Please sign the petition below to let the Phillies know that you want them to do whatever it takes to acquire one or more impact players! 

(Unfortunately, our original petition to get the Phillies to sign free agent CF Torii Hunter and/or free agent 3B Mike Lowell went unrewarded, but we can still send a message to the Phils that we want to compete for a world championship, not just a division title.)

On Thanksgiving Eve, the news broke that the Angels had signed Torii Hunter to a contract reported to be worth $90 million over five years (i.e. an average of $18 million per year). (Last week, Hunter joined Harry and Jamie and said that he'd welcome the opportunity to play in Philadelphia if it came to be.) Because the Angels snatched up Hunter at such a high price tag, free agent CF Aaron Rowand's stock surely rose accordingly.   Earlier in the week, it was announced that Mike Lowell had agreed to re-sign with the Red Sox. According to ESPN baseball insder Buster Olney (who first reported while on with the Fanatics, Harry Mayes and Jamie Yannacone, that the Phils were making a big play for Lowell), Lowell and the Red Sox agreed to a three-year, $37.5 million deal. Also according to Olney, the Phillies engaged Lowell in a conference call late Sunday night/early Monday morning, where the framework of a four-year, $50 million deal was discussed. After the free-agent third baseman spoke with general manager Pat Gillick, assistant GM Ruben Amaro and manager Charlie Manuel, there was a period of about an hour or so where it looked like Lowell was going to sign with the Phillies. The offer would have been formalized if Lowell had agreed to the deal.    If it's true that the Phils were heavily involved in negotiations with Lowell and were actually serious about trying to sign him, then we'll take that as a positive turn.  Still, getting close isn't good enough. It's one thing to be involved in negotiations; it's quite another to close the deal.
Harry and Jamie feel strongly that the Phillies are within a move of two of becoming instant World Series contenders. With an elite core of players led by back-to-back MVPs Ryan Howard (2006) and Jimmy Rollins (2007), Chase Utley and Cole Hamels, the Phils are just one or two impact players away from going from "the team to beat" in the NL East to the team to beat in the National League. Although Hunter and Lowell are gone, there are other position players and pitchers available via free agency and trade who could push this Phils squad over the top. And one of them, Rowand, is already a fan favorite in Philadelphia. Please use this petition as a way to let the Phils know what you'd like them to do this off-season!