Results tagged ‘ Free Agent ’
The Phils have accepted Carlos Ruiz’s option for 2013, declined options on Placido Polanco, Jose Contreras and Ty Wigginton.
The Phils have earlier this week (Monday) announced that they have accepted Carlos Ruiz’s $5 million dollar option for 2013, so he’ll be staying with the ballclub for at least another season. Carlos, who played in 114 games, thanks in part to being on the DL twice during the season, had a .325 batting average (121 for 372) with a .935 OPS, as he had 32 doubles and 16 home runs, while knocking in 68 RBIs, while scoring 56 runs.
The Phils also announced that they are decling Placido Polanco’s option, instead buying out his option at $1 million, making him a free agent, as they pursues other options for third base. The Phils have also declined both Jose Contreas and Ty Wigginton’s options, buying them out at $500,000 dollars each, also making them free agents. Juan Pierre and Brian Schneider have also become free agents, as the Phils start making changes to their roster for the 2013 season, hoping to make themselves more competitive for next year’s pennant race .
Raul Ibanez have signed a one-year deal with the Yankees, as a DH.
The New York Yankees have announced earlier today that they have signed former Phil Raul Ibanez to a one-year, $1.1 million dollars contract, as a designated hitter.
Ibanez, who was the Phils’ left fielder for 2009-11, last year played in 144 games, hitting .245 (131 for 535), hitting 31 doubles, 1 triple and 20 home runs, knocking in 84 RBIs, while scoring 65 runs. During a 16-years career, while includes stints with the Seattle Mariners (two) and the Kansas City Royals, Ibanez would appear in 1817 games, hitting .280 (1791 for 6387), including 377 doubles, 43 triples and 252 home runs, as he knocked in 1054 runs, while scoring 928. He also has a career slugging percentage of .471 and a career on-base percentage of .342. As he joins the Yankees, Ibanez is expected to be their left-handed designated hitter, while also adding some depths to their outfield.
With the signing, as far as the Phils are concerned, it should give them a draft pick based on Ibanez’s free agent status.
Wish you luck with the Yanks, Raul.
The Phils have signed Jonathan Papelbon to a four-year deal worth $50 Million.
According to reports yesterday, the Phils have signed former Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon to a four-year contract worth $50 million dollars, with a possible vetting for a fifth season that could lead to a total of $60 million, all pending on him passing a physical. If this is true, it means that the Phils are passing up on Ryan Madson, who, earlier in the week, was going to sign a four-year contract, worth $44 million, with a possible fifth season, before talks stalled. Reports are that the stalling might have been because Madson’s agent Scott Boras started playing games to push up Madson’s price. If that is so, than Madson has only Boras to blame for his being past over by the Phils, and Papelbon have Boras to thank for the deal he has just gotten, as it is obvious that Phils’ GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. refuses to play Boras’ little games.
Papelbon, who became a free agent after the 2011 season, pitched the last seven seasons with the Boston Red Sox, being a member of the 2007 World Series Championship team. During those seven seasons, he had saved 219 games in 248 chances, as he pitched in 396 games, pitching all but three games as a reliever, with a record of 23-19 and an ERA of 2.33. In 429.1 innings pitched, Papelbon struck out 509 batters, while walking just 115. Last season, as a member of the 2011 Red Sox, which had one of the worst collapses in Major League History, missing the playoffs on the last week of the season, he pitched in 63 games, saving 31 games in 34 attempts, having a 4-1 record with a 2.94 ERA, as he pitched 64.1 innings, striking out 87 batters while walking only 10.
Welcome to the Phils, Mr. Papelbon. I hope that you’ll be able to do what everyone is expecting, especially after what had happened in 2011 up in Boston. As for Ryan, sorry to see you go. Thanks for what you did while a member of the Phils, and I hope that you’ll be able to find another team, especially after what have happened this past week.
Jim Thome signs a one-year deal with the Phils.
Jim Thome, who had played first base for the Phils from 2003-2005, before being traded to the White Sox after the 2005 season, allowing Ryan Howard to become the everyday first baseman, will return to the Phils as he signed a one-year contract worth $1.25 million dollars, to become mainly the left-handed bat off the bench, although expected to play a few games at first base early in the 2012 season as Howard recovers from his Achilles tendon injury, pending a physical.
