I have to laugh when people whine about the Phillies' high payroll, which in itself is such a recent phenomenon as to seem like an illusion to many Philadelphia fans. They bought their team, the complainers whine, which is of course patently false.
Except for the usual bullpen and bench free agents found throughout baseball, most of the regulars are homegrown (Rollins, Utley, Howard, Hamels, Ruiz, etc.), castoffs (Victorino, Werth, Romero, etc.) or acquired through trade (Lidge, Halladay, Oswalt, and Blanton come to immediate mind). They may now all be high-paid but they were not bought. As for free-agent starters, Raul Ibanez and Placido Polanco did not break the bank.
The call-up this week of Kyle Drabek, traded for Roy Halladay, reminds me to check in again with how some of those traded away are doing. Drabek debuts on Wednesday with the Blue Jays, which is pretty exciting.
Carlos Carrasco, recently recalled from Triple-A by the Indians, is this time holding his own. He doesn't have the wins but his ERA is under 3.00. Many fans considered Carrasco a throw-in in the Cliff Lee deal probably because they got some silly Internet notion that Carrasco was soft or a head case. Actually, he was just young. Young hurler Jason Knapp may have been the key to the Lee trade but Carrasco, not Donald or Marson, was the centerpiece.
Gio Gonzalez, another baby when in the farm system, is finally growing up and pitching well for the A's. I hope that Michael Taylor and Adrian Cardenas will soon be making their mark with the A's as well.
And we will never forget J.A. Happ, who is doing just fine, thank you, with the Astros.
