Papelbon A Hard Sell With Current Contract for Phillies

By PATRICK GORDON | Managing Editor
@Philabaseball

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOXSports.com, Jonathan Papelbon's days in Philadelphia may be numbered.

Papelbon, 33, pieced together a 2.92 ERA over 61 2/3 innings last season and is owed a minimum of $26 million over the next two seasons, plus there's a $13-million vesting option for 2016. 

Long believed to be one baseball's premier closers, Papelbon notched a career low 29 saves in 2013 and some murmurs surfaced late last season that he was clashing with others in the clubhouse, so his value right now is on the low end.

Adding to the difficulty of moving Papelbon is the fact his contract has a partial no-trade clause, so he would need to have a say on where he's traded to.

With the money Papelbon is owed it's unlikely the Phillies and general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. will find a suitor, unless the club decides to cover a significant portion of his contract - a notion the Phillies front office rarely entertains.

- The Philadelphia Baseball Review is Philadelphia's premier blog outlet for Phillies news and analysis. 

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One Former Temple Player Not Surprised Baseball Program Axed

By PATRICK GORDON | Managing Editor
@Philabaseball

The news of Temple University eliminating its baseball program came as a surprise to most, but there's at least one former Owl who had a feeling for nearly a decade that baseball's days at Temple were numbered.

"Honestly, not surprised at all, the writing was on the wall for a while," he said in a phone conversation on Friday. Given his affiliation with the university and ties to baseball in the region, the player spoke on the condition of anonymity.

"We had some concerns going back, almost ten years ago, about the viability of the program, just from the way everything was run at the university. Non-revenue sports were second class citizens behind basketball and football."

Including baseball, Temple slashed six other sports on Friday from the 24 varsity programs offered at the university.

“Temple does not have the resources to equip, staff, and provide a positive competitive experience for 24 varsity sports. Continuing this model does a disservice to our student-athletes," said Director of Athletics, Kevin Clark. "We need to have the right-sized program to create a sustainable model for Temple University Athletics moving forward."

The baseball program was ready to begin play in the American Athletic Conference starting this February - now the club's first season in the conference will also be its last.

"You look at the teams they have to play in the American compared to the Atlantic 10, they just can't compete with the budget some of those schools have and the facilities they use."

According to data collected by the Temple News in April, Temple's operating budget (2011-2012) for baseball ranked last of the nine teams competing in the American - trailing the closest program (Cincinnati) by nearly $55,000.

The other major issue facing the program was Skip Wilson Field, the program's home in Ambler. The facility lacks proper lighting for night games and does not have a grandstand for fans. Every other baseball field used by programs in the American have permanent seating and can accommodate at least 1,500 fans.

Temple announced last month the majority of the Owls' conference games will be played at Campbell's Field in Camden.     

"The deal with Campbell's Field and using the facility for 2014, I firmly believe that's because the university was embarrassed to have other conference teams travel across the country and play on a field that's more suitable for a high school team than a high level Division I program.

"I feel for the players and coaches, all great guys, but it's almost like a blessing in disguise because I can't see how the university would expect the baseball team to compete given the resources they were given. Don't get me wrong, I loved my time playing for the Owls, but you just knew other schools were doing a lot more for their baseball teams."

- The Philadelphia Baseball Review is Philly premier baseball news source, covering baseball throughout the Philadelphia region. 

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Temple University to Eliminate Baseball Program after 2014 Season

By PATRICK GORDON | Managing Editor
@Philabaseball

Temple University will eliminate its baseball program upon the completion of the 2014 season, according to multiple sources.

The Board of Trustees approved the recommendation of Athletic Director Kevin Clark to eliminate seven Division I sports at the university. Along with baseball, Temple will discontinue softball, men’s crew, women’s rowing, men’s gymnastics and men’s indoor/outdoor track & field.   

The cuts come as the Owls embark on their inaugural season in the American Athletic Conference.

Temple's baseball program debuted in 1927. The Owls reached the College World Series in 1972 and 1977 and last reached the NCAA tournament in 2001. 

Fifteen former Owls have reached the major leagues, including former Phillie John Marzano and former pitching coach Joe Kerrigan.

- The Philadelphia Baseball Review is Philly's top premier source for baseball news.

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MLB and Japanese League Agree to Posting Changes

By PATRICK GORDON | Managing Editor
@Philabaseball

Major League Baseball and Japan's Nippon Professional Baseball reached an agreement Thursday on the structure of a new posting system.

A report from Japanese sports daily Sanspo indicates that officials from NPB have accepted a proposal from MLB that imposes a new $20 million limit on any posting bid.

Under the previous system, Major League teams submitted blind bids for a Nippon player, and the team with the highest bid won exclusive negotiating rights with the player.

The new rules would result in a significantly lower payout to the posting club.

Changes to the posting system have been an ongoing topic of discussion between MLB and Nippon Baseball, with the respective players unions in Japan and the U.S. also having significant input in the process. Last week, officials from Nippon Baseball traveled to New York for conversations with MLB senior vice presidents Dan Halem and Kim Ng, who are overseeing talks on behalf of MLB.

The new rules, however, may not help Masahiro Tanaka.

The 25-year-old was widely rumored to be posted by Japan's Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, but the club is believed to be dissatisfied with the new MLB - NPB posting agreement.

"We have an obligation to explain to our stakeholders whether it's fair," Eagles owner Yozo Tachibana told a Japanese newspaper. "There's a possibility we won't take the next step."

The Phillies were a long shot to land Tanaka, but the club was believed to have some interest in pursuing the right-hander.

Tanaka went 99-35 in seven seasons in Japan, and finished 24-0 with a 1.27 ERA this year.  

- The Philadelphia Baseball Review is your top news blog source for Philadelphia baseball news and the 2014 Phillies. 

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