It's hard to get excited about the offseason moves by the Philadelphia Phillies so far.
After years in which the team picked up big names like Cliff Lee and Roy Halliday through big trades, Thursday's trade to acquire a centerfielder doesn't draw lots of excitement.
Where's the big free agent signing?
With a team that sputtered to .500 last year and didn't make the playoffs, Phillies fans expected General Manager Ruben Amaro Jr. to make a big splash.
B.J. Upton. Michael Bourn. Josh Hamilton.
One of those names.
But now instead we have Ben Revere.
With unproven outfielders like Domonic Brown, Darrin Ruf and John Mayberry Jr., adding a youngster like Revere -- who may have all the potential in the world -- doesn't look like a stroke of genius.
Amaro may be banking on health to get his team back to its traditional playoff appearances.
Amaro may believe that picking up the young Minnesota Twins outfielder could be like when the Phils acquired a young, five-tool player named Bobby Abreu.
We had no idea that he would turn into a star. Besides, the Phillies needed a shot of youth and Revere could patrol centerfeld for the next four years.
The Phillies need a third baseman, a setup reliever and a power-hitting outfielder.
The trade for Revere -- while giving up pitcher Vance Worley and prospect Trevor May -- is cheap, with not much added to payroll on this high-priced team. That gives Amaro some flexibility.
There's talk that former Texas Rangers All-Star Michael Young could be added to play third base.
Who knows if that will happen and who knows how much Young will make a difference.
This team has a lot of questions for 2013.
Can Ryan Howard and Chase Utley rebound from injuries and get back to elite status? The same goes for Halliday. Can Lee return to top performance as a potential Cy Young candidate? Can catcher Carlos Ruiz come back from a 25-game suspension and play at the same level as last year? And can Ruf and Brown reach their potential?
Who knows.
Ben Revere could be the next Michael Bourn. Or he could play like Paul Revere.
The best bet for the Phillies that would make the fan base swoon?
Sign Josh Hamilton. And do it quickly.
Could not agree more. With out these improvements on the roster the team is only looking at a first round appearance in the postseason