Jay Gibbons

So the John Mabry rumor didn’t carry enough heft for you?  Looking for something juicer?  How about this from a source in the Philadelphia area:

The Phillies are apparently talking to the Orioles about sending them Bobby Abreu for Erik Bedard and Jay Gibbons.

Abreu was the third-best hitting right fielder in the game in 2005, and the second-best in ’04.  He’ll make $13MM in 2006 and is strangely unpopular in Philadelphia.  Abreu is also on the hook for $15MM in 2007 with a $16MM club option for 2008.  The ’08 option has a $2MM buyout attached.  Abreu will be 32 when the ’06 season begins and may be ticketed for the Hall of Fame.

Lefty Erik Bedard has been plagued by injuries, undergoing Tommy John surgery and a sprained knee ligament.  He’s still only 26 and is many years away from free agency.  Bedard improved upon his control somewhat in 2005, and had a nice showing in 24 starts.  He flashed his ace potential before the All-Star break, going 5-1 with a 2.08 ERA.  Interestingly, Bedard has Bob Gibson (circa 1962) buried among his otherwise pedestrian comparables.

Jay Gibbons is a young, powerful right fielder who would be an adequate replacement for Abreu.  He’ll be 29 when the ’06 season starts and made a little less than $3MM last year.  Gibbons slugged .516 in 2005, second only to Vladimir Guerrero among regular right fielders.  While comparable to Abreu in power, Gibbons has far less plate discipline and a worse health record. 

Thanks to Jonathan O.