Rhys Hoskins suffers torn ACL in Phillies’ spring game | ESPN

CLEARWATER, Fla.—Philadelphia Phillies first baseman Rhys Hoskins needs surgery for a torn ACL after injuring his left knee Thursday fielding a grounder in a spring training game and is expected to miss a significant amount of time.

The Phillies did not say when Hoskins would have the surgery or exactly how long the slugging first baseman might be sidelined.

Phillies Release Mark Appel

The Phillies announced today that right-hander Mark Appel has been released. He had been in camp on a minor league deal. They also reassigned left-hander Ben Bowden, right-hander Louis Head and catcher Max McDowell to minor league camp.

Appel, 31, had been having a rough showing this spring. In six appearances, he allowed six walks and ten hits, including three home runs. He did record five strikeouts, but the seven earned runs in 5 2/3 innings led to an ERA of 11.12.

The righty was looking continue a nice comeback story from last year. The first overall pick from the 2013 draft, taken by the Astros, Appel was a mainstay of top prospect lists for a few years. He was traded to the Phillies prior to the 2016 season in the deal that sent Ken Giles to Houston. Unfortunately, his results in the minors didn’t live up to his prospect pedigree, with elbow and shoulder injuries hampering his progress.

He walked away from the game after the 2017 season, candidly discussing his physical and mental struggles with Joon Lee of Bleacher Report at that time, admitting that he might be the worst draft bust in MLB history. “It depends on how you define it, but I probably am,” Appel said. “I had high expectations. I didn’t live up to those for a number of reasons. If you want to call me the biggest draft bust, you can call it that. … If I never get to the big leagues, will it be a disappointment? Yes and no. That was a goal and a dream I had at one point, but that’s with stipulations that I’m healthy, I’m happy and doing something I love. If I get to the big leagues, what’s so great about the big leagues if you’re in an isolated place, you’re hurt and you’re emotionally unhappy? How much is that worth to you?”

FIELD OF DREAD Six former Phillies died from the same brain cancer. We tested the Vet’s turf and found dangerous chemicals.

The rate of brain cancer among Phillies who played at the Vet between 1971 and 2003 is about three times the average rate among adult men.

After West’s death, at age 57, The Inquirer decided to test the Vet’s turf. Athletes had dreaded playing on the surface, which was notorious for causing serious knee and ankle injuries. Through eBay, the newspaper purchased four souvenir samples of the fake grass that had blanketed the stadium’s field from 1977 to 1981. The team gave away the green keepsakes to thousands of fans in 1982, in 4-by-4-inch sealed plastic bags labeled “Official Turf of Champions.”

Veterans Stadium’s Artifical Turf Had Cancerous PFAS, New Report Finds

Veterans Stadium, for all its grit and guts and glory, harbored a dark secret: chemicals in the artificial turf, the AstroTurf once proclaimed as a futuristic technological wonder, known to cause cancer and other deletrious effects. And not just any chemicals, but the “forever” chemicals called per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known collectively as PFAS, already infamous in the Philadelphia area and sparking scandal in communities around the country.

That’s according to a new investigative report from the Inquirer, run by reporters who purchased souvenir samples of the old Vet turf online and commissioned diagnostics through a local Eurofins Environmental Testing laboratory.

It’s the first study of its kind definitively linking PFAS to the Vet’s playing surface, which has already been under scrutiny and faded from style for a generation due to the number of joint injuries it caused players.

Six former Phillies who played at the Vet, which was the home of both the Phillies and the Eagles from 1971 to 2003, have all died from glioblastoma, a form of aggressive brain cancer. The names are so familiar to those of that broken golden age of Philadelphia baseball: Darren Daulton, David West, John Vukovich, John Oates, Ken Brett, and Tug McGraw.

Andrew Painter getting tests on elbow

They break your heart.

Phillies top prospect Andrew Painter was sent for tests on his right elbow after feeling some discomfort when he reported to camp on Thursday, one day after his impressive spring debut.

“Andrew Painter came in with a little tender elbow yesterday,” manager Rob Thomson said following Friday afternoon’s 6-3 loss to the Tigers at BayCare Ballpark. “So we don’t have any results, but we sent him out for some tests and we’ll have more information tomorrow on it.”

Noah Song set to report to Phillies after Navy service change

Right-hander Noah Song plans to report to Philadelphia Phillies spring-training camp Thursday in hopes of making the team’s Opening Day roster after he transferred his status with the Navy from active duty to selected reserves.

Song, 25, was taken by Philadelphia in December’s Rule 5 draft from the Boston Red Sox. He last pitched in 2019, when he posted a 1.06 ERA in 17 Low-A innings after the Red Sox drafted him in the fourth round out of the Naval Academy and signed him for $100,000.

