Sigh.
In September, perennial minor leaguer and butt of all jokes Mike Zagurski was traded to Arizona for a “player to be named later”. There was speculation that Zagurski, who has become somewhat of a fan-favorite as a lovable loser type, would become the PTBNL himself, and return to the Phillies. But alas, you can’t always get what you want.
What the Phillies did get, though, is a right-handed reliever by the name of Adam Worthington (24), who is young but struggling to find his game in Class A+ ball. Last season he had a 4.48 ERA in 62.1 innings, holding a K/9 of 10.0 . He’s basically the “box of donuts” we all joke about when saying a player has no trade value.
While it’s a shame to see 28 year old Zagurski go, it will be interesting to see new blood in Worthington. I know I’ll be watching him, wondering what could have been if Zagurski had been traded back for himself.
year, he has a $5,000,000 team option for the 2013 season. No matter how much of a beloved figure Chooch may be, there is almost no chance that in 2013, when Chooch is 34, he will be worth anywhere near $5 million.Hopefully he’ll sign a small contract (as a backup) or move straight to the position of bullpen coach, but don’t expect him to be the everyday catcher when 2013 rolls around. Here are some of the guys in the minors that may take his place: