Phils to sign Burnett; Hamels not ready for Opening Day

Spring training must be right around the corner, because we already have our first Phillies injury to report. Cole Hamels (left shoulder) revealed Wednesday that he won't be ready for Opening Day. To fortify the rotation, the Phils agreed to a one-year deal with A.J. Burnett, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com.

Hamels told reporters including CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury that he has dealt with shoulder discomfort since November, which resulted in his offseason throwing program being delayed. Hamels has yet to toss a bullpen session and says he's 8-10 away from throwing one.

Hamels stated that neither nor the Phillies are alarmed. He expects to pitch sometime in April.

"I feel great now," he said.

Hamels consulted with Roy Halladay, who had his career derailed by shoulder issues. Halladay advised Hamels to take his time and not pitch until he's ready.

Adding Burnett gives the Phils early-season insurance, and could give them a formidable rotation when Hamels returns. It puts the Phillies' 1-2-3 right up against the Dodgers and Nationals for best in the NL. Burnett led the NL with 9.8 K/9 in 2013 and has the second-highest groundball rate in the majors since 2012.

Comments

[Dickie Thong]

Matt Gelb (@magelb)
Amaro channeled his inner Bill Lumbergh when discussing Chad Gaudin.
"So, uh, we're gonna go ahead and release him."

[NEPP]

So Gaudin is gone then?

Whoa, slow down there, we fixed the glitch...it'll work itself out naturally.

[bittel]

I saw what you did, there, Meyer :)

"As I was saying loving repeating being is in a way earthly being. In some it is repeating that gives to them always a solid feeling of being. In some children there is more feeling and in repeating eating and playing, in some in story-telling and their feeling. More and more in living as growing young men and women and grown men and women and men and women in their middle living, more and more there comes to be in them differences in loving repeating in different kinds of men and women, there comes to be in some more and in some less loving repeating. Loving repeating in some is a going on always in them of earthly being, in some it is the way to completed understanding. Loving repeating then in some is their natural way of complete being. "

[steve]

He might be missed a little. He was good last year and would have provided some depth. I couldn't care less what he does in emergency rooms.

[Bonehead]

I don't think we've heard the final terms of the Burnett deal yet, have we?
If it turns out that the contract has a player option year, this acquisition becomes a << , instead of a >>>.

[Bonehead]

That's a five > swing

[Chris in VT]

Matt Gelb ‏@magelb 2m
Chad Gaudin failed his physical and was released.

Posted by: Corn | Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 08:44 AM

Good riddance. Karma can be a bitch.

[Chris in VT]

I couldn't care less what he does in emergency rooms.

Posted by: steve | Thursday, February 13, 2014 at 09:50 AM

I'm pretty sure your opinion would be different if it was your daughter he sexually assaulted.

[NEPP]

Exactly.

[bittel]

"RAJ’s offseason goal seems to have been to turn the ‘14 squad from a team that would need a miracle to contend to a team that merely needs to get very lucky to contend, while not hobbling the team for ’15 and beyond. That’s a reasonable goal at this point, and I think he’s been pretty successful at it."

Exactly. He did well, and much, much better than was feared here. He gets a solid B, leaning B+. He needs some luck (with Carmona, with MAG, with others in the BP, with Chooch holding up, and with Rollins), but this team has none of the craters it did at the opening of last season (RF, catcher), and it also replaced a crippled Halladay with a well-above average RH starter without committing to him.

And don't forget: simply swapping Sandberg for Charlie over 162 games is going to be very significant to playing proper situational baseball. It'll mean a couple of wins.

[MG]

Gaudin was another veteran starter who was capable of filling in.

Almost certainly means that MAG/Martin will be stretched out as starters and continue to be used in that capacity.

[MG]

Point was made over at TGP (by NEPP) but Burnett 1 yr/$16M >>> Garza 4 yr/$50M given the current state of this team.

If they are in bad shape at the trading deadline again, they will move a few pieces and 2015 is going to be bleak. It was likely going to be that way anyways regardless given the contracts they had already committed to including bringing back Utley & Chooch.

