With the official start of the free agency at Midnight last night, it is time for the Philadelphia Phillies to start plugging holes in their lineup to bring the trophy back to the City of Brotherly Love.
Let’s start off with third base. Pedro Feliz has done a pretty decent job since signing a two year deal with Philadelphia in January of 2008. Much like the man he replaced at the hot corner, Abraham Nunez, Feliz is without a doubt known for his defense. In his two year stint with Philly, Feliz developed his defense and became one of; if not the best defensive third baseman in the majors (Ryan Zimmerman is pretty good too).
Where Feliz failed to deliver is on the offensive side of the ball. With former third baseman like Mike Schmidt and Scott Rolen, Philly fans became accustomed to having offensive third basemen in the past. In the final two games of the World Series this year, Feliz went 0-8. In fact this post season Feliz hit a measly .167.
With Feliz filing for free agency, the Phillies have some options for the hot corner. Feliz is still one of them. Clearly Ruben Amaro Jr. didn’t feel that Feliz was worth the $5MM option for the 2010 season. The Phil’s could always re-sign him for a lesser amount.
Also out on the free agent market is Chone Figgins. The 31 year old put up solid numbers for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim last season posting a .298 batting average while leading the American League in walks at 101. Figgins will demand more money this season and it is most likely that he will re-sign with the Angels.
Adrian Beltre is also a free agent. Beltre hit .266 for the Seattle Mariners last season (Feliz hit .266). The two-time Gold Glover also belted 8 homeruns last season.
That brings us to Mark DeRosa. The Phillies have been linked to DeRosa for a few seasons and have inquired about signing him. DeRosa hit .255 last season knocking 23 out of the park. He will most likely be looking for a large, multi-year contract.
Currently it seems as if the best option for the Phillies is to re-sign Feliz. His defense is spectacular, and of the free agents at third base, there is no one that is a drastic step up offensively other than Figgins who will command a very high contract to lure him away from the Angels.
It is also clear that the Phillies need to work on their bullpen, bench, and starting pitchers. Make sure you check back at Heads or Tails for the options the Phillies have in those positions within the next couple days.
Did you know that Mike Lowell has the best fielding percentage of all third basemen in the entire history of all who played the hot corner, And he can also hit pretty good.
ReplyDeleteFrom: Norman Hendrickson