1966 Topps #91A Bob Uecker

Rest assured you have navigated successfully to The Phillies Room and I'm not switching over to a blog about the Cardinals and their baseball cards for the coming new year.  My Mom included this Bob Uecker card in her Christmas present to me and I asked her if she knew why I had included it on my Phillies want lists.  "I was sure you had a reason," was her response.

And I did.  My reasoning for wanting this card is that Uecker was traded by the Cardinals to the Phillies in October 1965 for Pat Corrales, Alex Johnson and Art Mahaffey.  Joining Uecker in Philadelphia were Dick Groat and Bill White.  Uecker spent the entire 1966 season with the Phillies, hitting .208 in 78 games as the back-up to regular catcher Clay Dalrymple.  He was traded to the Braves in June 1967, having appeared on just one mainstream baseball card as a member of the Phillies - the 1967 Topps card seen here.

This card, appearing in the first series of the 1966 Topps set, was issued too soon in order to feature Uecker with his new team.  However, there's a version of the card on which the very last line of the write-up on the back makes mention of Uecker's new affiliation for the upcoming 1966 season.  And now thanks to my Mom, it will join the rest of the 1966 Topps Phillies within my 1960s Phillies binder.

* * *

Happy New Year from The Phillies Room to you and your family!  Here's to a wonderful 2014!

1968 Topps #477 Phillies Team

I'm steadily chipping away at my complete run of Topps Phillies team sets dating back to 1951 and the card featured here was the last card needed to complete my 30-card team set from the 1968 Topps offering.  If you're unfamiliar with this set, I'll wait here while you check out the highly recommended 1968 Topps Baseball blog.  When you're back, you can also click over to my post from a few years ago detailing the Phillies cards in the 1968 Topps set.

Now that I have the 1968 Topps Phillies team set out of the way, I'm going to turn my attention to the 1965, 1966 and 1967 Topps Phillies team sets.  The cards I still need can be found here.

This Phillies team card was one of the six cards I received from my Mom for Christmas.  I'm working my way backward, starting with the 1998 Upper Deck Scott Rolen card I posted a few days ago.  When I get another break in the action from playing with my two sons and all their new Christmas presents, I'll post the next card from the mini-haul.

1998 Upper Deck #613 Scott Rolen

The virtual form of The Phillies Room has been quiet this week as we've been busy building with new Legos, playing new games on our new Wii U and enjoying the company of family and friends.  I'll be back in a few more days to show off some of the vintage Phillies cards that found their way into my collection as a result of my awesome Mom.  Thankfully, she still believes you're never too old to receive baseball cards for Christmas.

The newest Phillies card added to my collection is the Scott Rolen card seen here.  It's nothing special, as it comes from the under appreciated 1998 Upper Deck set.  But somehow this card had eluded my collection for the past 15 years.  I had never even seen the card before until I unwrapped it at my Mom's house the day after Christmas.  For 15 years, I kept an empty pocket among the Upper Deck Phillies team set in my 1998 Phillies binder and it's nice to finally fill the pocket with this card.

2012 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim
Part 1 - 1941 Double Play Litwhiler & May
Part 2 - 1963 Topps John Herrnstein rookie card (featuring Willie Stargell)
Part 3 - 1940 Play Ball Phillies - Part 1
Part 4 - 1940 Play Ball Phillies - Part 2
Part 5 - 1950 Bowman Del Ennis

2011 Santa Brings Way Too Many Awesome Baseball Cards to Jim

Part 1 - Continuing a Tradition

Part 2 - 1971 Topps Set - 13 More Down

Part 3 - 1952 Topps Phillies

Part 4 - 1951 Bowman Phillies

Part 5 - Curt Simmons - Two New Bowman Cards

Part 6 - 1955 Bowman and Topps Phillies

And as a sneak preview of what's to come, it's important to note that five of the ten cards on this list (featured on the sidebar) . . . have now been crossed off.

Merry Christmas!

2010 Phillies Fan Appreciation Day Postcards #8

All the best from The Phillies Room to you and yours.  Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater in 49 days.

Mizerock Joins Coaching Staff

1984 Donruss #380

In a move that flew under the radar a little, the Phillies announced that John Mizerock will serve as Steve Henderson's assistant hitting coach in 2014.  Mizerock joined the coaching staff of the High-A Clearwater Threshers in 2011, and he'll take over for Wally Joyner who left the club to assume the hitting coach duties for the Detroit Tigers.