I would give this season a 'B' The only really bad move that Amaro made was bringing back Chooch at a 3-yr deal. Either Chooch rebounds and has a very solid year this year or it will have been a terrible contract because the Phils will be stuck with a $8M backup catcher in '15 and '16.

[Totally Not NEPP]

Yeah, that NEPP guy over at TGP is a pretty astute poster.

[Lake Fred]

The part that bothers me is that Hamels is consulting with Roy Halladay. We all saw how poorly Halladay dealt with his own injury. Doesn't Cole realize that Halladay really isn't a doctor?

In true BL negative fashion, I don't expect anything from Hamels this season. Put his big contract in the same file drawer as Ryan Howard's bloated wasted big money contract.

[pblunts]

MG, isn't it widely agreed upon that Martin's stuff would play much better as a RP? I get it there is a need for a 5/6/7/8 guy, but why take a guy who apparently has a strength (where we are weak, BTW) and turn make him a starter? Don' get it.

[Totally Not NEPP]

I suspect with the addition of Burnett that stretching out Martin for a possibly 7th SP role has been taken back a notch.

Martin's stuff should likely play up as well as Madson's stuff did when he went from SP to RP and then from RP to 1 inning RP guy.

[Chris in VT]

Martin should be in the BP, and available only as an emergency starter (7th? SP)

They shouldn't need 5 SPs until mid to late April, if I'm reading the schedule right. Hopefully Hamels will be ready by then, and we'll have the Lee/Hamels/Burnett/KK top 4 with either MAG or Fauxsto as a 5.

[Totally Not NEPP]

Completely agree on Martin to the BP...he has upside as a potential 8th inning type guy (if not more).

If MAG pans out as a good arm, and Diekman repeats/builds on his 2013 season, we could actually go from having the league worst bullpen to having a very stong bullpen.

~assuming Papelbon doesnt implode or something~

[MG]

Amaro just said in Gelb's column today that MAG is likely to open the season at Lehigh as a starter.

Smart move. He is a completely unknown quantity with real questions about his durability. Let him open the season out of the limelight, see how he does as a starter, and holds up physically.

[gobaystars!]

Cole will be fine he'll miss 2 or 3 starts. Everyone misses few. His will come at the start of the year. It isn't a big deal.
The Burnett signing was great. It helps the rotation and the bullpen.
I see a strong rotation and a solid bullpen this year. My prediction is that they contend for the east until the last week of the season but end up with a wild card spot.

[Chris in VT]

Meh...if he performs well in ST as a SP, I'd rather see him as the 4/5 SP to open the season. But that's partially due to the fact that I think Fauxsto is going to implode.

It probably does make sense to have MAG start out at AAA unless he's absolutely dazzling in ST, since he hasn't really pitched competitively in what, 2 years?

[DPat]

MG~ The AJ signing certainly makes the off-season better. Another staring pitcher was an absolute need. He pick up the slack until Cole gets back. When Cole returns, they'll have a legit 1-2-3, with KK, MAG and Hermona, Pettibone to fill out 4 & 5. One or more of those guys can pick up 'pen innings if need be, so Gaudin being released is no big deal.

The AJ signing made great sense. I like it.

[gobaystars!]

Also, Comcast just bought Time-Warner. So the Phillies own part of Comcast which owns Time-Warner which owns the Braves. So that means the Phillies own the Braves, right?
Kidding. Sort of.

[Totally Not NEPP]

***Amaro just said in Gelb's column today that MAG is likely to open the season at Lehigh as a starter.***

Smart for a lot of reasons...it also takes a ton of pressure off a guy that is still aclimating to a new country, new language, etc.

Let him figure it out for a month or two in Lehigh and go from there...there are always openings in the rotation (unfortunately).

Did Rube suddenly become a solid GM this winter?

Hell, even Sabean has 2 Rings as a GM so anything can happen.

[bullit]

over at huffingtonpost.com the headline about the mega-merger between comcast and time warner is "conglomerate from hell." apparently there are serious anti-trust concerns.

