Phillies exercise Rollins' option
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Phillies exercise Rollins' option
David Murphy, Daily News Staff Writer
The Phillies made official what was pretty evident all along, exercising Jimmy Rollins' $8.5 million option for the 2011 season. This ensures that seven of the team's eight projected regulars will be under club control for the next two seasons, the lone exception being right fielder Jayson Werth, who will be a free agent after this year.
It also gives a clearer picture of the Phillies payroll heading into next offseason, when they will have several critical decisions to make, including re-signing Werth or finding a capable replacement, finding two starters to follow Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and J.A. Happ in the rotation, as well as several bullpen pieces (lefthander J.C. Romero has a $4.5 million option for 2011 -- Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge will both be entering the final years of their contracts).
According to data compiled by the Daily News, the Phillies have just under $108 million committed to 11 players for the 2011 season.
Rollins, who signed a 5-year, $40 million extension in 2005 and will make $7.5 million in 2010, would have been due a $2 million buy-out had the Phillies not exercised his option.
“Jimmy has always been an integral part of our club, not only on the field, but in the clubhouse as well,” general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement. “He has been a big part of the team’s success over the past three years and there is no doubt that we want him to be a part of that in the future.”
In 155 games last season, Rollins hit .250 with 22 home runs and 77 RBI. With a team-leading 31 stolen bases, he recorded his sixth straight season (2004-09) with 30 or more steals. Defensively, Rollins led all major league shortstops in fielding percentage (.990) and committed a career-low six errors en route to winning his third straight Gold Glove Award.
Entering his 11th season with the club, Rollins is currently the longest tenured Phillie on the team. In franchise history, he ranks third in doubles (350), fourth in stolen bases (326), fifth in runs scored (945), triples (95) and extra-base hits (591) and eighth in hits (1,629). For his career, the 2007 National League MVP is hitting .274 with 146 home runs and 621 RBI in 1,406 games.
i would rather have seen rollins get traded for prospects so they could have kept lee.— zwarte piet- And who starts at shortstop the next two years? They don't have a prospect anywhere close to playing short right now for this team. Rollins is the leader on and off the field and he's the one who got this team to the playoffs in 2007 and brought this team to where it is today.— phillyfan85
- Zwarte Piet - Rollins is a great player.. Get over Cliff Lee dude, hes gone, or are you going to keep whining?— gallen024
- This makes me thankful that baseball players don't holdout like the NFL, because Jimmy's underpaid.— JJR238
- Get over Lee already.— zman
- And Murph, you didn't mention also a fan favorite. ZwartPiet you're probably in the minority on this--not to mention Rollins may not have brought back the same prospects). No matter WHO is on the mound, still need a SS. Ain't too many GoldGlovers available at Rollins price. Yes despite the .250 AVG for 09 I still want him, so i'll bat him 7th. Yes despite the very infrequent mental lapses (like the self-admitted one in the top of 9th of WS game 4), I still want him at SS.
- I agree Phillies really screwed this one up. Lee should have stayed in Phillie!!! Prospects are just prospects....— tholler1
- i wish the phillies could've kept lee and signed both felix hernandez and tim lincecum. now that would be a rotation!— jackhammer
- Rollins is one of the top 3 ss in the league, and paid in the middle of the pack.— toolhead713
- Although he is not a leadoff hitter, Rollins is one of the best fielding shortstops in baseball, the best ever for the Phillies, and defense up the middle is extremely important, even for Cliff Lee, who somehow they should have kept. As for getting over Cliff Lee, tell us that when Hamels flops again next season and we have one dependable starter. Amaro should have figured out a way to keep Lee in the rotation and stay within the $140 million budget for this coming season. There has to be more to that story than meets the eye. Murph: thought you were on vacation??— chuckw
- I was hopping they would trade him. he's not a leadoff hitter.— scootch
- Yeah, sure, nice move, then who would play shortstop? I'm glad you aren't the GM!— theragtopguy
- I wish the Phillies would have kept Lee, got Halladay. signed Lackey. traded for Lincecum. picked up Joe Mauer. rejuvenated Micke Schmidt and dug-up Babe Ruth's corpse and bring him back to life. you loser's need to get over Cliff Lee. You can be sure he and his agent and their hunt for "market value" are over you, no matter what Lee says. Halladay wanted to be here and took less money and less guaranteed money to do it! How often does that ever happen in sports!?!?!— gobirds556
- You need Rollins ....who are you going to put at shortstop Bruntlett? C'mon please have a clue— sandman64
- this guy is more valuable in the field than some of this posts indicate. I'd agree that he needs to be dropped down in the order, and might be with the addition of Polanco.— retzlaff