Between 1983 and 1989, Mizerock appeared in 103 games with the Astros and Braves, compiling a .186 career batting average.  He also served as the interim manager for the Royals back in 2002, going 5-8 in his short stint between Tony Muser's departure and Tony Pena's hiring.

2013 Grandstand Clearwater
Threshers #27

Mizerock has appeared on numerous minor league baseball cards throughout his playing and coaching career, and he's appeared on the following four mainstream baseball cards, all as a member of the Astros:

1984 Donruss #380, 1986 Donruss #502, 1987 Donruss #653, 1987 Topps #408

In 2014, Mizerock will be the lucky recipient of a Chachi card.  And speaking of the 2014 Chachi set . . . I'm still trying to figure out how to portray the Phillies coaches using the 1988 Topps design.  There were no multi-player cards within the 1988 Topps set, so I'm going to have to get creative similar to what I had to do a few years ago.  Suggestions and tips are welcome!

Marson Returns to Phillies, 3 Others Invited to Camp

2009 Upper Deck
A Piece of History #124

Last week, the Phillies added four more names to the list of non-roster invitees coming to Clearwater in February.  I'm very familiar with two of the names, and I've honestly never heard of the other two.  In any event, given the team's severe lack of depth in several areas, all of these players have a realistic shot of heading north with the club at the end of spring training.

Catcher Lou Marson departed for Cleveland on July 29, 2009 as part of the trade that brought Cliff Lee to Philadelphia.  I wrote about his departure back in this post.  Marson was honored in 2008 with the Phillies' Paul Owens Award, naming him the best prospect in the club's system.  He made his Major League debut on September 28, 2008, and although he wasn't on the team's active postseason roster, I believe he was on the bench when the Phillies clinched their second World Series title.  In parts of five seasons with the Indians, Marson hit .217 in 253 games.

Having a Gwynn and a Sandberg on the same team during the '80s would have been awesome.  We'll have to wait and see if having a Gwynn and a Sandberg on the Phillies in 2014 will bring the team any success.  Tony Gwynn, Jr. has now played seven seasons for the Brewers, Padres and Dodgers, with a lifetime .244 batting average.  He spent the entire 2013 season playing for the Dodgers Triple-A team in Albuquerque.

The two new mystery guys are right-handed pitcher Sean O'Sullivan and outfielder Dave Sappelt.  O'Sullivan appeared in seven games last season for the Padres, striking out 12 but walking 14 in 25 innings.  Sappelt appeared in 31 games last year with the Cubs, hitting .240 with no home runs.

Player (position) - 2013 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance

1.  Shawn Camp (rhp) - Cubs/Diamondbacks - 2012 Topps Update #US238 (Cubs)

2.  Leandro Castro (of) - Phillies - 2010 Topps Pro Debut #84 (Phillies)

3.  Cesar Jimenez (lhp) - Phillies - 2009 Upper Deck #857 (Mariners)

4.  Clete Thomas (of) - Twins - 2010 Topps #441 (Tigers)

5.  Reid Brignac (inf) - Yankees/Rockies - 2013 Topps Update #US206

6.  Andres Blanco (inf) - N/A - 2007 Topps #659 (Royals)

7.  Jeff Manship (rhp) - Rockies - 2010 Finest #141 (Twins)
8.  Tony Gwynn, Jr. (of) - Dodgers - 2012 Topps #284 (Dodgers)
9.  Lou Marson (c) - Indians - 2013 Topps #443 (Indians)
10.  Sean O'Sullivan (rhp) - Padres - 2011 Topps Update #US89 (Royals)
11.  Dave Sappelt (of) - Cubs - 2012 Topps #657 (Cubs)

Memory Lane

2013 Non-Roster Invitees

Phillies Sign Their Second Roberto Hernandez

2014 Chachi Transactions #12

Yesterday, the one-year deal to add Roberto Hernandez to the Phillies starting rotation became official.  Hernandez made a comeback of sorts last season, appearing in 32 games for the Rays and going 6-13 with a 4.89 ERA.  When I first read the news of Hernandez's signing, I'll admit I wasn't sure if I knew who he was.  The first image that came to mind was long-time reliever and former Phillie Roberto Manuel Hernandez.  That Hernandez spent the 2004 season with the Phillies, appearing in 63 games as a reliever.  That Hernandez was also a two-time All-Star with the 1996 White Sox and the 1999 Rays.

