northeastphillyguy
Well-Known Member
Pitching is the most difficult area to improve. We took a shot with Harang and it did not work.i spent a year or so straight up bitching about how they need to rebuild and play the younger players. i've bitched about contracts like howard, not trading lee when the time was right, etc. i bitched when they just handed over domingo santana as a PTBL. every organization does stupid and smart shit. but you don't waste time hanging on every tiny flaw. the only big, huge, painful mistake was hanging on to the vets for another run. they realized the screwup and smartly traded hamels and they are on their way.
byrd easily could have done nothing, which is why i mentioned him. he turns 38 in a few weeks. point being, they signed him to a cheap/small deal, something they need to keep doing while they rebuild. why? because it's common sense that if they play well, you can obviously flip them for a young prospect. if they don't, they're just cheap deals for the time being.
why would you ever want the alternative of them just sitting on money?? byrd worked, harang didn't. regardless, it's not setting the team back in any way or holding back others.
I do not have a problem with the bitching whenever he implodes and causes the Phillies to lose. But the reality is that other teams are adding retread pitchers all the time. Sometimes as inning eaters and sometimes they hope for improvement in their form. At least one of the pitchers obtained in the Hamels trade will be called up next week. Maybe he will be Harangs replacement. Here is hoping!