[Totally Not NEPP]

***So that means the Phillies own the Braves, right? ***

We should call up Freeman and Heyward from them to start the year...we can drop Howard and Mayberry to them to work on their game.

Win-win. Maybe bring Kimbrel too and let him work the 6th ining.

[NEPP]

***apparently there are serious anti-trust concerns.***

There should be and that merger should not be allowed. Comcast already has a virtual monopoly over cable tv in large swaths of the US...the last thing they needed to do was add Time Warner's territories too.

50 years ago, this type of merger would have never been allowed.

[cut_fastball]

NEPP - You are so dead on. I'm glad someone came out and said that.

[NEPP]

Thanks...I thought it was obvious we should also call up Kimbrel.

[Meyer]

I hope the first move Comcast makes is getting rid of that gawldamn chop.

[Juums]

Suk-Min Yoon to the O's on a three-year with ~$5.6MM in guaranteed money and another ~$6.5MM in incentives. Truth be told, I kinda wish the Burnett/Yoon signings were reversed. But I'm higher than most on Yoon's potential to be a source of surplus value.

[Dickie Thong]

What's next? Coke buying Pepsi?

[bay_area_phan]

I don't really understand the rush to make a decision on MAG. The fact that he hasn't pitched in 2 years could certainly have an effect on his performance. But you've got 2 months in spring training to figure out if that's the case. If he pitches well (either in a starting or relief role), it seems kind of stupid to pay the guy $4M to rot away at AAA.

[Juums]

On the Comcast-Time Warner deal, I'm of two minds:

On the one hand, this is a deal with serious anti-trust concerns, which is impressive, given that these types of firms already get away with de facto monopolies due to how local cable franchising works.

On the other, Comcast's penchant for lucre is well-known, so I can't help but think this improves my chances of finally getting the release of a proper Babylon 5 anthology which contains all of the seasons and movies in one box.

[Lake Fred]

My daughter lives in Dallas, TX served by Time-Warner cable. Their service and reliability is horrible. She will be better off when it becomes Comcast. What's the anti-trust beef? Doesn't cable TV compete with dish satellite companies, AT&T's U-Verse, streaming TV via the internet and old fashioned TV signal broadcast for free through the air?

I used to work for Texaco. When Chevron bought them out, the Feds made Chevron sell off the Texaco refineries and gas stations due to anti-trust reasons. Who was the buyer? Shell. Geez, Texaco plus Chevron would be too big and that is bad, but Texaco added to Shell was okay. Does that make any sense to you? It didn't make any sense to me.

[Fatalotti]

Juums, I've heard from my sources, that Babylon 5 is the reason why the merger is being allowed to take place. It was an argument too compelling.

[NEPP]

There's gonna be a definite innings limit on him considering he hasn't pitched in 2 years...far easier to get him started at the AAA level really.

[MG]

BAP - They have essentially zero starting depth right now and took a hit with Gaudin failing his physical.

MAG will almost certainly get a chance to start at the MLB level this year one way or given the lack of alternatives.

[bay_area_phan]

If there's a limit on his IP, that's even more reason to use him in the majors (if he's good, that is).

It's not like we have 6 years of team control and multiple options on this guy. We have him for 3 years. If he's anywhere near as good as the Phillies think he is, I want him helping the Phillies, not the IronPigs.

[NEPP]

Regardless of the 3 year deal dont we control MAG for 6 full years like any other rookie?

Or does that not apply to int'l signings over Age 23?

[awh™]

"MG~ The AJ signing certainly makes the off-season better. Another staring pitcher was an absolute need. He pick up the slack until Cole gets back. When Cole returns, they'll have a legit 1-2-3, with KK, MAG and Hermona, Pettibone to fill out 4 & 5. One or more of those guys can pick up 'pen innings if need be, so Gaudin being released is no big deal.

The AJ signing made great sense. I like it."

DPat, since when do you compliment them signing a pitcher?

I though you only cared about right-handed bats?