During his three seasons with the Phils, ‘Gentleman Jim’ Thome help to make the Phils a contender as he had 333 hits, including 96 home runs, 65 doubles and 4 triples, while knocking in 266 runs while scoring 234. He also walked 260 times. Last season, as he played for both the Twins and the Indians, he hit a combined .256 batting average, with 71 hits, including 15 home runs and 16 doubles, as he knocked in 50 runs, while scoring 32 runs. Breaking into the majors with the Indians in 1991, Thome has a career total of 2287 hits, which includes 604 home runs, 444 doubles and 26 triples, knocking in1674 RBIs, for a career batting average of .277.
Welcome back, Jim. Hopefully you’re the left-handed bench bat that the team presently need once Howard comes back from his injury.
He’s bbbbbaaaaaccckkkkk!!!! Phils get back Cliff Lee!
In a move that came completely out of the blue, the Phils have just signed free agent Cliff Lee to a five-year, $120 million contract, with a vesting option for a sixth year, beating the New York Yankees, who had offered Lee a six-year deal worth $135 million, with a vesting option for a seventh year, and the Texas Rangers, who had offered him a six-year deal worth $138 million, and with a vesting option for a seventh season. With this move, Lee returns to Philadelphia, after having been traded by the Phils to the Seattle Mariners, almost a year ago, giving the Phils a starting rotation that now have four aces (Lee, NL Cy Young Award Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels), that will be haunting the NL, especially the NL East, for at least a year (depending on whether Hamels will be resigned after the season, and if Oswalt decides not to retire after 2012.).
Lee, in 2010, as he pitched for first the Mariners, then the Rangers, went 12-9 with an ERA of 3.18, as he started in 28 games, pitching 212.1 innings, throwing seven complete games, including a shut out, as he struck out 185 batters, while walking only eighteen during the season. In the post-season, he helped pitched the Rangers into their first World Series appearance, before falling to the 2010 World Champions San Francisco Giants, as he went 3-2 overall for the Rangers.
The Phils will more than likely have to trade someone(s) to help them better afford their move. There is already rumors flying around that they have been trying to ship off Joe Blanton and or Raul Ibanez as a salary dump, with them willing to pay for part of Blanton’s salary to move him. I do not know if any of them is true, but, if they need to move someone, it should be Kyle Kendrick, not Blanton. After all, Blanton has been a bit more consistant, pitching wise, than has Kendrick, and he would be a lot better backup to the now Big Four than might Kendrick. Whatever does happen, I hope Ruben will know what he’s doing, although there does seem to be some method to his madness.
Spring Training: The Phillies have released Adam Eaton. What took them so long???
The Phillies have announced earlier today that they have finally released Adam Eaton. Joining the Phillies as a free agent in 2007 after signing a three-year contract worth $24.5 million, Eaton in two years with the Phillies would pitch in 51 games (49 starts) and would go 14-18 with a high ERA of 6.10. Late in the 2008 season, he would be taken out of the rotation and sent to the minors to see if he could improve his pitching, as was done earlier with fellow Phil Brett Myers. Unlike Myers, who would got his brain back into the game in time to have a stellar second half, thus helping get the team into the playoffs and World Series, Eaton would only get worst in the minors, getting bombed in each of his outings. Although called back up to the team in September, he would make very few mound appearences for the ballclub, and would not be placed on the post-season roster.
Eaton, who has been in the major leagues for nine years with the Padres and Rangers, along with the Phils, has a career record of 68-83 in 197 games (193 starts) with an ERA of 4.80.
With his release, the Phillies will be paying the last year of his contract, worth $8.5 million. Eaton has already expressed during the early part of Spring Training that he is sure that another team will pick him up. Me, I’m not so sure, since no one wanted to take him off of the Phillies hand when they tried to trade him during the off-season. But, anything is possible, but I will state right now that I will feel sorry for whichever team does pick him up and he continues to pitch as badly for them as he has done during the last two seasons while pitching for the Phils.
Goodbye, Eaton. I wish you luck, but I seriously don’t expect to see you with another team until you can prove that you can pitch.
The Phillies seem to be getting all of their ducks together: Jayson Werth has just signed a new two-year contract.
And now there were two as the Phillies and Jayson Werth have just come to an agreement, avoiding the need to go into arbitration. Jayson Werth, the Phillies’ rightfielder, after originally starting the 2008 season platooning with Geoff Jenkins, have just signed a two-year deal with the Phillies, dollars amount still to be release. Last year, Werth emerged as the team’s everyday rightfielder, as he hit .273, with a .498 slugging percentage and a .363 on-base percenatge, as he obtained 114 hits in 418 at-bats in 134 games played, as he hit 16 2Bs, 3 3Bs and 24 HRs, knocking in 67 RBIs, while scoring 73 runs and stealing 20 bases. In a six years career, he has a batting average of .263 with a .451 slugging percentage and a .355 on-base percentage, as he has 367 hits in 1394 at-bats in 460 games played, including 66 2Bs, 12 3Bs and 57 HRs, as he knocked in 222 RBIs, while crossing the plate 229 times, as well as stealing 44 bases. The signing, just like the earlier three-year deal with Ryan Madson, keeps Werth from becoming a free agent at the end of the season.
