Phils Salary Dump Papelbon To Nationals

Papelbon won't be missed.  His arm will.

Loud-mouth, big-game all-star closer Jonathan Papelbon finally got the ticket he sought, almost since his arrival in Philly: a one-way exit.

You could fault him for his attitude, his lack of commitment, his failure to even fake allegiance, sportsmanship or teamwork.

However, you couldn't doubt his ability or his performance, because they were rarely lacking-- especially when it counted.

Papelbon often jeered teammates.  It was arrogant and unprofessional.  However, when he criticized the notion in 2013 of all-star selection Yasiel Puig, a player some local writers are calling for in return for Cole Hamels from the Dodgers, Papelbon was as spot-on as he was offensive:

"The guy's got a month, I don't even think he's got a month in the big leagues," Papelbon said then. "Just comparing him to this and that, and saying he's going to make the All-Star team, that's a joke to me.  It's just really what happens in baseball when … to me it really does an injustice to the veteran players that have been in the game for eight-, nine-, 10-plus years. It kind of does them an injustice because they've worked so hard to stay there."

When the Phillies passed on Ryan Madson in 2012 to acquire Papelbon via free agency, it was a startling move.  The Phils had a long, bad history with Madson's then-agent Scott Boras (JD Drew, etc.) and Madson was asking for a lot of money for the four year deal the team and player inked and were on the verge of signing.


Madson in the 8th spelled relief.

Homegrown Madson, who was pivotal during the Phils five-consecutive division title seasons, was an institution in Philly, where he had set-up Brad Lidge and the team's first World Series-winning season since 1980.

However, the Phils dumped Madson at the 11th hour and instead signed Jonathan Papelbon, a controversial mainstay in Boston during a number of celebrated seasons.

Papelbon had come to the Phils to win.  From the moment they signed him, they began to lose with steadily increasing proficiency.

Papelbon, never humble or a team player, began to flap his mouth at everyone around him.  While his comments were often accurate, he was obnoxious and arrogant-- to put it kindly.  It's hard to empathize with the guy making $13 million a year for pitching 1 inning every few days.  The Phils received endless criticism for agreeing to that price precisely when the rest of the league made a philosophical shift from valuing closers at anywhere near that rate.

Just last week, the preeminent Philly newspaper published an article criticizing the Phils for, of all mistakes made the past few years, paying Papelbon to work for them.


Fiery, competitive, arrogant, superb.

He is almost impossible to like.  After all, in addition to his miserable personality and prima donna antics, his big mouth and tendency to point the finger, he happens to have very few clean innings.  In Boston, they had gotten a little tired of his walk 2, allow 2 hits, hit a batter, squeeze out the 9th inning habits, which is part of how the Phils acquired him.

However, to criticize a closer who has probably been the best in the game, overall, during his 4 years with the team is like saying your Rolls Royce is at fault for your traffic tickets.

A glance at last year alone tells the tale.  The Phils lost 89 games last year.  Only 2 teams in the NL were worse than them.  Papelbon?  He recorded 39 saves with a 2.04 ERA and a 0.90 WHIP.  This season the Phils are much worse.  They have the worst record in all of baseball-- by far.  Papelbon, however, is better than he was last year.  He has 17 saves, a 1.59 ERA and a 5.00 strikeout-to-walk ratio for a team that is, sans 1 soon-to-be-former starter, basically a AAA squad.  He was the only Phillies all-star this year.  It was the 6th time he has been selected, the 2nd time with the Phils.

Criticizing him and the team for getting him, which local Philly journalists have and continue to, is baffling.  The fact that Madson went on to not pitch a single game for his next 2 teams (he actually failed to throw a MLB pitch from '12-'14) due to injury only cements what terrific kismet (if not forsight) Amaro Jr. had on that move, which at the time seemed somewhat heartless.

