Results tagged ‘ Cliff Lee ’
Hamels: No Deadline, Wants to Stay
Cole Hamels just finished up his news conference this afternoon at Bright House Field.
Here are a few highlights:
Q: Are you setting a deadline to reach an extension?
A: No. No, I don’t have any deadline. I think the only deadline that is set is by Major Leauge Baseball with (exclusive negotiating rights) five days after the World Series.
Q: So nothing needs to be settled by Opening Day or anything?
A: No, no, no. I’m just going out and getting ready for this year. that’s my main focus. It’s to get as strong as possible throughout spring training and go into the season and try to help this team win. That’s everything I’ve always been able to focus on, especially since we haven’t been back to the World Series in a couple of years, that’s kind of the main focus that I’m going to put every ounce of energy going toward.
Q: In your heart, do you want to be a Phillie for a long time?
A: I was very fortunate enough to be drafted to an organization that is trying to win and obviously has won. Every day, every year we seem to get some top players. So that kind of shows the value and the direction the team wants to go. I’ve just been very fortunate to be a part of it. And it’s also something where I don’t know any better, I live in Philadelphia. I’ve been here for I guess 10 years now, so that’s been something that’s been kind of nice, kind of something I’ve been focused on. It’s a great organization to play for and I’d love to be a part of it.
Hamels’ Next Deal: Think Lee, Not Weaver
The Phillies and Cole Hamels today agreed to a one-year, $15 million contract, which allowed them to avoid salary arbitration.
Next up? The Phillies and Hamels’ agent John Boggs will talk about a multiyear extension.
“We can negotiate with Cole from today through the end of November, and then beyond that to get a multiyear deal done,” Ruben Amaro Jr. said. ”Just because we have a one-year deal in place doesn’t mean we can’t do something long term. As far as Cole beyond 2012, that’s something that’s still very much open for discussion.”
Hamels is line for a major payday, but how large remains to be seen.
But think Cliff Lee more than Jered Weaver.
Weaver signed a five-year, $85 million contract extension last summer with the Angels, but Weaver bypassed free agency partly because he wanted to stay in Southern California and play for his hometown team. Weaver and Hamels have remarkably similar career statistics, so it is easy to think Hamels might be paid in that range: Hamels is 77-54 with a 3.39 ERA in 181 career appearances. He has a 1.141 WHIP and averages 8.5 strikeouts per nine innings. Weaver is 82-47 with a 3.31 ERA in 171 career appearances. He has a 1.165 WHIP and averages 7.8 strikeouts per nine innings.
But Boggs said this afternoon the Weaver deal is a “non-starter” in negotiations, which I assume the Phillies already know.
“It would be natural to look at that as a comparison,” he said. “Jered signed for his own personal reasons – and I applaud him for that – but it doesn’t necessarily mean we’re going to follow the same standard. Everybody is different. For Jered to sign there it doesn’t mean that’s the template we’re going to follow.”
Lee signed a five-year, $120 million contract with the Phillies in Dec. 2010. That certainly seems to be a better measuring stick for Hamels, right?
“Absolutely,” Boggs said. “If you’re this close to free agency, you start to make comparables of what you have the potential of making as a free agent.”
Lee signed his deal at 32. Hamels is 28. It stands to reason Hamels will be looking for a contract worth $20 million or more per season.
Reason to be nervous if you’re a Phillies fan? Not yet. There seems to be genuine interest on both sides to reach an agreement. Finalizing Hamels’ 2012 contract could have been the first step.
“The goal was to get that out of the way,” Boggs said. “I’m sure down the road we’ll have a conversation about moving forward. We plan on keeping the discussions open. It’s a process.”
Boggs said he hasn’t talked to Hamels about setting any potential deadline regarding negotiations, which some players have done in the past.
“At the end of the day we really don’t have any concrete game plan as far as how long we are going to plan on discussing this,” Boggs said. “That will be decided at some point shortly, or as we get into the process. But there’s definitely a desire to stay. At the end of the day it really depends on the value we place on Cole, and hopefully it coincides with the value the Phillies place on Cole. That’s the reason you have a negotiation. From a basic desire, yes, he’d be more than happy to stay there. He knows the Phillies. He’s homegrown. That’s what we’ll attempt to do, but sometimes things don’t work out if we can’t agree on the value.”
