Phillies Nation

82 Responses to “Rays, Burrell Agree To 2Y/$16M Contract”

1. john of Albuquerque Says:
   January 5th, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   I wish Pat great success as a designated hitter in the A.L.. This should give him a boost and protect his damaged feet and legs. Good Luck “Pat the Bat”. It will be interesting to see where Pat lands on the Phil’s Top 100 List

2. Malcolm Says:
   January 5th, 2009 at 3:59 pm

   Good luck Pat.

3. psujoe Says:
   January 5th, 2009 at 4:00 pm

   Pat fdor 8 million per is a good deal for Tampa. Would you guys have taken him at 8 mil per on a 2 year deal over Ibanez?

4. Tim Malcolm Says:
   January 5th, 2009 at 4:02 pm

   I think the more important question is, if the Phils waited a month, could they have signed Ibanez for less?

   Considering the market is still oversaturated, I couldn’t think why not.

5. Ben Says:
   January 5th, 2009 at 4:03 pm

   He balks at 2 years 22 million from the Phillies and accepts 2 years 16 million from Rays?

   I’m starting to think the Phillies desperately overpaid for an aging bat just because they didn’t want to negotiate with Pat for fear of paying him too much. If they had any idea that Pat would sign a 2 year 16 million dollar deal would they have wanted Ibanez at all?

   I’d rather have Pat at 2 years 20 million then Ibanez for 3 and 31.5. I’m really not liking Amaro Jr. right now.

6. psujoe Says:
   January 5th, 2009 at 4:04 pm

   Good point Tim, but weren’t the Angels rumored to want Ibanez if they lost out on Tex?

7. Rick Says:
   January 5th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

   It really is looking like they overpaid for Ibanez.

   Every indication I read was that they never actually made a formal offer to P the B.

8. Tim Malcolm Says:
   January 5th, 2009 at 4:09 pm

   True, but there are so many available players.

   Ben: I remember hearing from sources that the 2/$22M deal was never proposed. Regardless, Burrell for 2/$16M is ridiculously low. I would’ve taken Burrell back for two years, and then I was thinking that $12M per year was probably the ceiling.

   Seriously, this is weird.

9. Chuck P Says:
   January 5th, 2009 at 4:10 pm

   This is shocking… would have rather had Pat for that price. Ibanez is probably an upgrade but Pat’s deal is cheaper, less risk and he’s righthanded. To think, we probably could have had him for 2 years and $14-15 million.

10. Tim Malcolm Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:15 pm

    Meanwhile the Cubs are closing in on a 3Y/$30M deal for Milton Bradley.

    Boy, does this remind me of Adam Eaton all of a sudden. Not that Ibanez is like Eaton, but that the Phils wasted no time in signing a free agent, set the market, and ultimately overpaid tremendously for the guy they wanted.

11. Ben Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:18 pm

    If the Phillies were a team that spent money all the time then this wouldn’t be that big of a deal, but when the team constantly keeps themselves out of running for big time players because of payroll limitations, this kind of money on a guy like Ibanez kills them if he doesn’t work out. The whole situation just reeks of bad management. Now there will be even more pressure on Ibanez to deliver the value of his contract.

12. Tim Malcolm Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:19 pm

    Also, to point out, this is a fantastic signing for the Rays if they get it done. Simply marvelous.

13. Chuck P Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:22 pm

    Agreed, Tim… it’s pretty clear that they weren’t going to pay top dollar for the big names so they got impatient and went aggressively after “their guy.” Unfortunately, they must have missed the memo about the economy in crisis… couple that with a very saturated market and they ultimately ended up paying top dollar for a second tier FA.

14. Griffin Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:32 pm

    Obviously the Phillies overpaid for Ibanez and gave him a third year even though he is four years older than Pat.
    Where are all the people who loved the Ibanez signing now? It was a mistake then and it looks even more silly now.
    At least we were able to get rid of that pesky first round draft pick as well!