With Werth’s signing, the Phils now have only two players who are arbitration worthy at the moment, Chad Durbin and Ryan Howard, and I’m betting that Durbin will be signing a contract with the team by Friday night, since the two sides are close, money-wise.
Nice move front office. But, it would be even better if you can come with some way to get Howard to sign a multi-year deal that will be beneficial for all involved.
Edit: The numbers have finally been released. Werth will be receiving $10 million dollars for two years, being given $3 million this year and $7 million in 2010.
We now know where Pat Burrell has landed…
Free agent Pat Burrell, the former left fielder for the 2008 World Champions Philadelphia Phillies, has just finished signing a two-year, $16 million contract with the 2008 American League Champions Tampa Bay Rays. Burrell, who, until signing with the Rays, has spent all nine years of his major league career with the Phillies, having a career batting average of .257, while hitting 251 home runs (3rd place in team history) and 827 RBIs (7th place) for the red pinstripes. Burrell will more than likely be acting as the Rays’ designated hitter, although he has said at one time that he would prefer playing in the field, thus keeping his mind in the game.
We’re going to miss you here in Philly, Pat, and I, for one, wish you success in Tampa, as long as it isn’t against the Phils.
As Phillies continue contract talks with Jamie Moyer, they sign Chan Ho Park to a one-year deal.
The Phillies continue contract talks with 22 years veteran Jamie Moyer, trying to nail him in with a two-year, about $15 Million dollars deal, partly explaining why the Phillies were still in Las Vegas, beside getting ready to sign Raul Ibanez. Talks between the Phils and Moyer has in fact increased since their signing of former Seattle Mariners outfielder Ibanez has all but ended the possibility of the Phillies resigning their free agent left fielder, Pat Burrell. If Moyer does resign with the team, it would mean a starting roster consisting of Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton and Moyer, with the fifth spot to be fought over between Kyle Kendrick, J.A. Happ, minor leaguer Carlos Carrasco, and Adam Eaton.
Correction, the battle for the final spot in the starting rotation has increased by one as former Dodgers Chan Ho Park has agreed to a one-year contract with the Phillies for $2.5 Million dollars, with bonuses that could push it up to $5 Million. With Park’s signing, the Phillies have added depth to the bullpen, while also adding another possible starter in the fight for the fifth and final spot in the rotation, if Moyer resigns with the ballclub. The 15 years veteran last year went 4-4 wiith a 3.40 ERA in 54 games with the Dodgers.
Hopefully this latest move will help the Phillies as they continue to see if they can get either Moyer or free agent Derek Lowe.
Raul Ibanez has signed a three-year, $30 Million contract with Phillies.
Raul Ibanez, a left-handed free agent outfielder, has just signed a three-year, $30 Million contract with the Phillies, pending on him passing a physical. His signing, once he has passed the physical, will more than likely mean that the Phillies will no longer be persuing right-handed free agent outfielder Pat Burrell, while adding another potent left-handed bat to their lineup. Ibanez, who had spent the last five years playing for the Seattle Mariners of the American League, ended 2008 with a .293 Batting Average, 23 homers, 110 RBIs, a .358 On-Base Percentage and a .472 Slugging Percentage, would be replacing Pat Burrell’s 30 homers plus bat.
I will say this, I was not expecting Ruben Amaro Junior to actually pull off something like this, especially as he has been saying for the past month or so that pitching was the team’s number one priority, and that he works for a bunch of cheap skate owners. I don’t know, maybe the owners have decided to spend some money after all. If so, I hope this will turn out to be a good move for the team, although they should’ve gone after a rightie, to take some of the pressure off of their other lefties in the lineup, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard. I’m going to give this signing the benefit of the doubt, for now. But, if it goes south in ’09, I’m going to be having a hard time not being a Phillies boo bird.
Oh, Ruben, by the way, about the pitching, are you still going after Jamie, or is Derek Lowe the one who is now in your sights? Or, is it both pitchers that you’re after now? Just checking, is all.
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