It is always easy to overspend when the money isn't yours. That's especially the case with sports franchises, which all would be out of business or in bankruptcy court if the majority of fans and media were put in charge.
"Just spend the money... stop being cheap!" folks always implore the local teams.
Yeah, and that's exactly how things are run at your house. Right?
So this is a short, little missive for the Phillies imploring them not to spend the money on oft-injured pitcher Kris Benson, be it for a minor-league deal or one of those look-and-see-and-then-go-away pacts that dot pro sports like the accessories they are.
You get your money for nothing and your chicks for free...
No, the Phillies should not watch Benson workout anymore. They should burn the jet fuel thus turning their carbon footprint to Sasquatch proportions travelling around to Georgia or Arizona or Timbuktu to watch him throw breaking pitches or see him attempt to hit 90 mph on the JUGS gun.
Oh sure, Benson is one of those high-reward, low-risk type of pitchers that like the confetti of currency also dots the sporting landscape, but big deal. These days Benson is a dime a dozen. IF he can pitch he's nothing more than a well-known name because a long time ago he was a top draft pick and his wife flashed and cursed her way into the sub-culture consciousness.
Besides, Benson seems to have spent more time on the disabled list than in active duty, having missed the entire 2001 and 2007 seasons for surgeries. That makes him a pretty good bet to get hurt again, which seems like a waste of time considering his lifetime ERA is only slightly better than the league average and steadily rising.
So no, the Phillies should put the checkbook away and move past Kris Benson...
Instead, if the Phillies really need to add another pitcher (and they do), they should overpay right-hander Kyle Lohse.
Unlike Benson, Lohse is a known entity. They know he can pitch - maybe not as well as they'd like, but he's a pretty sure bet to take the ball every five days and/or as a reliever for a handful of days in a row.
Perhaps the question is this: Which pitcher is a better value? Is it Benson who may or may not be able to make the team , but won't cost all that much in length of the deal or the salary? Or is it Lohse, who has not yet turned 30, has seven straight big league seasons under his belt and will hold down a spot on the pitching staff for the length of his contract?
The caveat in that is that it might cost the Phillies three years and a few dozen million dollars.
But then again, sometimes you get what you pay for.