Should the Phillies consider trading for Aaron Rowand?

San Francisco Giants Aaron Rowland (33) gets high fives at the dugout after scoring in the fifth inning against the Philadelphia Phillies at the NLCS at AT&T Park in San Francisco on October 19, 2010. Rowland doubled and was batted in by Freddy Sanchez as the Giants defeated the Phillies 3-0. UPI/Terry Schmitt

Paul Hagen of the Philadelphia Daily News has an idea on how the Phillies can fill the hole left by outfielder Jayson Werth, who signed with the Nationals this offseason. I’m just not sure it’s a good one.

There are several outfielders who could be available before Opening Day, but it says here that the best option just might be a blast from the past: Aaron Rowand.

The Phillies would want the Giants to pick up most of the $24 million he is owed the next 2 years, and that could be a sticking point. The Giants could reason that if they’re paying the money anyway, they might as well keep him around. They might not be impressed by what the Phillies could offer in return. Or they might be reluctant to help a team they had to beat in the National League Championship Series to get to the World Series in the first place.

But if there’s a will and a way, Rowand might be a perfect low-risk, high-reward move. He’s coming off a terrible year but is a righthanded batter who hit .309 with 27 home runs, 45 doubles, 105 runs and 89 RBI the last time he played his home games at Citizens Bank Park. He’s still just 33. He’s a good clubhouse guy who would be an antidote to the complacency that manager Charlie Manuel sometimes worries about.

The thing Hagen is overlooking is that Rowand isn’t just coming off a terrible year – he’s coming off of three terrible years. And when he was in Philadelphia, his .309-27-89-105 season came in a contract year. Once he got paid, AT&T Park swallowed him whole and nobody has heard from him since.

Hagen’s right: Rowand is an excellent presence in the clubhouse. He’s also one of the few major leaguers that plays hard every day and his defense is still above average. But his offensive numbers have been declining since his magical ’07 campaign and there are no signs that he’ll regain form. A trade back to Philadelphia may rejuvenate him, but I highly doubt he’ll suddenly transform into a .300 hitter. He’ll hit more home runs at Citizens Bank Park than at AT&T, but that’ll be about it.

The logistics don’t match up either. Rowand is still owed $24 million over the next two years and the Giants aren’t going to pay him to play in a Phillies uniform – especially when both teams could meet again in the postseason. Even if the Giants agreed to pay half of his salary, they would still want a prospect in return and how much does Philadelphia have left to offer after the Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt trades?

Let’s not forget that the Giants’ outfield situation isn’t exactly stable either. Andres Torres and Cody Ross own two of the three positions, but Pat Burrell, Mark DeRosa and Nate Schierholtz are all wildcards. It’s better to have Rowand and not need him, than to not have him, need him, and pay for him to play for a contender like Philadelphia. It would help if first base prospect Brandon Belt made the team out of spring training, because then Aubrey Huff could move to left and Rowand would become even more expendable.

If the Phillies are willing to pay a portion of his contract, then I could see a deal happening. It’s not like the Giants are dying to hold onto him, which was made evident when they almost traded him to the Cubs for brutal Kosuke Fukudome in December. But they’re not going to just hand him over either.

Follow the Scores Report editors on Twitter @clevelandteams and @bullzeyedotcom.

Related Posts