In the vast wasteland that is January and February in Philadelphia once the Eagles have been knocked out of the playoffs, the Phillies are once again in the news. While the moves that they made today are nothing amazing, they're quite important for keeping the team that's been to back to back World Series together.
First, they announced that Joe Blanton had been signed to a three year, $24 million extension, keeping him in red pinstripes until 2012. I said it last year during the playoffs, but over the entire season, there was no pitcher for the Phillies that was as consistent as Joe Blanton. He's never going to be a pitcher that's going to go out and win 20 games, but if you're looking for a guy that's going to come out and win 12-15 games with an ERA around 4.00, then that's exactly what you're going to get in Blanton. He had asked for $10 million in arbitration, and the Phillies had come back with a $7.5 million offer. Instead of having him sign a one year deal, he's locked up for the long term now, and that gives the Phillies four pitchers now signed through the 2012 season.
There is the obvious question that some people are asking: why couldn't the Phillies do this with Cliff Lee instead of Joe Blanton? Well, the first thing is that Cliff Lee wasn't going to want just $24 million over three years. It seemed obvious to me that he was going to want much, much more than that, and over a longer span, meaning that if he ended up reverting back to the Cliff Lee of 2007, when he spent most of the year in the minors and was left off of Cleveland's postseason roster, the Phillies would be stuck with a very expensive contract. Throw in the fact that the Roy Halladay trade almost cleaned out the Phillies' minor league system, and they needed to trade Lee to get some of those prospects back, which is exactly what I argued in my first post about the situation. Honestly, with Halladay, J.A. Happ and hopefully a 100% Cole Hamels at the top of the rotation, I'll take Joe Blanton for three years over Cliff Lee for one. That's just how that works out.
The other move the Phillies made today was extending Shane Victorino for three more years through the 2012 season. The contract is reportedly for $22 million over the span of the three years, and will keep the Phillies with a Gold Glove caliber centerfielder, which is something very few teams in baseball can boast about having. While I don't feel like this move was as important as signing Joe Blanton to a long term deal, there is certainly plenty of merit to this deal as well.
First and foremost, this move helps keep the Phillies stable in the outfield for at least the next two years. Raul Ibanez isn't going anywhere until his contract is up, and Jayson Werth is a free agent after next season. As much as I would love to see Werth spend the rest of his career in Philadelphia, the smart money has him taking a big money contract from another team. The 2011 free agent class is very shallow in the outfield, and if Werth can pull off another season like he had in 2009, he's going to be the Jason Bay of the next offseason. With Victorino locked up, the Phillies can afford to call up Domonic Brown for 2011. By all accounts, Brown will be ready to play in the majors after next season, and while Werth has certainly made the most of his time in Philadelphia, it seems like 2010 will be his last as a Phillie. Either way, Victorino now doesn't have to worry about where he's going to be playing the next three years. It'll be nice to watch him out in center, especially with that defense that he has.
With two of the last three arbitration eligible players locked up for the Phillies now, there's only one left to go, and it looks like he's on Ruben Amaro's list. According to Assistant GM Scott Proefrock, the Phillies are working on a long term deal for catcher Carlos Ruiz, and they hope to have it done within a week. I sure hope that gets done, because even though he's not an offensive force, Carlos is an outstanding defensive catcher, and the work he does with the pitchers can not be forgotten.
CSNPhilly: Phillies Ink Blanton to deal
ESPN: Phillies sign Victorino to three year contract
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