Gillick Closes the Closer Deal
Pat Gillick’s signing streak moves into day 4! Today the Phillies announced a "preliminary agreement" with free agent reliever Tom Gordon to the tune of 3 years, $18 million. The physical is scheduled for Saturday so hopefully it will be finalized by then. Although Phillies.com states he will be Billy Wagner’s replacement, I wonder if Gillick isn’t still looking to land Hoffman or Baez. He still has some room under the cap for another decent 3 year deal and the Phils need all the relief they can get. Until this question is answered, we’ll leave the closer poll up so you can express your feelings on the deal.
Almost as important as landing an actual closer, is the feeling that Gillick is bring to this city’s ballclub. In previous off seasons, "Standing Pat" Ed Wade would already be hibernating up in Scranton. This flurry of activity is certainly showing the Phils are committed to building a championship-caliber team. They’re not there yet, of course, but the momentum is certainly positive. Could this translate into more season tickets? Perhaps, but that’s up to you.
Briefly, yesterday’s signing involved career backup catcher Sal Fasano. The 35-year-old (not much younger than the beloved Todd Pratt) received a 1 year, $425,000 contract. Last season with Baltimore he hit .250 with a career-high 11 homers and 20 RBIs in 64 games and 160 at-bats.
