Jays interested in Brandon Phillips?

[youngLion]

http://tsn.ca/mlb/story/?id=298605

According to a Jeff Blair report in the Globe and Mail, the Reds, who look to be interested in cutting down their salary, could be shopping second baseman Brandon Phillips.

If that were the case, Blair says that the Blue Jays would have interest in Phillips, who they would move to third base, as Silver Slugger Aaron Hill is entrenched at second.

Thoughts? It obviously depends on who the Jays would be giving up, but Phillips' combination of speed and power is certainly appealing.

[Raptors9]

I would be glad if we had Brandon Phillips on our team

[zilby]

i would like him, encarnacion for phillips

i think hes gonna be played at short though if he comes here since we are likely letting scut leave.

[Holmes]

Is this Blair's opinion that the Jays have interest based on his semi six degrees of separation idea with Phillips, LaCava, Expos, Indians, and Anthopoulos?

Or that he actually knows the Jays have interest?

[youngLion]

i would like him, encarnacion for phillips

i think hes gonna be played at short though if he comes here since we are likely letting scut leave.

Dude I don't mean to sound too harsh, but honestly you have to think these things through a little more sometimes. You do realize that the Reds traded Encarnation here for Rolen a couple of months ago right? So they've already got a thirdbaseman, and they're trying to shed salary so there's no way they'd take Edwin's salary back even if they did have a need at his position. Try a little harder before you throw out a random proposal.

[zilby]

YL i know they wouldnt do that, i was joking, hence the : D

but we could trade someone who we may not have use for later, like bautista and a prospect?

[Modern_epic]

YL i know they wouldnt do that, i was joking, hence the : D

but we could trade someone who we may not have use for later, like bautista and a prospect?

Sure, except without Bautista. a) he's not under contract and a good candidate to be non-tendered, and b) I can't see why the reds would want him when they are looking to cut costs.

[zilby]

^ maybe, but if we get phillips scooter is gone, we get compensation picks and a good new infielder who is fast yet can hit for power.

[Modern_epic]

I don't have anything against Phillips, depending on price and our payroll. I'm simply pointing out that Bautista has no value.

Phillips doesn't solve our two big problems - SS or C - though. But assuming Overbay is gone, some shuffling could mean he fills the other main hole of ours.

[Schad]

^ maybe, but if we get phillips scooter is gone, we get compensation picks and a good new infielder who is fast yet can hit for power.

Scutaro is likely gone regardless of what happens with Phillips...as he has played 19 innings as a shortstop in his career, their situations are entirely independent.

And yes, he does have power and speed. But his three-year OPS+ is 100, making him perfectly average in the NL over that span, whereas his contract -- his 2012 season goes from a team option to a mutual option if he's traded, and you can be pretty sure he'll stick it out -- sees him owed $29.75m over three years.

I'd be iffy about signing him for that amount, but either additionally trading one of our rare prospects or taking back even more salary (probably Cincy's preferred option) pushes him far off my wish list.

[Modern_epic]

Oh, hey, I had no idea about that option. In that case, just no. Keeping him at second I would pay that, but it's not worth it at third.

[zilby]

phillips can play SS though. or if overbay is gone, we can make some shuffling.

(prays for edwin to leave and chone figgins comes in )

[Schad]

phillips can play SS though. or if overbay is gone, we can make some shuffling.

(prays for edwin to leave and chone figgins comes in )

Shortstop isn't really the sort of position where you can go four or five years between reps and still be good at it. Phillips hasn't played the position for any appreciable amount of time since 2005. Back then, Miguel Batista was our closer, John Olerud was still in the league, and Warren Harding was the American president. I think.

[zilby]

phillips can play SS though. or if overbay is gone, we can make some shuffling.

(prays for edwin to leave and chone figgins comes in )

Shortstop isn't really the sort of position where you can go four or five years between reps and still be good at it. Phillips hasn't played the position for any appreciable amount of time since 2005. Back then, Miguel Batista was our closer, John Olerud was still in the league, and Warren Harding was the American president. I think.

i may be mistaken schad, but i think phillips played a bit of short this year before baker put him back at second.

[Modern_epic]

You are mistaken. He played one game there in 2007, three in 2006, and one in 2005. That is it for his major league career. Brandon Phillips is not a SS.

[Schad]

You are mistaken. He played one game there in 2007, three in 2006, and one in 2005. That is it for his major league career. Brandon Phillips is not a SS.

And three of those five games were essentially emergency replacements; he only has two starts in four years, and he has managed two errors on ten attempts at the position in his career.

[zilby]

ok never mind.

if we get him how can we start him when hill is at 2B? unless hill goes back to short, which i dont see happening, it wont make sense.

[Schad]

ok never mind.

if we get him how can we start him when hill is at 2B? unless hill goes back to short, which i dont see happening, it wont make sense.

He'd be moved to 3B, where his defense would suffer (though he'd still probably be average to above-average once he got the position down) and his bat wouldn't be that much of an upgrade. So, yeah, it doesn't make any sense.

[Morris_Shatford]

Wasn't Hill originally a third baseman?

[Schad]

Wasn't Hill originally a third baseman?

Shortstop.