The Latest Phillies Rumors and Notes

Jimmy Rollins to marry former Phillies intern
Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins and girlfriend Johari Smith say they plan to get married in January. She's a former Phillies intern.


Philly wants Pedro Feliz to provide more offense
Pedro Feliz had been a dependable 20-homers/80-RBI guy for the Giants before becoming a free agent and signing a 2-year, $8.5 million contract with the Phillies before last season. The expectation was that he would show significant increases when he moved into the Phillies' cozy home playpen. Instead, he hit just 14 homers and drove in 58 runs. "He's definitely capable of doing more from an offensive standpoint," Manuel said. "Defensively, we'll take what he gives us right now. But offensively I look for him to do better, yes." -- Philadelphia Daily News

Phillies' Lidge closing in on consecutive saves record
Brad Lidge isn't interested in talking about breaking the consecutive saves record until he gets a lot closer. Maybe Lidge is closer than he seems. Lidge, the Phillies' All-Star closer, has converted 44 consecutive regular-season saves, the third-longest streak in history. That's 40 shy of Eric Gagne's seemingly untouchable record . . . if it's a valid record. Gagne's streak stretched from late 2002 through mid-2004 and won him the Cy Young Award with the Dodgers in 2003. That was the height of the steroid era. Gagne was implicated in the Mitchell Report, released in December 2007, as a human growth hormone recipient and a possible steroid user. Tom "Flash" Gordon stands at No. 2 all-time, with 54 saves, from April 1998 through June 1999 while with the Red Sox. Nevertheless, until a positive test of Gagne surfaces, Lidge considers himself 40 saves away from the record, not 10.

Philles looking to deal for role player
Ruben Amaro also admitted this week that the Phillies' bench - featuring lefthanders Matt Stairs, Greg Dobbs and Geoff Jenkins - is unbalanced and lefty-heavy. In an effort to provide manager Charlie Manuel with a broader array of options, Amaro continues to discuss potential trades. "We've talked with several teams over the last few weeks, and we'll continue to do that through opening day and probably beyond," he said. If the Phillies are unable to acquire a righthanded role player, they will likely begin the season with veteran righty Miguel Cairo, batting .302 this spring, with a .348 on-base percentage. Asked if he was content with the talent now in camp, Amaro said: "We like who we have, but we continue to look outside the organization." -- Philadelphia Inquirer

Marlins mull bid for Phillies' catcher Paulino
The Marlins continue to evaluate available catchers. The latest they may be mulling is Ronny Paulino. The Phillies were expected to deal Chris Coste at some point after acquiring Paulino from the Pirates in December. According to media reports, they instead have decided to keep Coste as their backup and are making Paulino available. The Marlins and White Sox are among the teams the Phillies have contacted to gauge interest, an industry source said. During the Winter Meetings, the Marlins and Pirates spoke about Paulino but could not consummate a trade. -- South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Phillies want Geoff Jenkins trade
It figures to be easier for the Phillies to trade Matt Stairs, who is making only $1 million this season. But they would prefer to move Geoff Jenkins and reportedly are willing to pay most of the $8 million remaining on his contract ($6.75 million in 2009, $1.25 million buyout for 2010).

Phils eye Giants lefty Taschner
The Phillies reportedly have some interest in Giants lefthanded reliever Jack Taschner, who could be available in part because he has walked 12 batters in 8 2/3 Cactus League innings. Taschner's explanation is that, after signing an $830,000 contract, he thought he had enough security to experiment with a moving, two-seam fastball. "I thought I had a longer leash than I did," he said. "The ball was running and it took off on me [but] instead of pulling back, I kept trying it." -- Philadelphia Daily News

Why would they be interested in a guy that is not pitchng well? This makes no sense at all.

Phils Coste has survived again
Even though it appears he has survived another challenge in a career that has been filled with them, Chris Coste is taking nothing for granted. "We still have nine exhibition games left," he said yesterday. "Things could happen between now and then." Here's what is likely to happen: Coste will retain his job as backup catcher with the Phillies, the one newcomer Ronny Paulino was supposed to make a run at this spring. Paulino, 27, was acquired from Pittsburgh for minor-league catcher Jason Jaramillo during the winter meetings. At the time, Phillies officials believed Paulino might be a younger alternative at backup catcher than Coste, who is 36. Coste has not done much this spring. He was sidelined early with a sore right hamstring and has just two hits in 18 Grapefruit League at-bats. But big-league incumbents are a little like the heavyweight champion of the world. You have to knock them out to take the belt. Paulino, hitting just .194 (6 for 31), has not even blackened Coste's eye. -- Philadelphia Inquirer

Phillies catcher worried about home flooding in Fargo, N.D.
Phillies backup catcher Chris Coste lives in Fargo, N.D., where residents are facing potentially record flooding as the snow and ice that have built up over an unusually cold and long winter melts. The Red River, which runs through the town, was projected to crest at 41 feet tomorrow afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. Coste's wife and two daughters were planning to return to Fargo earlier this week, but have instead stayed behind to wait out any potential flooding. Both sides of his family have helped prepare his two-story house, which was built less than a year ago, by moving items out of his basement and onto higher ground. Coste said he isn't too worried about losing his home, despite pictures from rural areas outside of Fargo where residents saw their homes submerged. -- Philadelphia Daily News


Phillies pay big for 16-year-old Dominican player
The Phils' international scouting department signed 16-year-old Domingo Santana from the Dominican Republic. Santana, a 6-foot-5 outfielder with a strong throwing arm, received a $300,000 signing bonus. He had also been pursued by the Yankees. -- Philadelphia Inquirer

Phils new talking remote-controlled trash can mascot has Phillies batting helmet on
The Phillies pushed their "Red Goes Green" campaign - an attempt to make the club operate in a more eco-friendly manner. Cleaning products, light fixtures, recycled material - they showed me a whole bunch of stuff designed to reduce the team's carbon footprint. Good for them. Makes sense. What didn't make sense was the "Red Goes Green" mascot. It's a talking, remote-controlled trash can with a Phillies batting helmet on it. They named it "Phil the Can." To the best of my knowledge, Phil doesn't do any special tricks like convert Schmitter wrappers or Yuengling Lager bottles into renewable energy. And despite the fact that it gobbles up trash, I'm pretty sure Phil runs on some sort of electricity. Sort of defeats the purpose, doesn't it? So how exactly does Phil help the environment? "Awareness," a spokesman told me. Awareness? "Awareness," he repeated confidently. -- Philadelphia Inquirer