Roberson to the Orioles

Chris Roberson’s tenure with the Phillies came to an abrupt end when his contract was sold to Baltimore Orioles for cash considerations. Roberson once a top prospect in the Phillies farm system has fallen out of favor. Roberson had the best year of his minor league career in 2005 when he won the Paul Owens award. Unfortunately he has struggled recently hitting .266 last season for the Ottawa Senators.

The Phillies simply don’t have room for him. The Phillies already have two reserve outfielders in Jayson Werth and So Taguchi. In addition the Phillies signed free agent Chris Snelling who can come up from the minors in case of an injury.

Chris Roberson will be best remembered most for his contributions to the darkest part of the Phillies 2007 season. During a sunny afternoon against the Braves in Hotlanta, Roberson entered as a defensive replacement without sunglasses. Two catchable balls feel in front of him helping the Braves win the game. I won’t be sad to see Roberson go.

Phils add depth to the pen

Pat Gillick acquired reliever Francisco Rosario from the Toronto Blue Jays to help a beleaguered bullpen. Rosario struggled last season in the majors, but during his time in the Blue Jays farm system Rosario had a 3.38 ERA striking out 8.22 hitters every nine innings.

Gillick thinks Rosario could help the Phils, commenting, “We think he has a power arm. He's had a poor track record, but we think he turned the corner this spring. He has a lot of upside. He's a guy we've watched since last season."

This is a pretty good move for this Phillies. Pat Gillick only had to give up $100K in return for a useful reliever. Getting any useful potentially useful player for that little money is a high-quality move. Rosario is a power pitcher with control problems. If Rosario could learn to master the strike zone then he could contribute to the pen.

Francisco Rosario is a nice addition but this move alone isn’t enough to save the leaking shipping that is the Phillies bullpen. I’m trying not to freak out about how terrible the bullpen has been over the first two games. However, the sky is clearly falling. Gillick needs to acquire a reliever who won’t screw up like Madson. He has the pieces to trade and it’s time to pull the trigger.

Sources:
Picture of Francisco Rosario from MLB.com

Rosario expected to bolster Phillies’ bullpen
From AP

The Phillies have a good rotation, Hallelujah!

The Philadelphia Phillies have picked up a legitimate ace when they traded for Freddy Garcia. The deal sent Gavin Floyd and a player to be named later who White Sox GM Kenny Williams let slip is former White Sox prospect Gio Gonzalez. This is a fantastic deal for the Phillies. First Garcia’s track record tells us that the Phillies picked up a pitcher who will give 200 innings and an ERA close to 4.00. Garcia’s 2006 ERA of 4.53 is scary but his overall track record says that he is better than his 06 numbers. In addition Garcia a pitcher who has spent his entire career in the American League will get a boost facing pitchers instead of DHs in the National League. In addition as Phillies Phans we don’t have to worry a lot about how Citizens Bank Park will affect Garcia. U.S. Cellular Park while not as homer prone as CBP is comparable in terms of being a hitter’s park. Garcia solidifies the rotation making it one of the best in the NL East.

The Phillies did have to give up Gavin Floyd and Gio Gonzalez. For an ace like Garcia Floyd and Gonzalez isn’t too high a price to pay. Gavin Floyd is very high on potential and I really hope he fulfills that potential. However, Floyd’s player dossier is filled with ugly statistics. Most recently Floyd posted a down right nasty 7.20 ERA during 11 starts in the Arizona Fall League. In any case people who know more about this than me say that Floyd someday will be a great major league pitcher. Whether or not that is true I want the Phillies to win now, not in a few seasons after Floyd develops, but now. The loss of Gonzalez hurts because you can never have to many southpaw power pitchers. Despite the loss of Gonzalez I choose to think about the other positive aspects of this trade.

The loss of Floyd and Gonzalez is ameliorated by the fact the Jon Lieber is now resting right on top of the trading block. Lieber who is now the Phillies sixth starter will be moved before the season starts. Pat Gillick has commented that moving Lieber to the bullpen isn’t an option so logically Lieber will have to be moved to another team. In this absolutely ridiculous market were Gil Meche will get a five year 55 million dollar contract, Lieber will allow the Phillies to plug some holes. Gillick’s first priority is to pick up that illusive eighth inning setup man with closing experience. Fortunately the Cardinals, Rangers, Brewers, and Cubs are in desperate need of starting pitching and all have relievers to deal. The Phillies can be sure that Gillick won’t trade Lieber unless it fills some of the holes in the Phil’s bullpen. So when considering this deal and the loss of Gonzalez and Floyd, Phil’s Phans have to consider what a future trade of Lieber will bring to the Phillies.

Finally the icing on the cake is that Gillick managed to get this deal done without trading Aaron Rowand. Rowand could also continue to be valuable trade bait for all the teams out there who need center fielders. So three cheers for Gillick who has managed to overhaul the Phillies rotation in his short but glorious tenure.

Sources:
Phils acquire Garcia form White Sox
by Ken Mandel / MLB.com

Phils ride 'roller coaster'
by Ken Mandel / MLB.com