[Madson, by the way, is alive and kicking.  He now pitches for K.C.  This is his first season healthy since he last pitched in MLB for the Phils in '11 and his numbers are outstanding: 1.77 ERA, 0.86 WHIP as set-up man for the Royals, who have the best record in the AL.]

9/14 Alienating fans with this response to boos.

Papelbon, 34-years-old, became the Phils' all-time leader in saves on May 13th of this season with 113.  He was traded Tuesday to the Washington Nationals for Nick Pivetta, a 22-year-old right-hander in Double-A.  In other words, this was a salary dump, plain and simple. 

In 18 postseason appearances, Papelbon has posted a remarkable 1.00 ERA and 0.81 WHIP, while sealing a World Series win.  Not the resume for a rebuilding team.

He will replace the Nationals Drew Storen, who will now be relegated to set-up role, despite his 29 saves, 1.73 ERA and 4.89 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Storen was the club’s regular closer in 2011, lost the job, was a setup man, then reclaimed the closer role this year, his best-ever in MLB. Storen has a 8.44 ERA in 6 postseasons, the mirror opposite of Papelbon.

Tuesday, the Phils simultaneously shed themselves of a loud mouth and a great piece.  Apparently, you don't need the Rolls Royce when you're living in an outhouse.  Still, it hurts to see the Rolls rolling out of the division rival neighbor's garage every day while you're shoveling manure.

Hamels Wills Phils to Sixth-Straight Win

Fear the Beard: Hamels has been  great of late.

It was a nail-biter to the end.  Jonathan Papelbon surrendered 2 hits and a run (only his 3rd this year in 17 innings), but came back to strike out the side and the Phillies (17-23, 5-13 away) held on to beat the Rockies 4-3 Monday night.

The Rockies matched the Phils in hits (10), but Papelbon, after faltering, regained composure to record his 10th save in 10 tries.

With the win, the Phillies, winners of a MLB-best 6-straight games, passed the Marlins, losers of 4-straight and climbed out of last-place in the NL East, where they trail the first-place Mets by 6 1/2 games.

It was supposed to be the Season of Regret.  It was shaping up to be a Lost Season.  When the Phils fell to 11-23 on May 12th, after just over a month of regulation baseball, it was beginning to look like the predicted train wreck had indeed arrived.  "Avert the eyes!" appeared on the face of anyone who was invested in the team, as well as those tall, lean left-handed World Series ring wearing Californians hoping to get off it before it sunk entirely.

Then, something unexpected happened.  The hapless, the downtrodden, the meek rebuilding work in progress team did something they hadn't done since September, 2012.

They won six-in-a-row.  Granted, they did it against some of the league's worst teams: Arizona, Colorado, Pittsburgh-- all losing teams.  However, they still did it.  And it's not over yet.

Like Yogi Berra said, "It ain't over 'til it's over."  The current win streak doesn't give the Phils bragging rights, it merely gives them hope.  However, hope is the one thing they and their fans couldn't afford to have a week ago.

A week ago was before Maikel Franco joined the major league club, most likely for the long haul.  A week ago was before the Phils rallied for 3 in the seventh to comeback beat Arizona.  A week ago they weren't a winning team at home.  Now, after concluding a successful home-stand yesterday, they are.

Herrera's double was the winning hit.

In the top of the 6th inning, with the score tied at one and two quick outs already recorded, 3B Maikel Franco singled to start a rally.  The 22 year-old rookie from the Dominican Republic has now hit safely in 3-straight games and scored runs in each of them.  Veteran Chase Utley then walked.

With two outs and two on, rookie center fielder Odubel Herrera (9th in the NL with 6 SB) slammed a 2-run double to deep right in the 6th, which plated both Franco and Utley to put the Phils up 3-1, a lead they would keep.