Phillies Trade Benny Fresh to Toronto
The Phillies traded Ben Francisco to Toronto today for Minor League relief pitcher Frank Gailey.
The trade is not a complete surprise. The emergence of John Mayberry Jr. and recent signing of Laynce Nix had pushed Francisco deep onto the Phillies’ bench as a fifth outfielder. And with tonight’s midnight tender deadline for salary arbitration eligible players looming, it made some sense the Phillies would move Francisco rather than pay him more than the $1.175 million he made last season.
Francisco’s departure could open the door for veteran outfielder Scott Podsednik, who recently signed a Minor League contract with the team.
Gailey, 26, is a native Philadelphian, attending Archbishop Carroll High School and West Chester University. He split last season with Class A Dunedin and Double-A New Hampshire, combing to go 5-6 with a 3.41 ERA in 45 appearances. He is 23-15 with a 2.45 ERA in 175 appearances.
The Blue Jays selected him in the 23rd round of the 2007 First-Year Player Draft. He is expected to provide the organization depth at the Minor League level.
Francisco, 30, came to Philadelphia as part of the Cliff Lee trade with the Cleveland Indians in July 2009. He hit .259 with 17 home runs and 75 RBIs in 225 games. Francisco’s most memorable Phillies moment will be his last. He hit a game-winning, pinch-hit three-run home run in Game 3 of the 2011 National League Division Series against the St. Louis Cardinals.
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Here’s moer on Gailey from MLB.com’s Jonathan Mayo:
A 23rd-round pick out of the 2007 Draft from West Chester University, Gailey gets to return home to eastern Pennsylvania. A starter in college – his name is all over West Chester’s career leaderboards – he’s been a reliever since entering the pro ranks. He’s moved slowly, though he’s put up decent numbers at every stop, with the exception of his first taste of Double-A in 2011.
Gailey has been forced to move slowly, proving himself at every level, including the Gulf Coast and short-season New York-Penn Leagues, even as a college pitcher. That’s largely because his stuff doesn’t grade out much better than average across the board. His fastball is an average offering, but his breaking ball is below-average. He gets a ton of action on his changeup, but sometimes it’s too much.
Gailey will pitch out of two slots, sidearm and three-quarters, which can cause problems for left-handed hitters. Lefties in the Florida State League hit just .131 against him in 2011 and if the 26-year-old has any future in the big leagues, it will be as a lefty specialist out of the bullpen.
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Halladay, Lee, Hamels Shine in Cy Young Voting
Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels finished in the top five in NL Cy Young voting.
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The Phillies are bringing back Brian Schneider for another season as their backup catcher. They announced this afternoon they had signed him to a one-year, $800,000 contract. The contract has $200,000 worth of incentives.
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The Phillies have hired former closer Tom Gordon as a part-time scout in Florida. … Phillies bench coach Pete Mackanin is no longer a candidate for the managerial jobs with the Boston Red Sox and Chicago Cubs. The Cubs hired Dale Sveum, while the Red Sox are looking elsewhere. … Triple-A manager Ryne Sandberg did not get the St. Louis Cardinals’ managerial vacancy, which means he will be back with the organization next season. … Friday is the deadline for the Phillies to protect Minor League players by placing them on the 40-man roster. … The Phillies have hired Minor League conditioning coordinator Shawn Fcasni as their assistant athletic trainer. He replaces Mark Andersen, who resigned after the season.
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New Deal? Hamels Isn’t Worried
Had a chance to talk to Cole Hamels for a few minutes last night at the Four Seasons in Center City, where Charlie Manuel was named Magee Rehabilitation Hospital’s 2011 Humanitarian of the Year.
(Aside: Following Jonathan Papelbon‘s news conference on Monday at Citizens Bank Park, I kidded Manuel about being named Humanitarian of the Year. I said, “Charlie, you’re always getting honored by somebody.” He said, “Hey, man, I used to get roasted. They used to put salt and pepper on me and roast me.”