15. Ed Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:35 pm

    It kinda sucks right now to be a Phillies fan seeing what is unfolding with Burrell. I love Pat, always have, always will. I might even root for Tampa as a team out of the AL just because they have Pat, even though I am about 45 minutes from Baltimore, but still. I really think the Phillies from the second the world series ended believed that they did not or would have the resources available to go after Burrell and so they approached it that way…by not really approaching it, or him at all. They figured he would get a deal closer to 4 years maybe 50 mil and that was out of the question for them, and rightfully so. A term that Amaro likes to use is due diligence…doesn’t seem like the Phillies did that with the Bat, a team leader and a class act. Damn shame if you ask me.

16. Craig Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:37 pm

    Given the logic that some people are using would it be fair to say that if the Yankees had held on a month or two they’d have signed CC for 6 years $32m?

17. Geoff Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:39 pm

    I still liek Ibanez, however, it does seem like Ruben acted too soon. I think he acted WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY too soon on Jamie Moyer. Way way way too soon.

    I dont really care that Tampa got Burrell for 8mm though. Seriously guys, hes a DH. Thats where he should be anyway. Hell be a good DH for them too. I never wanted Milton Bradley so Im completely fine the Cubs will WASTE 30mm on him.

    the phillies should now look for a right handed hitting 4th outfielder. the market is WAY low so maybe someone liek baldelli will be MAD cheap now.

    i would also pursue other starting pitchers and see if i cant get areally good deal on one of them. same with the bullpen. because amaro misjudged the market, he has to react now. theres too much quality still out there to sit back and act like theyre done now. if you want to free up money for a starter, trade brett myers. if you want a better 4th outfielder, find a way to move some of jenkins’ 7mm contract. Theres plenty of good relief pitchers out there, plenty. there are some good starters and siome good 4th outfielder still floating around – Theyd better not be done. Ok Amaro, you acted too soon, this is an unprecedented free agent period. now, make the adjustment and go make some deals…

    the ibanez move is fine, they just have to be flexible and adapt now.

18. RBI Magazine Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:42 pm

    Did the Phils really offer Burrell $22M?

19. Geoff Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:43 pm

    this is really a great fit for tampa though. very very good signing. great value.

20. Justin Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:44 pm

    There’s always the possibility of overpaying for a player but if we didn’t sign Ibanez and he signs for the same with the Angels, it would have forced the Phils hand with either Burrell or Bradley and we all know the Phillies wouldnt have gotten Burrell for 2 at 16. Specially since he’d be the full-time LF, he’s basically playing a part time role in TB where he may hit against Lefties and be benched against righties.

21. Griffin Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:45 pm

    Ibanez is a DH as well, and he’s four years older, and left-handed, and the Phillies lose a draft pick, and they gave Ibanez a third year.

    Who else exactly was willing to give Ibanez a third year besides the Phillies?

22. Tim Malcolm Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:46 pm

    Craig: Totally different situations. Sabathia had teams fawning all over him. Ibanez had the Phils and Angels, and he prefered the Phils.

    RBI: Burrell’s agent denied an offer.

    Overall, yes, the Phils overpaid for Ibanez, considering how the market is starting to shake. But, to their credit, he’s the guy they wanted, he’s a safe choice, and he is a left fielder.

23. Griffin Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

    He’s a left fielder is name only. He’s a terrible fielder by every fielding metric. Ibanez should be a DH somewhere.

24. Manny Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:50 pm

    Damn! 8 million per year? This makes the Ibanez deal look silly and stupid. Amaro should’ve waited….

    And 2 years??

    Oh and guess what? We overpaid for Moyer too! And even Chan Ho Park! And Derek Lowe may end up with a deal that’s smaller than most expected… We tied our own hands.

    My C- for the offseason just became an F.

25. Steve Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:52 pm

    The Rays are going to be a force in the AL East for years to come. Their management may very well be the new gold standard for how to run a team (can you imagine saying that a couple years ago?), especially a small market team. While the Yankees are busy throwing ungodly amounts of money to Mark Teixiera and the Red Sox are paying $50 million just for the rights to talk to Dice-K, the Rays have better talent than both teams. Simply a great job of putting a team together. Good luck Pat, as long as you’re not playing against the Phils I’ll most definitely be rooting for you and the Rays!

