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Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com reports the Phillies have acquired RHP Brad Lidge and IF Eric Bruntlett from the Astros in exchange for OF Michael Bourn, RHP Geoff Geary and minor league 3B Mike Costanzo.
Lidge was 5-3 with 19 saves and a 3.36 ERA in 66 appearances for the Astros in 2007.
…well, if the Phillies get the lidge of 2004 - 2005, they certainly upgraded…regardless the move may allow them to move Brett Myers back into the rotation next season…
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Oh no, the Phillies got Lidge…
though he has some nasty stuff, lidge is a head case. a couple of cheap, late-inning homers in the philly bandbox will land him in dr melfis office. im glad they traded bourn- this will be a major loss if they fail to resign rowand.
True he is a head case, but he won’t be closing. I’m assuming Myers will still close and Lidge will set up. This could be a nasty combo if Lidge straightens out his head.
No, Phillies are making Myers their number 2. Probably did this because they missed Schilling and theres not much left out there better than Myers as far as starters go.
The Phillies traded pretty much nothing for Lidge, Bourn is nothing special, Geary is an average middle releiver and Costanzo who knows. Why couldn’t the Mets put a deal like this together, I don’t get it? We could have easily put a similar package together and still not hurt our team or farm system. Omar was sleeping on this one. Plus Wagner has been campaigning to bring Lidge to the Mets since he got here.
hey, i got it. let’s trade for albert pujols.
The Phillies just did exactly what the Mets needed to do. Change of scenery could make a Lidge-Myers combo absolutely scary late in games.
gordon, lidge, six finger mcgee, madson will be back. it sounds more like myers is going back to the rotation
This is the move the Mets needed to make. They need to get their heads out of Arod’s you know what, and focus on the holes on this team: their pitching and bullpen. Man, with Myers/Lidge in the bullpen or Myers back in the rotation, the Phillies just became the team to beat by a longshot. The Mets aren’t even close to as good as the Phillies right now.
FYI..ESPN/AP is reporting that Myers is back in the rotation. I am very, very scared.
This may not be a bad thing. This guy is a white Amando Benitez… high 90s heat, 0 confidence. I’m sure he’ll do well in Philly.
Really no. Lidge’s slider is about 100x better than any secondary pitch Benitez ever had, plus he’s not afraid to throw it. A change of scenery will do him well. Plus…it’s not like he’s exactly coming from a pitcher’s park..Minute Maid is a bandbox too.
Minute Maid is pretty neutral actually. There is a common misconception that it is a bandobx because of the short porch in left, but the gaps are actually very big.
If I’m not mistaken, it played like a bandbox it’s first season, but that was mostly because the Astros had a bunch of overrated pitchers who looked great in the cavernous Astrodome who found out they couldn’t pitch worth a darn in a smaller stadium (cough cough Jose Lima), and the Astros hitters teed off once they got to a place where they could show off their power. Since that first season it has regressed toward the league norm for neutral stadiums, as the ‘Stros have gotten pitchers who can pitch there.
As for how it affects Lidge, I don’t think he’ll have a total meltdown in Philly (like Gagne in Boston), but I also don’t think he’s gonna turn back into the pitcher everyone thought he was gonna be when the ‘Stros got rid of Wagner and Dotel to let him close. Ever since that homer to Pujols, he’s been an average closer at best, and moving to the best hitter’s park in baseball isn’t gonna help matters. I think Wagner’s still gonna have a better year than Lidge, and don’t think he’s worth giving up one of our best prospects and an 11-game winning pitcher for.
Excellent move by the Phillies. I didn’t think they gave up a lot for him.
Awesome. They went out and got a guy who chokes in big spots, and put him in the pressure-cooker of a city known as Philly. I’m going with one blown game before he’s their punching bag.
Heh heh, they’ll be ready to run him out of town after the first homestand. Lidge will give up 3 HRs in April!
We have a closer who chokes in big spots and gets back spasms in those spots as well.
get a clue, falcon4e
Oh, I forgot. Sorry. PedroMania. I’ll revert to being a Met shill.
Wagner is the best closer in the game. He always comes up big in big spots.
name one closer who ALWAYS comes up big in big spots? And remember, Mariano blew GAME 7 of the World Series one year, so you can’t name him. Every closer blows games. Wagner is better than 95% of closers out there, including Lidge. Deal with it.
Geoff Geary might be the ugliest player in baseball. I think Placido Polanco is the only guy who can give him a run for his money.
aaron harang?
Ezequiel Astacio
Vicente Padilla
Are you guys kidding? It’s David Weathers by a mile.
my vote goes to mota
I know he’s technically not in baseball right now, but Ricky Ledee is up there as well.
wow im scared of lidge!!(sarcasm), ill take my chances with heilman for that. I’d rather wait and let omar make a smart move like get chad cordero from washington.
I RATHER TAKE LIDGE OVER CHAD CORDERO ANY DAY OF THE WEEK.
you kidding right?
I think this helps the Phillies. But Philly is a place where a guy like Lidge could either flurish or flame out. If he gets off to a bad start, and the fans get on him good, it could be a long season for Lidge.
Lidge does have overpowing stuff though. (But, then again, so does Mota.) This move does scare mem but it does put pressure on Omar and the Mets to respond.
You read the Phillies’ fans’ reactions to the trade by trolling:
http://www.beerleaguer.com/beerleaguer/2007/11/gillick-confirm.html#comments
This is not good! Lidge can be dominant. He was one of the most dominant closers in baseball for a few years and can be lights out for Philly. I hope Omar at least looked into getting him and also hope he didnt pass because his name is Brad Lidge and not Cordero. Lidge as a set-up man for Wagner would have been great but oh well and I hope Omar has something better up his sleeves for the Mets
I only remember him being dominant 1 year as a closer and then Pujols snapped him out of that.
