It’s always fun reading old posts, looking at the knee-jerk reactions in retrospect. When the Phillies traded for Scott Eyre, I said I liked the deal, writing:
“While there’s reason to feel concern because of his recent slide (and possible injury problems), he could provide a long stretch of good play down the stretch.”
Posters on the site, however …
- Geoff: “we can hope all we want, and i could be wrong, but im pretty sure this guy is trash and will be cut by september.”
- Greg V: “I just picked up some play off tickets on stubhub, I don’t know about you guys.”
- Gavin: “Claim that his was the best thing they could do at this point. Eyre blows ass. He’s Dennis Cook’s younger long lost brother.”
Maybe it’s just guys whose names begin with “G.” I don’t know. A bunch of posters liked the move, though, saying it’s always nice to have bullpen depth. Well, the “trash” or “Dennis Cook’s younger long lost brother” did this down the stretch in 2008:
19 G / 14.1 IP / 2-0 / 3 ER (1.88 ERA) / 8 H / 18 K / 3 BB
The three runs he surrendered were two in a blowout win against the Mets, and one in a blowout loss to the Braves. Pretty impressive. Overall, he provided a power arm that dominated left-handed hitters (.220 AVG, .664 OPS), giving Charlie Manuel a second option from the left side in the bullpen. He and Chad Durbin became the middle relievers du jour in September and October. Oh, and his ridiculously contagious personality made him an instant favorite.
The 36-year-old Eyre won’t be used in the closing situations, and shouldn’t hopefully see the eighth inning much, but for $2 million and a season, he’s a wonderful fit for the middle of the bullpen. Now ya’ll can eat your words.
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