26. Geoff Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:57 pm

    Hes a good acquisition and hell be fine (ibanez) hes the exact type of hitter they needed. but they definitely overpaid by aboutu 2-3mm on average per year now with the burrell signing going official.

    thats a GREAT signign by tampa. 8mm per year for a DH in this age? brilliant.

    iwamura upton longoria pena burrell is a good top half of the lineup….

    the way the market has developed doesnt irk me about ibanez…it irks me about moyer…they jumped the gun there…way too much money and doen way too soon…tahts the main mistake so far. i like keeping moyer i guess, but wait a little…they made an offer to lowe that was never confirmed and then gave up and went for moyer…i dont like that..you gotta be more patient…

27. RichieAllen Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    Wouldnt it have been good business practice to float a lowball deal to Burrell back when he wanted to stay here?And we wanted him to stay?..At (say…2 at 16 mil )? DUH..

    Especially since the difference between Burrell and Ibanez isnt vast.
    Hindsight is easy,but the Phils keep claiming they dont have the big money….for the big guys…

    Could we have used the difference to sign Lowell?

28. Griffin Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 5:02 pm

    Ibanez is very similar to Burrell and it’s very apparent that the Phillies misread the market and overpaid Ibanez.

    Unfortunately, I agree with Geoff that the Phillies did the same with Moyer.

29. Chuck P Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 5:03 pm

    And guess who had a huge part in putting that team together, Steve… our director of professional scouting, Chuck LaMar.

    I like Ibanez… we jumped the gun and tied our hands behind our back but Ibanez will help this team. It’s just a shame because we probably could have had him cheaper and 2 years (rather than 3). It could pan out…

30. Don M Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 5:03 pm

    Nobody knew what other teams were going to do.. if we didn’t sign Ibanez when we did, he’s sign somewhere else… be thankful we got him, and that the plan wasn’t to go from the scrap-heap

    AND… thank god we don’t have Lowell right now at that MONSTER contract..

    I think Richie might mean LOWE.. and all indications are that its Phillies-Mets for Lowe

31. Geoff Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 5:16 pm

    im glad we didnt sign mike lowell…but i think he means lowe too…

    it is phillies mets braves for lowe last i saw. i do think theyre serious about him…i shudder to think how theyd trim payroll to fit him in though with room for a reliever and a RH bat still….myers, howard. i think theyll hang onto howard though, but myers is gone if they move in and grab lowe. i will guarantee that 100 percent: if they sign lowe myers is gone. given the arb raises to all those players….it just fits in with what the phillies would do in this situation if they did somehow get lowe…

32. RBI Magazine Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

    A few sources have told me the Rays and Burrell have agreed!

33. MA Phanatic Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 5:32 pm

    ohhhhhh….wow

34. MA Phanatic Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 5:36 pm

    in an unrelated note, tickets for the 2 Rays/Phillies spring training games just sold out…

35. Bloagie Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 6:06 pm

    Pat the Bat will wither away in the AL East against the far superior pitching he will be facing and being out of The Bank’s hitter friendly atmosphere. Ibanez is an upgrade and the phils had to pay the price because of demand for Ibanez. There was no demand for Pat, which is why his deal was so low. Simple Supply/Demand. I’ll take age and consistency over diminishing return

36. Andrew R. Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 6:14 pm

    Did we overpay for Ibanez? Yes. But with a payroll at $125M this season, what’s an extra $2M per year anyways? Ibanez comes to a smaller park with less ground to cover. With Victorino in CF, he can guard the line a little as well. The fact that he’s more athletic than Burrell, which will lead to more catches, better baserunning, and is more of a contact hitter, he will be just fine.

    Who else was out there? Adam Dunn? Milton Bradley? Garrett Anderson? Juan Rivera? Baldelli? Come on now. Ibanez certainly was the safe choice and is definately a more rounded, polished player than the rest.

    As for Moyer, you know what you are getting. 200 IP, a chance to win 30 out of 33 starts. Not bad. Imagine if the Phils didnt have that 2-month slump of no offense over the summer? 100 wins certainly would have been attainable. If Moyer won 18 games would you have a problem paying what we did? No.

    The Phillies didn’t make splashes this off-season because we just didn’t have to. I think Ibanez is an upgrade over Burrell in all facets of the game. And since Burrell was getting $14.5M last year, and Ibanez will get $10M, we also cut some payroll in LF in the process as well. Phillies will be fine in 09!

37. fred Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 6:15 pm

    Ibanez sucks. Less power than the bet, less walks, less defence and MORE age. Oh and much more money and a first round pick ! Amaro screwed up BAD.

38. cxl Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 6:15 pm

    Pat wouldn’t have accepted 2yrs $16mil from the Phils. If your boss asked you to take a 40% paycut would you? It was only when someone else moved into his job and he was unemployed that he had to settle for less. Just like all of us if our job was filled. Its unfair to compare the two deals without taking that into consideration.

    Check out the strong batting stats for Ibanez with

39. Andy Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 6:18 pm

    I’ll miss you, Pat.

40. Memphis Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 6:25 pm

    I agree with Bloagie — this is less about the corner OF market, and more about the market for Burrell. It just was not there. Wish the guy the best, but he was not in demand. Rube & Co got the guy they wanted. We can all agree or disagree on his choice, the years, the amount, but they were aggressive, beat out the Angels/Mets/Cubs. Bradley just got 3/30 from the Cubs, and he could actually be a bigger risk than Ibanez just because he has to play the field everyday now. Burrell and Ibanez are similar players, but the market obviously views them differently.

41. mick Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 6:28 pm

    Phils won with “The Bat” , but do not forget that the guy hit .227 in May,.181 in Aug and .205 in Sept–when he slumps it is ugly

42. Frank Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 6:46 pm

    It was a good sign for the Rays…………..And Ibanez was a good sign for the Phillies done!

43. Don M Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 6:55 pm

    My biggest problem with Burrell was that he was always so consistently inconsistent.. and I know that I say that a lot, but it’s the truth.

    He started last season ice cold, finished last season hot, started this season hot, finished this season cold.. you need to know what you are getting day-in-day-out from your players, especially a veteran leader, and someone in the heart of the order.

    I wish Pat nothing but the best, and I will actually root for the Rays even more this year now I’ve seen Upton, Longoria, Pena, Crawford, etc.. play so much.. I think they’ll be a good team again next year.. hopefully Burrell can step up and help vs the RedSox and Yankees

    Best of luck Pat!!!

44. Ed Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 7:25 pm

    As reportd on ESPN “Burrell will donate a portion of his contract to the Rays Baseball Foundation, the official charity of the Rays, the team said in a statement. ”

    So not only does he take less than what we expected to play for the Rays, but he is giving part of the money back.

    Classy move by Burrell.

    Makes the Phillies look kinda stupid IMO.

    Also, please remember, yes Burrell signed for less than we expected but he is ONLY a DH…not a batter and a fielder…just a DH…less work means less money.

45. fred Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 7:27 pm

    How on earth is Ibanez a perfect pit for the Phillies ?!?!?!?! He’s left handed and 37, give me a break.

46. Bonezy Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 7:31 pm

    Great Job Amaro! Overpay for a guy that is similar in everyway as Burrell except for power and average… And I don’t buy that a guy that plays the outfield is listed as either a left or right fielder. I would have loved a guy that can play any of those positions not just right, or left or wherever. I would have rathered Burrell.

47. SJ Mike Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 7:37 pm

    Best wishes to Burrell down in Tampa. It’s a good fit for that club and a good fit for him, considering his Florida ties from college. I think he’ll be happy down there.

    And it’ll also be nice to see Burrell beat up on the Yankees and Red Sox on a regular basis.

    I think he’ll get a warm welcome upon his return.

48. RiVLez Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 7:38 pm

    Good job to the Phillies front office on screwing this one up. I would’ve taken Burrell at 8M/yr over Ibanez. Seriously, do you guys really need another lefty in the middle of the order. I personally think Ibanez is going to mess with the lineup big time.