Hamels (4-3, 3.24 ERA) became a winner with 7 stellar innings in hitter-haven Coors field.  He S.O. 7, walked only 1 and allowed just 1 run.  Hamels has been focused and great of late.  His bid to be traded to a title contender is certainly fueling him, but it's more than that.  This is clearly a pitcher in his prime.  His 2.46 ERA in 2014 was a career-best, and after a characteristically uneven start to the season, the 31 year-old is picking up where he left off. In his last 3 games, Hamels has allowed 4 runs in 22 innings for a 1.64 ERA.

"Cole's been really aggressive on the inside part of the plate," said manager Ryan Sandberg before the game. "And I think with that his stuff has even gotten better. Even hitting 94, 95 with his fastball. It makes his change-up better. I think he has overall made the hitters uncomfortable his last two or three outings.  I see him really settling into the type of groove that he was [in] last year,  Just a little bit earlier [this year]."

Lead-off hitter Ben Revere had 3 hits for the second-straight night and is now hitting .303 in May.

Aaron Harang has been spectacular.

Tuesday night in Colorado, Aaron Harang will take the mound for the Phils.  Harang is 4-3 so far this year.  He has been a wonderful surprise.  After finishing 2014 12-12 with a 3.57 ERA for Atlanta, but a poor 1.40 WHIP, the 37 year-old Harang has begun his 2015 campaign with the Phils in outstanding fashion.  His 0.98 WHIP and 2.08 ERA each rank 6th in the NL.

When Harang steps on the mound at 8:40 PM EST Tuesday, the Phils will have every reason to hope for their seventh-straight victory.  Hope, for the first time this year, is something they can go to sleep tonight enjoying and maybe, just maybe, something they can survive tomorrow with still in their grasp.

Phils Next Star Makes His Mark

 

Third baseman Maikel [pronounced "my-kell"] Franco hit his first MLB HR Sunday and added a triple to power the Phillies to a 6-0 win and a weekend sweep of Arizona at Citizens Bank Park in Philly.

Franco is the first of what many believe will be a host of minor league players who will be promoted to major league roles with the Phillies throughout this rebuilding season.  Those faces will likely include  J.P. Crawford, Roman Quinn and 21 year-old starting pitcher sensation Aaron Nola, currently tearing through the minors at 5-2 with a 1.77 ERA.

Franco, 22, has been approximately five years younger than the average player at each level he has competed at, from single A to MLB.  He has shown no fear, no loss of nerve or ability.  This weekend was no different.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

Despite much hype, including manager Ruben Amaro Jr. stating that if nothing else Franco would be a huge upgrade in defense at 3B over Cody Asche (who was demoted to learn LF and make way for Franco last week), Franco looked comfortable on the field and at the plate.  

Franco brings a much needed dose of hope to Phillies fans buried in the despair of a rebuilding effort that has taken a dramatic downward turn from the winning baseball they had only recently become accustomed to.

Phenom Aaron Nola could be the next great Phils pitcher.

Justin De Fratus exemplified this reach toward optimism in the locker room before Sunday's game.   The relief pitcher, who will turn 28 on October 21st, told Franco that Sunday would be the day he'd hit his first major league HR.  There was something convincing in the pitcher's commanding prediction, because Franco not only agreed with him before the game, but solidified the prophecy during it.

After the game, De Fratus made an even bolder prediction:

"He's gonna hit 30 home runs and 120 RBI," De Fratus said. "I called the home run. He's going to take us to the playoffs."

The Phillies, who have MLB's worst road record at 4-13 are now winners, at 12-10, at home.  While they are hardly considered or considering themselves contenders, they happen to be just 6 1/2 games back at this early juncture. 

In the 6th inning Sunday, Franco tripled to put the Phillies up 3-0.  After the game, Franco called it his best swing of the day.  In the broadcast booth, Mike Schmidt commented on Franco's triple, which he estimated traveled 405 feet in right field, 4 feet shy of a HR, that "in a lot of places, that's plenty out of the park."  

Franco greeted by teammates after 1st career HR.