So who is this new Roberto Hernandez?  The new Phillies pitcher began his professional career using the name Fausto Carmona.  As Carmona, and purporting to be two years younger than he actual was, Hernandez made his debut with the Indians in 2006.  His finest season came in 2007 when he went 19-8 for the Indians, finishing fourth in the A.L. Cy Young Award voting.  His false identity came to light in January 2012 when he was arrested in his native Dominican Republic for trying to obtain a U.S. visa illegally.  In July 2012, after a stint in jail, he returned to the U.S. and served a three week suspension before returning to the Indians pitching staff.

2004 Topps #571

Hernandez's sole mainstream 2013 baseball card was recently released in the Topps Heritage High-Number Series.

And now he's projected to be the third or fourth starter for the Phillies.  Just don't get him confused with the other Roberto Hernandez.  Or call him Fausto.

Moving On

Steven Lerud (10/1/13) - Elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 11/23/13)

Raul Valdes (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.

Tyler Cloyd (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians.

Michael Martinez (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Pittsburgh Pirates, 12/18/13)

Zach Miner (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Pete Orr (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roger Bernadina (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

J.C. Ramirez (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians, 11/1/13)

Casper Wells (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago Cubs, 11/23/13)

John Lannan (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roy Halladay (10/31/13) - Elected free agency.  (Signed by the Toronto Blue Jays and announced his retirement, 12/9/13)

Mauricio Robles (11/5/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and became a minor league free agent.

Erik Kratz (12/3/13) - Traded with Rob Rasmussen to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brad Lincoln.

Coming Back

Cesar Jimenez (11/15/13) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.

Carlos Ruiz (11/21/13) - Resigned by the Phillies to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year.

New Additions

Marlon Byrd (11/12/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Brad Lincoln (12/3/13) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Erik Kratz and Rob Rasmussen.

Wil Nieves (12/5/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Kevin Munson (12/12/13) - Selected in the Rule 5 draft from the Arizona Diamondacks.
Roberto Hernandez (12/18/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Tampa Bay Rays.

Munson Added in Rule 5 Draft

2014 Chachi Transactions #11

The annual Winter Meetings wrapped up yesterday morning with the annual Rule 5 draft.  Players with enough service time not on a team's 40-man roster are eligible for the draft.  Once selected, the player has to remain on the active roster of the team that drafted him for the entire season, or be offered back to his original team.

More years than not, the Phillies use their pick to gamble on a player in the hopes that he'll work out and contribute to the team long-term.  The most successful Rule 5 picks in the past for the Phillies were easily Dave Hollins in 1989 and Shane Victorino in 2004.

This year, the Phillies selected right-handed pitcher Kevin Munson from the Arizona Diamondbacks.  If they don't keep Munson on the active roster all season, the Diamondbacks will be given the chance to take him back.  Munson, who will be 25 in January, split 2013 between Double-A and Triple-A where he went 2-4 with a 4.12 ERA in 53 games.  He also successfully saved 14 games.  He's appeared in various Diamondbacks minor league team sets as well as the 2010 Donruss Elite Extra Edition set.

2013 Topps Pro Debut #203

The Phillies also lost a player in the draft.  Right-handed pitcher Seth Rosin was selected by the Mets and then immediately traded to the Dodgers.  Back in July 2012, Rosin was the third guy acquired from the Giants in the Hunter Pence deal, with Nate Schierholtz (now with the Cubs) and Tommy Joseph (recently added to the Phillies 40-man roster.)  He appeared in both Reading Fightin Phils team sets this year, as well as the Topps Pro Debut set.

Here's the complete list of players gained and lost since 2000 by the Phillies:

Players Selected Since 2000

2004 - Shane Victorino - of (Los Angeles Dodgers) - Helped Phillies win World Series title in 2008.

2006 - Adam Donachie - c (Kansas City Royals) - Traded to the Baltimore Orioles for Alfredo Simon.

2006 - Jim Ed Warden - rhp (Cleveland Indians) - Returned on March 28, 2007.

2006 - Ryan Budde - c (Los Angeles Angels) - Returned on April 23, 2007.

2007 - Travis Blackley - lhp (San Francisco Giants) - Spent 2008 season in Phillies organization and granted free agency following the season.

2007 - Lincoln Holdzkom - rhp (Boston Red Sox) - Returned to the Red Sox.

