Amaro says Phillies want quick resolution on Werth
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Amaro says Phillies want quick resolution on Werth
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
Jayson Werth is one of the most coveted free agents in all of baseball. (Ron Cortes/Staff Photographer)
An ESPN.com report surfaced earlier this week that quoted a Phillies source as saying the team had no chance of re-signing right fielder Jayson Werth.
"No chance. None. Zero."
That was the exact quote from the Phillies' source in a story by Jayson Stark.
Asked about that statement Friday, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro emphatically shot it down.
"That's unequivocally a false statement," Amaro said. "That did not come from me and I would not express that."
Amaro would not comment on whether he has made a contract proposal to Werth's agent Scott Boras, but he did say the Phillies hope to have a relatively fast resolution on whether the free agent right fielder will return to the team.
"I don't think it's something we're going to let go on for a while," Amaro said. "Hopefully we'll find out if he's a viable option to bring back in a short period of time. Regardless of what happens with Jayson, there are things we need to do."
Amaro said one of the things at the top of the team's agenda is strengthening the bullpen.
"I think there is some help out there for us and we think we can improve our bullpen," Amaro said. "We'd like to think we can do something from the left side, but there aren't that many guys out there."
Minnesota's Brian Fuentes and Hisanori Takahashi and Pedro Feliciano of the New York Mets are among the left-handed free-agent relievers available.
Comments (57)
Who cares about Werth? Sure, he was productive in the couple years leading up to his new contract but he also made a lot of boneheaded plays and probably cost the team as many wins as he gave them this year. Excepting the HR in SF and the throwout at 3rd he was virtually invisible in the postseason.
Werth is the type of player who, when saddled with a cushy long-term contract worth a hundred million dollars, will see his productivity dip and dip and dip. The Phillies don't need him, even if he is a righty.
The real disaster this year that will cost them a dozen games is the loss of Davey Lopes. What a bleep up! How much does it cost to bring that guy back? Stupid, stupid, stupid.— Crystal Ball- Nothing can be done. Werth will be able to get at least 5 years from somebody at $18 mil or so. And you can't blame him really. Because he spent so much time injured in LA, he's never had the really big paycheck. Even if he wants to stay in Philadelphia, would you sacrifice a couple of years guaranteed $18 mil to do it? That's a ton of money.— tomB
- It's all about compensation draft picks right now. Whomever the confidential source was doesn't really matter. Just because Stark identifies him (or her) as a "Phillies source" that doesn't mean it was anything more than opinion to start with - albeit opinion from a persin with a good knowledge of the team's inner workings.
Realistically, Werth is not coming back. We should ALL be okay with that. The Phillies need to start getting younger somewhere so this is as good a spot as any and the money they save from Werth helps develop talent that will hopefully be MLB-quality for 2015 and beyond. As for Werth, people talk a lot about how he should take less to stay with the team - but why? He may never get another shot at a great contract. If we are all truly appreciative of the years he gave us then we ought to also appreciate that one way of saying thank you is to acknowledge that he's like any other normal human. This chance might never come around again for him - he SHOULD grab the brass ring.— laferpurcell - ejc527 commentary is right on the money. 85 rbi's all season?! Howard missed games and had over 100; Ibanez had 83 rbi's! A good, steady ballplayer in right field, or a platoon system will produce that much and more. Remember, pitchers walked Howard to get to Werth.
