Geoff Jenkins released, Phillies pursuing Sheffield?

In an effort to make room for Matt Stairs, or to possibly acquire another right handed bat, the Phillies have released outfielder Geoff Jenkins. Jenkins spent one year with the Phils and hit .246 with 9 homers. He was signed last offseason with the thought that he would be a solid platoon partner with Jayson Werth in right but he never really got his bat going. Jenkins will likely be picked up by another team and should have no regrets about his one championship season in Philly.

Releasing Jenkins forces the Phils to eat his 8 million dollar salary. Any team that picks him up would only have to pay him the veteran minimum, which would reduce how much the Phillies have to pay Jenkins. Obviously, the Phils couldn't find any team willing to take on Jenkins' large salary and that is why they were forced to release him.

This move opens up a roster spot for Matt Stairs, who previously looked like the odd man out. Of course, the Phillies could also go out and get another right handed bat to add to the mix and that would force them to drop Stairs. Todd Zolecki of the Zo Zone even discusses the possibility of the Phils adding recently released Gary Sheffield to the roster since he is in the same boat as Jenkins and could be signed to a cheap contract. I'm not sure Sheffield can really play in the field anymore, but if he is willing to be more of a pinch hitter and not a clubhouse cancer, I see now reason why the Phillies wouldn't try to sign him.

Good luck, Geoff Jenkins. Thanks for everything you did, no matter how small, to help the Phillies win the title!

Update: According to Zolecki, the Phillies have been in contact with Sheffield's agent. Things are about to get interesting!

Phillies acquire lefty Jack Taschner for Ronny Paulino, roster looks to be taking shape

Well, that didn't take long! Two days after the Phillies announced that they were looking to trade catcher Ronny Paulino, they found a taker: the San Francisco Giants acquired Paulino from the Phils for lefty reliever Jack Taschner. The trade of Paulino officially makes Chris Coste the backup catcher for this season, or until Lou Marson is ready. The acquisition of Taschner will have a domino affect on the final Opening Day roster spots and also tells us who will win the 5th starter spot.

Taschner, 31, will be the Phillies second lefty option out of the pen after Scott Eyre. Taschner lost his spot in the Giants bullpen seemingly the moment they brought in Jeremy Affeldt in the offseason, so he became expendable. He hasn't put up great numbers in the past, including a career ERA over 5, so I wouldn't expect him to start mowing hitters down now. He is likely expected to hold down his spot for about 50 games, or until J.C. Romero is back from suspension.

This trade gives the Phillies 12 pitching spots for their Opening Day roster and it likely means that J.A. Happ has won the 5th starter spot and Chan Ho Park will start the season in the bullpen. If Happ was going to be starting the year in the bullpen, the Phils would have no reason to go out and get another lefty.

This move also means that the Phillies will have one less bat for their bench, meaning either Matt Stairs or Miguel Cairo has to go. The smart money right now would be on Cairo winning the spot because the Phillies need another right handed bat, but it's still tough seeing Stairs getting cut. The Phils could always trade Geoff Jenkins and keep Stairs around, although I doubt anyone would want to take on Jenkins' salary.

Ronny Paulino was acquired from the Pirates in the offseason for catcher Jason Jaramillo, so this trade essentially works out as Jaramillo for Taschner. While Taschner is nothing special, he will fill a specific role that the Phillies really needed.

In all, a nice move by GM Ruben Amaro but nothing to get too excited about.

Victorino, Stairs give Phillies commanding 3-1 series lead

(AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

The Phillies are one win away from the World Series. For most of Game 4 it didn't seem like that would be the case.

After jumping out to an early lead in Game 4, the Dodgers chipped away until the Phillies found themselves trailing 5-3 entering the top of the 8th. The game then quickly turned in the Phillies favor as they hit a pair a 2-run homers, one by Shane Victorino and the other by Matt Stairs, to give themselves a 7-5 lead, which the bullpen held onto to give the Phillies a huge 3-1 series lead.

The two heroes of Game 4, Victorino and Stairs, couldn't be more opposite. Victorino, an everyday player, is a little guy who has come up big for the Phillies again and again in the playoffs as his 11 RBIs attest to. Victorino has been far and away the Phillies MVP so far in the playoffs. The 40 years old Stairs, a bench player, is a huge slugger who stepped to the plate for only the 3rd time of the entire playoffs and absolutely crushed a Jonathan Broxton pitch deep into the Los Angeles night. Credit Pat Gillick with having the foresight to pick up a hitter like Stairs near the August 31st trade deadline. He guessed correctly that the Phils would need a big left-handed bat at some point in the playoffs.

Credit for the win should also be given to the Phils bullpen who recovered after Chad Durbin gave up a pair of runs to shut the Dodgers down in the 7th, 8th and 9th innings. This bullpen is unbeatable with a lead and it's so comforting to know that if the team has a lead near the end of the game, they will win every time. It's definitely a different feeling then we are used to having in recent Phillies history and even going all the way back to the last time they made the World Series when Mitch "Wild Thing" Williams was in the closer role.

The Phillies now have a huge, but not insurmountable, 3-1 series lead. They are in a great position considering they have their best pitcher, Cole Hamels, taking the mound on Wednesday night in Los Angeles with a trip to the World Series on the line. Should Hamels falter, the Phillies would then still have two more opportunities to clinch the series back in Philly.

Of course, sometimes the 4th win in a series is the most difficult one to get. With the way this Phillies team is playing with a new hero stepping up every night, it seems like nothing can slow them down.

Phillies acquire Matt Stairs

With the waiver deadline looming on August 31st, the Phillies have been searching for one more bat off the bench, and they have finally acquired one. Left-handed hitter Matt Stairs was recently designated for assignment by the Toronto Blue Jays, and now the Phillies have acquired him for a prospect. As of now, the identity of that prospect is unknown, but it won't be a top-end guy.

Stairs is 40 years old, but he still has some pop in his bat. With Geoff Jenkins out for a little while longer, Stairs will bring a lefty bat to the bench and could fill in at the corner outfield positions if necessary. He's also under contract for next season at 1 million dollars, but I can't see him being a Phillie for an entire season when he doesn't really play any position well. He's meant to be a DH.

Good move by the Phillies. He's a typical Phillies power hitter: he won't get a ton of hits, but when he makes contact it's got a good chance of going out of the park.