[bay_area_phan]

"Regardless of the 3 year deal dont we control MAG for 6 full years like any other rookie?"

I'm pretty sure he falls under a separate category because he was a professional international FA. I think we had this debate last year about Norichika Aoki, whose team control ends after 2014 (his 3rd season). Is MAG's situation any different from Aoki's?

[Iceman]

Three weeks ago nobody wanted him. Now losing Gaudin is a 'real hit' to the starting pitching depth.

[bay_area_phan]

MG = everybody?

[Jack]

Two good moves in a row by Rube. Signing Burnett and releasing Gaudin.

[MG]

Iceman - Gaudin is hell of a lot better than Jeff Manship or Sean O'Sullivan (there other 2 spring invites who are starters)

[MG]

If Biddle looks good in ST and get out to a really good start at Reading, I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see him up with the big league club by June.

MAG is a $4M lottery ticket and Martin showed he has business as a starter at the MLB level. Hamels is a crapshoot on his timetable return, Pettibone is coming off a year where he had a serious shoulder injury, and there is literally no one at Lehigh right now who will be holding back Biddle.

[Cyclic]

How bad of shape is Gaudin in that he failed a Phillies physical?

[Fatalotti]

Gaudin may be a better pitcher, but in the "Cooler Name" category, it's Manship by a landslide.

[awh™]

"MAG is a $4M lottery ticket and Martin showed he has business as a starter at the MLB level."

MG, what?

[MG]

No business as a starter (Martin) at the MLB level and yeah MAG is a $4M lottery ticket this season.

He hasn't pitched competitively in 2 years and has durability issues which even the Phils reluctantly expressed this offseason.

[MG]

Cyclic - He failed the chew gum and walk in a straight line test.

[Lake Fred]

Cyclic asked, "How bad of shape is Gaudin in that he failed a Phillies physical?"

Answer, the same injury that Cole Hamels has.

[Cyclic]

Pfft. Didn't know he was so soft.

[Cyclic]

"If there was a concern, the manager said it was because Hamels lost some weight while battling the flu this winter." - CSN Philly

Yeah, uh huh. "The flu". Hamels is finished professionally, everybody. Shut it down.

[DPat]

AWH~ Not totally true. I Never disagreed about getting pitching. I've always said though that if you're gonna get pitching, you'd better have the offense to support it.

A RH bat for this lineup has been a need ever since Werth left. They had Pence & traded him, so they were back to square one. Now they have Byrd.

And let me just say, I disagreed with the Byrd signing on 2 fronts 1. Age 2. Dollars (in relation to his age, and the fact he's only had 2 good years in his career). I don't recall saying he wouldn't help the club, either offensively or defensively.

There were younger players albeit more expensive) players available for the offense and they needed to get younger which they didn't.

But looking at it now, the AJ signing is a good one. The have potentially 6 starters now, and maybe 2 swing guys for the 'pen. The offense Has to score more runs than last year doesn't it? Based on staying healthy, I'd say yes.

So are they a playoff team now? No. But a more competitive one? Absolutely.

[MG]

We'll see if Hamels starts throwing off the bullpen mound in 8-10 days as reported by everybody and their brother in the Phils' organization came out to state they weren't worried about Hamels in the past day including:

- Hamels himself
- Sheridan
- Sandberg
- McClure
- Amaro
- even Gillick

[MG]

If I had to make a crystal ball prediction right now on what the bullpen will be on Opening Day:

Papelbon
Bastardo
Lincoln
Diekman
De Fratus
Horst
Munson

Munson wins a spot because he throws hard/looks okay in ST and the Phils don't want to return him to the DBacks.

Horst because he has been up at the MLB level before and has been used for multiple innings. Basically becomes the de facto swing man that Gaudin likely would have inherited if he hadn't failed his physical.

De Fratus/Rosenbeg is a toss up and probably one of the few legit roster spots battles in ST.