- BM2626: You speak a lot of truth there. I drank Ruben Amaro's Kook-Aid he was serving up last Dec...Not drinking it now. 2008 : Won 4 WS games. 2009; won 2 WS games. 2010: No WS, won 2 NLCS games. Ruben Amaro Jr's stated goals after WS loss 2009 : "3rd Base, Bullpen, Bench." He was quiet that he still wanted Halladay. 3rd Base, Polly. Positive, thumbs up. Bullpen? Eyre, Condrey non-tendered, Park walks. Contreras, Herndon, Baez, Figueroa in. No reliable lefty Charlie has confidence in, glaringly obvious in NLCS. Negative for Bullpen, thumbs down. Bench? Non-tendered: Stairs, Bruntlett (who i miss?) In : Castro, Valdez, Schneider, Ransom, Gload. (Sweeney added mid-season) Valdez was Phils 2nd-most MVP of season. The rest?...a wash, Neutral, thumb level. The Halladay-Lee deal? Halladay gives hometown discount b/c has a home 15 min's from C-H20. Halfhearted attempt at negotiating to keep Lee. Lee who would have been a Phil for the bargain price of 9 MM thru 2010 dealt for 3 prospects who may or may not ever contribute. There was no guarantee that Lee was not going to accept an extension of some type beyond end of 2010 season. Dealing Lee meant that in July with Happ d/l-d, Blanton slow to mend, and then Moyer d/l-d, Amaro HAD to go after Oswalt. In getting Oswalt Amaro dealt away Happ, a reliable lefty w/ post season experience and young enough to stay and contribute in coming years. AND...if not dealt away could have been available for Charlie to use out of the pen in NLCS, when he trusted neither Romero nor Bastardo. Amaro : Albatross contracts (Moyer, Ibanez, Howard), deals which need 'do-overs,'(Lee/Oswalt), other questionable moves (non-tendering Eyre, signing Baez)... I'm tired of reading "Exec-of-year' praises for RAJ. Let's see how he bungles up this team this time around.
- ExiledinFla: You are a gentleman and a scholar. bm2626 - prescient (by the way, love the tag number). This team never needed Raul or Moyer yet those contracts proved to strangle this team at precisely the wrong time. Werth should have been extended for 3-4 years at what would have been no more than something like $7.5, 9.5, 10.5, 12.5, or $40 mil for 4 years (and probably woulda been a 3 year deal with a club/player option). He'd be playing out his final two years in 2011 and 2012 at a lower cost. That would have subsidized Lee's extension and kept Happ in the fold, to provide much needed cheap labor. And don't get me started about how we missed a huge opportunity to trade J-Roll and Raul last off-season to Boston when they were looking for OF depth and a SS - oh, and they were dangling Buchholz as trade-bait since they had 6 starters. Of course, Clay then had to go dominate this year so no chance of him ever being available again. But forgetting the missed Boston deal, this team should have had a rotation of Doc, Lee, Cole, Blanton and Happ, and a lineup of Vic, Polanco, Utley, Howard, Werth, Rollins, Francisco (who can play if they would just let him), Ruiz. And the payroll would have been no greater than it is now.— guru26
Only juiced-up Manny's Red Sox won more WS in the last decade. The Yankees make FA decisions that don't pan out, but they spend more money making those decisions. Please, we know they didn't win a WS in 09, or this year. I it's too early to bury RAJ, though. Maybe in another 3 years. How did everyone get so impatient? Are you the people who tailgate the cars in front of you on your daily commutes thinking the drivers will speed up?— road515- Oh, and if you are are so smart, why can't anyone read between the lines on Lopes. There were problems there. Remember Utley's knee leak to the press? Probably some ego things we don't know about. Just like all things with a TEAM...some things are beyond anyone's control. I hope the people in charge are smart, because change is going to happen. A couple timely hits last month, and the Phillies faults wouldn't be the end of the world.— road515
- Kudos to Amaro for ratcheting up the pressure. "Jayson, if you want to come back, we'd like to have you. But, don't think we're in this drama until February. We're not. We have holes in the bullpen and with right-handed hitting. Fortunately, we have young studs like Brown and Francisco in the fold. We have options. Enjoy losing 90 games a year with the Mets. Enjoy watching Beckett and Lackey getting lit up as overpaid, past-their-prime starters in Boston. Let's see how the New York and Boston media markets embrace a guy who hits a buck 85 with RISP. Ball's in your court, beard man."— eman
- Jayson Stark is too talented and has too good of a reputation and relationship with the Phillies organization to make that up. A Phillies source said that, take it to the bank. The only question is how close that source is to Amaro. Bottom line: Chance of signng Werth are slim— VicM
- hrlevin - I'm guessing you were under the influence of LSD? It's the only explanation I can come up with. TBear, if you got the gist of that you must be a genius.
- Not only should the Phillies re-sign Jason Werth, they should also pursue Cliff Lee, and try get Haap back! This is the time to be bold and put the team back where it can develop unapproachable depth! Reach down deep into your pockets Phillies, trust me, the money will come back to you ten fold!— boggie
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The Phillies Zone is the place for up-to-the-minute Phillies coverage from the Inquirer.
Matt Gelb
Inquirer Staff Writer
Bob Brookover
Inquirer Baseball Columnist
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