Phillies Trade Conine, Nunez Honing Skills in WL, Utley Excited for 2007
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The Phillies announced on Thursday that they have traded left fielder, first baseman Jeff Conine to the Cincinnati Reds for 2 Minor Leaguers. In trading Conine, the Phils made some room in what was a crowded outfield including newly acquired Jayson Werth, as well as Shane Victorino, Aaron Rowand, Pat Burrell and rookies Michael Bourn and Chris Roberson.
Conine became expendable after the Phillies signed outfielder Jayson Werth to a one-year contract Wednesday.
Werth, 27, is capable of playing all three outfield positions and figures to fill the void left by the departure of David Dellucci, who signed a three-year contract with the Cleveland Indians earlier this month.
Conine was acquired by Philadelphia in a trade with Baltimore late last season. He hit .280 with a homer and 17 RBI in 28 games with the Phillies. He has played in 1,923 games over his 16-year career, batting .286.
The Phillies acquired outfielder Javon Moran and third baseman Brad Key from the Reds.
Originally selected by the Phillies in the fifth round of the 2003 draft, Moran hit .328 with a home run and 15 RBI in 66 games with Class A Sarasota and Class AA Chattanooga. The 24-year-old was traded to Cincinnati in 2004 in a deal that brought late pitcher Cory Lidle to Philadelphia.
Key, 23, split last season between Class A Sarasota and Class A Dayton, hitting .220 with a homer and six RBI in 42 games.
CBS SportsLine.com wire reports;
One of the Reds’ offseason priorities was acquiring a right-handed hitter for a lineup that revolves around left-handed hitters Adam Dunn, Ken Griffey Jr. and Scott Hatteberg. Conine initially might platoon with Hatteberg at first base.
“We talked about someone to go along with Scott Hatteberg,” manager Jerry Narron said. “He hits right-handers well, too, so he might see a lot of time against right-handed pitching. We’ll start out and see where it leads. I expect he’ll give us great at-bats either off the bench or in a platoon situation.”
Conine has played for Kansas City, Florida, Baltimore and Philadelphia during his 16-year career. He played in 151 games for the Marlins in 1997, when they beat Cleveland in seven games to win the World Series, and rejoined Florida for its title under manager Jack McKeon in 2003.
He opened last season with Baltimore, splitting his time between first base and the outfield. He played exclusively in the outfield for the Phillies, who obtained him in an August trade.
“It’s a little bit of a surprise, coming a couple of days before Christmas,” Conine said. “Obviously, I didn’t have a long tenure there in Philly. I know the Reds were a very competitive ballclub last year. I look forward to the challenge of making them a little better and competing for a spot.”
“We weren’t going to be able to give Jeff the playing time that we thought we were a month ago, six weeks ago,” Phillies general manager Pat Gillick said. “When Werth was completed, we thought that probably the best plan for us was to move Jeff on. I know he wants to play.”
Gillick said he was convinced that Werth is recovered from wrist surgery that cost him all of last season.
“We think Werth is a better option for us at this point,” Gillick said.
Conine will make $2 million in 2007, the final year on his contract.
“We were continuing to look for a quality right-handed hitter, whether through the trade route or free agency,” general manager Wayne Krivsky said. “We felt this was the best alternative. We had him on a list of players that might be acquired by trade to fill that role. The cost was right in terms of his contract.”
The Reds were looking for someone to fill the role vacated by free agent Rich Aurilia, who played various infield positions last season and led the club with a .300 average. He split time at first base with Hatteberg, starting 37 games there.
Conine also could spend some time in the outfield. The Reds opened camp with a four-man rotation last year, then traded Wily Mo Pena to Boston for right-hander Bronson Arroyo during spring training.
Ken Griffey Jr. returns as the center fielder, and Adam Dunn is back in left.
Nunez Working on Skills/Winter League on Selected Phils Prospects Playing Winter League Ball
Good glove, weak-hitting Abraham Nunez who played in his first season with the is working on honing his hitting skills in Winter League ball, but is not necessarily burning up South America.
MLB.com’s Benjamin Hill reports;
After eight seasons with the Pirates and one with the Cardinals, 2006 marked Abraham Nunez’s first campaign as a member of the Phillies. The Dominican infielder started the year as a bench player, but David Bell’s trade to the Brewers in July elevated Nunez to the role of starting third baseman for the final two months of the season.
While the Phillies’ recent signing of Wes Helms may send Nunez back to the bench, he still figures to be a prominent player for Philadelphia in 2007. The 30-year-old veteran is currently preparing for the upcoming season by playing in the Dominican Winter League as a member of the Leones del Escogido. Nunez has appeared in 23 games for the Leones, collecting 19 hits and 10 walks en route to a .268 average and a .391 on-base percentage.
Nunez is just one of many players in the Phillies organization playing professional baseball in the month of December. Here’s an update on Philadelphia farmhands currently honing their skills in the Dominican Winter, Mexican Pacific and Venezuelan Winter Leagues.
To view listings of Phillies prospects in the Winter Leagues, click here and here.
All Star 2nd Baseman Chase Utley Excited for 2007 Season
Phillies Greg Casterioto sent this report to MLB.com;
For Phillies All-Star second baseman Chase Utley, the baseball offseason is just as exciting to him as it is to all other fans. Utley routinely checks out the transaction wire and keeps up to date on the Internet on the comings and goings of all 30 clubs during the winter.
Obviously, he pays particular attention to the Phillies and has liked all the moves that general manager Pat Gillick has made since the 2006 season ended.
“I pay attention every day,” Utley told phillies.com recently from his home in the Los Angeles area. “It’s been exciting. [Right-hander Freddy] Garcia is going to be a tremendous help for us. He knows how to win, and that’s very important for us as a team and our pitching staff.”
Garcia was acquired by the Phillies at the Winter Meetings in a trade with the White Sox, who received right-hander Gavin Floyd and left-hander Gio Gonzalez in the deal. Earlier in the offseason, Gillick added right-hander Adam Eaton to the pitching staff, giving the Phillies one of the deepest rotations in the National League.
Utley also liked the offensive additions of infielder Wes Helms and outfielder Jayson Werth.
“I’ve seen Helms a lot the past few years, and every time he’s played against us, he’s done well,” Utley said. “He had a great season [for the Marlins] and if he has more playing time, he’ll be a big help to us.”
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December 24th, 2006 at 11:36 am
[…] That trade which brought left fielder Jeff Conine from the Phillies may turn out to be pretty important for Cincinnati after Friday’s announcement that Ken Griffey Jr. broke his hand in an accident at home. Conine plays left field, as well as first base and Cincinnati may need that depth with Griffey Jr. down. This accident is the latest in a series of setbacks Griffey Jr. has suffered since his trade to his hometown Cincinnati Reds for the 2000 season. […]