Wanted to touch on the rumors that the Phillies have made offers to Hiroki Kuroda and Randy Wolf. Todd Zolecki of the Inky reports it, and says these may not even come to fruition for some time, as they’re opening offers and — as it stands — there should be multiple teams looking at both pitchers.

I’d rather want Kuroda — proven in Japan, unseen in America, a right-hander, younger, not injury prone. Wolf, meanwhile, is well known, as he was drafted by, came up through and played all but one year with the Phils. He’s a Phillie for life, and to bring him back is intriguing. Here are his last three years, all bugged by injury:

2005: 6-4 / 4.39 ERA / 61 K / 26 BB / 1.413 WHIP
2006: 4-0 / 5.56 ERA / 44 K / 33 BB / 1.694 WHIP
2007: 9-6 / 4.73 ERA / 94 K / 39 BB / 1.451 WHIP

He hasn’t really been effective in a large sense since 2003, his All Star season as Phillies ace. He’s been injured ever since, having Tommy John surgery in ‘06. He came back strong to start the ‘07 campaign, making some of us Phillies fans upset we ever dropped him; however, the injuries returned, and his season ended after 18 starts for the Dodgers.

Is he worth the flier? Not over Kuroda. I don’t even know if he’s a better flier than Colon. Wolf will be 31, so if he’s healthy, he is in the prime of his pitching career. And he knows the Vault well. Here are his Vault numbers:

CBP: 149 IP / 8-7 / 4.47 ERA / 106 K / 51 BB / 22HR (25 starts)

Decidedly average. One homer per game isn’t horrible, but isn’t exactly acceptable.

Kuroda still remains the No. 1 choice, and if the Phils can grab him for about $8M per, it’s definitely the move to make. The Phils seem not so shy to spend if the effect is strong. We saw that with the Lowell push (which is practically official now). So Randy Wolf — and I love the guy, don’t get me wrong — wouldn’t be my pick. If the Phils strike out on Kuroda and grab Wolf, he’s your fourth starter at best (I could see a Hamels/Moyer/Myers/Wolf/Kendrick rotation, because the transition from Moyer to Myers is sick.)

So on this Turkey day, let’s not immediately want to wish old friends hello again.

Notes: The Angels swiped Torii Hunter from the pile-o-plenty, seriously coming from nowhere to ink him an estimated 5Y/$90M deal. Thanks for setting the market, Halos. Aaron Rowand looks to be about 5Y/$82M (estimate). Not worth it for the Phils to re-sign.
- Rumors have the Phils offering a slew of prospects for Ryan Zimmerman, while other rumors have the boys tied in with Erik Bedard. I wouldn’t take much stock into these two, and if the Phils were to give up most of their top prospects for either, I’d be wary. I love Zim and Bedard, but don’t deplete the farm system; be smart.
- More rumors: The Phils are lumped in with Melvin Mora, as supposedly he’d wave his no-trade clause for us. I wouldn’t wave our no-trade clause for him.
- The big news the Phils should be most focused on is the White Sox snapping up Scott Linebrink to a 4Y/$19M deal. If Romero gets three years, Linebrink deserves four (and if Romero gets $4M per, Linebrink deserves $5M), so this isn’t a bad deal for the Sox. The Phils could’ve done this deal, but there are no early indications they were interested.
- The Linebrink deal leaves the relief pitching pool somewhat muddled, though Jeremy Affeldt, David Riske and Francisco Cordero are still out there in Tiers B and C. With all the rumors about starting pitching and third base, I think the Phils may be done with the bullpen, which is the wrong move (then again, you can’t confirm anything about this front office’s moves). Still, it’s essential they get one more arm for that pen. I won’t sleep unless they do.

But I will sleep after that tryptophan kicks in. But first, off to Central/Northeast — The Game! Happy Thanksgiving!