I thought he was actually more dominant as a set up man for Wagner and then Dotel.
You guys are a riot! OMG Brad -friggin - Lidge !!! That’s it ! GameOver ! The Phils just walked off with the NL East ! I’m not sure if the Mets should even show up in ‘08…
If Omar had dealt for him with anything remotely substantive, you same guys would be calling for his head.
A psychologically-challenged pitcher who had one good (almost) year, and it wasn’t even last year. Houston ships him for little more than a bucket of balls, and you all think Philly just got Mariano Rivera in his prime…come in off the ledge(Lidge?) boys…
Great move by Phils BTW…improves them in two spots (rotation and closer), makes them at least a couple of games better in 08.
This move might not be too good for us.
This season is over before it’s even begun.
im not thrilled at this news either but you guys are being sarcastic right?
I’m not. The window of 2006-22007 has closed and the Mets blew it. Eventually, the opposition catches up with you.
Right now, the Phillies are a demonstrably better baseball team than the Mets. They have the better starting pitching, the better bullpen, the better lineup, the better manager, and the better attitude and work ethic. There is literally not a single thing the Mets do better than the Phillies.
In addition, the Braves are a demonstrably better baseball team than the Mets. They have the better starting pitching, the better bullpen, the better lineup, the better manager, and the better attitude and work ethic as well, although at the moment the Phillies are the slightly stronger team.
Omar needs to make substantial changes and improvements to the makeup of this “team.” But how? The guys he needs aren’t available, he doesn’t have the pieces he needs to make the trades that need to be made, and he’s stuck with dead weight that can’t be gotten rid of. He will end up sleeping in the bed he made - we all will. The Mets are a poorly constructed baseball team with a moron for a manager and no heart or guts.
LET’S GO METS!!!! I’M FEELIN’ THE MAGIC!!!
wow. So glad we have you on board.
last April, wouldn’t just about everyone have said that the Mets were a demonstrably better team than the Phillies? Better lineup, better bullpen, better rotation, better bench, better manager? Hell, last August people were saying that.
How about we let the offseason play out, then spring training, and then the regular season before we start handing the division to the Phils and the Braves.
Fair points all, but note that you did not even begin to argue with me about whether the Phillies and Braves have better starting pitching, better bullpens, the better lineups, the better managers, and the better attitudes and work ethics than the frauds currently wearing Mets uniforms.
Look, prior to the start of the ‘07 season, I would have told you that the Mets were flawed, and I would have told you that I was disappointed with the offseason, but I also would have told you that regardless of my disapproval of the offseason, that the Mets were still miles ahead of Philly and Atlanta.
By the first week of June, however, it was clear to me that any edge in talent the Mets may still have held over those teams was negligible, and that the Mets had lost their edge. I was the canary in the coal mine who said that they would blow it. And I was right.
I’m right now too. The Phillies will be competing for a division title this year with the Braves - not with the Mets. Say whatever you like. I’m right.
Their rotation just got a lot better, but they’re going to need everyone to throw a complete game every time out. Lidge? really? We’re scared of Brad Lidge pitching in CBP now?
I’m actually much more scared of Hamels/Myers than I am of Lidge. Lidge just gives them an opportunity to best utilize their players.
Great move by the Phillies. They have filled two needs with one trade. Their starting rotation just got substantially better.
Yup. They pretty much just added the best SP any team will add this offseason (assuming Santana isn’t moved).
So let me get this straight, we’re all terrified of Myers with his 4.34 Career ERA moving back into the rotation? What am I missing here?
Thank you. Myers has great closer’s stuff, but got exposed often as a starter. Frankly, I think this may really come back to bite the Phils in the keester. Wouldn’t be surprised to see Myers back as closer by mid-season, kind of like what happened with Papelbon a couple of years ago.
Um…not really sure why you’re judging a player based on a few high ERA’s when he was way too young to be pitching in the majors. But I’m awfully scared of the Brett Myers who won 13 games, struck out 208 with a 3.72 ERA as a 24 year old, and who won 12 games, struck out 189 in less innnings with a 3.91 ERA as a 25 year old. There’s no reason not to believe that this will be his breakout year as a starter. It is, afterall, his 27 year old season.
I’ll reserve most judgment..but I see this as yes a move in scenery for Lidge..but its not like hes going to Milwaukee or something..hes going to Philly!!! Thats not a great move for a pitcher.
I think the bigger story is giving up Bourn when they don’t know whats up w/ Rowand..I hope Rowand leaves
And that sound you hear is the Mets window slamming shut….boy, our chokers blew it big time.
I think the Mets just gained 3-4 games in the standings by the Phillies acquiring this headcase closer! Awesome!
You’re right..the Phillies should have acquired Arod to play SS and traded Jimmy Rollins for Joe Blanton. That would have been much worse for us.
Some of you guys are freakin out of your heads. This is trade the Mets needed to make. It’s a great move by the Phillies. Omar fell asleep at the switch on this one.
metsrbest..I could see you saying that if they got a CONSISTENT closer out of this..
Again, as I said earlier i’m not gonna say great or bad trade cause it needs to pan out..but how was this something we needed to do? We have enough people on our team who can’t be consistent, why add another? I could see if they were going to keep him in a setup role, but as a closer in CBP, I just need to see him consistently do well.
Honestly, tell me if this was the Mets making this trade that we would all be happy as pigs in $hit? NO!
I’ll weigh in on this one in july or so…