Relief for the relievers

In order to pry away Babe Ruth from the Red Sox, Yankees owners Jacob Ruppert and Cap Huston sent $100,000 to Boston’s Harry Frazee with the hope that the lefty pitcher and slugger could turn around their moribund franchise.

As it turns out it ended up being the best $100,000 ever spent in baseball history.

On Thursday afternoon, a day after the Phillies’ bullpen blew its second straight late-inning lead in a loss to the Atlanta Braves, general manager Pat Gillick announced that his franchise was sending $100,000 to the Toronto Blue Jays for right-handed relief pitcher Francisco Rosario. Certainly Gillick and the Phillies aren’t expecting Rosario to turn the club into the greatest baseball franchise ever, but if the 26-year old can get a few batters out a couple times a week, he just might be the answer for the Phillies.

But at this point, after losing the first two games because of the bullpen’s inability to hold a lead or keep a game tied while positing a collective 7.11 ERA with four walks and three homers in 6 1/3 innings, the Phillies are just looking for an arm. In that regard, Rosario certainly fits the bill.

A veteran of eight minor league seasons where he appeared in 148 games with 84 starts, as well as 17 games in 2006 for the Blue Jays, Rosario has obtained the unfortunate moniker as an “upside” guy. In other words, Rosario throws hard and has good stuff but for one reason or another has not lived up to his potential as a pitcher. In fact, that “upside” label is omnipresent in most scouting reports and quotes regarding Rosario. For instance, the 2007 Baseball Prospectus yearbook says:

Once considered a high-upside guy, Francisco Rosario has had his share of arm troubles and has gotten older without the upside coming around, but he could be salvaged as a decent arm out of the bullpen if he maintains the uptick in control he experienced with Syracuse last year.

Despite throwing his fastball in the high 90s, while sporting a 3.00 ERA with nine strikeouts in nine innings in Grapefruit League action for the Jays, Rosario couldn’t crack the team’s relieving corps. Out of options, he was designated for assignment meaning he had to be traded or claimed by waivers in a 10-day span before becoming a free agent. Recognizing their shortcomings in the bullpen, Gillick and his staff scouted Rosario heavily during the spring with the hope of brokering a potential deal. Just as quickly word got out that the Phillies were interested.

“We like this guy's arm,” Gillick told reporters in announcing the deal. “We think he has a power arm. He's had a poor track record, but we think he turned the corner this spring. He has a lot of upside. He's a guy we've watched since last season.”

Upside. For Rosario and the Phillies relievers there is plenty of upside. They will try to find it on Friday night in Miami where Rosario will join the team for the three-game series against the Florida Marlins. It’s likely that pitcher Joe Bisenius will be optioned to Triple-A Ottawa to clear space on the 25-man roster for Rosario.