Phillies Rumors

A swing through the Phillies page of Cot's Baseball Contracts illustrates an interesting approach by the team: they've freely given out extra contract years to many players when it did not appear necessary or prudent.  The examples:

• Ryan Howard, already signed through 2011, was extended through 2016 in April of this year.
• Jamie Moyer, a Type A free agent after a fine 2008 season, was not offered arbitration but instead given a two-year deal.
• Cole Hamels, a Super Two player who was arbitration-eligible for the first time, signed a three-year, $20.5MM deal.  He's pitched well, but did the Phillies save significant money in giving up the chance to go year-to-year?  This was as player-friendly as pitcher extensions get. 
• Placido Polanco, a Type A free agent, was not offered arbitration by the Tigers.  I took this to mean the Tigers felt Polanco would have no trade value on a one-year deal, so why did the Phillies sign him for three?
• Joe Blanton, arbitration-eligible for 2010, signed a three-year deal in January buying out two free agent seasons at the market rate.  Was this some kind of payroll manipulation, since $6MM of Blanton's $7MM salary this year came in the form of a signing bonus?
• Free agent reliever Danys Baez, coming off a middling season for the Orioles, got a two-year deal.  Similar pitchers signed one-year deals.
• Free agent backup catcher Brian Schneider, coming off a terrible season, received two years.
• Bench player Ross Gload, coming off an unimpressive campaign, surprisingly received two years.  He's hit well in 116 plate appearances, however.
• Bench player Greg Dobbs, arbitration-eligible for the first time, received a two-year deal.  Why not go year-to-year with a guy like this?
• The Phillies exercised the 2011 club option for shortstop Jimmy Rollins a year early.
• The multiyear contracts don't end there, but it seems unfair to call the Phillies out for the rest.  The remaining deals either saved the team decent money, or were of a length necessary to lock up the player as a free agent.

The Phillies have acknowledged their need for a reliable left-handed reliever.  We mentioned the recently recalled Antonio Bastardo and free agent Scott Eyre yesterday, but who else is out there?

If we exclude the Rockies as sellers, six potential left-handed relief trade candidates jump out: Mark Hendrickson (Orioles), Pedro Feliciano (Mets), Doug Slaten (Nationals), Brian Tallet (Blue Jays), Brian Fuentes (Angels), and Mike Gonzalez (Orioles).  Gonzalez has been injured much of the season so we won't look at his numbers.  The samples are otherwise tiny for the other five southpaws, but all have pitched well against lefties in 2010 (xFIPs below 4.00).

Tallet, Fuentes, and Gonzalez are well-paid and likely to clear waivers.  That might make trading them easier, if their clubs are willing to assume significant salary.  Feliciano can probably be ruled out for two reasons: the Mets will be reluctant to help the Phillies, and as a Type B free agent he brings the possibility of draft pick compensation after the season.  Hendrickson and Slaten are the best fits – they're cheap and controllable for next year.  However, Hendrickson could be claimed by an American League team and Slaten would have to make it past the Dodgers, among others.