49. Don M Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 7:44 pm

    RiVLeZ is a Mets fan…. a team that has possibly the WORST front office in baseball, yet the GM was signed to an extension…

    Burrell CAN”T play the field.. he’s either 1b or a DH… even at $8 M thats not worth it for a guy that plays 2/3 of a baseball game… and when he’s in, he’s slmuping half the time

50. phillyhater Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 8:19 pm

    oh good one Don M. The worst front office in baseball? You are kidding me right? hmmmm, Beltran, Delgado, Santana, K-Rod, Putz. I’m not saying these signings have translated into a championship (yet), but you surely cannot blame it on the front office. What more is he supposed to do?

    I’m really sick of Phillies fans talking shit about the Mets. You remind me of a bunch of snobby, spoiled little kids on the playground.

    na na na goo goo. lol

51. Bruce Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 8:21 pm

    I believe no one here has mentioned that Burrell has lived in Florida for a number of years. He had a condo in Clearwater and sold that in 2005.
    In December of 2005, Pat Burrell purchased a home in Tarpon Springs, Florida’s Wentworth Golf community. The Wentworth Golf Course is a private 18-hole course. Pretty nice and I think may also influenced his decision to sign with Tampa bay.

    Good luck to Pat The Bat and I too will miss him.

52. Matt Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 8:24 pm

    Signing Ibanez was not a mistake. The Phils’ lineup is not as unbalanced as people make it out to be-especially if Feliz gets consistent playing time unlike last year. Ibanez is a much more consistent hitter than Burrell is, and while he may not hit as many home runs as Burrell, he’ll make better contact and does knock in more runs than Burrell. Remember most of the time the Phils won inspite of Burrell not because of him.

53. philsphan Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 8:34 pm

    Fire Ruben!

54. Georgie Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 8:44 pm

    This proves that for some reason Amaro had no intention of resigning Pat, never made him an offer, didn’t want him back under any circumstances. I agree with Tim, it’s weird. I was skeptical, to put it mildly, about the Ibanez signing, let’s hope he pans out, or the fans will be unmerciful. To me it makes no sense, the word was out in Vegas that there was little, if any, interest in Pat from other teams, so Amaro knew they could get him for much less, he just wasn’t interested, AT ALL. To overpay to the extent they did for Ibanez was a reckless, cowboyish move, Amaro trying to make some sort of statement, I guess. I don’t like it, but I hope I’m wrong.

55. NateB Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 8:46 pm

    Pat will succeed in Tampa. He’ll do well in the warm weather and being a DH is perfect for him. Watch him get back to the groove of his college years and tear it up!

56. Pat Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 8:50 pm

    It’s not the end of the world, but it’s a pretty disappointing series of events. Burrell was streaky within the season, but at the end of the year you could count on an OBP of .365-.400 and a .500 SLUG. He kills lefties. Our lineup is unbalanced, especially if Jason Werth struggles next year. Ibanez isn’t much better than Burrell in left. Factor in the extra year on the contract and the loss of a #1 pick and Amaro comes out looking pretty stupid on his first major decision.

57. Joe O'Phillie Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 9:01 pm

    I said the reason the Phils didn’t offer Burrell arbitration is because they would be afraid he would accept. He would have received a raise and paid more for one season than he might receive for 2. Turned out to be at least close to true.

    It was obvious the Phils did not want Burrell. A 32 year old shouldn’t run like that. With that type of speed, he can only fit on a team as a first baseman, which we care covered. He is a DH and will be paid slightly above average as one.

    I hope to see Pay pwn the New York Yankees as much as he pwned the Mets.

58. Greg V. Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 9:04 pm

    I’m calling for Ruben’s head too!

59. Geoff Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    Good luck Pat! Good signing by Tampa. Ruben definitely jumped the gun, but I like Ibanez. I do think they moved too soon on Moyer in retrospect though because theres still pitching out there. Amaro knows he jumped the gun now, that much is clear. Still, Pat Burrell wasnt the right fit here anymore, hes a DH and a GREAT, GREAT fit for that team down there in Tampa. Hes the guy they need to provide veteran leadership with these young hitters in that lineup.

