Phillies.com is reporting that after the Tigers declined to offer arbitration to Placido Polanco, the Phillies have seriously stepped up their efforts to sign him.
I would be happy with the move, but I can’t say I would be thrilled unless it was for very cheap and allowed us to add some quality relievers as well. Polanco, 34, has declined each of the last 2 seasons and hasn’t played 3B full time for several years.
On the plus side, he is still absolutely an offensive upgrade over Feliz. He is a professional hitter who gives you great ABs and was the 2nd hardest in all of baseball to strike out last year. His is always a threat to hit .300 and has hit .305 since 2000. His BABIP infers that he was the victim of some bad luck last year, which may have contributed to his lower numbers. He would certainly be one of the best #7 hitters in the National League, though he could hit 2nd as well. On defense, he is an elite second baseman, and according to FanGraphs UZR, he has played very well at 3B in his 322 games there with a 9.9 UZR/150 (anything positive is above average). By comparison, Feliz had a 5.0 UZR/150 for the Phillies this year, and a 15.5 career mark.
A Feliz for Polanco trade would be beneficial to the team, and because of Polanco’s down season last year, he could be had at a bargain rate. He is less risk than Beltre, less money than Figgins and a far better defender than DeRosa, so I see the Phillies logic in targeting him.
apparently it would be a 3-year deal. $15 million would be fair I think.
i’d rather have it be for 2 years and a club option for a third. but a 3 year agreement would plug up 3b cheaply for awhile
hopefully cheaply!
the phils do not have a single viable 3B prospect in their system, so 3 years wouldn’t be the worst idea they’ve had. They would likely just have to sign another 3B after 2 anyway.
Sure. I don’t mind the low risk option here to achieve an offensive upgrade.
At least this gives signals that the Phillies seem to have a plan about how money will be spent over the next few years and they can lock up some of their pending key contributors in the future instead of pouring money into Figgins.
Jayson Stark says the Phils are thinking of Polanco as a #2 hitter.
Fox Sports is reporting the deal would be either 2 years, 10-12 million, or 3 years, 18 million. My guess is it ends up the latter.
Either way, $6 million a year is only $500,000 more than Feliz for an upgrade worth more than that.
Personally I am more of a fan of Beltre as he fits the Phillies needs better than anyone else. But I certainly can’t be disappointed with Polanco if that is the direction they go. If the Phillies do sign Polanco then you can’t really judge that move until you see what Beltre signs for.
Polanco would also allow the Phils to sit Utley more often by putting Polanco at 2nd and Dobbs at 3rd without losing too much offense. Polanco gives the team more versatility than Beltre and I think I like him better than DeRosa. However, I still prefer Beltre because of our giant hole at 3b in our farm system. Beltre is the youngest. We’ll need to eventually trade for a 3b prospect or something.
Drew, good point about the flexibility of Polanco to play 2nd, that is very important and a nice perk.
I also really like the idea of a contact hitter like Polanco in the 2 hole.
I am trying to think back to when he was last on the team, I remember wondering why he wasn’t being shifted to third back then to remain a Phillie and can’t recall the circumstances surrounding that (other than maybe he just wasn’t interested in playing 3rd?)
I agree with Stu, good point Drew, with the flexability. I liked him when he was with the Phillies before and surely don’t mind him coming back. I do hope that we soon address getting a young guy in the farm system for third base!
I just read something interesting by Jason Stark: “Polanco batted .337 at Citizens Bank Park as a Phillie, with more walks (23) than strikeouts (20). And it’s his plate discipline that appeals most to the defending NL champs. Polanco has never struck out 50 times in any season in his career. Feliz, on the other hand, had a 618-217 career strikeout-walk ratio, and the Phillies were looking to add more contact to a strikeout-prone lineup.
Here is another great tidbit from Todd Zolecki: “Polanco struck out just once every 14.7 plate appearances in 2009, the second-best mark in the Majors. He has averaged just one strikeout every 17.5 plate appearances the past five seasons, which also is the second-best mark in the Majors. “
Funny Chris Coste tidbit (he is now a Met, in case you missed it)
“Chris Coste is burning bridges with Mets fans before he even crossed them. The ex-Phillies catcher/first baseman signed with the Mets today, just three days after belittling his new team in an interview with a Philadelphia sports Web site. After telling CSNPhilly.com that he “will always be a Phillie,” Coste said he had been hesitant to sign with Philadelphia’s arch-rival. “It was the Mets,” Coste said, according to the site. “It’s the last team I ever saw myself playing for. I knew I was going to accept [the contract], but had to think about it for a few days.”"