Phillies Sign Bell’s Platoon
It’s on now! Not one to let the loss of Wagner get him down, today Pat Gillick announced the signing of free agent infielder Abraham Nunez. The former Pirate and Cardinal and replacement for the injured Scott Rolen last year agreed to a two-year, $3,350,000 deal with a club option for 2008 and performance bonuses.
At first thought, Nunez reminds me a lot of Placido Polanco, whom I think everyone can agree was a rather large asset to the Phils. He can play third base, shortstop and second base; he’s even pitched in a game in 2004. He’s a switch-hitter so he’ll be able to hit righties unlike David Bell. You argue too much with Bell’s defensive abilities (except for that one error against Houston late in the year), but in filling in for Rolen, Nunez did a decent job. He committed 10 errors in 98 games at third and had a .963 fielding percentage compared to Bell’s .951 FP.
So will Charlie Manuel acquiesce to Gillick’s move and insert a third base platoon into his starting lineup? While it might be a simple decision for us, I feel it would be a daft challenge to David Bell for the likes of Uncle Charlie. As for Pat Gillick, it’s clear he’s not afraid to shake up the establishment – Wade and Montgomery’s ‘championship caliber team.’ Next up on the chopping block hopefully – Mike Lieberthal. BUT:
It seems there are rumors flying around about a Bobby Abreu trade in the works. Slow down Pat, let’s not be hasty. One I’ve heard involves Lieberthal and Abreu for the Yankees’ Carl Pavano, Jorge Posada, and minor league pitcher Eric Duncan. Another one sounds like Jason Marquis might be part of a deal. If that’s the case, I might have to boycott every 5th Phillies game. I hate Jason Marquis and his entire family; I boycotted almost an entire Phillies season because of an incident involving him while on the Braves. If he’s signed, I’ll explain the entire story in detail. But besides my personal vendetta, I do not think he’s a number 1 starter – not even on the Phils – and certainly not worth losing Abreu over. When truth to the Abreu rumors surfaces, we’ll let you know. Until then, revel in the good move in signing Nunez.
