Rollins re-signs for three years
From the beginning, there was little doubt this winter the Phillies and Jimmy Rollins wanted to continue their 15-year marriage well into the future. In this city's transformation from National League also-ran to baseball power, there was one constant: Rollins.
Rollins re-signs for three years
Matt Gelb, Inquirer Staff Writer
From the beginning, there was little doubt this winter the Phillies and Jimmy Rollins wanted to continue their 15-year marriage well into the future. In this city's transformation from National League also-ran to baseball power, there was one constant: Rollins.
And he will continue to man shortstop for the only team he has ever known.
The Phillies agreed Saturday to a three-year, $33 million deal with Rollins, according to multiple reports. The deal includes am $11 million vesting option for a fourth year. ESPN.com was the first to report an agreement.
"Gotta deal with me for 3 (4) more years," Rollins tweeted Saturday afternoon.
This day was long assumed even before the market for shortstops dwindled to only Rollins. He is the longest-tenured athlete in Philadelphia, active in the community, and still one of the more productive shortstops in the league.
But Rollins' pride was tested this winter.
Ultimately, it's a concession for Rollins, who declared days after the season abruptly ended that he wanted a five-year contract. But even then, the 33-year-old shortstop admitted Philadelphia was where he wanted to remain.
"I've been here since 1996. That's a long time in this organization," Rollins said shortly after the season ended. "It's the only one I've known. I've never thought about having to go anywhere else."
And really, there was nowhere else for Rollins to go. The Phillies were content to idle for much of the winter because Rollins was their priority, and with an advantage in negotiations, waiting was just fine.
During the winter meetings, signs emerged that a deal was close. The Milwaukee Brewers, the Phillies' top competition for his services, were told not to bother continuing talks with Rollins. They eventually signed Aramis Ramirez, a player the Phillies inquired about as a backup plan, and Alex Gonzalez for the left side of their infield.
An erroneous report surfaced near the end of the winter meetings that the Phillies had agreed to terms with Rollins. That was merely premature.
Rollins offers stability at the top of Charlie Manuel's lineup. His .743 OPS in 2011 ranked 11th among all major-league shortstops and his defense remains above average. Of course, Rollins' production has waned since the MVP season of 2007, but faced with using 22-year-old Freddy Galvis or a stopgap veteran signing to replace him, the Phillies viewed Rollins as the best choice.
Amaro said last week that should Rollins be re-signed, it would likely mark the final offensive addition of the offseason. The Phillies have guaranteed contracts with 16 players for 2012 and four others are eligible for arbitration.
In the end, the market was slim for Rollins and a divorce was never a probability. The Brewers never seriously considered Rollins. Other teams like San Francisco and Atlanta plan to start rookies at shortstop. St. Louis was consumed with their failed quest at re-signing slugger Albert Pujols and eventually settled for Rafael Furcal at shortstop.
Thus, an agreement required Rollins' side to cave on their demands to make a deal. Rollins just completed a six-year, $46.5 million deal. He won an MVP award and three Gold Gloves during the contract, one he thought was a team-friendly deal. A baseball source recently said Rollins resented the idea of taking another discount to return, especially after Jose Reyes signed a six-year, $106 million deal with the Miami Marlins.
"If I was older, I'd take a shorter term," Rollins said in October. "But I’ll be 33 when I get the contract. That means I have good six years left to perform at a high level and maybe even more."
But Rollins is five years Reyes' elder and without leverage, he had no other options. Even then Amaro was careful to be respectful of a player with a substantial legacy in Philadelphia while the team maintained its desire for a shorter term.
"Jimmy has every right to feel prideful about what he's done in his career," Amaro said during the winter meetings. "I absolutely understand. He feels he has great worth and he should feel that way. It's a matter of us getting to the right place where we think the worth is the same."
That happened Saturday. Finally.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
Rollins is a phillie. He is the attitude of this team. I dont think any other option out there would have worked for the phillies. What they need this year is some production from 2nd and 3rd base. Rollins has atleast been consistent on defense and somewhat healthy. I doubt utley or polanco will play 75 percent of the season— franknbeans- So now he is going to start playing at a high level for at least six years? Quite a trick since he hasn't since 2007. Get Hamels signed, get Wright for 3b and I can overlook this waste of money.— pokerface
- RAJ won again with sheer patience knowing J Roll had few options elsewhere. The problem now is J Roll probably won't play hard for the next 3 years. Trade options will be limited because other teams will want the Phils to pick up his salary to get any young talent in return.— sonnybuoy01
Comment removed.- The Phillies just signed a gold glove shortstop with a lifetime avg of .272 and averages 17 hrs a year and 37 stolen bases. Of course that's not good enough for some Phillies "fans" anymore.— ndinardi79
- jtj06! Oh yea. We will all remember to call you up and a million other spoiled bandwagon fans who don't have a clue on what this group has meant to this city. Living in the basement for years was so much more fun.— pattymac3
- You must be a new Phillies fan. I was at the first game in the Vet. Anyway, in the 1990s this ownership group threw all of their money foolishly at Daulton and Dykstra for enormous multi-year deals that put the Phillies back for years, since neither guy even played much under those contracts. They stumbled on gold with HOFer Gillick and got a title, but now are back to the same old, same old with home grown Amaro- keep guys until 2 years past expiration, refuse to eat their contracts and force them on the public (like Ibanez last year), and refuse to get new talent citing the money you have tied up in the has beens. I've seen it before. Obviously you haven't. — jtj06
- 3 years isn't a bad deal. The big problem is this is basically the same lineup. And the same hitting coach. So the talk about a change in approach is really hot air in my opinion. I think they hit good enough during the regular season and pitching compensates for the lulls. The bigger issue is how the lineup fares when facing post-season pitching. We've really seen nothing there the past two years. It would be pretty painful to win another 100+ games in the regular season then have no bats again in the post-season.— s
- A win for both sides. The phillies thankfully are the ANTI-eagles,.— sackvicknow
- reyes was way overpaid and there isnt a better shortstop option ..jrolls defense is still solid ..l wanted him gone honestly but we really dont have a better choice..what l am most troubled about is are we planning on this weak hitting group of postseason chokers to win a series? wow what a bummer— gilberg
- Thrilled that the greatest shortstop in Phillies history will be with us for four more years. All the haters should stfu - even in his later years, JRoll will be one of the best shortstops in the game. And one of the most fun to watch.— freesamuel
- If the pitchers want more runs, they need to learn to hit better.
Maybe D can help.
Rick Wise used to say that to win with this team, you have to throw a no hitter and hit a HR. He through a no hitter and hit 2HRs.
There's no one in this lineup opposing pitchers fear.— bobdc - that is exactly right. — coloradoeagle
Wow, great news!! Three more years of this overrated big mouth!!! Hey Jim, why don't you do some of us a favor and just shut your fat mouth this year and play the game. If you want an example of what a class act is, take a look at your teammate, Jim Thome!!!!- nidianrdi, rollins hasn't hit .270 since his 2008. Even in his contract year and still in his prime years, he failed to hit .270. Stop living in the past. He hit .243 and .250 prior to last season. He's not worth $11 millions a year. Good luck in 2014 at age 36.— EL Zorro
