Phillies Links: Burnett and Byrd, Manuel and Halladay, and much more

A.J. Burnett is looking for a home, Byrd is a "vital upgrade", and the Phils will be recognizing two recent retirees.

By schmenkman@tgpschmenk Feb 5, 2014, 11:08am EST

Phillies to honor Charlie Manuel, Roy Halladay during alumni weekend

Fans get a chance to show their justifiable appreciation: Halladay with a bobblehead and ceremony on August 8th, and Manuel with a Wall of Fame induction on the 9th.

The 2013 Season In Low Home Runs

In which Freddy Galvis is crowned the golfing champion of 2013 (h/t yolacrary)

Eight of the Least Interesting Spring Training Storylines

Coincidentally, Eight days until Pitchers and Catchers. Woo!

Five vital positional upgrades for 2014

Marlon Byrd isn’t a particularly exciting solution, but he will be an upgrade over Philadelphia’s right field options last season. No one should expect Byrd to be worth 4.1 WAR again in 2014, but the 36-year-old did make legitimate changes to his approach last year.

Dilemma: payroll or prospects?

Naturally, I gravitated towards a question that I'm surely not the first one to ask: if you had to choose between the two, talent and money, which should you pick?

A Hunk of Burnett Love

Could the Phils pursue A.J. Burnett? from Ryan Lawrence:

Burnett is a neighbor and friend of Phils assistant general manager Scott Proefrock; both live in suburban Baltimore. Burnett’s agent is Darek Braunecker, who also represents Cliff Lee.

The Battle for Burnett, according to a note in a recent Nick Cafardo article:

We mentioned last week that the Orioles could be the wild card for Burnett because he lives in Baltimore. And it’s really looking like a Baltimore-Philadelphia-Pittsburgh runoff for his services.

Around the league, around the league

Braves reach long-term deals with Freeman, Heyward

Ooh, I'm shakin' in my boots. No, I am a little. Good moves by the Braves:
- 8 years $125 million for Freeman, buying out his last two years of arbitration and 6 years of free agency
- only 2 years and $13.3 million total for Heyward, buying out his last two years of arbitration, after which he'll be a free agent (unless he's extended before then)

High expectations abound for Bryce Harper

...as he prepares for his age 21 season.

Strange but true

Tracy McGrady to Attempt Pro Baseball Career with Sugar Land Skeeters of ALPB

Sources w/the @SL_Skeeters tell me that Tracy McGrady is eyeing pro baseball as a pitcher. CLocked at 91 MPH. Working out for 2 months.
— Randy McIlvoy (@RandyMcIlvoy) February 1, 2014