Phillies Could Have Had Torii Hunter, NOT Delmon Young; Awesome

Yo man, I ALMOST played for you guys! Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

So, it turns out the Phillies were thiiiiis close to signing Torii Hunter this off-season. Instead, they got Delmon Young.

Yeah, we should all light ourselves on fire.

Per CSN Philly’s Jim Salisbury, the Phils were apparently very aggressive in pursuing the now-37 year-old outfielder, who signed a two-year, $26 million deal with the Detroit Tigers.

Hunter hit second in the Detroit lineup against the Phils on Sunday afternoon.

And while that contract is a spicy meatball, had we all known the alternative would be Delmon Young potentially starting 140-150 games this year, I think everyone would agree two years of Hunter would be better than whatever we’re going to get from Young.

Hunter, apparently, really liked the Phillies. He just didn’t like them like them.

"“I considered it – big time,” Hunter said of the Phillies’ attempt to sign him as a free agent in the offseason. “Some of my favorite guys are over there, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins.”"

Hey, what’s the matter with Ryan Howard, TORII?

Hunter, who hit .313/.365/.451 with 16 HRs and an OPS+ of 132 last year, was a 5.5 bWAR player in 2012, at age 36. He still plays an excellent defensive corner outfield, and has that one thing that all baseball people seem to CRAVE these days.

LEADERSHIP.

Still, it’s apparent the Phils didn’t want to cough up the dough to acquire such a fine specimen. And, there were some other reasons too, apparently.

"“The Tigers acted quick,” Hunter said. “But the Phillies were in it. They are a great team and a great organization. I’m an American League guy and I liked the familiarity I had with the league. I grew up in the AL Central (with Minnesota) so I’m familiar with the division.”"

So, Detroit has Hunter and the Phils have Young. Coincidentally, Young played for the Tigers last year and replaced him with Hunter.

Yes, sometimes when we think the grass is always greener on the other side, we’re often times wrong.

THIS… is not one of those times.