While the Phillies remain interested in Nomar Garciaparra, he's mulling over whether or not to just retire and hang out with "Beautiful" full-time. This means they are looking into a Plan B, and apparently Moises Alou is on the radar.
Alou's always hit, there's no question about that. In 17 seasons, he's put together an impressive line of ratios: .303/.369/.516 (batting average/on-base percentage/slugging percentage). He's likely still got some pop left in that bat, but -- at age 42 -- he's not getting any younger, either. He's also a pretty bad defensive player.
The plus side for the Phillies is that they already have Raul Ibanez, Shane Victorino, and Jayson Werth. They aren't going to look for Alou to play much outfield. He'll just be a right-handed power bat off the bench, one they claim to desperately need.
I think this would be a decent signing, but I have to wonder, why the hell didn't the Phillies just bring Pat Burrell back? He's younger than Ibanez, only making $8 million a year in Tampa Bay for the next two, and there's something to be said for continuity. They just won the World Series, yet decided a downgrade in left field for more money and years was the direction they wanted to take. It's baffling, to say the least.
Now, they are wanting for a right-handed power bat off the bench. What was wrong with last year's roster, again? They should learn something from Crash Davis -- "never eff with a winning streak."
Phillies Pursuing Moises Alou for Bench originally appeared on MLB FanHouse on Fri, 23 Jan 2009 12:37:00 EST . Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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