Somebody stupid is gonna give Rollins 5yr/55-60m. Probably SF or BOS.

If I’m the Phillies I’m looking to turn Hammels into a corner outfield bat or a 3rd baseman via trade and roll with Worley. If they go free agent, Aramis Ramirez would be a nice fit.

My gut also says that Pujols re-signs.

1. Sign Jose Reyes, let Rollins walk ($$ will probably prevent this signing)
2. Sign Nick Swisher, he plays 1st until Howard returns and moves to the OF after his return (this seems to make the most sense since there aren’t many available guys that can play 1B and transition to the OF, Carlos Pena makes no sense if Howard returns next season)
3. Trade Victorino to San Diego for Chase Headley and Luke Gregerson (Vic is overvalued by most teams, Headley is an upgrade at 3B over Polly, who is clearly breaking down and Gregerson improves that pen immediately)
4. Sign a Coco Crisp type for CF

Line up
Reyes
Crisp/Garry Maddox
Utley
Swish
Pence
Headley
Mayberry/Dom Brown
Chooch

Hey, don’t knock Carlos Pena. He’s a latin Dunn. a Dunndonez

“Also all indications are that Halladay really does want to stay here beyond his contract and still wants to win that ring.”

my suggestion (to trade halladay) was predicated on the belief that
if we (guys like you and me) can see that “… the Phillies window is closing faster than they anticipated, or may have already closed. ” ,
then so can halladay , and that he or his agent may initiate discussion
concerning a trade away from philadelphia .

again , i’m not too familiar with mlb player contract situations , but i
find it quite ironic that if the blue jays sign yu darvish , halladay would
have a better chance of winning a world series ring if he was back
in toronto .

@Benny, don’t know how I missed the Blanton thing- wishful thinking I suppose as a fellow Phillies fan. About Dom Brown starting opening day in left, I really just don’t see it. Ruben Amaro has said he wants Brown to spend the ENTIRE 2012 SEASON in AAA. If Howard does indeed miss time and Mayberry plays first, his hand may be forced to bring up Dom, but I’m sure we’ll sign a scrap heap outfielder as a stopgap just in case. I’m not all that bullish for Dom Brown in redrafts 2012, but he is still a good bet in dynasty leagues.

Also, I agree you can’t trade Howard away for peanuts. You made the bed with this contract and now have to sleep in it, provided he comes back and can produce as he has in the past. I really don’t know what they will do if he is a Carlos Pena or Mo Vaugn type situation in the future.

@chata, I agree that the Phillies window is closing faster than they anticipated, or may have already closed. I think they do indeed need to let Rollins walk. As for the trading Halladay, I don’t see it happening (however logical it may or may not be). This city’s baseball expectations have risen to crazy heights and Ruben Amaro isn’t just going to accept defeat next year. I know that this year the offense was the problem, but the Phillies feel that as long they have Halladay Lee and Hamels that they have a chance to go all the way any given year regardless of who fills out the hitting lineup. Also all indications are that Halladay really does want to stay here beyond his contract and still wants to win that ring.

@Tony I agree it is sad to see Utley age as he has and Howard banged up. Ruben Amaro has come out and said that he doesn’t think Utley will ever be the same player again as he used to be. Really sad stuff. However I am not all doom and gloom- as I said above with the Phillies pitching they always will have a shot for the next few years IF they can make the postseason.

@Kroc We’d all love to see Pujols wearing Phillies pinstripes but I’d put that at about a 0.0000001% chance of that happening. As Benny said you can’t tie up that much money in 2 1st basemen. That was the point of my piece- that Mayberry represents a cheap effective alternative and insurance policy at 1st base.

As for trading Oswalt, his club option is huge but has a 2 million dollar buyout. The 2 sides will likely come to some compromise in the middle and he will re-sign. If he does at a compromise price, then he will be a tradeable commodity and I agree they should try to get a young bat for him and give the #4 job to Worley and sign a scrap heap #5.

Thanks guys keep the comments coming and I will respond ASAP!

you can’t sign another 1B to a huge contract. You’d have $50M a year tied into 1st base. Pujols or Prince would never, ever happen. Unless the Phils convince a team to trade for Howard and his monsterous contract. They’d have to basically give him away for a mid-low prospect. Nobody wants an injured and againg 1B at $25M a year for the next several seasons.

I’m pretty certain Mayberry plays 1st with Dom Brown playing LF to open the year. Dom Brown will finally get everyday at bats and they’ll see exactly what they have in him while Mayberry mans 1st during Howard’s absense. Rollins proabably walks and I wouldn’t be surprised if Madson does as well. There are quite a few closers on the FA market this year and the Phils would be wise to not dump a ton of $ into Madson. I’d expect them bring in 3B considering Polanco is breaking down as fast as Utley. Not to mention Polanco will be in the final year of his deal as well.

not all that familiar with their contract situation , but definitely
let rollins walk .
halladay , obviously a gun for hire type , could bring back some
youngsters with up-side and , probably , would be willing to leave
town , at this point .

i love bigger market teams, they have a crucial blow to a player of Howards caliber….. what do they do? Go buy another one….

let rollins go and sign reyes…. maybe bring in Prince?

but then what do you do when howard does come back? mayberry is probably the solution….

the fear , i suppose , is that howard returns in 2012/13
and puts up carlos pena-type numbers .
phillies fans should hope that their front office does not
choose to “reward” jimmy rollins with a long-term contract .
with hunter pence being your only position player under the
age of 30 , howard’s injury should signal that it’s time to
blow-up this team and start building for the future .
the failure of this team , the past two post-seasons , proves
that it’s not going to succeed with the roster it presently employs .
metaphorically , this team , and their front-office approach ,
represents an aging athlete who doesn’t know when to hang it up .
this situation did not happen overnight , and last year’s signing of
cliff lee only exasperated the problem .
so , yeah , give mayberry a shot .
what have you got to lose ?