Huston Street's new contract, Jonathan Papelbon's current one
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Huston Street's new contract, Jonathan Papelbon's current one
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
Huston Street signed a two-year, $14 million contract extension today, the latest closer deal that will be dwarfed by the four-year, $50 million contract that the Phillies signed Jonathan Papelbon to this season. We'll never know how the market would have ended up valuing Papelbon had the Phillies been less aggressive in their pursuit of him, but it is interesting to note that the two teams who committed more than two years to a closer this offseason are two of the more disappointing teams in the majors.
The Marlins have already given up on 2012, and they are in that position thanks in part to the struggles of Heath Bell, who has a 5.75 ERA and six blown saves in 25 opportunities after signing a three-year, $27 million deal over the offseason. Papelbon, conversely, has been the pitcher the Phillies expected, converting 22-of-25 save opportunities with a 3.29 ERA in 41 innings. Yet even with the production they expected out of their closer, the Phillies are 11 games under .500 and, for all intents and purposes, out of the National League playoff picture. Which suggests that there might have been a wiser way to spend the money they dedicated to Papelbon. An elite closer is a luxury, not a necessity. If you already have a nice house and have money left over, go ahead and add the swimming pool. But if you have water pouring into the attic, then you are probably better off spending the 10 grand on a new roof.
Just like there are other ways to cool off, there are other ways to handle the ninth inning then to pay a guy $12.5 million a year over four years to handle it. Street has had significant injury problems over the last few seasons, missing 28 games this season with a right latissimus dorsi strain and 29 in 2011 with groin and arm injuries, and the first three months of 2010 with right shoulder inflammation. When healthy, he has been very good: a 3.12 ERA, 88 percent save rate, and 139 strikeouts against 28 walks in 135 1/3 innings since the start of 2010. Papelbon's numbers during that same stretch: 3.39 ERA, 86.5 percent save rate, 214 strikeouts, 47 walks in 172 1/3 innings.
Is the extra $5.5 million a year and two extra years worth the better health history and higher workload of Papelbon?
- Sub-lime! Just sublime! That kismet continues to this day.
— mccloudmj - Since when is having a 3.29 era for a closer good? Check out some of the better teams closers era— ziller0604
- I would never sign a relief pitcher to more than a 2 year contract, even in Mariano Rivera's best season he has never been more than a 1.5 WAR. Relief pitcher's performances fluctuate from year to year, I prefer Tampa's approach, sign a vetran who has a decent K rate and is coming off a bad season to a 1 year deal. It's why guys like Friedman and Daniels will always be > than Amaro they get the economics of baseball post steroid era.— Ed Gein
- Hey Murph, are you willing to admit this team isn't a playoff team? Isn't a .500 team? This article seems to be a small step in the direction of criticizing management. Hopefully you begin to call for Rube to be held to account like most fans have been saying for months.
Simply put, Rube KILLED THIS TEAM and this deal is a fine example of his work. He jumped the gun on Papelbon by signing him to an untradable contract and lost a first rounder in the process because he just couldn't wait to sign him later. All this and he ignored the offense by bringing in spare parts on the cheap. Fire Ruben Amaro Jr!— Repubrebirth - look phreaks, raj is a total efin MORON!!!!!
I never once had a good feelin bout the papelbum.
bosox shed no tears and phreaks - theres a reason for that! OK?!
raj has completely and utterly DEVASTATED this franchise. the ole days have returned. playoffs every couple decades. oh well, u get what u deserve. WOOT!
— depressed - NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO— hardball
- raj has thrown around money and prospects like there were no tomorrow. now we have one of baseballs worst teams. the incompetence is breath taking! the fact is, we should get rid of utley howard and papelbum too. but no we cant! cuz nobody is so psychotic to want them! only raj! the only difference between now and the historic track record of phils phutility is that we pay 175 MIL for that phutility! god bless raj. WOOT! nothing less than complete wholesale changes need to be in order for this team. that means a new gm and a new head coach. OK?! these boys been spoilt. bring back BOWA NOW!
time to CRACK DA WHIP!!!!!!
— depressed - With the team pushing a $170 million payroll, I think that it's a stretch to say that the Papelbon deal hamstrings the Phillies' ability to field a contending team. He's literally the last player (and his is the last contract) that I'd bring up when discussing the team's problems. Putting some $75 million of elite talent on the DL at a time is what sunk this season.— Dan K
- Terrible deal. They just came off living through the reason you don't go big bucks for 3 years on a closer and Amaro one-ups it to 4 years. What I don't get is that Papelbon doesn't seem to have anything special. Lidge had the slider, Madson had the change-up, when those guys are healthy they are unfair. Papelbon has a 93-94 MPH fastball. Big whoop!— jtj06
- Lousy baseball, they need some youth instead of these jaded vets!!!!!!!— Rumrunner11
- for God's sakes, Murph, grow a set and take a position here, instead of posing your concern as a question the fans need to answer. You've become Rich Hofmann. How could you let that happen?— advantasux
- In a vacuum, Papelbon is fine. The problem is that the money allocated to him tied RAJ's hands to address other shortcomings of the team. This team is too top heavy and Cole's new deal only back them into a tighter corner. They are not going to be aggressive at the trade deadline. Because the salaries are so bloated, they can put the players through waivers and continue to try to trade them.— Steve Jeltz
- This year, none of the contracts are worth the money except to Chooch. The one -two run wonders are back and Carlton, Grover Cleveland Alex . could not win with this team. If someone asks for Doc, the Phils should consider what they could get.— Koons
- Why expect anything less of our RAJ? The same GM that extended Howard with a 25 mil/yr contract two years early because he was afraid of the "market". He got screwed. He also waited till the last minute to extend Hamels because he wanted to see "the market". he got screwed again. See a pattern? RAJ has very little "vision". That's why this team is a mess right now.— scootch
- Beltran and 2-3 bone fide bullpen arms for the cost of Papelbon would have been more prudent, and this isn't simply hindsight. Plenty of questions were there about the lineup and the fading youngsters in the bullpen even before Utley started playing his games with information about his troubled knees.— EaglesWest
