Nov 8, 2009

Farewell Feliz, and A-Gon is gone

Christine and I were finishing dinner after a busy but enjoyable Sunday.

"Oh shoot, the blog," I said, remembering that I didn't have a post and that I'm not yet accustomed to the fact I can no longer just rely on game action.

"Don't worry, maybe something happened today," Christine said.

"Well, we didn't get a chance to answer Matty's question about Pedro Feliz, maybe I'll just make that the post," I said.

"Unless the Phillies have already announced a decision on his option," Christine said.

We both decided there was little chance of that happening on a Sunday. Oops: Phils decline Feliz option.

So, here's how we would have answered Matty's question whether we would pick up the $5.5 million option.

Christine is a definite yes because his defense compensates for his weak bat.

I don't mind Feliz at $5.5 million - that is what he is worth. But I probably would have taken the Phillies' tact: cut him loose and see if you can find a better option in what should be a deflated market with the economy. Besides, remember how Feliz became a Phillie? Nobody else wanted him. So if the Phillies don't find a good deal for a better third baseman, they can always go back to Feliz.

I think that's what GM Ruben Amaro has in mind:

"This doesn't preclude us from bringing Pedro back next season," Amaro said in a statement. "While this allows us to explore other opportunities, we will continue to keep the lines of communication open with Pedro and his representative."

The Red Sox also declined an option on an infielder today, casting aside Alex Gonzalez. They too may bring back Gonzalez at a lesser deal.

1 comment:

Matty said...

Now how about that! I hadn't checked out the news today.

Christine's point is a given. His glove certainly is worth something. How many runs does his defense prevent? That's how Ozzie Smith was viewed.

But I agree with Greg. With his offensive decline, his age, and his salary, you roll the dice.

Amaro rolled the dice with Burrell with a huge return. Let's see if he's got the hot hand with this one too.

Matty