Lyles got roughed up tonight, but most pitchers have first year growing pains, so not really a big deal. This team is still a hell of a lot of fun to watch right now, especially when compared to what it was. Just feeling like we have a future is fun, winning is gravy right now, no pressure. And they got some lousy fans in the desert, 17,000 in a pennett chase. We average 26,000 and we're a floundering franchise in the midst of it's worst season ever.
a 2-month rental on a seemingly tapped out lance berkman in exchange for paredes and melancon really could end up being a fleecing for the ages. i've said it many a time, but for whatever shortcomings wade has as a GM, trades aren't one of them. seems like he's an absolute master of the under-the-radar minor trades.
Same goes for the Oswalt deal if Villar becomes a potential star (which scouts are saying he could be)... and that's without expecting much from Wallace who is hitting again at AAA and at the very least, could be another tradeable asset. Meanwhile, Oswalt did not lead the Phillies to the World Series last year, and has spent most of this year on the DL... and there are rumors that he may hang it up pretty soon. Combine the above with the Lidge deal for Bourn.... which led to getting a bunch of pitchers, and the Pence deal... you're looking at the following core with * noting they were acquired via trade. C - Castro 1B - Singleton* 2B - Altuve 3B - Paredes* SS - Villar* LF - Martinez CF - Schaffer* RF - Ovando/Draft pick Starting pitchers - Cosart* Clemens* Lyles Norris Ober-whatever* Releif pitchers - Abreu* Melancon* Filler...
Henry Sosa may be another under-the-radar player who may surprise. That we got anybody worth a crap for a journeyman backup infielder is a minor miracle. Sosa on his way to Arizona Henry Sosa - acquired in the Jeff Keppinger trade - will pitch tonight against Arizona, edging out bullpen candidate Aneury Rodriguez. Since coming over from the Giants' organization, Sosa has thrown a total of 25.2IP, allowing 21H/6ER, 20K:7BB for the Hooks and RedHawks. He's had one start for OKC, throwing seven shutout innings at Las Vegas on August 5, meaning he's on regular rest tonight.
I'm interested to see how Sosa does. He did pretty well in AA and AAA but his overall minor league numbers aren't as good
JD with another quality AB despite the SO. Worked a full count and saw lots of pitches after starting out 0-2.
Unfortunately, the role of GM involves a lot more than making trades. And it's too early to fully evaluate all of his trades with the Astros, esp. the recent ones. I don't believe he had a great track record in that area with the Phillies, and I think that's clearly relevant. But let's hypothetically say he's a master at trades... but average, bad or awful in multiple other areas. Do you want him as your GM? Just during the rebuild? After the rebuild as well? And I know he oversaw the acquisitions of a lot of key Phillies but maybe he just had a great set of scouts there and his input wasn't a major factor? Maybe he just got lucky given how hard it is to predict talent. When it comes to things where he has direct involvement and control like FA signings and trades, I think it's a mixed bag at best, esp. when you look at his overall resume as a GM, with some very questionable moves/decisions mixed in with perhaps some good ones. I've said this before but if a GM has clear cut trouble evaluating and placing value on proven ML talent (Matsui, Lyons, Hall, etc...), it's hard to think they would be any better at judging raw, unproven talent. When you see the results of moves made where Wade is more of a primary/independent decision-maker, you have to scratch your head and wonder at the very least. When it comes to drafting, it's much more of a team effort by necessity so the GM's impact is filtered out to a large extent when compared to other areas. I'm not trying to hide the fact that I'm not high on Wade but I'm at least trying to keep an open mind and you guys are making good points.
Are we almost too young, Don't we need 1 solid veteran (not carlos lee) just to guide these youngins and to have atleast 1 solid consistent contributor in the lineup?
Well, it's a little late for that at this point in the season. I'm sure it's in their minds going forward though. From what I heard, that was part of why they kept Barmes - at least for the guidance part... setting an example. He's consistent defensively at least. He also had Keppinger to start the season (even if he was hurt) and brought in Hall which didn't work out. So there were some vets mixed in on the opening day roster and odds are there will be 1 or 2 added next season.
