2015 Phillies Offseason Thread

[Dillen]

Velasquez is going to be really good. I thought he was more likely to become a good starter than McCullers. Really good fastball/change combo. Always manages to get hurt doing nothing.

Fisher is a great athlete. Really fast. Unsure if he will be a CF or corner OF but he will be a major leaguer. Swing and miss is his main issue but he has some pop and plenty of time to figure it out, not really an enormous hole.

Oberholtzer is a good #4. Had no place on Astros but he's more valuable than the usual throw-in. Kinda bummed he never got a fair shot in Houston.

As an Astros fan my reaction is that it's a fair deal. Velasquez has the potential to be a dominant #2 if he stays healthy. Obie is already a good backend guy. Fisher is likely to be an everyday OF but who knows how good.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Wonder who the fourth prospect is?

The point I made earlier - that mcnabb_defense_superbowl missed - is that I liked Giles and I hate to see him go. But a last place rebuilding team having a closer who can fetch a good return is a luxury. So I understand the deal.

I just hope Klentak asked for the right people in return.

As an aside they're also apparently taking an OF in the rule five tomorrow. Loading up on OFers

[MDS]

they are going to rid themselves of asche, so they have some space in the OF. why not. i know youll pick them to win the world series anyway.

giles was here for a millisecond and never threw a meaningful pitch....do not care that hes traded. its a great deal.

[Geowhizzer]

Seems like a decent trade.  Not much use keeping Giles - this team is still several years from even dreaming of contending.  Get another decent arm prospect, as well as a few other assets.

And Dillen, the Astros should be fun to watch this year.  I'll be checking in on their games.

[ice grillin you]

i have no clue how his will end but almost every trade in the history of baseball where a zesty team gets three or four prospects that virtually no one has ever seen play people say they did a great job

guys the phillies got probably end up being nothing...but whats more important is that this throws two more prospects in the system which raises your odds that one or two become players....no different than what hinkie magic has done except in basketball draft picks in addition to players = prospects

[PhillyPhreak54]

But Hinkie is the devil and a disgrace!!

All I know about Velasquez is he's got a power arm. Hopefully he is what they think he can be...a solid 2-3 starter.

[Dillen]

Velasquez is around the same prospect caliber as Nola overall, but with health concerns. Better stuff (plus fastball and plus change), less command.

Fisher could easily be the guy who washes out and nobody hears of. Obie is a good back end guy - nothing more or nothing less, pretty much guaranteed.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Thomas Eshelman is the final piece. He's a pitcher.

Dillen...what's the word?

[ice grillin you]

Thomas Eshelman is the final piece. He's a pitcher.

Dillen...what's the word?

from all ive read...ceiling is end of rotation starter...raw stuff is well below average but has good command...sounds like garbage to me but thats what you usually expect with the last guy named in a deal

[SD]

No problem dealing Giles, you don't need a young stud closer on a team that's 3-4 years from being relevant. That's just a luxury at that point. They'll get a rule 5 guy, then there's the draft. Suddenly the minors aren't looking so bad.

[smeags]

Gonna be fun checking the guys out that end up playing for Reading when the team visits Trenton.

[MDS]

eshelman was a 2nd round pick last year, but likely another alec asher type. just pure organizational depth. nothing more, nothing less. this is what you get as the 4th piece of a trade.

velasquez and fisher are legit prospects. oberholtzer is a solid, if unspectacular, ML pitcher. this is pretty good deal for both sides. all in all. even if all of these guys stink, its was most definitely worth it.

[ice grillin you]

trading a stud 25 year old closer = definitely worth it

trading jrue holiday michael carter williams and evan turner = a capital offense

[MDS]

the only trade i had beef with was mcw...the other 2 i supported, especially ET who is garbage on and off the court

but you know how different these sports are right? i know youre a hoops head nba junkie who increasingly doesnt care about anything that isnt on league pass, but come on.

[PhillyPhreak54]

Good call on the outrage on the MCW trade btw...he's tearing it up in Milwaukee.

You and Cataldi (and his ridiculous think of the children) reactions were spot on