
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| #6 Posted on 2.12.02 1934.16 Reposted on: 2.12.09 1934.41 | Didn't Arizona do just this and take the series? How many years did you think Randy Johnson had left when he signed there? Mark Grace, Matt Williams, Steve Finley... these weren't young guys.
That said, I think they are crazy | evilwaldo
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| #7 Posted on 2.12.02 2020.23 Reposted on: 2.12.09 2028.03 | The money has always been there, it was just never spent. They needed to do something to generate interest in the team after 16 years of killing it. The Vet is empty for basball games now and the problem extends beyond the Vet itself. When you tout yourself as a small market team when all of the data points otherwise and allow minor league teams to pop up all over the place offering a lesser product at a better value then you create some serious problems.
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