For the Phillies and Ruben Amaro Jr., patience is virtue.
This time last week, Philadelphia fans were wondering if the Phillies were ever going to make any moves. From the last pitch of the World Series until mid-day Thursday, every team in the National League East made a drastic move, except for the Phillies.
On Thursday, Dec. 6, Amaro made his first splash of the off season, trading pitchers Vance Worley and Trevor May to Minnesota for outfielder Ben Revere.
Revere, 24, batted .294 with 40 stolen bases, 13 doubles and six triples in 2012. In his second full season, Revere added 150 hits in 124 games, sharing time with former Twins' center fielder Denard Span, now a member of the Washington Nationals.
Revere will provide a few attributes in which the Phillies were looking to add this off season. Although Manuel has yet to announce his lineup, Revere has the ability lead off for Philadelphia. Once considering adding Michael Bourn, the Phillies decided to trade for Revere, who comes along with a price tag at a fraction of what Bourn is expected to earn on the free agent market.
Another bonus for Philadelphia is that Revere is under team control until 2018, and is not arbitration eligible until 2014. As a low salary player, Revere gives the Phillies payroll flexibility, along with many of the same attributes they could have expected from Michael Bourn.
In the trade with Minnesota, the Phillies may have gotten their everyday center fielder, but they also lost a major league starter in Worley. After an 11-3 rookie campaign with a 3.01 ERA in 2011, Worley struggled in 2012 posting a 6-9 record with a 4.20 ERA.
Along with Worley, the Phillies shipped prospect pitcher Trevor May to the Twins. In five seasons in the Phillies minor league system, May posted a 37-31 record with a 3.92 record, but like Worley, May also struggled in 2012 as he posted a 10-13 record with a 4.87 record with Double-A Reading.
A day later on Dec. 7, the Phillies were said to be in serious talks with the Texas Rangers about acquiring Michael Young. An agreement was reached later on Dec. 7, but Young had 10-5 rights to veto a trade to any team. On Saturday, Dec. 8, Young accepted the trade to Philadelphia which sent Josh Lindblom and minor leaguer Lisalverto Bonilla to Texas.
With the trade, the Rangers agreed to pay 10 million of the 16 million owed to Young in 2012. Entering the final year of his contract, the 36-year-old veteran has told the Phillies he will not sign an extension as of now. As a potential improvement to third basemen Kevin Frandsen and Freddy Galvis, Young provides a right handed bat in an already heavy left handed lineup.
Coming off of a 2011 season in which Young hit .338 with 213 hits, Young posted a .277 average with 169 hits. After his worst statistical season since 2002, Young will look to once again be a starting third baseman after losing his every day job to Adrian Beltre in Texas.
In two days, the Phillies improved their roster offensively, but still have a few holes to fill. What's next for the Phillies? Pitching hopefully. With three of the five rotation spots filled with Hamels, Halladay, and Lee, two holes in the rotation will look to be answered in the near future.
Internal options for the Phillies could include names such as Kyle Kendrick or Tyler Cloyd, while there are more names on the free agent market to fill such holes. Scott Kazmir, Anibal Sanchez, Kyle Lohse, Brett Myers, Gavin Floyd, Shaun Marcum, Daisuke Matsuzaka, and more could all be options for the two remaining spots. If the Phillies want to make another splash as Amaro is known to do, Zach Greinke could be another option as both Revere and Young were very affordable solutions.
Finding bullpen help is another issue that must be addressed. After trading outfielder Shane Victorino to the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2012, the Phillies acquired much needed bullpen help in reliever Josh Lindblom. By trading Lindblom to the Rangers on Saturday, Philadelphia will need to find at least two relievers to address a depleted bullpen.
A second outfielder could also be a possibility for the Phillies. In the trade for Revere with the Twins, it was reported that the Phillies also attempted to acquire outfielder Josh Willingham. A right handed bat with some power is what the Phillies seem to be in search of, and that can be found in a few different ways.
Possibly the most affordable option would be Cubs' outfielder Alfonso Soriano. Cubs' President Theo Epstein has stated that Soriano would be available and that the Cubs would eat part of his salary in any trade. While Giancarlo Stanton may still not be available, I don't believe the Phillies would have the prospect/player combination Miami would be looking for either.
Nonetheless, the Phillies are not yet finished. With two key additions to the 2013 lineup, Phillies fans can only be prepared for a few more moves, but don't plan on the Phillies to land Zach Greinke or Josh Hamilton this off season.
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