Song was denied a waiver by the Department of Defense to forgo his military obligation and had served on active duty since. His move to the selected reserves, which calls for one weekend of service a month and two weeks a year, allows him to resume his baseball career.

To keep Song, the Phillies must place him on the active 26-man roster for the entire season—a difficult path with Philadelphia coming off a World Series appearance and boasting a deep bullpen. Song’s upside still was clear from his dominance in college and his short minor league career.

Phillies sign reliever Jose Alvarado to 3-year extension

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed left-handed reliever Jose Alvarado to a three-year contract extension, team president of baseball operations David Dombrowski announced Friday.

The deal links Alvarado to the Phillies through the 2025 season and includes a team option for 2026. According to multiple reports, Alvarado will make $9 million in both 2024 and 2025 while the 2026 option is also for $9 million or a $500,000 buyout.

Alvarado’s deal calls for a $100,000 bonus for winning World Series MVP or the Mariano Rivera/Trevor Hoffman reliever of the year award and $50,000 for finishing second or third for the reliever honor. He would get $50,000 for making the All-Star team, winning an MVP or winning a Gold Glove.

Phillies acquire Gregory Soto, Kody Clemens from Tigers

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired hard-throwing lefty reliever Gregory Soto and infielder Kody Clemens from the Detroit Tigers, the team announced Saturday.

In return, Detroit received infielder Nick Maton, outfielder Matt Vierling and catcher Donny Sands.

Soto, 27, was an All-Star the past two seasons, including 2022, when he went 2-11 for the fourth-place Tigers. Despite that record, he had a respectable 3.28 ERA, although his command has been an issue the past couple of seasons. He walked 34 batters in 60⅓ innings last season while producing a career-high 14.5% walk percentage in 2021.

Phillies predictions: Bryce Harper’s return, Aaron Nola’s contract

3. Andrew Painter will finish in the top three for National League Rookie of the Year
Painter, a right-handed starter, might open the season at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, because the Phillies will be monitoring his workload closely. But MLB Pipeline’s No. 24 prospect will be in the rotation at some point, and the prediction here is that he will live up to the hype.

Phillies, Craig Kimbrel agree to 1-year, $10 million deal, sources say

Free agent reliever Craig Kimbrel and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a one-year, $10 million contract, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan.

The 14-year veteran and eight-time All-Star had an up-and-down first year with the Los Angeles Dodgers last season.

Kimbrel posted a 3.75 ERA and a career-low 27.7% strikeout rate with the Dodgers.

Phillies rethink minor-league hitting program in hopes of producing more homegrown bats

Getting everyone on the same page sounds great but the execution of the plan is will be difficult.

“You can talk about the old adage: The hardest thing to do in sports is to hit major-league pitching,” Barber said. “As a scout, I believe the second-hardest thing is to try to identify players that will end up hitting. … (But) there are things that lead you to believe in a player’s (hitting) ability.

“Before, it was just, you hand it over to player development. And then they develop him from there, regardless of what you thought on the scouting end. I don’t believe those two things are mutually exclusive or independent of each other. They have to work together.”

Barber, since assuming control of the club’s drafts, has valued bigger tools and players with higher upside (and higher risk) than the previous regime. The Phillies have a philosophy for what they value in hitters, but Barber admitted, “I don’t know that it’s been fully implemented yet.” For now, they will lean on the standard buzzwords.

“We want guys to make consistent contact and hit the ball hard,” Murton said. “That is going to be the main thing. But it’s more, like, how do we get there? I think that’s where with Barber leading the draft, then me overseeing the development side of it, putting guys in positions to do that. Having them buy into what you’re trying to get them to do will hopefully get you to where you want to go.”

Contact will be a point of emphasis — not that it wasn’t before.

“You look at prospects throughout the game that end up not making it, I feel like a lot of times from a hitting perspective, they don’t make it because they don’t make enough contact,” Murton said. “Their physical ability is definitely present. But they just don’t have enough ability to find the bat on the ball.”

Stark: Can Phillies make their payroll puzzle workable after Trea Turner mega deal? - The Athletic

But agents and teams they’ve spoken with get no sense whatsoever that the Phillies are nervous about how their payroll puzzle will fit together — in the short term or the long term. So let’s ask again: Should they be?

I posed that question to a few bright minds in rival front offices. It was a fascinating exercise.

One general manager had no second thoughts. None. He’s a fan of watching teams in his sport go “all-in” to win when they think it’s their time. So he used the word “awesome” to describe this.

