Madson deal on ice for now
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Madson deal on ice for now
Bob Brookover, Inquirer Baseball Columnist
There are two sides to every story and some stories are even more geometrically confusing than that.
The curious case of Ryan Madson is one of those stories with more than two sides.
It appeared on Tuesday as if the Phillies and their free-agent closer were nearing a deal that would keep Madson in red pinstripes through at least the 2015 season.
By Wednesday morning, there was no telling if a deal between Madson and the Phillies will ever get done.
According to a baseball source, the two sides spent three days talking about a four-year contract, then hammered out the financial details Monday on a contract that Madson was ready to sign. The deal was worth $44 million with a fifth-year option of $13 million according to multiple reports.
All that needed to be done and still needs to be done, according to the baseball source, is for Phillies president David Montgomery to approve the deal.
An attempt to reach Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was unsuccessful, but another source with knowledge of the situation indicated that there may have been some miscommunication between the two sides.
It will be interesting to see if the two sides can get back on track and get a deal done. In the meantime, CSNPhilly.com has reported that the Phillies have also had conversations with free-agent closer Jonathan Papelbon of the Boston Red Sox.
Stay tuned.
Buy 2012 Phillies tickets 
People are so negative. I think it is very refreshing to know my baseball team is trying to make moves to win ball games. If they stood people would complian.
When you have an established rotation having a good closer is key. Signing a closer should be priority #1.— Lancer255- Take care of Cole Hamels and Jimmy Rollins first before giving a reliever that much money.
— schmolik - This is one guy they must have. He is a proven big league relief pitcher who is just coming into his own as a closer. You genuises who think closers are overrated - try it sometime. Pay him and move on to Hamels.— dwp66
- If the story is true, Monty is severly undermining RAJ's abiltiy to deal with free agents/player agents. RAJ has to have the green light BEFORE negotiating with players/agents. If the story is inaccurate, then there is serious issues with journalistic reporting.— drhoffman
- Papelbon will definitely get more. I mean he has been a successful closer in baseball's toughest division and has won 2 WS (1 as a closer). I am not a big believer in closer by committee route. Since baseball has been recognizing saves, how many teams won a WS with this style? You need a proven closer to win it all.— kwasi2323
- I think the Phillies may be thinking that if they're going to be spending $11M a year on a closer, that maybe Papelbon or Heath Bell are more worth that kind of money than Madson is.— SteveS11
- I've said it before and I'll say it again, getting a closer is over-rated. Blanton, Kendrick, Savory, Bastardo and Defratus could be closers. I like Madson, he's been a real good pitcher for the Phils but if he wants a ton of money then good for him if somebody signs him for a boatload. The Cards proved that closers are over-rated by beating Texas's "closer." Phils should be looking at Michael Young or Cudduyer. The pitching wasn't the issue. They've got closers!!!!— Phillyexp
- Kendrick closing ... no way. Blanton almost surely not and he'll be needed in the rotation anyway with Oswalt gone. The rest are totally unproven except for Bastardo. You could see Bastardo wearing down in late 2011. — s
- @Teamawseome... "Well by your logic, I guess it's good that Madson's the closer and not you eh? Because if he didn't get over it, he wouldn't have ever pitched well again. #closermentality...'' Who said that he didn't get over it?'' I said I couldn't, read it again. You love to be an antagonist, don't you. So you said, by your knowledge the closer mentality is overrated in your expert opinion. And btw, you have a better screen name instead of the arrogant one you had before. Dope... If the Philies sign Madson he would have the 6th biggest contract awarded to a closer. I don't think he deserves that contract based in one year closing and regardless if he is or not a good reliever.— EL Zorro
- I'm not sure I'm aware of my other screen name. Interesting.
Issue A:
"I still can't get the deer in the headlights look and him kicking a chair last year after two blown saves. That's not good for a closer. One of the best attribute for the closer is the ability to have a short memory and a strong mental make up."
So let's break down that paragraph. 1) You say he has a "deer in the headlights" look meaning he froze (freezes?) or couldn't (can't?) think/process anything. 2) You say the closer needs to be mentally tough. Whether you meant to or not, saying #1 followed by #2 implies that Madson is not mentally tough.
Issue B
I agree he doesn't deserve that kind of contract. No closer does. He deserves a good contract for being a good reliever (for more than 1 year). - TeamAwesome, the spelling and grammar message board is elsewhere. Hit the road with your pettiness! — jman
- Jman- there are plenty of valid reasons to question this signing. The point is mentality is not one of them, especially if we don't know him directly.
- need to save money to ensure Bowker, Schneider and Martinez all have a spot. I loved the one night when I believe all 3 of them were in the lineup. Add in the starting pitcher and there was not a need to watch the Phillies bat for 1/2 the game.— Back up the Bus for Gload and Bowker
- and phillytompson, wrong, the biggest waste of money in sports is giving a boxer $25 millions to a boxer for a quick night or a racehorse $5 millions for 2 minutes.— EL Zorro
- Or giving millions of dollars a year to a manager to write the line up and sit in the dug out. That's a bigger waste of money.— EL Zorro