60. KM Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 9:26 pm

    Ibanez will be worth the 2 million per year extra we are paying him over what Burrell got. Also, if you prefer, you could thing of it as us paying 4 million per year less than Burrell made last year. If you think about it that way, we actually shaved 4 million from last year’s salary.

61. Lefty Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 9:29 pm

    You will be missed Pat, mark my words they should have kept him he will hit 45 homers 120 RBI next year .

62. KM Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 9:45 pm

    Lefty, are your serious? It will be awfully difficult for Burrell to get to 45 homers and 120 rbis with his customary 2 month vacation during the season. Also, American league pitching is better and Burrell just joined a division that added CC Sabathia, and we all know how good he is during the regular season, haha.

63. Keith Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 10:09 pm

    It’s a little after 8pm on 1/5/09 and I miss Pat already! Good luck to you brother. It would not have happened without you.

64. clktwr14 Says:
    January 5th, 2009 at 10:45 pm

    Frist things frist, Thank you Rueben Amaro JR, my Comcast bill just went up in the summer, for my wife’s Pat the Bat addiction.

    Secondly, Ibanrz = another Freddy Garcia, Adam Eaton

    Burrell = possibly locking up Hamels long term.

65. The Dipsy Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 12:14 am

    Once again my prophecy comes true. If you check my posts for the days immediately subsequent to the Ibanez signing I predicted that he would sign at 2/16m. After all, its all he is really worth. I think Amaro should have been patient and not jumped at Ibanez, cuz he did. Would have rather had Burrell at 2y16m, by far. Ibanez will be ok, but Burrell would have been ok too and for less money and less years. With that money we’d a saved we could have signed Moyer and Lowe. Lowe better watch it. He’s playing a dangerous game now.

    The Dipsy
    Chairman of The Derek Lowe in Pinstripes Committee

66. Andrew Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 12:43 am

    I will boo burrell if tampa ever makes it to the bank again. I love the guy but he should of never turned down phillies offer.

67. Phil Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 12:45 am

    Andrew, you’re a moron. Why would you boo a great Phillie? He didn’t turn down any offer because he never received an offer. It’s not like he’s playing for the Rays. He needed to DH. That is such an @$$hole thing to say. Did you boo Rowand too for taking the Giants offer?

68. Manny Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 12:53 am

    Just for the record, Burrell said that he NEVER received a formal offer from the Phillies.

69. Phi Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 1:06 am

    I meant to say Mets not Rays.

70. Memphis Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 2:56 am

    First Rube is “playing it safe” and “safe is good” and now he rashly jumped the gun on Ibanez and should have waited on the market. I don’t see either. Gillick/Amaro made a call on Burrell at some point, maybe after they looked at his 2003 numbers, maybe in the death valley of his second half, maybe his near o-fer-World Series (thank God for the one, after Maddon thought the lefty Howell was a good matchup against him), maybe because he had another back or foot problem, maybe after one of his hungover BPs. He was a fan favorite for many, but obviously not the front office. Maybe the mud slung at the front office for the just-expired Burrell contract never fell off.

    How would we all feel if we offered Burrell arb and he took it, and he would make 14-16 this year? (Would arb be influenced by the current signings? Who knows?) Ibanez would sign with the Mets, Cubs, or Angels for a similar number (maybe only 2 years). Bradley would get a similar number as the 3/30 he got. Dunn and Abreu would still be out there, likely to make less than Burrell’s 14-16, and this board would be in a frenzy over Rube’s miscalculation of Burrell. Maybe, maybe, give Rube credit for saying, Burrell is not worth arb, he’s really worth less than 10M per, but we don’t want him at any price, we prefer another player, and we’re going to get that player. Rube didn’t play it safe. He took his shot. He took a chance to make the club better, maybe for a few mil extra. Let’s see how it plays out.

71. therookie300 Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 3:05 am

    Ibanez does not equal Freddy Garcia or Adam Eaton. He has a good track record as opposed to Eaton and he is not damaged goods like Garcia. Maybe a move was made too soon, but even still Ibanez will be more than successful in Philly. Even being left-handed Ibanez is the kind of hitter we need in the lineup.

