MLB.com is reporting that Phillies are interested in bringing on Mark Loretta as a utility infielder to help share the load if Chase Utley or Pedro Feliz take longer than expected to recover from surgery. YAWN…
Loretta, 37, hit .280 with 38 RBI in a limited role for the Astros last year. He shows good plate discipline and doesn’t strike out a whole lot. He also has a solid glove in the field. Loretta would be a solid pick-up… if not for the fact that we have Jason Donald hitting the seams off the ball in the Fall League.
Personally, I would save the $1-$2 mill it would take to sign him and give Donald a shot. I think Donald would play well enough that we would have to consider leaving him up even after Utley returns, and it would give him some solid MLB experience for when he (hopefully) becomes our full-time 3B in 2010.
Unfortunately, that’s as exciting as we are getting for rumors these days. I expect both Burrell and Moyer will be offered arbitration, and I doubt either will pull a Placido Polanco and accept it. If they do both decline, I would prefer that they both sign with other teams and we spend the money on the first round picks we’d get back.
Hopefully the Winter Meetings (Dec 8-11) will stir up some rumors. Until then, I’ll be publishing my Top-10 Phillies Prospects later in the week.
{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
Pete, nothing against Loretta. He’s been a solid hitting infielder and he could also spell Howard at first BUT I’d prefer giving Donald a shot at the job with Bruntlett also available until Chase was ready. Can always pick up another utility guy if Donald struggles.
I’d rather see Donald at 3rd than Feliz on the field ever again…that’s my own personal preference…it’s a couple months – yes utley is vital – but this isn’t the major off season thrust – pitching needs to be stabilized – they probably won’t offer arbitration to burrell (idiots, he’s a type A free agent for a reason) and the howard drama will play out again.
Oh yeah, still need a not sucking catcher
John-
No – not really – on ruiz – the season is 162 games – and marson is one of the best NL Catching prospects out there (the rangers seem to have all the best catching prospects in general, those randy bastards)
Now, if you could somehow convince the red sox that they have too many young pitching prospects and need a catching prospect, i’d be satisfied with ruiz next year, but right now, i hope to see marson at catcher and donald at 3rd next year.
Felizitis (the inability to take a walk) can only be cured by a roster purge.
I dont see them taking Feliz out of line-up for Donald this year unless injuries are an issue because while Donald is likely the better hitter, Feliz is by far the better fielder.
Feliz is ‘by far’ the better fielder…that’s very true, but Feliz has a god awful bat, and is aging badly, seemingly is unable to talk a walk, and defense to me isn’t as important as the god awful black hole the phillies had in the bottom 3rd of their batting order…
As for loretta, he’s not even really league average any more, he’s REALLY on the wrong side of 30, and while he doesn’t ’strike out much’ (do people still care, strikeouts are outs), he doesn’t walk much either
He’s also OLD