Pat Gillick said he was reading some of the preseason reports on the Phillies and thought there was something missing. Sure, the Phillies have some players that have been around the block a time or two, but experience isn't that bad.
"I think they're selling us short for the 2014 season," Gillick said on Philly Sports Talk Wednesday night.
If anyone understands what it takes to field a championship team, it's Gillick. The Phillies' former GM and an advisor to Ruben Amaro Jr. took every team he designed to the playoffs and won the World Series with the Blue Jays and Phillies.
According to Gillick, it will come down to pitching, defense and good health.
Just like always.
So with the word that the Phillies had signed veteran righty A.J. Burnett to add to the rotation, the Phillies could be solid in that department. Though the deal for Burnett was not official as of Wednesday night, Gillick said adding another starting pitcher was a priority.
"We need another pitcher," Gillick said. "Right now we have Cole [Hamels] and [Kyle] Kendrick and Cliff Lee. You can pencil them in for sure. After that we have [Roberto] Hernandez, [Miguel Alfredo] Gonzalez, [Jonathan] Pettibone, Ethan Martin -- a group to pick from. To have a solid four and be looking for a fifth is the way we want to go. Cole's situation or not, we were still looking for a fourth pitcher."
MLB
The Phillies were looking for that extra arm regardless of whether Hamels would be ready to go on Opening Day. Recovering from the flu and biceps tendonitis has left Hamels a bit behind in his preparation. Nevertheless, Gillick isn't too concerned.
"Out of 1 to 10 I'd say my concern is about a two," Gillick said.
With the news on the pitchers dominating on Wednesday, manager Ryne Sandberg is set to kick off his first spring training as the club's skipper. Gillick and Sandberg are both members of the Baseball Hall of Fame, though Sandberg is new at the managing gig.
"I think Ryne is going to be a real plus here," Gillick said. "And the one thing that I think happened with the timing of Charlie [Manuel] leaving in the middle of the season, it gave Ryne a chance to get to know some of the players. ... He kind of got a jump-start on the season."
Though he's a Hall-of-Fame player, Sandberg is down to earth and has a great rapport with his players, Gillick said.
"He's a quick learner, he's very good one-on-one and he likes players," Gillick said. "I think he has a chance to be very good."