Then, in his next at-bat leading off the 8th inning and Randall Delgado pitching for Arizona, Franco went deep to left center field, 367 feet and over the fence.  The Phillies led 5-0 en route to a 6-0 romp behind a strong outing by Sean O'Sullivan (who got his first win in 4 years) and 3 relievers who combined for the shutout.

But the real story was  Franco.  In a recent interview after a minor league game, he said: “Every time I come in, I just try to be a clown a little bit and enjoy the moment. I love to play baseball.”  His relaxed confidence is reminiscent of Jimmy Rollins, who was also a homegrown player who debuted with the Phils in 2000 and led them to a World Series title and 5 consecutive division titles with his self-proclaimed swagger.

The Phils have now won 5-straight games for the first time in almost a year.  They will go for their 6th straight in Colorado Monday behind Cole Hamels, who has won two straight games with an ERA of 1.29 over those games.

Franco was appropriately modest during his post-game interview, during which he was struck with the traditional shaving cream by veteran catcher Carlos Ruiz.  "My team is playing very good right now. I came in at a good moment," Franco said. "I'm happy for that and I just want to continue to prove myself and help my team."

Fans can happily anticipate more of this image (Franco lathered in shaving cream) for years to come, as well as Franco's lightness, power and rock solid glove work, all a breath of fresh air and on display at Citizens Bank Park this weekend.

Hamels Wins & Watches His Stock Rise

Hamels looked trade-ably good Monday.

Cole Hamels won his first game of the season, Carlos Ruiz went 4-for-4 and the Phillies came from behind to hand the St. Louis Cardinals only their 2nd home loss of the year.  The First Place Cardinals fell to 12-6, while the Phils moved into a tie for Third Place in the NL East.

The Phils trailed 1-0 at the end of 6 innings, but plated 3 in the 7th inning and one more in the 9th to win it 4-1.  Cole Hamels (1-2, 3.19 ERA) walked 4, but S.O. 9 in 7 innings, allowing 4 hits and just the 1 run.

Hamels had plenty of motivation to shine.  He has been vocal about his desire to be traded to a contender.  The Phillies, meanwhile, have been steadfast in their demands for top-notch prospects in exchange for the premier lefty.  Consequently, Hamels best shot at being traded has been that a contending team's need grows, likely in the form of an injury to a key starting pitcher, which would force that team to give up more than they otherwise might to get him.

Well, that just happened times 2.

Before Monday's game in St. Louis, the Cardinals announced that starting pitcher Adam Wainwright will miss the entire rest of the season due to a torn Achilles ankle injury he suffered while batting on April 25th. 

Losing Wainwright is a titanic loss for the Cardinals, who are off to one of their best starts in recent years, despite a high bar of 2 World Series appearances in the past 4 years. Wainwright has helped his team to a MLB best 2.39 team ERA with a 1.44 ERA this year.  He also won 20 games for them last season, has a lifetime 121-67 record and has placed in the top 3 in Cy Young voting in 4 separate seasons.  His importance to his team cannot be overemphasized.  Needless to say, the Cardinals will seek to replace him.  Hamels had been linked to the Cardinals in trade rumors, even before this injury, during the off-season and preseason.  However, the Cardinals had been unwilling to part with certain key prospects that the Phillies insisted on acquiring in return.

Another team that showed interest in Hamels during the offseason, but refused to surrender the top prospects the Phillies required was the Los Angeles Dodgers, who also announced today the loss of a key (although not as vital as the Cardinals') starting pitcher.

The First-Place Dodgers' Brandon McCarthy was ruled out for the season and part of the next one. McCarthy, who entered the season as Los Angeles' No. 3 starter (because of an injury to Hyun-Jin Ryu) suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament, an injury that will likely require Tommy John surgery, which has been known to end pitchers careers.

Rookie OF Odubel 'Hair' Herrera.

Phils CF Odubel Herrera had 3 hits Monday, including an RBI single in the 7th, although he was thrown out trying to stretch it to a double.  The exciting 23 year-old Venezuelan rookie is now hitting .300 and has hit safely in 9 of his last 10 games.

