Interest remains mutual for Durbin, Phillies
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Interest remains mutual for Durbin, Phillies
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
There is little left to happen in the 41 days before Phillies pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater. Any day now, J.C. Romero will take his physical in Philadelphia to complete a one-year contract. Another bench player may or may not be added before spring training.
Just about the only (mild) drama remaining is the case of Chad Durbin. The righthander, one of Charlie Manuel's dependable arms for the past three seasons, is still a free agent.
Much remains the same with Durbin. A baseball source said the Phillies have made a formal offer and Durbin's side countered with a new one. Negotiations are ongoing with the Phillies and several other teams interested in the pitcher.
Philadelphia is still Durbin's first choice. The question is whether both sides can come to an agreement on a salary. Durbin made $2.125 million in 2010 and is believed to be seeking a raise. The Phillies, who have a payroll north of $160 million, could decide money is limited for Durbin.
Last season, the 33-year-old had a 3.80 ERA and struck out 63 in 68 2/3 innings.
The Phillies have five spots locked up in the 2011 bullpen (presuming Romero passes his physical). There is still a need for a middle reliever who can pitch multiple innings -- the very role Durbin has filled before.
Comments (31)
Sign him. It's a no-brainer.
Lidge, Madson, Contreras, Bastardo, Romero, Baez, Kendrick/Worley.
Is there room for Durbin?— mcjb35- You don't break the bank for Lee and then cheap out for a dependable and very much needed member of the bullpen. Durbin is versatile...can pitch long, middle, or short innings and has proven himself. Sign him.— ericyshel
- I'd MUCH rather have Durbin, than Baez...Kendrick is the likely 5th starter if/when they trade Blanton. There's always room in the bullpen for quality— ericyshel
- With all the pitchers except Hamels and KKendrick into their 30's and Contreras in his 50's, they are going to need all the arms they can get to make it through the season and have anything left for the playoffs. Why not add another mid 30's pitcher to the mix?????— Mark1npt
- They have to move Blanton first. Baez is aweful, but there's really nothing you can do with him.— Vote for Dickie
Comment removed.- He won't rock the boat. Fits well everywhere. I'm feeling fuzzy and warm, as in Spring training.— Joe at the shore
- #%&! Durbin SUCKS. Is the cupboard THAT bare? Baez and Durbin both back--the Braves are celebrating at that thought.— Rando
- Durbin is rock solid. I want him back. I don't get why some don't like him.
- Sign him. He is better than almost all the other choices out there and is a good presence in both the bullpen and clubhouse. No brainer!— GHK
- Since Dom Brown doesn't seem to be ready, who's playing right field?— mrjarn
- Durbin should have been signed before Romero was offered a contract. Maybe Romero will flunk his physical and then the Phils would have the $$$ to sign Durbin.— pogiepop
- Durbin sucked and so did Baez. I would not keep either one.
- He has given us solid innings. I want him back only if he would take 2y 5.5M + 4M mutual option or less.— illrhyme
- Why do the Phillies keep wanting to put the same bullpen together again? We saw how bad these guys stunk it up last year. Now we have to endure watching Romero blow it again this season. Now Durbin may be back.— eaglesman1
- Durbin has been a solid-plus middle reliever for the Phils. The couple folks here who say he sucks are clueless. Not signing him after spending so much on others would be pound wise and penny foolish.— VicM
- So we're going into spring training without a right fielder and completely left-handed lineup? That's INSANE!— makrom
- He'll sign for something in the middle and be back. At 160 mil, another half mil is not going to break the bank. What I don't want them to do is sign him for more than one year. Pen is old enough right now.— beegal99
- Bring in Alfredo Simon. Guy has a gun for an arm.— dasher
- I am amazed at the willingness of people to parade their ignorance before the readers of this site.
In 2010:
Durbin: 68 1/2 IP, W-L=4-1, ERA = 3.80
Baez: 47 2/3 IP, W-L= 3-4, ERA = 5.78
Yeah, they're really the same.
Oh yes, as for that "completely left-handed" line-up. Against LHers the Phils will bat Ruiz, Rollins, Polanco & (probably) Francisco - and possibly Mayberry. Not what you wanted? Perhaps not, but not "completely left-handed." Your post, however, was completely foolish.— judas_priest - Durbin doesn't do much for me. Never has. He's solid enough for most of the regular season but he seems like one of those guys who will always let you down in the most important games. Sign him to be bullpen filler who's better than a stiff like baez, but pray he isnt counted on in big moments.— Sewellmatt
- For the price Durbin was fairly effective, comparing him to Baez is stupid— your_mom_says_hi!
- I would not sign Durbin even with a pay cut. He has proven to be fundamentally unreliable. Instead for the final bullpen spot, I would take a chance on a young unproven arm who would have a better upside.
Durbin has been pretty good throughout his years in Philly. He's certainly more reliable than Romero. Phils should get him back in the fold ASAP.- I like Durbin and he has proven to be durable and pretty reliable ...as long as he gets regular work....SO many people scream about how guys perform in the playoffs...remember relievers like Durbin are used to pitching 3-4 a week during the season and then can go ten days or more between appearances in the playoffs...The man has been better than most...All that said, I think for the long term health of the team, they need to leave a sport or two open in the pen and inject some youth onto the staff...I would fill the remaning spots with in house candidates..Given the makeup of the starting staff, middle relief should cl be the area where they spend the absolute least money— TheLon
- Durbin is an innings-eater. He's about the only one out there who can go more than one inning. The Phils' bullpen will be a mess without Durbin, or someone comparable. As for money, give him the money we cut from Romero.— steveku2
@illrhyme - 2 yrs at 5.5M? That's too much. I wouldn't offer him anything more than a one year deal, maybe at $2.5M. $3M, tops. I can't imagine why they don't have any young arms that can fill his role. Kendrick might be an option, but he'll probably find himself in the rotation at some point due to injury. Let's just keep our fingers crossed that the starting rotation including Blanton remains relatively injury free this year!— Sam Crow- Turn away from Durbin and bring up Mathieson from LHV. What does the young guy have to do to get a shot at a spot on this team. No more 2 or 3 year contracts for the Baez's, Ibanez's and Polanco's. I put Polly in there because he's at that age when your body starts breaking down if you don't take care of it, he hasn't.— bigtbone
- I don't know exactly who's out there, but we need decent bullpen arms and this guy definitely fits the decent category. Sign him! Otherwise we'll be looking to the Iron Pigs for help.— bgrasmeder
- If I had my way him and Baez would be history. Too many relievers pitch like starters on this club. Their job is to come in get people out and get us to the plate again. I don't care for Romero for the same reason but we actually need a lefty with experience so he stays for now. I think Kendrick will do just fine in the middle innings and if someone in the starting rotation goes down he can be moved to replace them. Why is it the Daily News can only focus on pitching? We are weak in hitting and the corner outfielders could be a liability. If Victorino has another down yr at bat, trying to emulate Rollins, we are in for a long season. Who is going to hit 5th? Answer that.— Wally 24
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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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