Everybody is wondering what’s going to happen with Hamels, and understandably so. He made $9.5 million in 2011, and is eligible for salary arbitration one final time before becoming a free agent following the 2012 season. There is mutual interest in signing Hamels to a multiyear extension, but nothing has happened so far. That shouldn’t be particularly alarming. Not yet.
“My whole philosophy is: I don’t fear trying to sign something quickly because of the fear of failure or getting injured,” Hamels said. “I’ve had a serious injury. I broke my arm in high school and they said I would never throw again. I overcame that, so I think I can overcome anything. I’ll never have regrets or what ifs. I just know if I can play and do a really good job it’ll take care of itself.”
Signing Hamels could be tricky.
Angels ace Jered Weaver signed a five-year, $85 million contract extension during the season. His career numbers are very similar to Hamels’. But the longer Hamels goes without an extension and the better he pitches in 2012 his price goes up. Hamels could be (should be?) looking for $100 million or more. The New York Mets signed Johan Santana to a six-year, $137.5 million contract in Feb. 2008, nine months before he would have become a free agent. The nine-month mark for Hamels is Feb. 2012. But the notable difference is Santana was a two-time Cy Young winner at the time. But while Hamels doesn’t have a couple Cy Youngs, he does have a World Series MVP trophy and is considered one of the best pitchers (not just left-handers) in baseball.
So the question becomes how far are the Phillies willing to go?
They already have committed $89.5 million to Ryan Howard, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Chase Utley and Jonathan Papelbon in 2013. That doesn’t include a raise to Hunter Pence, who will be eligible for salary arbitration, or other multiyear deals the Phillies sign this offseason (Jimmy Rollins? Michael Cuddyer? Both?).
The Phillies will have to decide how many mega multiyear contracts they can handle.
A big thing in Hamels’ favor is he will be just 28 next season. Halladay turns 35 in May. Lee turns 34 in August. The Phillies would like to have Hamels a piece of their rotation for the foreseeable future because Halladay and Lee won’t be around forever. Although with two (possibly three) more seasons with Halladay and four (possibly five) more seasons with Lee, Phillies fans hope it’s not for a long time.
The Phillies are focused on Rollins and other 2012 roster decisions at the moment. In the past, the Phillies have waited until January to sign their own players to extensions (i.e. Shane Victorino, Ryan Madson and Joe Blanton). The same could happen here, but Hamels sees how the top pitchers in baseball are paid. He just needs to look around his own clubhouse.
“You get into money like this, which you never possibly imagined … I think as long as you’re compensated in the category that you’re playing, then can’t ever have any sort of hard feelings or any regrets,” he said.
I also spoke with Hamels about his recovery from offseason surgeries. Read the story here.
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NLDS: Phillies vs. Cardinals
The Cardinals haven’t announced anything, but the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports this is how the Cardinals’ rotation sets up for the NLDS:
- Game 1 at 5:07 p.m. Saturday: Kyle Lohse (14-8, 3.39 ERA) vs. Roy Halladay (19-6, 2.35 ERA)
- Game 2 at 8:07 p.m. Sunday: Edwin Jackson (5-2, 3.58 ERA) vs. Cliff Lee (17-8, 2.40 ERA)
- Game 3 at TBA Tuesday: Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.79 ERA) vs. Chris Carpenter (11-9, 3.45 ERA)
- Game 4 at TBA Wednesday (if necessary): Roy Oswalt (9-10, 3.69 ERA) vs. Jamie Garcia (13-7, 3.56 ERA)
- Game 5 at TBA Friday (if necessary): TBA vs. Halladay
You’ve got to like the pitching matchups in the first two games for the Phillies. Halladay and Lee have been two of the best pitchers in the National League this year. Unless they were facing Clayton Kershaw and Justin Verlander they would be favored. Not that the Cardinals don’t pose challenges. Lohse is 2-0 with a 1.37 ERA in four September starts, and has a better ERA on the road (3.13) than at home (3.67) this season. He also is 1-1 with a 1.76 ERA in two starts against the Phillies. Jackson was 3-0 with a 3.02 ERA in his last seven starts, and he allowed more than two earned runs in only one of them. But since he joined the Cardinals in July, Jackson has a higher ERA on the road (4.40) than at home (3.10).
