Articles by Rich Wilkins (406)
I hate the New York Mets. Back in 2006, 2007, and 2008, I would have called Jose Reyes just shy of a war criminal, I hated them so bad. Reyes, Beltran, Lo Duca, and Wright all were the enemy. As Santana and K-Rod and the whole group kept coming, I only hated them worse. They […]
Frandsen winning an April game against the Royals. Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. The luxury tax goes up from $178 million to $189 million in 2014. That's important because for a team like the Phillies that run up close to the number, usually, it means an extra $11 million. The Phillies started with eight players […]
Does this guy have a place in Philly now?Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. In case you missed it in the glow of the Sixers double-OT, MCW triple-double performance of a win, the Phillies were active last night. The game changer moves? The Phillies sent Erik Kratz and Rob Rasmussen to Toronto for right-handed reliever Brad […]
Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. …. Yeah, me too. Now compare with the NL East opposition: Phillies Lee Hamels Gonzalez Kendrick Pettibone Braves Minor Teheran Beachy Medlen Wood Nationals Strasburg Gonzalez Zimmermann Fister Ohlendorf Mets Niese Gee Wheeler Mejia Torres Marlins Fernandez Eovaldi Alvarez Turner Koehler In other words, we're not special after #2. In […]
More of this, I guess.Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. The Washington Nationals got Doug Fister last night in exchange for a utility guy, a reliever, and a minor leaguer. That's a #2 starter, in exchange for spare parts. Think about that as you read the rest of this piece. Absolutely no one had to go. […]
Mayberry hacking away.Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. So it's deadline day for MLB teams to make decisions about who to tender or not tender a contract to. For the Phillies, this means decisions on Kyle Kendrick, Antonio Bastardo, Ben Revere, John Mayberry Jr., and Kevin Frandsen. As a primer, my buddy Frank Klose has posted […]
The Phillies committed payroll for Opening Day is $137.17 million today. That gets them three starting pitchers, five everyday players, and two relievers. Likely contract tenders to arbitration eligibles Kyle Kendrick, John Mayberry Jr., Ben Revere, and Antonio Bastardo probably put them close to $12 million more. That's 14 players for about $149 million. This […]
Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. About the biggest shock of the day from the Phillies came from the lack of anyone being dropped from the 40 man. No Valle, no Garcia, no Gillies. No one. The Phillies added four players- Tommy Joseph, Scott Rasmussen, Aaron Altherr, and Kelly Dugan. With Joseph clear of concussions, he […]
Photo by Richard Wilkins Jr. The Phillies signed Reid Brignac to a minor league deal yesterday. If that isn't exciting you, it's okay, you're not alone. Brignac has big league experience and an excellent defensive glove, and is a big upgrade on Michael Martinez, assuming he's gone. The Phillies will have 35 players on their […]
Let me start out like this- I don't hate the Carlos Ruiz signing. I would have liked to keep him to two years, and $7-7.5 million, but three years at $8.67 million per year is not obscene, franchise killing, or bad. The Phillies get to keep a popular player who calls a good game and […]