2008 - Robert Mosebach - rhp (Los Angeles Angels) - Returned on April 1, 2009

2009 - David Herndon - rhp (Los Angeles Angels) - Spent entire 2010 season on active Phillies roster.

2010 - Michael Martinez - inf (Washington Nationals) - Spent entire 2011 season on active Phillies roster.

2012 - Ender Inciarte - of (Arizona Diamondbacks) - Made the 2013 Opening Day roster and then was designated for assignment following the first game of the season when the Phillies claimed Ezequiel Carrera off waivers.
2013 - Kevin Munson - rhp (Arizona Diamondbacks)

Players Lost Since 2000

2001 - Miguel Asencio - rhp (Kansas City Royals) - Spent entire 2002 season on active Royals roster.

2002 - Travis Chapman - inf (Cleveland Indians) - Traded to Tigers but eventually returned to the Phillies.

2009 - Carlos Monasterios - rhp (New York Mets) - Sold to the Los Angeles Dodgers on day of the draft.

2011 - Lendy Castillo - rhp (Chicago Cubs) - Spent entire 2012 season with the Cubs, although he missed significant time with a groin injury.

2013 - Seth Rosin - rhp (New York Mets) - Traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers.

New Non-Roster Invitees - Brignac, Blanco & Manship

2013 Topps Update #US206

On the same day the Phillies officially signed back-up catcher Wil Nieves, they also announced the signing of their seventh non-roster invitee to spring training.  Jeff Manship will join the fray of pitchers in Clearwater trying to catch new pitching coach Bob McClure's eye.  Manship appeared in 11 games last season with the Rockies, pitching to a 7.04 ERA over 30 2/3 innings.  He spent the first four seasons of his career with the Twins.

Back on November 19th, the Phillies signed infielder Reid Brignac to a minor league contract.  Brignac played in parts of five seasons with the Rays beginning in 2008.  In 2013, he bounced from the Rays to the Rockies to the Yankees and back to the Rockies, where he hit a combined .114 over 17 games.  Brignac has the honor of having the most recent mainstream baseball card among the first seven non-roster invitee, having appeared in the recently released Topps Update series.

Finally, the Phillies brought back Andres Blanco who spent the 2012 season with the Triple-A IronPigs, but found himself out of baseball last season.  Blanco last appeared in the Majors in 2011 with  the Rangers.

So here are your first seven Phillies non-roster invitees.  There's got to be a diamond in the rough somewhere in there.  Right?

Player (position) - 2013 Organization - Last Major Baseball Card Appearance

1.  Shawn Camp (rhp) - Cubs/Diamondbacks - 2012 Topps Update #US238 (Cubs)

2.  Leandro Castro (of) - Phillies - 2010 Topps Pro Debut #84 (Phillies)

3.  Cesar Jimenez (lhp) - Phillies - 2009 Upper Deck #857 (Mariners)

4.  Clete Thomas (of) - Twins - 2010 Topps #441 (Tigers)
5.  Reid Brignac (inf) - Yankees/Rockies - 2013 Topps Update #US206
6.  Andres Blanco (inf) - N/A - 2007 Topps #659 (Royals)
7.  Jeff Manship (rhp) - Rockies - 2010 Finest #141 (Twins)

Memory Lane

2013 Non-Roster Invitees

Happy Birthday Doug!

It's hard to believe Harry, but today is my oldest son's seventh birthday.  I can't believe he's old enough to actually be upset at the news that Roy Halladay has retired.  This is the first year Doug started to genuinely take an interest in baseball and the Phillies, and I'm looking forward to many, many years of father-son baseball games.

I'm so incredibly proud of everything he does and he constantly amazes me with his intelligence, his curiosity and his ability to just be an overall cool kid.

Although . . . I'm still coping with the fact that he made me root for the Braves (his tee ball team) throughout the summer.  That was tough on the old man.

Happy birthday Doug!

Thank You Doc

2014 Chachi Transactions #10

Roy Halladay unexpectedly announced his departure from baseball yesterday morning, signing a one-day contract with the Blue Jays and then ceremoniously retiring.  I was caught completely off guard when I first started seeing various Tweets from the Orlando Winter Meetings indicating that one of the most dominant pitchers from the past decade was calling it a career.

