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Instead, there was only the first upset of the baseball season.
Seems Gillick is just as disgusted as everyone else -- more, even -- that his first Phillies’ offseason left him as empty as a ballpark in January.
"I would say, at this point, I am less than satisfied," Gillick said.
Three reactions: One, that he should have done better; two, that he has enough respect for the fans not to try to argue otherwise; and, three, that there is something refreshing about a general manager being underwhelmed by his own performance, for it suggests that he has yet to come forward with his finished product.
"I said part of our intention was to improve our pitching," Gillick said. "The three guys there won 43 games between them and we needed to improve that and we didn’t get there yet. So, we are not satisfied and it is a work in progress. Let me put it that way."
Of all the criticisms of the previous administration, for pure fan ire, nothing topped the unwillingness of the G.M. to adjust in midseason beyond acquiring elderly relief pitchers. Gillick may be that way, too, and remember: It was not without some grain of reason that the Toronto press used to heckle him with the nickname "Stand Pat." But if he is sincere in what appears to be his Plan B -- that would be to take what he has, which is not horrible, and then add to it during the season -- then Gillick and the fans may yet find their satisfaction.
If Ryan Howard does not sophomore-slump, and if Chase Utley continues his stampede toward becoming baseball’s foremost second baseman, and if Rowand adds that certain championship something in center, then there is reason to include the Phillies’ everyday eight in any conversation about worthy contenders. And should Mike Lieberthal and David Bell play to their capabilities, the Phillies’ lineup has the potential to dominate. So if Gillick’s plan is to see if all of that happens and then to adjust on the fly, it is not as outrageous as, say, panicking and paying the going eight-figure price for noted late-season wheezer Kevin Millwood.
The disconcerting thing, though, is that Gillick’s original plan was different. Rather, he tried to be active. He dabbled in the Manny Ramirez game, reportedly offering Bobby Abreu. He was caught trying to swing Abreu for Miguel Tejada. If there was a rumored offseason deal, the Phillies were usually within a few degrees of separation. He tried to add pitching. He tried to re-recruit Billy Wagner. He was willing, according to all reasonable reports, to ask Abreu or Lieberthal to delete no-trade fine print.
So Gillick did realize that whatever it was that the Phillies had been trying was successful only to a point -- that point being the moment playoff tickets were due to be stamped and mailed.
Yet, still he was unable to achieve significant roster change, particularly in the starting rotation, which is no better than it was the day the Phillies finished a game away from a postseason spot.
"It’s always difficult to get a pitcher who is a ‘one’ or a ‘two,’" Gillick said, "because there are not many of those animals around. So they are very difficult to obtain."
No kidding. Funny, though, how other teams obtain them. For now, though, that’s all right. Jon Lieber, Brett Myers and Cory Lidle make a serviceable big-league top-of-the rotation, and Randy Wolf is said to be recovering well from Tommy John surgery. Franklin can provide innings. Robinson Tejeda was a guest on a star-of-the-game show or two. Ryan Madson wants to start. Cole Hamels hasn’t injured anything this week.
For now, the Phillies are OK in their lineup, in their rotation, in their bullpen, on their bench. Put it this way: They have headed to Florida with much less in recent and not-so-recent years.
"This is an old line," Pat Gillick said. "But you just have to continue to talk and to search out different ideas and to make different proposals and hopefully something clicks."
When he is satisfied, he’ll let everyone know.
To contact Jack McCaffery, e-mail sports@delcotimes.com.
