Options dwindling for Rollins, Phillies
News blogs, sports blogs, entertainment blogs, and more from Philly.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News.
Options dwindling for Rollins, Phillies
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
If you thought Jimmy Rollins' re-signing with the Phillies was inevitable a couple of days ago, the recent signings of Alex Gonzalez and Rafael Furcal by the Brewers and the Cardinals make it a stone-cold lock.
If you believe the Phillies when they express a willingness to enter the season with Freddy Galvis and Wilson Valdez as their options at short stop, well, that makes one of us. There are still some fringe players out there, but none are any more impressive than Valdez and Galvis -- Ronny Cedeno, Yuniesky Betancourt, and so on. Feel free to slump over on your keyboard. The Phillies could certainly look to deal for a player like Eduardo Nunez or Jed Lowrie or Mike Aviles, but it is generally hard to acquire defensive utility players because they are almost always worth more to their own team than whatever another team is willing to give up.
As for Rollins, the list of potential suitors appears to be limited to the Phillies. The way I see it, these are the only teams who would even have the need for a guy like Rollins:
Tampa Bay - Sean Rodriguez/Reid Brignac
Kansas City - Alcides Escobar
Atlanta Braves - Tyler Pastornicky
Mets - Ruben Tejada
Nationals - Ian Desmond
Reds - Zack Cozart/Paul Janish
Astros - Angel Sanchez
Giants - Brandon Crawford/Jeff Keppinger/Ryan Theriot
The Rays aren't going to give Rollins the kind of contract he is looking for. The Mets are looking to shed payroll, not add it. You have to figure the Nationals are not yet ready to give up on Desmond. The Reds don't appear to have the money. The Giants have veteran options who can fill in if the highly-touted Crawford stumbles.
The Braves and the Royals are the only two teams that appear to pose even a semblance of a threat. The Royals don't always make the smartest personnel decisions, so who knows.
But in reality, it comes down to Rollins and the Phillies. Rafael Furcall just singed a two-year, $14 million deal with the Cardinals. That's a pretty significant chunk of change for a guy who has barely been on the field the last couple seasons.
To me, an at-market deal for Rollins would be 4 years, $36 million with a club option and reasonable buyout. There were some rumblings that Rollins could get $13 mil a year. To me, that's a huge overpay, just based on the market rate for short stops. Now that there does not appear to be much of a market for Rollins, you would think a four-year, $40 million deal would easily get it done. If Phils really don't want to go beyond three years, I think a 3 year, 30 million deal with a club option that has a big buyout and vests on certain incentives would make sense.
- You answer your question right there. If a guy is too old/fragile to run hard as a professional athlete, then you shouldn't want him around. And if he isn't going to run in a key, high pressure, playoff situation on a ground ball similar to Mookie Wilson's famous one through Buckner's legs, when is he going to run? If you ask me, he's pretty worthless and the market shows that and has spoken.
— jtj06 
Comment removed.- its been a while...advantasux and zwarte piet, glad you guys are still preaching truth. j-pop, j-stroll just ain't worth it. somewhere, he's still talking to some reporter about how the phils are confident, won't panic, and can still win the 2011 World Series. clueless as they come. [see his 5-year "demand" as proof - how many came knockin' for his services??? at this point, you're better off getting cuddyer for 3 at 33. the lineup is victorino (cf), polanco (2b), utley (1b), pence (rf), cuddyer (3b), mayberry (lf), ruiz (c), galvis/valdez (ss).— guru26
- How about just saying see ya J-Roll. Take your lazy a** attitude to the west coast— twpman
- Don't bid against yourselves. If he gets more than 3 years 27, it is too much.— mikemaddog
- We now have even more proof that it is the Phillies who are driving the bus, not Jimmy Rollins. Nobody else wants him!! I don't get it, why doesn't that mean something here? Why pay the dollars and give the years Jimmy is seeking when nobody else wants him? Murphy makes the comment that an at-market deal for Rollins would be 4 years/$36 million. What? To make such a statement, doesn't there have to be a market in the first place? If the Phillies are the ONLY team interested in Rollins, wouldn't it be the Phillies who decide what the market is?