OF Domonic Brown is finishing a DL stint that has kept him sidelined all season and will rejoin the team soon, which will force someone to the bench.  It's unlikely to be Herrera, who is playing well and who the team is high on.  That leaves either Ben Revere or 31 year-old veteran journeyman Jeff Francoeur.  

Revere, 26, has the edge.  Francoeur started the season hot and even hit a couple HR early, but was signed by the rebuilding Phillies as a role player and nothing more.  Revere, was acquired by the team in 2013 as a piece of the future.  He hit .300 in each of his first 2 seasons with the Phils, and they will give him a lot of room to rebound from his miserable start.  He is hitting a paltry .200 thus far, but Monday had the game-winning hit in the Phils breakout 7th with a 2-out 2-RBI ground rule double to left, which plated Ruiz and Freddy Galvis to give the Phils the lead.

An outfield of Revere, Hererra and Brown would actually have a lot of potential, although an alarmingly lackluster upside when it comes to power, since the vast majority of MLB teams boast power-hitting outfielders.  However, rebuilding teams have to have patience in their players.  Revere has 2 career HR (both last season) and an infamous lack of power, Brown has shown flashes of power in clusters, followed by long outages in his 5-year career.  Notably, in 2013, he hit 27 HR, posted a .494 SLG % and seemed to be finally rising to the hype that had surrounded him for so long.  Then, of course, 2014 was a major step backward, when Brown stumbled to .235 with just 10 HR.   (As noted, Brown has yet to play this year, but will rejoin the team shortly.) 

Hererra hasn't hit his first MLB HR, but has posted terrific power numbers so far.  He sports a .429 SLG % and has 7 extra-base hits, including 3 in 1 game on 4/15.

It will be interesting to see what Manager Ryan Sandberg and company do with the outfield when Brown returns.

Utley Breaks Out

Utley 1, Harvey 0.

After a terrific Spring, Chase Utley started the 2015 season 2-for-22 for a .091 batting average.  Things didn't figure to improve against elite Mets pitcher Matt Harvey (2-0, 2.25, 0.83 WHIP).  In fact, Harvey was acing his first inning in his heavily advertised return to Citi-Field in N.Y. after last year's season-ending surgery prematurely ended his Cy Young bid.

The first 2 Phillies batters were Odubel Herrera and Freddy Galvis.  Harvey struck both out on a total of 7 pitches.  Harvey froze each of the young batters with strike one looking.

With 2 out and nobody on, 36 year-old Chase Utley stepped up to the plate.  He patiently looked at ball one.  Then, he fouled one off.  Next was strike 2 looking.  After the 1st 2 batters went down on strikes, with Utley deep in a funk and Harvey in total command, it didn't look good.

Next pitch?  Utley sent one deep to right, a 350 foot HR, his first of the season, but not his last of the night.  Utley would add an RBI single in the 3rd off Harvey, as well.  It appears that Harvey had enough of getting beat by Utley, because he hit him with a pitch in the 5th (payback for Phils starter Buchanan-- 0-2, 11.42 ERA-- beaming a Met), which capped Utley's perfect night against the Mets Ace right hander.

The Phils lost 6-5 in N.Y. Tuesday, but eyebrows were raised and bases were circled as the Phils hit 4 HR in all.  Phils 3rd baseman Cody Asche hit one of them, a 398 footer off Harvey.

Utley turns a double play.

“It was a fun game to play,” Asche said. “A lot of different things going on in that game, with the hype of Harvey, a couple of pitches getting away from [Buchanan] and them coming back and hitting Chase. It was intense. It’s what you come to expect in games against our division and teams we play so much. Tensions are going to rise now and again.”

In the 8th, Utley faced a new pitcher, reliever Sean Gilmartin.  Utley looked at strike one, then a ball, before taking Gilmartin deep on the 3rd pitch of his first ever at-bat against the rookie.  A 385 foot HR to right gave Utley a perfect night: 3-3, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 1 HBP.

