MVN - Most Valuable Network

Phils Need Erik Bedard

Two days after the Brewers acquired ace CC Sabathia from the Indians, the Cubs responded by trading for Rich Harden, the A’s injury-prone righty who has some of the best stuff in all of baseball.

The Phillies are no longer in a position where going after a top-end starter would be nice, now it is a necessity. The Phils may very well make the playoffs with their current rotation, but if they think they have any chance of competing with the other National League contenders once there, they are sorely mistaken. They are a team built on hitting, but the difference between the top three starters of the Phils and every other contending team is getting ridiculous. Don’t believe me? Take a look at what each team’s top 3 rotation would be if the season ended today…

• Phils: Cole Hamels, Jamie Moyer, Kyle Kendrick

• Mets: Johan Santana, Pedro Martinez, John Maine

• Cubs: Carlos Zambrano, Rich Harden, Ryan Dempster

• Brewers: CC Sabathia, Ben Sheets, Manny Parra

• Diamondbacks: Brandon Webb, Dan Haren, Randy Johnson

• Dodgers: Derek Lowe, Chad Billingsley, Hiroki Kuroda

It’s safe to say the Phillies have by far the worst #2 and #3 man in that grouping. And keep in mind they haven’t had to deal with any injuries to the rotation either! Imagine if something happens to Hamels, or even Moyer or Kendrick. The #4 and #5 starters right now are Adam Eaton, who should be released immediately, and J.A. Happ, who has two major league starts. If the Phils don’t make a move, and find themselves in a situation where they have to scramble to get a starter a month from now, it is very likely they will get a bad deal on whatever pitcher they trade for.

Who are the potential targets? Well, the names that appear the most in rumor mills for the Phils are Erik Bedard, A.J. Burnett, Randy Wolf, Randy Johnson, and Greg Maddux.

• Burnett is a high-priced career underachiever who has never won more than 12 games in a season and could opt out of his current contract at season’s end. The price tag for Burnett would be too high, and considering the uncertainty surrounding him, is not worth it.
• Randy Wolf doesn’t want to pitch at Citizens Bank Park. During the last two offseasons, the Phillies have attempted to sign him, but he has made it clear how much he doesn’t want to pitch here. Why go after a guy who you know doesn’t want to play here?
• According to former Phillie and current awful ESPN analyst John Kruk, the Phillies had a chance to acquire Randy Johnson recently, but didn’t pull the trigger. With Johnson, as well as Maddux, it’s probably not worth giving up prospects for someone who may retire in a few months.

That leaves Erik Bedard, the first name on the list I presented and the last one I will touch on. Bedard is the pitcher the Phillies need to pursue. The Mariners are one of the few teams who are hopelessly out of contention, and the G.M. who acquired Bedard before the season is no longer employed. Rumors of the Phillies trading for Bedard have been swirling for weeks now, as team scouts from the Phils have been in Seattle to watch the lefty, and Seattle scouts have been trying to see Phils double-A prospect Carlos Carrasco in action. Bedard appearing on a Philly radio station yesterday only enhanced the speculation of a trade.

Bedard has been on the DL this season and is likely to miss his next start, but he is still having a pretty good season. He is 6-4 with a 3.67 ERA, and has allowed 70 hits while striking out 72, in 81 innings. In his last five starts, he is 2-0 with a 1.82 ERA.

If the Phillies need to part with Carlos Carrasco and another good prospect (Adrian Cardenas, Jason Donald) it seems worth it. Bedard is a proven top end of the rotation pitcher and is under contract for two more years at a modest price.

Pat Gillick doesn’t need to make a trade to merely respond to the moves made by the Brewers and Cubs, he needs to make a move to better his team. This may not be THE year for the Phillies, but with the good possibility of Pat Burrell leaving after the season, and the bullpen pitching way above their collective ability, an attempt to go far has to be made.

Kyle Lohse made a huge difference last season. Hopefully we’ll get to see Bedard make an even bigger one this season.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 8th, 2008 at 6:52 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.