I suggested several times at the end of the year to somehow trade for Mike Aviles. He's a decent fielder, has shown to have a decent bat...and would cost a fraction of what Ruben is thinking about paying Rollins. Please Ruben, think about 2013 and beyond BEFORE you sign Rollins to another contract.— MrPhillie - 3 years plus a Phils' option. Jimmy's been great, an MVP, but those days are long gone. And I'm with you guys, he isn't gonna change, there'll still be plenty of those lazy fly balls because he thinks he can go deep.— PhillySubsMac
- Now is the time to cut bait with Rollins. This is the tipping point for the team. Keep him and we'll be boxed in for 4 years. Time to be bold and decisive. There is no market for him. He's injury prone and that's only going to worsen.........— Northcountry
- Offer 3 years tops (2 is better) and drop him down to the 6th or 7th spot in the line up. Rollins is not the same player he was in 2008 and certainly not worth the same money. Offer 2/14 or 3/20 and let him pick, and if he snubs it then let him walk.— Kanayd
- Let's say the media covered a dozen other teams who may have or had an interest in Rollins, but dropped out for whatever reason. That leaves 18 teams left. OK, so half of those 18 teams are solidly set at shortstop. That leaves 9 teams. How does that make it a stone cold lock for the Phils as the writer states? One thing I know. There are no stone cold locks.— escapedcamden4monterey
- I guess the true Phillies Fans see what the rest of the GM's see in Rollins.
Selfish Player interested in personal stats only , too old and slow to demand 5 yrs. Time has passed.— joepir - JRoll missed out on his chance for his 3 yr. deal by waiting too long and the market dried up on him. RAJ should let JRoll save face by giving him 2yrs./$20 mil with a option for a third yr. He still is the best SS option out there for this team.— Phillyfan among the NYers
- And if Jimmy gets hurt in the first month of play by...dogging it, hitting the bag weirdly and then complains about Philly groundskeepers??? Let him go.Save the dough for 3 others who could fill out the team.— Koons
- Interesting day. National League MVP, Ryan Braun, tests positive for PEDs and faces possible 50-game suspension. Does this force the Brewers to bring back Prince Fielder and give him whatever he wants? Probably. Rafael Furcal signs 2-year $14 million contract with Cards. Does this hurt Jimmy Rollins's chances for a 5-year megabucks contract - somewhere, anywhere. Probably. Furcal's contract is for approximately one-half the yearly amount he received from the Cards last season, and most other free agent shortstops have signed modest contracts with new clubs. Does this further limit Rollins's ability to dictate terms in his next contract? Probably. The Yanks win the auction for Japanese shortstop, Nakajima, but still have Derek Jeter under contract. Will they trade him? Probably. Will the Phils take their time considering whether or not to resign Rollins, and while they're waiting, explore trade options for a new shortstop? Probably. Before the Cards resigned Furcal, they announced they were planning to non-tender Ryan Theriot because of his poor defensive performance at shortstop. When he is non-tendered will members of this board start suggesting the Phils sign him instead of Rollins? Probably. In this article, David Murphy listed Theriot as a member of the Giants instead of Cardinals. Is it possible Murphy knows something that no one else on this board knows? Probably not!— onthebucks
- There seems to be a lot of ingratitude out there for what Jimmy Rollins has done for this franchise.
True, these last few years have shown eroding skills and injuries. The future for him does not look too promising.
I would like to see the Phillies part company with Jimmy on a more positive note.
Many of the people would like to see Rollins' nose rubbed in it and make him accept a watered down contract. Why ? If you think he does not deserve a decent contract, then you must have concluded that the Phillies would be better off without him.
That would be fine. Let Jimmy walk but show a little respect for what he brought to the team. He did bring somethng to this team when they did not have much, did'nt he ?— candidly