I asked another executive if he thought the Phillies’ payroll structure was workable over the next few years. He, too, shot down concerns.

“All payroll structures are workable,” he said — assuming the owner’s overriding goal in life is to win.

Matt Strahm bolts Red Sox, signs 2-year, $15M deal with Phillies

ormer Red Sox reliever Matt Strahm is reportedly heading to Philadelphia.

Strahm is closing in on a two-year, $15 million deal with the Phillies, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal and ESPN’s Jeff Passan. The move would be the latest in a series of free agent additions for Dave Dombrowski, who followed up his signing of Trea Turner (11 years, $300 million) with an agreement to sign starter Taijuan Walker (4 years, $72 million) on Tuesday afternoon.

Strahm pitched pretty well in his only season in Boston. He logged a 3.83 ERA and 3.72 FIP in 44 ⅔ innings and was effective against both lefties (.229 average, .688 OPS) and righties (.221 average, .654 OPS).

Sources: Phillies, RHP Taijuan Walker reach 4-year, $72M deal

The Philadelphia Phillies and right-handed pitcher Taijuan Walker have reached agreement on a four-year, $72 million contract, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Tuesday.

A day after reaching a blockbuster deal with shortstop Trea Turner, the Phillies add to their rotation with one of the top pitcher left on the free agent market.

Walker joins Philadelphia after one of the strongest seasons of his career in 2022, when he started 29 games for the New York Mets and posted a 3.49 ERA, 2.6 bWAR and a 1.19 WHIP in 157 innings pitched, striking out 132 batters while walking 45.

Phillies, Trea Turner agree to 11-year deal (source)

The Phillies got their star shortstop, agreeing to an 11-year, $300 million deal with Trea Turner on Monday, a source told MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand. The team has not confirmed the deal, which per Feinsand includes a full no-trade clause.

Phillies’ Bryce Harper set for elbow surgery; 2023 timeline unclear

Philadelphia Phillies star Bryce Harper will undergo surgery on the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow next week, team president Dave Dombrowski told reporters Wednesday, though it was not immediately clear how long the recovery timeline will be.

Harper is set for surgery Nov. 23 for a tear to the UCL that he initially suffered in April. The injury prevented him from playing in the field the rest of the season. The 30-year-old received a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right elbow in May and shifted to the designated hitter role.

It was not yet known whether Harper will undergo Tommy John surgery, Dombrowski said.

“We have no prognosis, really, until [the surgeon] goes into the elbow and takes a look at it,” Dombrowski said. “We’ll have something at that time with the surgery and the anticipation something will happen. I think it will slow him down for the season. We’ll know more next week.”

2022 World Series- How Dusty Baker’s Astros beat the Phillies

The Astros and Chicago Cubs were in agreement on a trade to send star catcher Willson Contreras to the Astros for starter Jose Urquidy, four sources familiar with the deal told ESPN. The straight-up trade was agreed upon, pending owner approval. That approval never came.

During the 2022 season, as the Astros churned toward a regular-season win total one shy of their franchise record, relationships outside the clubhouse soured, according to sources. Owner Jim Crane, who paid a record $5 million fine levied by commissioner Rob Manfred for the cheating scandal, took a more hands-on role in baseball operations. New voices, such as Astros Hall of Fame first baseman Jeff Bagwell, grew in prominence. And when Click tried to execute the trade for Contreras—a pending free agent who is not regarded as a good defensive catcher but would’ve ably filled the hole at designated hitter that plagued the Astros during the postseason—another prominent name let his opposition be known: Dusty Baker.

“Much as I like Willson Contreras, Urquidy was one of our best pitchers then,” Baker said. “I needed a guy that wasn’t going to complain about not playing every day. And this is his [free agent] year. See, that’s tough. When you trade for a player in his [free agent] year. Everybody’s about numbers and stuff, and I can’t blame them, no doubt. But that’s not what we needed.”

In the best organizations, the general manager’s and manager’s aspirations cohere. Both Click’s and Baker’s contracts are now expired, and the 2022 season illustrated how lame-duck status for both simultaneously can influence something as seminal as player acquisition. Dealing Urquidy, a 27-year-old right-hander with three years of team control until he reaches free agency, made sense to the Astros’ front office, particularly with the team’s starting pitching depth. Crane—who when asked for comment walked into the clubhouse that was closed off to reporters—disagreed and spiked the deal, only furthering widespread concerns among front-office members that despite maintaining the Astros’ success, Click’s return is no given. Click declined comment.

Bomb threats and prank calls: ‘All hell broke loose’ for Philadelphia restaurants in World Series food fiasco

It’s not often that the citizens of Philly are the victims of pro sports-related abuse, rather than the perps.