His average leapt to .200.  It's a start.  Last season, Utley was voted the NL starting All-Star Second Baseman.  Nights like Tuesday, remind the baseball world why he was an MVP candidate in his prime and Philly fans why we're lucky to call him a Phillies lifer.  Like Schmidt, Utley has a chance to be known in one MLB uniform only.  In a season largely bereft of hope, an Utley perfect night gives fans, if not reason to hope, certainly reason to smile.

Cliff Lee May Never Pitch Again

Cliff Lee left the game in pain Sunday.

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- There is a very real possibility Cliff Lee has thrown his last pitch for the Phillies or any other team.

The Phillies' veteran left-hander is hoping his elbow is fine as he waits for doctors' input.  Lee and the Phillies are having noted orthopedist James Andrews, who Lee described today as “Basically, the best in the world at this,” examine his MRI results for a second opinion. If surgery is recommended, Lee, who turns 37 in August, would be out 6-8 months and possibly end his career.

The 36-year-old left-hander didn't pitch after July 31 last year because of a flexor pronator strain in his left elbow. He said the elbow felt normal as he threw two scoreless innings Thursday against Houston in his spring training debut, but he felt discomfort the next day. An MRI on Sunday revealed "very mild inflammation," according to general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.

Lee was sober before the press tonight: "So, basically, if I have the surgery this season will be done, possibly my career, I guess," he said. "I don't know. We'll have to see."

None of the three doctors -- Michael Ciccotti, David Altchek or Andrews -- thought he needed surgery last year after a flexor pronator strain put him on the disabled list twice and caused him to miss most of the season. There's a chance what Lee felt in his left elbow Friday is a byproduct of scar tissue build up. Lee is hoping that's the case instead of a worse alternative: surgery to fix the tendon.

"All three are the best in that area, and they all said last year it's in the upper 90s percent chance it'll heal just fine with rest, and like 3% chance you might need surgery," Lee said. "Obviously you're going to take your chances on rest and rehab, and that's what we did.  So, potentially I'm the 3% that needs surgery, and potentially it's scar tissue breaking up and it's normal. But I think it's early to know which one it is."

Lee reiterated that he felt fine after his two-inning start Thursday, his first since July 31. It wasn't until he began warming up Friday that he felt something in his elbow in the same spot he had issues with last year. He isn't sure if he will throw today or Tuesday. His elbow is still slightly sore from receiving a dye injection for the MRI he had Sunday. Knowing his body, Lee said he anticipates feeling "something" in his elbow when he throws in the next day or two.

"It's been months, and it was really mild, but it's just concerning because I knew what it turned into last year, and I just wanted to be open," Lee said. "I wasn't trying to hide anything. I truly felt nothing for months and then all of a sudden there it is after the first time I pitch in a game."

Lee is trying to stay positive with the knowledge that he did everything he could during the offseason to strengthen his elbow and prevent the injury from happening again. Despite that satisfaction, the reality of the situation isn't lost on Lee, who is earning $25 million this season.

The future looked bright then.

He's due a $12.5 million buyout of a $27.5 million club option in 2016.

"Obviously very disappointing with all the stuff I did in the offseason to prevent something like this from happening," Lee said. "It's frustrating. There's still a possibility it's scar tissue and it's normal but there's also the possibility it's coming back and that's very frustrating."

Lee is 143-91 with a 3.52 ERA in his MLB career.  He is 7-3 with a 2.52 ERA in the postseason.

 

Rollins Already Causing Trouble For Phils




Rollins is Reaching Out To Hamels.

Jimmy Rollins appeared on MLB Network Monday with a new look.  Instead of the wistful, 'I love Philly fans' mantra in which he was previously garbed, he sounded upbeat and immersed in Dodger Fever.

