Saturday, October 25, 2014

2014 Topps Update #US-33 Grady Sizemore

I wanted to take a quick break from my look back at the Phillies team-issued sets to catch up with a few early offseason notes.

Last Saturday, October 18th - The Phillies outrighted infielder Andres Blanco off their 40-man roster.  As of this writing, they're down to 39 players on their 40-man roster, with more subtractions coming following the World Series.  It doesn't look as if Blanco elected free agency (yet) so he technically remains property of the Phillies.  Blanco's 25 games with the Phils in 2014 hasn't earned him a Phillies baseball card yet, but he has appeared on three cards with the IronPigs.

Wednesday, October 22nd - Jerome Williams will be joining pitchers and catchers in Clearwater after the Phillies signed him to a one-year deal for $2.5 million.  Williams went 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA in nine starts for the Phillies and he'll be in the mix for one of the spots currently open in the team's 2015 starting pitching rotation.  No Phillies baseball cards yet for Williams, but I did recently pull his Target red parallel card from a pack of 2014 Topps Update, featuring him with the Rangers.

2014 Topps Update Red #US-236
Thursday, October 23rd - Saying what everyone is already thinking, interim CEO Pat Gillick told Philadelphia media that the team most likely won't contend until 2017.

Also on Thursday, the Phillies re-signed outfielder Grady Sizemore to a one-year deal worth $2 million.  I'm honestly not sure where Sizemore fits in with the club and perhaps the team hopes to trade away one of their existing outfielders to allow more playing time for Sizemore.  At long last, Sizemore's first Phillies card appears in the Topps Update set.

Reliever Cesar Jimenez was also brought back on a one-year deal.  Like Blanco and Williams, Jimenez is still waiting for his first Phillies baseball card.

Friday, October 24th - Finally, congratulations to shortstop Jimmy Rollins, the co-winner (with Paul Konerko) of this year's Roberto Clemente Award for his outstanding community service.  Congrats J-Roll!

We now return you to semi-regular posts on the Phillies team issued sets from the 1980s . . .

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