During his emotional press conference, Halladay revealed he had literally been pitching the past two seasons with a broken back, which definitely explains his uncharacteristic 5.15 ERA in 2012 and 2013.  He pitched through two pars fractures, an eroded disk in his vertebrae and pinched nerves.

Accolades started pouring in immediately from his former teammates, coaches and managers, with the common consensus being that he was one of the most hard-working, dedicated and competitive pitchers to have ever played the game.  I'm definitely looking forward to Halladay's induction speech into Cooperstown in 2018 and I'll cherish the 196 different Halladay baseball cards currently in my collection.

Halladay came to the Phillies in December 2009, six months into the life of this here blog.  If you browse the blog's archives, I've documented each of his 103 starts with the Phillies in the regular season and his five postseason starts.  The list that follows contains links to some of the key posts from the last four seasons of Halladay's Hall of Fame career:

12/16/09 - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for three prospects
4/21/10 - Shut-out the Braves, 2-0, on the day our second son Ben was born
5/29/10 - Threw the 20th perfect game in Major League history
10/6/10 - No-hit the Reds in Game 1 of the N.L.D.S.
11/16/10 - Named 2010 Cy Young Award winner
4/2/11 - Received his 2010 Cy Young Award in a pre-game ceremony
7/12/11 - Started the 2011 All-Star Game
10/7/11 - Outdueled by Chris Carpenter as the Phillies lost Game 5 of the N.L.D.S., the team's last postseason game to date
4/6/12 - Combined with Jonathan Papelbon for a 1-0 Opening Day win over the Pirates
4/14/13 - 200th career victory
9/23/13 - The final game

And here's the super short-printed Blue Jays variation of Doc's final Chachi card.

2014 Chachi Transactions #10b

Phillies Sign Catcher Nieves

2014 Chachi Transactions #9

In early October, I resigned myself to the fact that I probably wasn't going to get too excited about the moves the Phillies were going to make this offseason.  However, I was at least hoping to be optimistic about the moves they were going to make.  So far, that hasn't been the case.

Last Thursday, the Phillies officially signed catcher Wil Nieves to a one-year deal.  The 36-year-old veteran will back up Carlos Ruiz following the trade of Erik Kratz to the Blue Jays earlier last week.  The past two seasons have been the best of Nieves' 10-year career, as he hit .299 over 103 games with three home runs and 30 RBIs with the Rockies and Diamondbacks.  In the eight seasons that proceeded 2012, he hit .221 over 282 games with the Padres, Yankees, Nationals and Brewers.  The Phillies website has already assigned him uniform #21.

As a prospect with the Padres, Nieves appeared on his first mainstream baseball cards back in 2002.  His cardboard appearances waned throughout the decade, and his last major baseball card can be found in the 2010 Upper Deck set, when he was a member of the Nationals.

Moving On

Steven Lerud (10/1/13) - Elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 11/23/13)

Raul Valdes (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.

Tyler Cloyd (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians.

Michael Martinez (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Zach Miner (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Pete Orr (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roger Bernadina (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

J.C. Ramirez (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians, 11/1/13)

Casper Wells (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago Cubs, 11/23/13)

John Lannan (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roy Halladay (10/31/13) - Elected free agency.

Mauricio Robles (11/5/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and became a minor league free agent.

Erik Kratz (12/3/13) - Traded with Rob Rasmussen to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brad Lincoln.

Coming Back

Cesar Jimenez (11/15/13) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.

Carlos Ruiz (11/21/13) - Resigned by the Phillies to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year.

New Additions

Marlon Byrd (11/12/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Brad Lincoln (12/3/13) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Erik Kratz and Rob Rasmussen.
Wil Nieves (12/5/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The Day We Didn't Meet @ShaneVictorino

2009 Upper Deck First Edition #230

A few weeks ago, I bit the bullet and purchased a Shane Victorino autograph ticket for his appearance at the Philadelphia Sportscard and Memorabilia Show (The Philly Show) today.  Victorino has long been my son Doug's favorite baseball player and getting to meet the Flyin' Hawaiian was going to part of Doug's Christmas present from his mom and me.  I even splurged for the additional $25 inscription fee in order to have this picture personalized for Doug.  The price I paid was ridiculous, but I justified it in my mind with the happiness it would bring my son.

Last night, we planned for the event and Doug laid out his Victorino t-shirt to wear today for when he met one of his heroes.  We woke up early, prepared to make the hour long drive to the show location in order to get a prime spot in Victorino's line.