    I really liked having Pat in the lineup. The guy took the best and the worst the fans had to offer and just kept at it. The guy is a true Philadelphian in my book. I wish him the best of luck in Tampa. He will not be forgotten.

72. Fred Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 6:56 am

    Amaro really jumped the gun on the Ibanez signing. When he signed there was still plenty of OF out there in Bradley, Baldelli, Burrell etc. He didn’t even offer Burrell a contract, which is absurd. For $8 mllion a year you can’t go wrong. I absoloutley gaurantee Ibanez will suck by year 3 of his contract and will be wasted money. Amaro can only make amends by signing Lowe NOW.

73. Pat Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 7:02 am

    Yo guys, just want to point something out. It happens more so in the NBA but a lot of players give a discount to Florida teams because of the tax implications. 2 years 16 mil to the rays doesn’t necessarily equal 2 years 16 mil for the Phils. Of course I’d rather have Pat over Ibanez @ the 2 years 22 mil but there’s no way we’d have done that. I know we’re the champs but don’t ever forget we’re still the Phillies.

74. Phil Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 10:47 am

    To all of those people freaking out about this and throwing Ibanez and Amaro under the bus I say this to you: When Ibanez hits 25 homers bats around .300 and hits 120 RBIs you won’t be crying anymore. He will be worth every penny, and he won’t have to come out in the 7th inning. Burrell came out so often because of his bad feet, not defense. Yes, I’d rather have Burrell for 2 years and $16 million over Ibanez’s 3 years 31.5 million, but Amaro jumped the gun to get the guy he wanted, and I don’t blame him for that. Several teams sought after Ibanez, and Amaro made sure he got him, and I’m okay with that. The Angels would have paid more than 3 years $31.5 million if they knew they were going to lose out on Tex, so this works out fine for us.

75. Geoff Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 11:01 am

    Just because they moved a little early and overpaid a bit doesnt make it a bad signing….its still a good signing, Ibanez, at least…the moyer signing might be too early though.

76. Don M Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 12:00 pm

    The thing is that you never know what other teams are going to do.. Did anyone honestly think that this 5 weeks from Spring Training, Lowe, Manny, Abreu, Dunn, etc.. would all still be available????

    Teams were waiting to see who would do what, and the Phillies decided to go get the player they wanted in Ibanez.. who is BETTER than Pat Burrell… maybe that 3rd year won’t be great, but hoepfully one of the young prospects will be ready by then, if not, we’ll be glad we have a 3rd year of Ibanez..

    WHY THE FUKC … do I have to read comments from METS fans ON HERE… saying that they are sick of Phillies fans complaining and talking smack about them???? Seriously..

    Any baseball fan knows that Omar Minaya is a JOKE, and instead of signing puzzle-pieces that compliment what he already has… he just tries to start new puzzles.. BOTH GMs in NY suck… With $150 M in payroll, I could do a better job than they do

77. Geoff Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 12:11 pm

    Minaya is a huge joke…now I read theyre backing off of Lowe and pursuing Randy Wolf! The Mets are trying to sign Randy Wolf! HAHAHAHAH. Rnady Wolf sucks…Minaya is worse than I thought…

    Ibanez, like I said, is ao good signing even if its a little over what they couldnt gotten him for. moyer…again, valuable to the team, but they did it too early…i feel they couldve waited until mid-january with moyer and still signed him. way too early. but oh well..they still have to bring in another pitcher, starting or relief, to fill the roster spot vacated by romero.

    maybe you can move happ to left-handed relief and bring in a starter…gotta look at the left handed relievers out there..

78. Mike B. Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 1:35 pm

    At the same time though, I don’t know if the Phillies could have afforded to wait for Ibanez. I remember Tim reporting here that the Mets and Cubs were pursuing Ibanez. That would have been crushing enough if the Mets had signed him; the whole Romero mess makes it worse because then we only have one proven (Happ is an unknown quantity in Romero’s late-innings role) LHP in the bullpen. Which makes me wonder whether Amaro considered the possibility that Romero would be suspended. Remember how he told that crowd that 36-year-old Garrett Anderson was “too old” to sign? Ibanez is the same age, folks (although he’s been in a lot better shape than Anderson *knocks wood*).