Mike’s BBQ and Angelo’s Pizza, two popular South Philly businesses that often provide food to the city’s professional teams, even engaged in social media posts joking about not accommodating the opposing team.

Danny DiGiampietro, the owner of Angelo’s Pizzeria on 9th Street, told The Post that Houston fans have been prank-calling his eatery nonstop — with some hecklers even tracking down his license plate and his home address to share online.

On Tuesday, an individual claiming to be a cousin of an Angelo’s staffer tweeted that Astros fans “threatening to bomb his store.” They explained the pizzeria closed at 7 p.m. and did not want to make food during the game.

However, there is more to the story.

Javier, bullpen combine on no-hitter as Astros tie Series

Looking forward to hearing all the hot takes tomorrow about the Astros having momentum.

Earl Weaver had it right.

Rob Thomson & Framber Valdez discuss Twitter “sticky stuff” rumors.

Rob Thomson & Framber Valdez discuss Twitter "sticky stuff" rumors. pic.twitter.com/uNUK9Fpt0P

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 30, 2022

Astros win World Series Game 2 2022

“It was almost a mathematical must, actually,” said manager Dusty Baker, “because it’s tough when you lose the first two games at home.”

Can this World Series match the madness of the 1980 Phillies-Astros NLCS?

“That to me, it was probably one of the greatest playoffs ever,” then-Phillies shortstop Larry Bowa said recently on MLB Network….

Then came Game 4—one of the weirdest and wildest contests in postseason history.

There were five double plays turned—four started by an outfielder. There was a sacrifice fly that was then taken off the board when the Phillies appealed that the Astros’ Luis Pujols had left third base early. A fourth-inning triple play was even changed into a double play following a 20-minute argument among the umpires that led to both teams protesting the game.

Despite it all, when Philadelphia came up to hit in the eighth inning, the Astros held a 2-0 lead and were just six outs away from the World Series. The Phillies then scored three runs in the inning on four straight singles and, naturally, a sacrifice fly double play from Manny Trillo to take the lead, 3-2.

After Puhl hit an RBI single to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, fans were treated to more free baseball.

With two outs and Pete Rose on first in the top of the 10th, Luzinski doubled off the wall and Rose raced around third base, ignoring the stop sign, and collided with catcher Bruce Bochy at home to take the lead, 4-3.

“What I saw when I came around third was the catcher fighting with the throw,” Rose said at the time. “The throw wasn’t a good one. It would have been hard for anybody to handle it. So I went in any way I could.”

“He keeps saying that was the first time he ever missed that and ran through a sign,” Luzinski said on Wednesday, incredulous about Rose and his baseball instincts. “I said to him, ‘Well, it was a good time to do it!’ It was a game-winner.”

The Astros and the Phillies in a Big Series? We’ve Seen This Before.

The 1980 N.L.C.S. between Houston and Philadelphia has endured as one of the greatest postseason series in history. This year’s World Series has big shoes to fill.

On The Whole Dombrowski Situation

I know that last part because, well, Dombrowski is in Philadelphia now. But I also know that last part because that’s the exact road he’s continued down since taking over the Phillies. In his three years since taking over the team, Dombrowski has given out the following contracts:

Kyle Gibson (34 years old when he signed): 3 years, $28 million

Kyle Schwarber (29): four years, $79 million

Zack Wheeler (30): 5 years, $118 million

Nick Castellanos (30): 5 years, $100 million

JT Realmuto (30): 5 years, $115 million

Noah Syndergaard (30): 1 years, $21 million

That’s five contracts of three years or more, all for players in their 30s. That’s about $450 million in total dollars. That’s in just three years….

Right now the Phillies are riding high, and good for them. They’re in their ‘2018 Red Sox’ phase. Everything came together. Most of their big money signings have been good and healthy. They’re winning playoff games, and Phillies fans are climbing up flag poles in Center City and screaming swear words. Things are good.

Next year they’re going to have a $180 million payroll before they pay any of their non-guaranteed and non-arbitration players, and before they add anyone in free agency. Oh, and their farm system was ranked 24th by Baseball Prospectus this past season. Next year their team will be older and more expensive than it was this year, and that’ll likely be true again in 2024. At a certain point you damn the torpedoes and keep signing progressively more expensive free agents, or you pay the piper.

We in Boston have seen this before. It’s fun now, sure, but nothing is ever free.

Phillies win NLCS 2022

Congrats to Phillies fans! What a HUGE homer by Harper! The 9th-inning Padres bunt, however, was not prudent.