[bay_area_phan]

Does anyone else find it a little fishy that, because Hamels had to shut down his off-season program in November & December, he already knows that he can't be ready to pitch by the beginning of April? Is Cole Hamels such a finely-calibrated piece of machinery that 3 full months is an insufficient amount of time to get himself into game shape? Or could it be that someone isn't telling the full truth here? Athletes lie about their health all the time & something about this doesn't smell right to me.

[Meyer]

What about the "Aumont Project"? Cripes Phillippe, now Burnett will be in camp with Lidge and Halladay. Maybe you should ask some intelligent questions.

[bay_area_phan]

MG: My prediction would be the same as yours, except that I'd replace Horst with either Stutes or "Pitcher not currently on the roster."

[Meyer]

BAP, on a truth scale 0 to 10, I'll give them a 2.

[Fatalotti]

BAP, is it possible that Hamels, who didn't properly prepare himself going into the 2009 season, has decided that short circuiting his throwing program and starting the season on time is a worse option than going through the full throwing program and starting his season 2 weeks late.

[NEPP]

Why are you penciling Horst into a bullpen spot? He was horrid last year.

[Fatalotti]

We was the horst pitcher in the bullpen.

[bay_area_phan]

Fat: It's possible. I just said it smells fishy. We've seen very similar scenarios play out with Lidge, Utley & Halladay, where they came into ST with injuries, went to great lengths to minimize those injuries, and turned out to be lying through their teeth. It would be naive to discount that possibility here. I mean, it's a pretty bold statement to say, "I've been perfectly healthy since January but, because of some minor injuries that I had before then, I won't be ready to pitch in early April."

[Fatalotti]

BAP, I'm with you on the skepticism. I do think, though, that in Hamels case, given his specific history with short shrifting his offseason program, and the "disastrous" consequences that followed, there is some reason to believe that he's being honest.

We'll soon find out, won't we?

[bay_area_phan]

Indeed, we will. And I hope my suspicions prove completely unfounded.

[Fatalotti]

New thread. (Feels good to type that)

[MG]

Horst was pitching hurt all of last year including from the start of spring training and he acknowledged that.

It was why his velocity was notably down even early in ST.

Just a hunch on Horst assuming he is healthy. I haven't seen anything on him either way this spring but he is still on the 40-man roster.

[Meyer]

Didn't Halladay contract that weight loss flu. I need to trim some winter weight. Maybe I'll get that flu shot at the clinic.

[Iceman]

MG: if the team had been whittled down to counting on Gaudin to start for them every fifth day, they would have been doomed anyway.

Do you agree with that statement?

[Cyclic]

Maybe I've been on Beerleaguer too long, but it definitely feels fishy to me.

I see a couple scenarios...

-Hamels comes back in late April but it's clear something's off. He doesn't get out right shelled, like Halladay, but 3-4 ER/g, not getting out of the 6th inning. This continues for a few weeks, culminating in him being shut down just before the All Star Break and season ending surgery.

-Late April turns into early June turns into by the All Star Break. Then he has a setback in rehab and gets shut down. Doesn't throw a pitch in 2014.

-Hamels has Crohn's Disease.

[Jackamac]

"Also, Comcast just bought Time-Warner. So the Phillies own part of Comcast which owns Time-Warner which owns the Braves. So that means the Phillies own the Braves, right?"

With our offense, it'll be the only way the Phillies own the Braves this season. Heh.

[SallyForth]

A few doubts have been expressed about Burnett's motivation going into this season. Apparently he and Cliff Lee are good chums. If true, can't see Burnett slack off in the presence of his ever-motivated friend and staff ace. In fact, their relationship may keep both of them revved-up through the season.

Of course then, there's this Hamels guy ...

[Conway Twitty]

I'm sure someone will correct me with some stat thingies, but doesn't Cole usually get off to a slow start? He should be given all the time he needs to get ready. That gives us more time to rip him for being soft. I know a domineering wife would make me "soft".

[Kashmir]

Just to show you can dream up any scenario if you manipulate the stats you want to create a desired effect. This one is for a 91-win season for the Mets. The first reply is classic.

http://mets360.com/?p=20664&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Mets360%2Ffeed+%28Mets360+Feed%29