Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips took advantage of his no-trade clause last winter to block a deal to the Nationals. If the Reds attempt to move Phillips again during the upcoming offseason, the 35-year-old isn’t sure which approach he’ll take.
“That one thing that’s not really on my mind. I’m just trying to finish the season strong and whatever happens, happens. I can’t really control what’s going on, what the Reds want or what I want,” Phillips told Mark Sheldon of MLB.com. “All I know is I want to finish strong for this team. I’m still a Red. I’m happy. I still have another year on my contract and I’m happy with that. You never know what the future really holds. Just look at the present and enjoy it while you can.”
When the Nationals pursued Phillips, he had two years and $27MM remaining on his contract, but the three-time All-Star was only willing to approve a move to Washington if it came with an extension. Phillips’ refusal to relocate to the nation’s capital has worked out well for the Nats, whose fallback plan was to sign ex-Met Daniel Murphy in free agency. In the first year of a $36MM contract that runs through 2018, Murphy has enjoyed an elite-level season, having batted an astounding .347/.391/.596 with 25 home runs in 581 plate appearances for a playoff-bound club.
With his .290/.321/.418 line in 566 PAs, Phillips hasn’t been nearly as effective as Murphy this year, but the longest-tenured Red has totaled double-digit home runs and steals (11 apiece) for the ninth time. He has also slashed .336/.356/.486 in 223 second-half trips to the plate, which could lead to offseason interest from teams looking for a capable stopgap at the keystone. Of course, that might come down to whether Phillips would be open to playing out his deal for $13MM in 2017 without an extension from an acquiring club. It’s possible Phillips would sign off on a trade to a contender, as he told Sheldon that winning a World Series is among his main goals.
“The reason we all play this game is to win a championship,” he said.
Phillips certainly won’t be part of a World Series champion next year in Cincinnati, which is amid a rebuild. In the event the Reds trade Phillips over the winter and end their 11-year relationship with him, they have a pair of replacement candidates on hand in Dilson Herrera and Jose Peraza – both of whom are 22. Herrera hasn’t yet debuted with the Reds since they acquired him from the Mets for outfielder Jay Bruce at this year’s non-waiver trade deadline, while Peraza has batted a solid .327/.349/.423 with 16 steals over 218 PAs this season.
phillips says he cannot control what he wants. he’s the only one that can.
Love Brandon. Time for him to move on. We need younger players for the futures
Isn’t it great how Murphy was the nats backup to their backup option behind Phillips and Zobrist and then he has an mvp caliber season. Gotta love baseball
Totally! Sometimes the trades you don’t make are the best trades. Didn’t cost the Nats any prospects and got a guy who is kicking butt. I like Phillips a lot, he seems like a stand up guy but also great to see Murphy doing well and I hope he keeps it up… unless he plays against my team! hehe
Ive never understood Phillips or Votto during the Reds rebuilding. The money is.guaranteed .and IF they truly loved the Reds franchise, why not accept a trade to help rebuild it and have a chance to win?
Votto is still Votto and could have a huge impact upon a franchise trying to win…
Here’s my opinion for what it’s worth. I think two things happened there… Phillips is probably comfortable in CIN and didn’t want to uproot his whole life (not sure if he has a family) so that was what (at the time) he felt should be the cost of him moving teams and his life. In the process he just overplayed his hand.
Not just that, he asked for a no trade clause when he signed with CIN, to me that means he really wants stability so if he were to move to another team, he probably wanted some guarantee of stability there too. If I were a player, I would totally want a NTC, I really don’t know how people who get traded do it and it probably takes a huge toll on the family.
I think now he realized it was maybe a mistake given that he could be playing for a major contender and regrets what he did. If he came out and said “you know, in hindsight I should have let that trade happen” so he’s walking back his statements as best as he can.
For the record… I REALLY like Phillips. He plays the game with a smile on his face, has done some really cool things for fans and if my team didn’t have a wonderful 2nd baseman already I’d want him on my team.
Does anyone know where he lives in the off season?
Also here is a story idea… I’d love to see an Op Ed piece from one of the wives who has been with a player through multiple trades explaining everything they have to go through, if one organization helped them more than another. How it affects the family. I mean think about it, you might have a lot of money but you don’t get stability.
He was a favorite of mine until he called my Cardinals “little bitc**s.
The next day he acts as if his comments go unnoticed, and does his ritual of tapping Molina’s shin guard to “say hello”.
Molina, me, Cardinal nation will have none of Brandon Phillips.
Forever.