Maybe this belongs under the MLB forum, but the Phillies traded for Billy Wagner. The division just got a lot tougher for us in 2004. That was their main weakness last year - no closer.

 

Link ... http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=ap-a...ov=ap&type=lgns

WOW!!!! This is not good

Brandon Duckworth is the "main" player going to Houston

This strengthens their bullpen but as long as they have people like jose mesa and mike williams as their setup men then they might never get to billy wagner in the 9th with the lead.

So, is Octavio Dotel going to close for the Astros then?

Rumor mill has it that the 'Stros are completely rebuilding. No more killer B's, etc.

 

I wonder if the Marlins can't be the bargain-basement buyers of a good find or two at the garage sale in the parking lot of Minute Maid?

This strengthens their bullpen but as long as they have people like jose mesa and mike williams as their setup men then they might never get to billy wagner in the 9th with the lead.

They have Cormier as setup

I don't see Mesa being there now anyway. Bwag is the man, Cormier can set the table. Bye Bye Jose.

 

 

Bwag in a Phillies uni = 10 more wins

 

 

We need 11 more wins

If I remember correctly The Phillies released/did not renew Joe Table about a month ago anyway.

Keep in mind this deal for Wagner just cost them at minimum $11 million for one year's worth of work, eight million for 2004 and either a $3 million buyout for 2005 or the option of signing him for $9 million.

 

That's a huge amount of money to tie up in one arm, regardless of his skills. It will no doubt diminish the Phillies chances of going after other first line players in 2004.

Keep in mind this deal for Wagner just cost them at minimum $11 million for one year's worth of work, eight million for 2004 and either a $3 million buyout for 2005 or the option of signing him for $9 million.

 

That's a huge amount of money to tie up in one arm, regardless of his skills. It will no doubt diminish the Phillies chances of going after other first line players in 2004.

Good call...The Phillies are going to look damn impressive again on paper, but will probably part with Millwood, paving the way for a Hamels/other stud i cant remember.

Thanks Sham.

 

If they lose Millwood and (they just traded) Duckworth the question becomes what kind of starting pitching will they have? An $11 million closer doesn't do you much good if you're losing 7-4 in the ninth.

i love this deal if Im a Phils fan

 

hell, who knows, if they have Wagner in 03, they could be the wild card

 

and Millwood wasnt too great for them anyway

They weren't going to keep Millwod anyways. So if you have $9 million to spend, you can't spend it much better than Billy Wagner when closer is the weakest part of the team. Yeah, it may prevent them from getting/keeping a starter like Millwood but then they'd be back to having no closer. Which means they'd probably be where they were in 2003 - not in the playoffs.

 

hell, who knows, if they have Wagner in 03, they could be the wild card

Any number of competent closers may have done the job. If the Phillies had gotten Urbina instead of us in July, I think they may have held us off. That would've weakened us, strengthened them, and sent the message to the players that management was going to do whatever it took to win now.

Hey gang,

 

A Phillies fan here. Congrats again on your World Series win!

 

Mesa is indeed gone, Lord be praised. As far as the Wagner trade goes, couldn't be happier about it - acquiring Wagner plugs the biggest hole we had last year, and gives up comparatively little in return. Brandon could rebound in the future and be very good for Houston, but he had nagging injury trouble, and didn't show very good stuff between the ears this past season, especially between the ears.

 

Here's to good baseball in the NL East next year!

Hey gang,

 

A Phillies fan here. Congrats again on your World Series win!

 

Mesa is indeed gone, Lord be praised. As far as the Wagner trade goes, couldn't be happier about it - acquiring Wagner plugs the biggest hole we had last year, and gives up comparatively little in return. Brandon could rebound in the future and be very good for Houston, but he had nagging injury trouble, and didn't show very good stuff between the ears this past season, especially between the ears.

 

Here's to good baseball in the NL East next year!

Getting Wagner was a great move. Personally, I thought you guys were going to take Uggy, so it's nice to see that nobody has picked him up yet.

I LOVE this deal if I'm a Phils fan, too. Nice job by Ed Wade.

Hey gang,

 

A Phillies fan here. Congrats again on your World Series win!

 

Mesa is indeed gone, Lord be praised. As far as the Wagner trade goes, couldn't be happier about it - acquiring Wagner plugs the biggest hole we had last year, and gives up comparatively little in return. Brandon could rebound in the future and be very good for Houston, but he had nagging injury trouble, and didn't show very good stuff between the ears this past season, especially between the ears.

 

Here's to good baseball in the NL East next year!

Getting Wagner was a great move. Personally, I thought you guys were going to take Uggy, so it's nice to see that nobody has picked him up yet. I hate to say this, but Billy Wagner > Uggy

Why would the Astros want Duckworth? didnt they see how bad he was down the stretch??

Brandon is going to stink it up in the homer-happy Minute Made Field.

man all this means is Wagner in..... GOOD BYE Milwood.....

 

and Pat B wont be as bad as he was last year, they have a real nice team. but at the same time i dont see the braves doing what they have done the past 13 years... its us and the phillies next year

Sure, the Phils got Wagner. But they now have no starting pitching. They lose Millwood and Duckworth who will be a good pitcher down the line someday. They are left with Myers, Wolf, and Paudilla. Three starters will not get you anywhere in the NL East, especially when they have to deal with our Studly Six and the tough pitching of the Expos. And I smell the Braves possibly going back to pitching as well, because at least when they were pitching dominant they could exit the first round. Plus they have about 75 free agents, so you might see new Bravo team next year geared behind Russ Ortiz and Horacio Ramirez.

 

It is going to be a way different NL East next season. The guard is changing.

I think the Spos r gonna lose Vazquez. Probably to the yanks

Milwood to Texas, anyone?

I think the Spos r gonna lose Vazquez. Probably to the yanks

He isn't a free agent. And they also have El Duque coming back from injury, Livan off a career year, and two very good young arms in our old farm hand Claudio Vargas and Tony Armas Jr. If they only had a bullpen and a real home they wouldn't be too bad and could seriously contend for the division.