If Revere goes to Philly, who comes back?
It appears the #1 suitor for Revere is Philadelphia. The Revere thread was about Revere, so I wanted to take the discussion in another direction. They need a CF, and the FA alternatives are incredibly expensive. Who is reasonable to get back from Philly if we give them Revere? The candidates:
Vance Worley, 25. He's not a bad young pitcher. His peripherals don't predict amazing success, but they're good by Twins standards, he's outpitched them over his two years with the big club, at least until his elbow started hurting. And the Phillies are trying to move him. So what's the problem? He's injured and is a surgery waiting to happen. Worley hurt his elbow this past season, rested, and tried to play through it. No such luck, as he was shut down in late August. They say bone chips, but that's often a precursor to TJS. Okay, being a pitcher is often a precursor to TJS.
Jesse Biddle, 21. One of three Philly prospect pitchers that might get the Twins attention. Biddle had a good year in the FSL and should be ready for AA and perhaps beyond 2013.
Trevor May, 23. Philadelphia's most intriguing pitcher is a K machine. Okay, make that a BB machine. He's struggled with his control, and his first few months of 2013 were near-disaster, but he put together a nice August. From 2011 A+ ball to AA in 2012 May's K rate declined, and his BB rate increased. The Phillies top pitching prospect last year might never get it together in a starting role. I'm hoping for May so stupid Twins fans can refer to our young SPs as Mays and Meyers.
Julio Rodriguez, 22. Pitching at age 21 in AA, Rodriguez threw up numbers that weren't that different from the age 22 May (both have had birthdays since). His high A numbers in 2011 were tremendous and also mirrored May, and it give you pause with Biddle's nice 2012 season there in Clearwater.
Ethan Martin, 23. What is it with Philly pitchers? Martin pitched 158 innings between AA and AAA inn 2012, giving up only 118 hits and striking out 147, but yielding 79 walks.
Adam Morgan, 22. Morgan had a very good season between A+ and AA in 2012. A 3rd rd pick from Alabama in 2011, Morgan threw 159 innings with 169 K, and a K/BB of 4.33. The majority of those numbers were at Clearwater, and he didn't dominate as much at AA Reading in seven starts, but his year is remarkably similar to Alex Meyer's.
Others: Jonathan Pettibone 22.
My preference? I do like Worley, but I think having a bone spur removed from your elbow is a bigger deal than some might. Still, he's expected to be fine by spring training. He's a #3 starter at best, but he's a good pitcher who did well when healthy in a horrible park for pitchers. The Twins should jump on Worley if one of the others is included, but that's probably asking way too much. Maybe that gives the Twins a chance to be creative. Perhaps Revere and Nate Roberts can persuade the Philles to give up Worley and one of these prospects. That could be a tremendous deal for the Twins. But getting Worley alone might be too risky if his elbow doesn't both hold up and allow him to get back to early numbers.
