Monty said today that the Phils could well go over the luxury tax for 2013.

Hamilton?!

JFLNYC wrote:

joe table wrote:I don't see why it's unrealistic to expect Dom to hit at the big league level next year. Even if he's an adventure, if he gives you league average offense for 500K, that's fine with me. And I think he obviously has offensive upside above that

I think it's entirely realistic. The question is whether you want to rely on the chance that he'll both hit AND stay healthy.

With how he's been plagued with hand injuries the last few years, I wouldn't be surprised if he sleeps on in wrong in March and is out until after the All-Star break.

Eem wrote:Monty said today that the Phils could well go over the luxury tax for 2013.

Hamilton?!

See what I mean, ding dongs? No way Monty would say that publicly if it weren't a feasible option and/or they were scared of commissioner blowback.

Well, there goes the artificial barrier we assumed the Phillies were operating under.

They're definitely gonna spend big this offseason. Fill the OF with Brown and Bourn/Hamilton/Swisher, and try to get creative at 3B, assuming Galvis isn't an option. Figure they're going to spend some big dough on the pen, unfortunately.

well he said 2013

If we have Galvis at 3rd next year Shore will kill us all

Eem wrote:Monty said today that the Phils could well go over the luxury tax for 2013.

Hamilton?!

This changes everything. Fantastic news!

This is about as random as it gets. On sale at the CSN store:

too small for hamels' 2 billion birr

Eem wrote:Monty said today that the Phils could well go over the luxury tax for 2013.

Hamilton?!

When I read this I thought it may be posturing at the deadline. He may be saying this so it doesn't seem like we have to dump players at the deadline and so maybe we can get a bigger return making it seem like the Phils do not have to move them.

Asked AL exec what thought about #Phillies signing of Hamels: "I think it means Cliff Lee and Hunter Pence are pretty available."

/Joel Sherman tweet

Sounds like a Jayson Stark tweet

Wheels Tupay wrote:

Eem wrote:Monty said today that the Phils could well go over the luxury tax for 2013.

Hamilton?!

When I read this I thought it may be posturing at the deadline. He may be saying this so it doesn't seem like we have to dump players at the deadline and so maybe we can get a bigger return making it seem like the Phils do not have to move them.

This.

Plus I have no desire to pay a bajillion dollars for Josh Hamilton. Do you guys really want to have to worry about his next back flareup or him falling off the wagon? Or deal with the Philly media/WIP reaction to it? That'd make Utley's knee seem like a blip on the radar.

until he had 98 RBIs at the All-Star break

Wheels Tupay wrote:

Eem wrote:Monty said today that the Phils could well go over the luxury tax for 2013.

Hamilton?!

When I read this I thought it may be posturing at the deadline. He may be saying this so it doesn't seem like we have to dump players at the deadline and so maybe we can get a bigger return making it seem like the Phils do not have to move them.

Perhaps, but it could also be viewed as making it more important to dump salaries at the deadline to get under the tax this year since its going over two consecutive years that really kills you.

So, if the Phillies do wind up going over the tax threshold next year, they will become the first NL team to go over the tax threshold. Right now, the only teams who have exceeded it are the Red Sox (5 times, most recently 2010*), Angels (once, 2004), Tigers (once, 2008), and Yankees (every year since it's inception).

Back in 2003, when the luxury tax was implemented, we were 9th in payroll at $95,338,704, $12,661,296 below the luxury tax threshold. Who woulda thought that ten years later we'd double the payroll and be the only team, other than the Yankees, paying the tax? Pretty crazy stuff.


*this is from wikipedia, and 2010 is the last year they have listed on there, another article lists the Phillies as having the second higest payroll in 2011 and they did not exceed the limit.

Great point.

Four general managers say Cliff Lee isn’t yet formally available, according to Rosenthal and Morosi. Yet other executives expect the Phillies to consider trade offers for the left-hander this week. Lee, who has three years and $87.5MM remaining on his contract after this season, can block trades to 21 teams. The Rangers and Yankees are not among those teams, Rosenthal and Morosi report. The FOX Sports reporters suggest Rangers GM Jon Daniels prefers Lee to Cole Hamels.

Mlbtr

ek wrote:Ben Sheets tomorrow night eh

gonna party like it's september 2008