Odds and Ends: Weekend Recap
-Ed Wade continues to build a Triple-A team consisting of former Phillies. He inked Brett Myers to a one-year, $5 million (with mutual option for ’11) deal over the weekend, and it appears Myers will be a starter for the 2010 season. He’s still just 29 years old, but carries a lot of wear and tear on his right arm. Myers will join Pedro Feliz, Jason Michael, Gary Majewski, and Michael Bourn as ex-Phils that have reunited in Houston.
In my opinion, Myers is a decent one-year guy, however, $5 million seems a bit much. But I also thought the same when Billy Wagner got $7 million and Brandon Lyon scored a three-year, $15 million deal from, you guessed it, Ed Wade. With the Myers Era officially over in Philadelphia, what is your favorite memory of the righty? (Try and be nice about it, too.) I’d have to say I’ll always remember him for the glove throw following the 2007 NL East clinching game. Good luck to Myers with the Astros.
-This is a bit of older news, but Adrian Beltre inked a one-year, $9 million contract with the Boston Red Sox, complete with an option for the following season. Lost in the shuffle is the news that he turned down a three-year, $24 million deal from the Phillies to play in Boston.
Seems odd to me in this time of economic turmoil that a guy would leave roughly $15 million guaranteed on the table to play for a franchise that is on the same level as the Phillies. It’s interesting, too, because he hasn’t had an amazing season since the mid-2000’s, so he stands to lose money should he tank. I personally believe he was a slightly better option at third than Polanco because of his pop when healthy, plus his defensive acumen at third. Polly will do a great job, but this move by Beltre remains a head-scratcher.
-It’s just about one week until figures are exchanged for arbitration, and the Phillies have two big cases looming. Shane Victorino and Joe Blanton are arb eligible and it’s a foregone conclusion they will both get relatively hefty raises. Victorino made $3.125 million last year, while Blanton received $5.475 million.
Shane is eligible once again in 2011, should he and the Phillies not come together on a long-term deal. Right now, there has been no talk of such a contract being in the works. Are the Phillies saving their pennies for a run at Jayson Werth? Would it be wise to grab Shane on a three-year, $24 million deal that is backloaded a bit. Perhaps $6 million, $8 million, $10 million? If you’re Ruben Amaro, do you hold off on that and wait for arbitration to play out for the next two seasons? It’s a very interesting argument right now with the Phillies self-imposed $140 million cap this season.
