Phillies Considering Third Base Options

I think I would pick up the option and then decide what to do. A team like the Twins would probably give something for Feliz at 5mil

The Indians may make Peralta available -- They may be a match to pull off a trade Peralta is signed for 4.5 mil.

The Indians most likely would want at least a AA propsect near major league ready + a lower level guy with some upside most likely a 2nd or 3rd baseman type.

Where is Philly getiing all this cash to go after Figgins or Beltre along with maybe some pen help?

They have nearly 20M in built in raises and abri raises pending for Victorino, Blanton, and a few other lesser players. Even if they buy out Feliz they will have to raise their payroll by at least 30M to accomidate Figgins and all their raises.

Can they do that after raising payroll by 15M just last year?

I would love it if the Phils got Beltre or Figgins, as long as the price is right. Rollins' OBP has been going down since his MVP year and we could use another force at the top of the lineup. A lineup of this:

Figgins
Rollins
Utley
Howard
Werth
Victorino
Ibanez
Ruiz
Pitcher

is just NASTY. it would give us more speed and more men on base for howard/utley/werth.

Hopefully signing Figgins to something like a 4/44 or 4/48 deal won't hurt the chances of signing Lee long term.

the financial decision is definitely one to consider. good point to bring up. beltre is a boras client so he will probably get more money than he deserves. its good he's coming off a couple bad years in regards to injury/productivity in seattle. this is good bargaining leverage for the phils to get him at a low price. If they make this offseason move i ll be happy. but as already mentioned, blanton, happ, ruiz, hopefully chan ho park all need 1 year min deals as well.

what about thoughts on victorino? will he be back or does anyone think they'll bring up taylor/mayberry for cheaper? i mean, the phils didnt even want to give these guys up in a trade with dominant ace Roy Halladay. dont get me wrong, victorino is one of my favorite phils, but with the season he had he definitely increased his trade value....i could be way off, but on the other hand i wouldnt be surprised if he was dealt.

I could see Atkins, too. Forgot about him. That would be a nice sight, as long as he's not gonna be repeating this year.

Again to the posters above me, how do you afford a long term contract to Figgins. Is the Philly payroll going to the 150M range?

Posted by: bbxxj | November 07, 2009 at 10:22 AM

That's what I was saying. I would rather pass on Figgins if we can't lock up a guy like Lee.

@Muggi

How did I miss those guys? I knew I was missing something. Thanks for clearing that up.

Supposedly the Phillies prioritize gamers. If so, then forget about Beltre. Aside from that he's got a lousy plate approach that's going to become even more problematic now that his bat is slowing down. It's already been a few years since he hit RHPs better than a replacement player.

Figgins would be more in the team's mold. Yet why not get a younger option? Gordon's probably a tough get, but Andy LaRoche likely can be had from the Pirates. Pedro Alvarez is going to take over the hot corner in Pittsburgh at some point in 2010, leaving LaRoche without a job. The Phils probably can get LaRoche for an A-ball prospect like Travis D'Arnaud.

FYI, the Phillies sold out nearly every game this year, had baseball's best attendance, and went back to the World Series. As someone who is a gigantic Phils fan and lives in the downtown area of the city, I can tell you first hand baseball in Philadelphia has exploded. They are printing money down there. Think Red Sox 2003ish in terms of resources.

Posted by: leeal02 | November 07, 2009 at 10:54 AM

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LOL! Ofcourse money is made in Philadelphia. A branch of the US Mint is there. Glad to know the Yankees are not the only team that prints money. I thought they were the bad guys.

Just poking fun!

I would imagine around the ball park is electric the last couple of years. There is no reason they can't compete yearly.

oh and just to show how much phillies baseball has taken over the city, nobody is even talking about the fact this weekend is the 100th meeting between the cowboys and eagles.

Taylor is gonna replace Werth if he walks next year.

the phils are working are something like 55 straight sell outs. this town is completely in love with this team. we are finally an elite franchise and will continue to be as long the turn styles keep moving.

Figgins isn't exactly a slouch in the field, and the Phils could use a true leadoff hitter. I love rollins, but I think he'd benefit from hitting behind a guy like Figgins.

I think the Padres and Phillies could work out a deal built around Bell and Kouzmanoff to Philly for a package of prospects and young arms. That would solove two big issues for Philly.

oh thome is finally off the books as well..lol

Posted by: phillies08 | November 07, 2009 at 11:28 AM

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I completely forgot about that. I can only imagine how it must feel to have that money freed up. I'll tell my grandkids when my team is finally through with Soriano's deal. LOL!

I guess Figgins would fit in Philly as he would on several teams. Also, I think Beltre would fit nicely, given the right deal. With Boras, well, it will not come quick or easy.

kouzmanoff and bell. i like it too.

yeah it's good to see the phillies doing well with this team.
but the truth is, they really didn;t play well in the yankee spotlight, did they?
as defending champs, they had no excuses

Someone keeps asking about the Phillies being able to afford Beltre/Figgins...They should be more the able to, like so many others have pointed out they have boatloads of money coming off the books this year and arbitration should not hurt them too much. They have also said as revenue comes in the team's payroll will increase incrementally. They are expecting to pay about $150 million in 2010, just shy of the luxury tax. So it is entirely possible that the Phillies can keep Feliz for his defense AND sign Figgins, who can play multiple positions.