Music: {allcanada} REPORT: JAYS' ANTHOPOULOS INQUIRES ABOUT HAMELS, VICTORINO

Friday, May 11, 2012

{allcanada} REPORT: JAYS' ANTHOPOULOS INQUIRES ABOUT HAMELS, VICTORINO

The vultures may already be starting to circle the Philadelphia Phillies. Or at least some kind of bird is.

According to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports' report, Toronto Blue Jays general manager Alex Anthopoulos has made inquiries with Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. on the availability of pending free agents Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino.

The defending National League East champion Phillies find themselves last in their division through the first month of the season and are still without the services of All-Stars Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. While no deal is imminent, Amaro was quoted in the report as saying he needs to listen to any offers that come his way.

"My job is to keep all lines of communication open," he told FOX Sports, "for the good of the club today and tomorrow. I can't shut any doors down. You try to be creative. And there are a lot of creative GMs out there who have different goals."

Anthopoulos' interest in a variety of players is part of what led to a busy off-season, filled with reports of the Jays having interest in everyone from Prince Fielder to Yu Darvish to Yoenis Cespedes to Manny Ramirez.

The two GMs do have a history together, as the pair connected on the deal that sent Roy Halladay to Philadelphia in exchange for Kyle Drabek, Travis d'Arnaud and Michael Taylor in 2009.

Philadelphia has the second-highest payroll in the majors and has US$104 million committed to six players - Cliff Lee, Halladay, Howard, Utley, Jonathan Papelbon and Jimmy Rollins - next season.