He was also reaching out for 'a little help from his friends.'  If you're a Phillies fan, he made it personal.

For business reasons the Phillies traded their all-time hits leader, Jimmy Rollins, to the L.A. Dodgers on December 19th.

Then, they traded away team HR leader Marlon Byrd to the Reds last week.

2014 was arguably Cole Hamels best year ever: 198 strikeouts and a career-best 2.46 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP.  However, Hamels' disgruntled demeanor in the face of the Phils' recent acknowledgement that they cannot win again before at least 2017 has led to widespread trade rumors.

The Boston Red Sox were the front-runners in the Hamels sweepstakes until this week, when all negotiations ended between them and the Phils.  

Ruben Amaro had his sights set on top Red Sox prospect and projected leadoff hitter Mookie Betts.

Boston general manager Ben Cherington, however, has put his foot down on the possibility of parting with the promising 22-year-old from Tennessee, who was Boston’s fifth-round draft pick in 2011.

Nor will the Red Sox GM part with catching prospect Blake Swihart, even though the emergence of Christian Vasquez, another Boston catching prospect, would appear to make Swihart an expendable trade chip, and one whom Amaro might have been willing to take in a deal for Hamels.

Now, Jimmy Rollins, who says he "wants to be a leader" on the Dodgers is beckoning to his pal Hamels, the Phils coveted former NLCS and World Series MVP to join him.

Like Darth Vader reaching out to the mutilated, desperate, helpless Luke Skywalker in "The Empire Strikes Back," Rollins recognizes Hamels' despair on a sinking ship that has finally publicly and actively acknowledged its need for a slow rebuild.  Monday, Rollins took the next step by extending his hand to his friend and former teammate in the most public way possible:

Is Rollins playing dirty?

"I talked to Cole right before I got traded," Rollins said Monday. "And he was excited for me. He did talk about how lovely it would be if we both ended up in L.A. That would be one heck of a move right there, so...

"I know he's a big piece, but if they want to rebuild and get as much as they can from any team, I know it's hard to let go of their one or two prospects that the Phillies are asking for... I definitely feel he wants to be somewhere that he could win."

Hamels does feel kinship with Rollins.  There's no doubt the two California natives are talking and that each man would like to win again.  The bugger question is: Are the Dodgers willing to part with their top prospects Joc Pederson, Julio Urias, and Corey Seager?  The Phillies likely will need a combination of two in order to get the trade done.  Thusfar, the Dodgers have been unwilling to part with any of the three.

However, that could change any day, especially if the Dodgers are bluffing and waiting to see if the seemingly desperate Phillies will cave and pull the trigger without any of said players.  After all, the Dodgers have been clear that: 1) they want to win 2) and win now 3) and are willing to pay any price of any kind at any time (they recently snapped the Yankees 15-year unbroken string with the highest team salary in baseball).  [FYI 2014 team salaries: Dodgers: $238,841,005.  Yankeess: $209,416,323.  Phillies: $175,996,256.]

Is Hollywood headed back to Cali?

However, Amaro and company have stood tall behind their statements that they are in no rush to make a deal.  There is much logic to this approach.  During the season, any successful teams hoping to make a playoff run with some top notch prospects would instantly become Hamels suitors.  That would widen the competition and increase the pot for the Phils, especially considering the fact that any team interested at that point would have to feel confident about a deep playoff run and therefore be more likely to spend emotionally.  

So, waiting until the price is right is lucrative for the Phils.  The Dodgers may be feeling that pull.  In fact, it's quite possible that Rollins' very public statements were not made independently of Dodgers management.  This may have been a plotted push for both sides to return to the bargaining table and work this thing out with the Dodgers now ready to talk top prospects.  Rollins the initiator, Rollins the spark.  Those of us who know him can only smile, even if behind gritted teeth.  He served the Phils well in that role through several winning seasons, division titles, league championships and a World Series Title in an era not long ago-- gone now, but not yet forgotten.