    More likely the Utley injury changed everything. Think about it – Chase normally spends the offseason bulking up to gain back the 15-20 pounds that he loses over the course of the season due to his tense play. Because he’s rehabbing his hip, he probably can’t get into his normal routine for gaining this weight; instead he has to rehab his hip. Chances are he won’t be swinging the bat as well this season; he might come in out of shape – I see a ghastly .260 15 HR 67 RBI campaign because of this.

    Basically, if Chase doesn’t come back swinging the bat well, Charlie almost definitely won’t bat him 3-4-5 unless everyone else sucks so badly that we’ve no choice, because Charlie won’t put a struggling lefthander amidst two other lefthanders (one of whom may also be struggling if we see the 2007-08 Ryan Howard) in the lineup.

    Maybe Moyer happened too soon, but Ibanez needed to happen. I could be wrong about Utley and Romero factoring into the signing, but I’m reasonably sure about Utley being a factor. I don’t trust Ibanez, probably because I’ve never seen him play, but he was cheaper than Burrell was at the time. I’ll miss Pat, but he wasn’t going to cut it versus K-Rod and Putz.

    I can tell you this – either Jenkins or Stairs will go. Both had huge moments in the postseason…but I fear that Stairs will be the one to go because of Jenkins’ salary making him so hard to move. Still, one of them needs to be traded to make room for a right-handed bat off the bench.

79. Don M Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 1:44 pm

    Ibanez would be gone if we didn’t sign him when we did.. Garret Anderson has been banged up the past few seasons.. I think bad knees?? So he’s a DH-type.

    I think that Madson has established himself as the 8th inning guy.. you hopefully get 6 from your starters… which leaves you with Scott Eyre- Chad Durbin… or maybe Chan Ho Park, etc.. instead of Romero.. who is really only a situational LHP anyway… Eyre can do that job

    Happ is a starter.. they only had him in the bullpen so that he was on the roster in case someone got ROCKED, or hurt.. or something so they needed a pitcher to throw 4-5 innings

80. RichieAllen Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 2:27 pm

    Yesterday Way up in the blog I meant maybe we could have signed LOWE not LOWELL with the savings of Burrell (at 2 yrs 8 mil per yr)over Ibanez .Sorry for the confusion.My alzheimers kicking in..some of you read my mind anyway,and knew what I meant.(what a great blog ).

    But today I think maybe we are ok in what we did…just remember Lowe is 36 not 26 and wants quite a bit more than Moyer got.And I think Ibanez deserves a chance.
    Moyer not only is a good 5-6 inning pitcher with our infield defence,but he’s a great mentor to our young guys.

    Its the Moyer mentoring that is the key here.Dont discount this .I remember Hamels and Myers and other guys would always go to Moyer at the end of an inning pitched..not Dubee.It had to have made a difference last year.

81. Georgie Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 5:53 pm

    Yeah Richie, I agree, the Moyer signing doesn’t bother me one bit, he is invaluable for his pitching knowledge alone, especially with young pitchers coming up. I can’t count the times I saw Cole, Kendrick, even Myers, talking in depth to Jamie in the dugout. I think he is also very grounded and mentally stable, which helps with the likes of Myers.

    BTW, I’m watching the2nd game of the ws on MLB, Joe Buck could call his bowel movements with more enthusiasm!

82. Don M Says:
    January 6th, 2009 at 5:59 pm

    Dubee gets a lot of credit from those within the organization.. so lets not sell him short, and give all the praise to Moyer as a pitching coach. Its just that he is a guy with lots of know-how, and not only can he talk the talk, but he walks the walk..(without walking many…)

    So I think guys tend to talk to Moyer so much because he’s a PEER instead of sittng with the coaches all game long… I think Moyer will be a pitching coach.. and I’d like to see if Maddux becomes a pitching coach in the big leagues because I really admire the way he outsmarted hitters instead of overpowered them.. its a great game, this baseball

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