Of course, as Charlie Manuel would say, “You got to hit, son.”
The Rotation Shines
If Cole Hamels had picked up his 15th win in relief last night it would have been the first time a team had three pitchers in the rotation with 15 or more wins and an ERA under 3.00 since 1972, when the Baltimore Orioles and Oakland A’s did it.
Roy Halladay finished the season 19-6 with a 2.35 ERA. Cliff Lee finished 17-8 with a 2.40 ERA and Hamels finished 14-9 with a 2.79 ERA. The ’72 Orioles had Jim Palmer (21-10, 2.07 ERA), Mike Cuellar (18-12, 2.57 ERA) and Pat Dobson (16-18, 2.65 ERA). The ’72 A’s had Catfish Hunter (21-7, 2.04 ERA), Ken Holtzman (19-11, 2.51 ERA) and Blue Moon Odom (15-6, 2.50 ERA).
But the Phillies rotation lived up to the hype this season. Phillies starters had a 2.86 ERA, which is the best in the big leagues since the 1985 Los Angeles Dodgers (2.71 ERA) and 1985 New York Mets (2.84 ERA). It also is the 12th best ERA of any rotation since baseball lowered the pitcher’s mound in 1969.
A couple other numbers about the rotation:
- Their 932 strikeouts are the most since the 2003 Chicago Cubs (987) and rank sixth overall since 1969.
- Their 1.11 WHIP is the best since the 1975 Dodgers (1.09) and third-best since 1969.
- Their 4.20 strikeout-to-walk ratio is the best since 1969.
Not bad.
Lee, Madson Make SI Cover
It’s a regional cover in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and West Virginia.
Game 1 Starter Is Halladay. Duh!
Charlie Manuel isn’t ready to officially announce his Game 1 starter in the National League Division Series, but why should he?
It’s obvious, isn’t it?
It’s going to be Roy Halladay on Saturday at Citizens Bank Park with Cliff Lee pitching in Game 2 Sunday.
“I think if you’re good baseball people you should be able to see how we’re setting it up,” Manuel said. “I shouldn’t have to answer that.”
It is no surprise. Halladay is 19-6 with a 2.35 ERA this season. Lee is 17-8 with a 2.40 ERA. Cole Hamels (14-9, 2.75 ERA) is a good bet to start Game 3 with Roy Oswalt (8-10, 3.86 ERA) likely to start Game 4.
Magic Number: 2
So here’s the deal:
The Phillies can clinch the NL East championship tonight, if they beat the Cardinals and the Mets beat the Braves.
I say, why wait?
Elias Sports Bureau passed along some pretty good stats and such from yesterday’s doubleheader:
- Cliff Lee has allowed only four earned runs in 64 2/3 innings in his last eight starts. His 0.56 ERA during that stretch is the lowest ERA by a pitcher over any eight-start span in one season in Phillies history and the lowest by a pitcher on any team since 2002, when Pedro Martinez had a 0.47 ERA for the Red Sox over eight starts from July 1-Aug. 10.
- Ryan Howard ended a 0-for-16 slump with a walk-off double in the 10th inning in Game 2. Howard’s 0-for-16 was the second-longest slump of his career. He went hitless in 23 consecutive at-bats May 14-20.
- Kyle Kendrick allowed only one run and two hits while striking six batters and issuing no walks in five innings to pick up the win in Game 1. Kendrick has five wins as a starting pitcher this season (one in May, June, July, August and September) and in those five wins he’s given up only three runs and 19 hits in 32 innings, with no more than one run allowed in any one of those wins.
Cliff, we felt your pain last night when you served up that solo homer to Jose Lopez with two strikes, two outs and nobody on the top of the ninth inning in Game 2. We especially felt it in in the pressbox, where the writers had some pretty sweet game stories almost finished. But we’re not mad at you. You’ve kept game times under 3 hours for most of the season, and we’re deeply grateful for that.
As an aside, there was a pretty incredible rainbow that popped up behind the ballpark in between games of the doubleheader. This is a great photo above, but it doesn’t really do it justice. There actually was a bit of a double rainbow for a few minutes, which had me wondering how Double Rainbow Guy is doing.
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Todd Zolecki
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