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Phillies Still Eyeing Right-Handed Bats

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8:18pm: Philadelphia’s search for a right-handed bat continues. Alden Gonzalez adds an update on MLB.com.

Names the Phillies have been linked to in that regard include Nomar Garciaparra, Ty Wigginton, Moises Alou, Rich Aurilia, Mark Grudzielanek and Kevin Millar, Gonzalez wrote.

Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. told Gonzalez that the addition does “not necessarily” need to be an infielder, though a little insurance while Pedro Feliz and Chase Utley recover from offseason surgeries wouldn’t hurt.

“We’re looking for a guy that has a bit of that versatility that’s needed in the National League,” Amaro told Gonzalez.

Jan. 23: Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer has the latest on the Phillies’ pursuit of a right-handed bench bat.  Names of interest: Nomar Garciaparra, Moises Alou, Mark Grudzielanek, Rich Aurilia, and Kevin Millar.

Salisbury says Garciaparra is the team’s first choice, but Ruben Amaro Jr. remarked, "We can’t be held hostage by Nomar, though he’d be a guy we’d like to bring in."  Salisbury’s source says the Phils are going "pretty hard" after Alou, who will attempt to re-establish his health in the World Baseball Classic.  Two issues there: Alou’s playing time expectations may be too high, and he reportedly prefers the AL where he can DH.

Odds and Ends: Yamarin, Eaton, Atkins, Ohman

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Links for Monday…

Phillies Interested In Wigginton

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According to David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News, the Phillies are interested in Ty Wigginton.

Wigginton, who hit .285/.350/.526 in 429 plate appearances with Houston last year, would be an option at third base in case Pedro Feliz’s back injury continues to be a problem.

Murphy reports that the Phillies have also looked at Rich Aurilia as an option at third base.

Phillies, Hollins Agree To Minor League Deal

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According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post the Phillies have agreed to a minor league contract with Damon Hollins. He turns 35 in June and hasn’t played in the majors since 2006.

The contract is worth $450K, $65K of which is guaranteed. Hollins can request a trade if he’s not on the 25 man roster by July 1st. He can pay the Phillies $100K to sign with a Japanese team or $50K to sign with a Korean team, but they have the option of adding him to their roster within three days instead.

Phillies Unlikely To Add A Starter

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Chuck Hixson of PhillyBaseballNews.com recently asked Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. about free agent starters Braden Looper, Jon Garland, and Randy Wolf.  Amaro responded:

"I’d like to think that we’re at the point on our payroll, where those guys wouldn’t fit. We’re really kind of looking more for bullpen help.  We are looking at some guys from outside the organization to add some depth and experience for us in the bullpen."

Heyman On Manny, Varitek, Madson, Swisher

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SI.com’s Jon Heyman has a new column up…

  • Heyman says half the teams in baseball may still have a big deal left in them, with roughly 100 free agents remaining.
  • Manny Ramirez continues to wait patiently; Heyman guesses the Dodgers go to three years for him.  They’d be bidding against themselves, unless Manny has an offer we don’t know about.
  • When John Henry asked Jason Varitek why he didn’t accept their offer of arbitration, Varitek responded that he didn’t believe it would’ve guaranteed him a spot on the team.
  • Heyman finds it odd that first-year arb closers are getting more money than starters.
  • Scott Boras was in favor of Ryan Madson taking the Phillies’ three-year, $12MM offer based on Madson’s personal/familial circumstances.
  • The Yankees are finding more interest in Nick Swisher than Xavier Nady.
  • Heyman has the Ricketts family as the favorite to buy the Cubs.
  • Heyman suggests Bobby Abreu’s defense gets a bad rap.  The plus/minus system, however, says the right fielder is among the worst in the game.
  • The Nationals and Marlins share the Rays’ policy of not negotiating once arbitration figures are submitted.  The Nats are apparently willing to bend and may keep talking with Scott Olsen and Josh Willingham (each about a million bucks apart).

Phillies Avoid Arb With Chad Durbin

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According to Todd Zolecki of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Phillies avoided arbitration with reliever Chad Durbin by signing him at $1.635MM for ’09.  The Phils signed Durbin for $900K after the Tigers non-tendered him following the ’07 season.  He responded with a 2.87 ERA in 87.6 innings.  Ryan Howard is now the team’s lone arbitration case.

Phillies Sign Jayson Werth To Multiyear Deal

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11:40am: SI.com’s Jon Heyman has the details – Werth gets a two-year, $10MM deal.  He’ll get $3MM in ’09 and $7MM in ’10, which would’ve been his first free agent year.

10:09am: According to CSN Philly, the Phillies avoided arbitration with outfielder Jayson Werth by signing him to a multiyear deal.  Werth was set to reach free agency after the season.  Scout.com’s Chuck Hixson has a source saying it’s a two-year deal worth around $9MM, while Scott Lauber heard $8MM.

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