And then checking Twitter after breakfast, I saw this:

Wanted to let my fans know that I won't be able to make into town for my card signing...unfortunately I told the folks who run the show
— Shane Victorino (@ShaneVictorino) December 7, 2013

And then this:

but after a few more calls tonight I guess they haven't passed that info along to the public! Little disappointed my fans weren't informed
— Shane Victorino (@ShaneVictorino) December 7, 2013

I had the unenviable task of telling Doug that we wouldn't be meeting Victorino today, and I explained to him that these things happen.  There were some tears involved, but I promised him that we'll try again to meet Victorino in the future.

I hold no ill-will towards Victorino.  Like I said, these things happen and I'm sure he has a good reason why he couldn't be in town for his scheduled signing.  However . . . what does irk me a little is the fact that the folks who run the Philly Show apparently knew in advance that Victorino wouldn't be able to appear, and they failed to communicate that news to those of us planning to attend.  As of this writing, they're still selling Victorino autograph tickets on their website.

I've e-mailed their customer service in the hopes of quickly having my $111.28 refunded.  Hopefully they'll come through with a quick refund and only then will I sing that "every little thing's gonna be all right."

Lincoln Acquired from Jays for Kratz, Rasmussen

2014 Chachi Transactions #8

On Tuesday night, the Phillies pulled off their first trade of the 2013-2014 offseason.  Popular back-up catcher Erik Kratz and pitching prospect Rob Rasmussen were traded to the Toronto Blue Jays for right-handed pitcher Brad Lincoln.  The bullpen struggled mightily last season, and one of the major to-do's of the off-season was to bolster the young bullpen with some more dependable arms.  Hopefully part of that need has been filled with Lincoln.

Lincoln appeared in 22 games last season for the Blue Jays and he spent the bulk of the summer pitching for Triple-A Buffalo as a result of command issues at the big league level.  In 31 2/3 innings with the Blue Jays, Lincoln walked 22 and struck out 25 while putting together a 1-2 record and a 3.98 ERA.  For his career, which began in Pittsburgh in 2010, Lincoln is 9-11 with a 4.66 ERA in 97 games.  Lincoln wore #49 for the Blue Jays, which is currently occupied by Phillies pitcher Ethan Martin.

2014 Chachi Transactions #7

The righty didn't appear on any mainstream baseball cards in 2013, and his last major baseball card appearance came within the 2012 Topps Update set.

Kratz spent parts of three seasons with the Phillies, filling in as the team's starting catcher at the outset of 2013 due to the suspension of Carlos Ruiz.  In 120 games with the Phils, Kratz hit .220 with 18 home runs and 53 RBIs.  He appeared in the team's postcard sets in 2012 and 2013, and he earned a Phillies card in series two of the 2013 Topps set.  Kratz's departure seemed imminent once it was reported on Tuesday afternoon that the Phillies had reached a deal with back-up catcher Wil Nieves.  (That deal isn't official yet.)

Rasmussen joined the organization in August in the Michael Young trade with the Dodgers.  He leaves the organization with no cardboard proof of his time as Phillies property.

Moving On

Steven Lerud (10/1/13) - Elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Atlanta Braves, 11/23/13)

Raul Valdes (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Houston Astros.

Tyler Cloyd (10/2/13) - Claimed off waivers by the Cleveland Indians.

Michael Martinez (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Zach Miner (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Pete Orr (10/7/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roger Bernadina (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

J.C. Ramirez (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Cleveland Indians, 11/1/13)

Casper Wells (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.  (Signed as a minor league free agent with the Chicago Cubs, 11/23/13)

John Lannan (10/17/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and elected free agency.

Roy Halladay (10/31/13) - Elected free agency.

Mauricio Robles (11/5/13) - Outrighted off the 40-man roster and became a minor league free agent.
Erik Kratz (12/3/13) - Traded with Rob Rasmussen to the Toronto Blue Jays for Brad Lincoln.

Coming Back

Cesar Jimenez (11/15/13) - Signed to a minor league contract and invited to spring training.

Carlos Ruiz (11/21/13) - Resigned by the Phillies to a three-year contract with a club option for a fourth year.

New Additions

Marlon Byrd (11/12/13) - Signed as a free agent formerly with the Pittsburgh Pirates.
Brad Lincoln (12/3/13) - Acquired from the Toronto Blue Jays for Erik Kratz and Rob Rasmussen.