Gillick: No Extensions For Hamels, Howard Yet
Posted by Tim Malcolm, Fri, May 16, 2008 10:27 AM | Comments: 23
Posts
Pat Gillick said he’s baffled by the recent rash of teams locking up their young stars. In the past year, Ryan Braun, Prince Fielder, Scott Kazmir, Hanley Ramirez. Miguel Cabrera, James Shields, Troy Tulowitzki and Evan Longoria have all signed long-term extensions with their teams.
Kazmir was extended for four years and $28.5MM with a fifth-year option at $11MM. Many believe that sets the bar for Hamels, who, with more time and success, should get more money.
Then there’s Howard. Struggles this year aside, he’ll demand probably $15MM or so this year in arbitration, and a long-term deal would see him winning about $20MM and more per year. A six-year, $150MM deal isn’t out of the question.
Gillick said he won’t be locking these two up before he steps down as Phillies general manager at the end of the season:
“We’re not afraid to pay. [But] we don’t need to talk extension. We’ve got the guy for another five years [including the rest of '08]. Maybe when I’m not here it might happen. But right now it isn’t going to happen.”
Yeah, we got Hamels for five years and Howard for another three, but as the years progress the potential contracts should only get meatier, as long as Hamels and Howard continue to remain stars.
I can see where Gillick errs on the side of caution, since so many young players falter quickly, even before they reach their primes. But to come out publicly and say there’s no way a deal will even be considered this season? That’s selling your organization and fans right down the river. That’s upsetting the Hamels and Howard camps. And that’s downright bad business.
For Gillick it doesn’t matter because he won’t be here after October. But for everyone else?
Great job, Pat.
Posts: 0 Gnomicide
Stand Pat!
Posted: 10:43 AM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
hahaha. he said hes baffled by that? do you want some one as your gm thats baffled by teams wanting to lock up elite players for long-term deals? whats wrong with him? get this guy outta here. good old stand pat.
to PUBLICLY say that is disgraceful and insulting to the fans and the players. you resign this players long term like the rays and others did because youre TRYING TO WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP. i promised i wouldnt go off about the players until the game starts tonight, but then gillick comes out with this. unacceptable gillick, unacceptable. you should sign them to extensions this year BECAUSE youre leaving so you can leave a positive legacy.
Posted: 10:50 AM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 chris m
wheres dom m defending this idiot…anyways how bout that mets clubhouse and wagner divideing it up…wagner really is going nuts
Posted: 11:04 AM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 OZ
typical Phillies brass – little brains, no polish, even less tact. and they wonder why Rolen and Schilling wanted out…
Ryan, Cole – if u guys are reading this, we love ya! don’t listen to those idiots at the top.
i’d love to take Montgomery on a deep-sea, boat-ride and give him a nice cinder block to play with…
Posted: 12:16 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Mike T.
Haha yeah, I expect Don M and Bruce to come full force with their Gillick support.
What’s the word on Cashman?
Posted: 12:18 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Mike T.
Tim, hilarious picture of Gillick by the way – haha.
Posted: 12:20 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Bruce
It’s interesting to note that some of the young stars listed in Tim’s blog were signed by small market clubs such as Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers.
Those commitments by the small market clubs is a tribute to their foresight in recognizing a bright future that will reward both team AND fans.
Posted: 12:25 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Mike T.
Bruuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuce.
Posted: 12:27 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 chris m
I’m not sure I want cashman…I think if I had all the money he does to put together a team, I’m pretty convince I could do a better job
Posted: 12:31 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Bruce
BTW, Mike T, I never supported GM Stand Pat’s tight fisted budget policy with the team. The Phillies are NOT a small market club contrary to what the owners’ views are on their team’s revenue sources.
Posted: 12:34 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
i dunno about cashman per se, but they need a GM that has a lot of respect around the league and a GM that can stand up to those owners who want to bring back jose mesa every year.
Posted: 12:34 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 scot
to be fair, jose mesa is the phils single season save record holder.
Posted: 01:12 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
Yeah but last year he couldnt geta t-ball team out.
Posted: 01:14 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 1650 Tim Malcolm
“It’s interesting to note that some of the young stars listed in Tim’s blog were signed by small market clubs such as Tampa Bay Rays, Florida Marlins, Colorado Rockies and Milwaukee Brewers.
Those commitments by the small market clubs is a tribute to their foresight in recognizing a bright future that will reward both team AND fans.”
Good point, one that I saw as well.
What it also means, however, is the Phils are able to wait out a year or two to sign Howard and Hamels because they are a larger-market team. And if they decline to extend them they can go after big-name free agents instead. So the idea that Gillick would want to wait it out isn’t a bad idea from the Phils’ standpoint, but to say it? That’s another story.
Posted: 01:33 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 chrism
how bout wagner….whata piece of shit
Posted: 01:37 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Lewisauce
I understand Gillick’s philosophy (why lock them up for fair-market value now when we can grossly overpay later?), but he really needs to shut his mouth about the long-term possibilities of current players. Hamels and Howard aren’t his problem, their contracts aren’t any of his friggin’ business, and he should stay out of it.
I really, really dislike this GM. He’s made some good moves (the Utley contract, some of the smaller moves over the past two years, Lidge, etc.), but Eaton and “he doesn’t need a physical” Garcia alone should cement Gillick’s legacy as one of incompetence. Not to mention, as Tim said in his season preview (and this remains true), Gillick didn’t do enough to turn this club from an NL East champion to a World Series contender.
I dunno about Cashman either. The idea of having a limited team salary would be new to him, and it’s unclear how he’d handle that.
Posted: 01:38 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Lewisauce
And yeah, the Ashburn Award should have that image of Ashburn. I’ve got an error icon.
Posted: 01:39 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Geoff
Gillick is a relic. He doesnt understand the dynamics of young players today if he really believes some of that stuff. Young players want to be locked up and get long-term financial security. NOBODY WANTS TO GO YEAR TO YEAR! if im hamels, and i just pitched a complete game shutout, and my GM comes out and says that, then i BLOW UP to the media as soon as I get interviewed and trash gillicks statements. hes a lame duck GM anyway, they need somebody with a set of balls who isnt afraid to make a big move or sign a big deal for a young player.
Posted: 03:27 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Rosco
I’m going to have to pull my Travis Lee jersey out aren’t I?
Posted: 03:56 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Jacob
I don’t know why Gillick wouldn’t say this, but maybe in light of his imminent retirement from GM he’s trying not to hamstring whoever the next GM might be. There are moves that will need to be made this year (Burrell, pitching), so why lock up Howard and Hamels? In Howard’s case the money issue being cleared up for this year hasn’t helped his performance as it should. After a month and a half his stats are almost laughable for what he’s getting paid.
Posted: 05:25 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Steve
Keep Hamels by signing him to a long term deal after next season. That way he will have proven durability and would probably be amenable to a 5-6 year deal that pays like ~10-11 million a year on average.
Let Howard go year to year and then, and then let him walk or trade him at the deadline in 2010 or 2011. He is like Mo Vaughn and his decline will probably be fast and furious (and I am a big Howard fan). Besides after 2011 they will need to look to rebuild anyway.
Posted: 06:29 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Pat the Bat
Hey don’t blame the club. They gotz me the long-term hookup!!!!!
Posted: 11:39 PM on May 16, 2008
Posts: 0 Greg V.
10 years $10 million for Hamels! Sounds great to me!
Posted: 04:04 PM on May 17, 2008