Oct 09
With the Yankees and Phillies out of the Playoffs and World Series subsequently, baseball is a lot more enjoyable to watch.
I know this is a Blog about the Mets but since the Braves had an historic collapse and the Phillies lost in the first round I can’t help to think what these teams will be like next year.
So today’s question is all about the N.L. East: Will the Phillies and Braves be just as competitive in 2012?
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10 comments
rustyjr
10/9/2011-1:33pm at 1:33 pm (UTC -4)
I can not see why neither teams will be competitive. They bothhave very good pitching staffs and line ups with pop. The Phillies need to shore up their bullpen while the Braves may seek a offensive upgrade
TRS86
10/9/2011-1:58pm at 1:58 pm (UTC -4)
Phillies could have some issues if Oswalt leaves and Worley has a regression as expected. They really need some offensI’ve help as well. That being said they won 100+ so even if they regress…
Anonymous
10/9/2011-4:10pm at 4:10 pm (UTC -4)
they will both be competitive. Braves, who knows what they do (could swing either way). But I don’t see the Phils coming close to 100 wins again.
And that is not just because I thnik the phils will be worse (though I do). But also because the NL east is getting Better (mets and Nats mostly. though the fish could hardly be worse!)
If the phils take a hit to the rotation at all (the top three threw a combined 680 innings in the regular season), all bets are off. That pretty much carried them. And Hamels is having 2 surgeries in the off season (hernia and elbow).
Will be very interesting to see what they do. the phils are somewhat at a cross roads. They already doubled down on the ‘core”, so do the quadruple down (bring back Rollins, and maybe oswalt) or do an on the fly retool (call up that AAA SS they have, and look for another SP).
same decision in the pen. lock up a closer for 10mill +, or roll the dice with a new young guy?
what there budget is will have an impact. not sure they will keep it at (and potentially over) the luxury tax again.
If I was the Phils GM, the first question I would ask when making the call is how long I think Lee and Halladay can keep throwing 220+ innings at that level? They are here together for at least 3 more years, so if they can stay at the top that long, plenty of time to retool this year and build for another sustained run (though they will never find an Utley and Howard in their prime together again like that!)
Anonymous
10/10/2011-4:03am at 4:03 am (UTC -4)
You hate the Phillies with a passion so you’re making an
objective call on what moves their GM should pursue? I don’t think so.
Anonymous
10/10/2011-11:09am at 11:09 am (UTC -4)
Hey, I didn’t make the call. I just pointed out what the question is that I would ask!
MetsFan4Decades
10/9/2011-6:02pm at 6:02 pm (UTC -4)
Well, define ‘competitive’……
Way too early to predict, IMO – ask again in April. Philly might still be favored to win the division but the gap between what was the ‘dominant’ Phillies and the rest of the NL East has narrowed.
2008 – WS winners
2009 – WS losers
2010 – NLCS losers
2011 – NLDS losers
See a pattern? Oct 20ll Phillies just ain’t your 2008 Phillies.
Losing Howard for start of season if not way longer isn’t going to help their cause either. They do have around 40 MIL coming off the books and Amaro has been known to spend. Just have no idea what they might be spending it on right now.
Braves I believe will certainly be in the mix. Assuming everyone is back and healthy (Jurrjens, Hanson, Moylan, etc.) and Heyward has a better year, and Chipper doesn’t fall apart and Freeman doesn’t have a sophomore slump, they could be in better shape than the Phils.
Anonymous
10/9/2011-7:11pm at 7:11 pm (UTC -4)
I would expect both teams to compete and that’s without even factoring what they both may do to improve during the off season. Regarding the Phils, one thought I’ve had is Howard’s 32 year old ankle could spell the beginning of the end for him, which would be a positive competition wise. Then if they know it’s bad enough to begin with could the Phils then pursue Pujols? Which would be a horrible development competition wise. The Phils line up has started looking really old but they can ride that starting pitching and a marginal improvement in their “O” can easily still have them as the top of the league. The Braves, don’t know how their youngsters will react coming off their collapse and how they address their rotation coming off injuries and rotating Lowe out. Expect them both to be good, but how good will depend on their FA moves.
MetsFan4Decades
10/9/2011-7:42pm at 7:42 pm (UTC -4)
If the Phils pursued Pujols, what would they do with Howard – if we’re thinking he does return in 1/2 to 1 year? They’re on the hook for 25 MIL per year for him for the next 5 years. He’s got to play somewhere. I have to believe there is no way Pujols signs with the Phillies if that offer includes moving him over to say…3rd base.
Anonymous
10/9/2011-8:28pm at 8:28 pm (UTC -4)
The thinking behind my thinking was that if they know Howard is toast next year at 32 for the year then the year after he’d be 33 coming off the injury and who know’s what he’d be. They’d need to weigh that against their aging aces as a core strength and where their window is going to close. If they think they only have a 2 year window with Halladay and Lee still remaining at a peak and Howard not being himself or available at all over that stretch than why not go all in and go after Pujols while you still have your aces. In anyway you cut it they have to pay Howard anyway even if he’s not going to be on the field, one way to lessen that sting would be to plug in Pujols and try to win it all the next 2 years while your aces are still aces. Whatever happens with Howard when he comes back would be a who cares if he’s out all next year if they win it all. Where they’d play him they could figure that out after the fact if they have Pujols and a WS title in the bank. If it looks like Howard will be back mid year than I agree they wouldn’t pursue a Pujols option. But if the know he’s out for the year they’re going to need to make up his production so why not go for the best player available when you have dollars coming off the books next year.
Anonymous
10/10/2011-4:14am at 4:14 am (UTC -4)
Generally speaking the Phillies will find it difficult to win 100+ games next year if the only reason is it’s incredibly difficult to win 100 games in a season. However I still expect them to be the class of the division.
The Braves have that fine young pitching staff and that will keep them competitive.
The Nationals have some fine young talent major league ready and should improve.
The Marlins will be able to increase their payroll with the new ballpark and they still have some fine young talent. So they could improve somewhat.
The Mets pitching still scares me and if it doesn’t improve they could be the caboose of the division.