"There's something happening here, And what it is ain't exactly clear."
Those are the opening lines to a song called For What It's Worth, which was a hit for Buffalo Springfield in the late 1960s. Those words have been spinning around my brain ever since the Phillies acquired Jeremy Giambi from the Oakland A's last week.
Just like everyone else, I'm still waiting for the other shoe to fall. Another player move has been anticipated since then, and all sorts of hypotheses abound, but the transaction that sent pitcher Cliff Politte to Toronto for reliever Dan Plesac on Sunday did nothing to clear up the mystery. For what it's worth, here's my thinking.
Giambi was a good addition to the team, and he came at such a light price (utility player John Mabry) that Phillies general manager Ed Wade would have been foolish to pass on him. He's coming off one of his best years and can play three positions on the field. My guess is that manager Larry Bowa will use him a lot and rest a few guys more often. That's for the immediate future.
With interleague play coming up, Bowa pointed out that Giambi would be valuable as a designated hitter. He also mentioned that competition among players never hurt a club. The implication here is that the skipper wants to light a fire under first baseman Travis Lee.
Lee might be one of those players who can never do enough. Since he got such a huge signing bonus ($10 million), expectations will always be high, and the infielder may never live up to them. His low-key personality seems to bother Bowa, who wears his emotions on his sleeve.
The most-popular scenario floated has the Phillies trading Lee to the Atlanta Braves, who need a first baseman. Nobody's talking on that one, but it does make sense.
And as long as Giambi keeps hitting, Bowa will find a spot for him. His other defensive spots are the corners of the outfield, and neither Bobby Abreu nor Pat Burrell is going anywhere.
He may not go to the Braves, but it appears that Lee's days in Philadelphia are numbered. The Phils still need help in the bullpen, so there is a chance that Lee may be packaged with another player or two for a front-line reliever or perhaps a second or third starter for the rotation.
Another candidate for trade bait is center fielder Doug Glanville. I heard from a pretty good source in January that the team was shopping him around over the winter because Reggie Taylor and/or Marlon Byrd would be ready to step up from the minor leagues.
Sometimes the best trades really are the ones that you don't make. Glanville had a good spring and pretty much forced the Phillies to move Taylor. Byrd should play a full season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will take his place in center field at the Vet in 2003. Barring an injury to Byrd, Glanville is most likely playing his last season in Philadelphia.
Let's see, Lee, Glanville and a minor-league prospect for who? What's your guess?
Politte was lost in the Phillies' bullpen. I've always believed that he was better-suited to be a starter, and there are indications that the Blue Jays want to put him in Toronto's rotation, so this trade might turn out to be good for him.
We'll find out soon enough if the 40-year-old Plesac is a good fit here. On paper, it does give Bowa an extra move when plotting strategy, but I still think that there's another trade in the works involving a pitcher. What do you think?
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