Bobby Abreu to NYY for steaming pile of crap

;D

 

I wish the Phils would have gotten more for Abreu, but i'm really just happy he's gone. He's overpaid, he's not the best glove in the world, and he disappears at the plate when it counts (though does it ever really count for the phils).....

I'm glad the phillies have finally admitted what we all knew--this team is not going anywhere for the next couple years. Gillick is an honest man and he's (from what i've heard) told the media that the phils aren't going to win next year either and that they have to fix their minor league system before they can improve the big league team.

I really think Gillick will rebuild this team the right way. If the fans are being honest, they'll admit that Gillick wasn't brought in to put the phils over the top this year---he inherited a horribly run organization from top to bottom. 68 is not that old for a GM so i'm confident that if the phils give him the time, he'll do what's right--as opposed to others who have really just tried to mask the overarching problems the team has.

Phillies fans are impatient, but baseball isn't as important as football or hockey in Philly so the team won't be as under the gun as they would be in boston or NY.....

Look, as phillies fans, we're used to losing. I'm willing to trade in the next couple years in order for Gillick to really do his all to improve the team in the long term.

 

Here's my problem with the deal from a Phils perspective: This year's trade deadline is a seller's market. Behind Soriano, you have the best player available. You can take a big step towards re-stocking the farm system because, for once, you're in the right place at the right time.

So what do they do? Swindle the Yanks to give up their No. 4 prospect - who, according to BA, was ready to go play basketball until the Yanks threw a pile of money at him - and a handful of others.

The biggest plus for the Phils, so it seems, is that the Yankees taken on Abreu's and Lidle's salary. Which tells me, as a fan, that $$$ is the alpha and omega of their philosophy. Instead of maximizing their return, they chose to save money. What are they gonna do with the money? Throw it at a couple of free agents and then get outbid by the Mets again?

I'll reserve my judgement on Gillick. But as long as Montgomery is in charge, the franchise is never going to amount to a damn thing.

 

I'm surprised the Phillies got four suspect prospects for two decent major league players, but I guess that's what happens when you don't pick up any of a bad contract like Bobby Abreu's. The Phillies probably would have gotten a decent prospect or two if they picked up a large chunk of the remaining money. That doesn't make too much sense, considering they are already paying for Jim Thome to hit home runs for the White Sox. Probably better to get the contracts off the books and move forward.

I like the Phillies' nucleus. Ryan Howard and Chase Utley are two of the top young players in the game, and among the best players at their positions. Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell and Jimmy Rollins have all had success and can be valuable pieces in a solid lineup. David Dellucci is a decent bat in right. The pitching staff has the potential to be good, with guys like Brett Myers, Jon Lieber, Cole Hamels, Ryan Madson, Randy Wolf and Gavin Floyd.

The team is probably better off now than they have been in several years. Abreu was making way too much money for a guy hitting .277 with eight home runs. He's just not worth that. Yes, his on-base percentage was amazing. But a lot of guys in the league can hit .277 with eight home runs. Those stats are basically the same as David Bell's.

 

"He's a tired, old man. His days are numbered." [/jacknapier]

 

Of course none of them are going to get on base 42% of the time. I can deal with trading Abreu. It's giving him away that sucks ass.

 

When did Philly become a small market team that needed to dump salary? I missed that memo.

 

And if Philly pockets all that money it saves for not having to pay Abreu and Lidle... THEN claims baseball needs a new economic system... that's the type of stuff the new CBA has to address.

As for the trade itself... I still think the Yanks miss the postseason, or if they make it LA knocks them out in round one. Lidle is a former replacement player average pitcher who I think folds under the pressure of pitching at Yankee Stadium. This team needs much more help than that, and it also has to face facts that one year the house of cards topples.

 

Well, it's the rationale that they didn't win with him, how much worse could it be without him?

 

Thank you, Branch Rickey

(whose treatment of Ralph Kiner reflected this mindset . . . )

 

Well, Steve Phillips said the deal was a steal for the Yankees.

Which might make Yankees fans very, very, very concerned.

Actually, I love Phillips' work on ESPN (other than the faux press conference business, which wasn't his fault.) He's informed, and he's not afraid to give an opinion.