Phils, Polanco finalize deal
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Phils, Polanco finalize deal
Andy Martino
UPDATE: Polanco has passed the physical, and the Phillies have officially announced the signing. The dollar figures below are accurate.
A baseball source confirmed to the Inquirer this afternoon that Placido Polanco will probably finalize his contract with the Phillies later today. Polanco has agreed to a deal to become the Phils next third baseman, barring an unforeseen hitch in the physical.
Polanco is taking a physical to finalize an agreement that the team’s official website said was worth $18 million over three years, with a mutual option for a fourth year. The physical is an important final step in any deal, but if it goes well, the signing will become official this afternoon, with an announcement to come later today or early tomorrow. Stay tuned...
For an analysis of Polanco versus Pedro Feliz, click here.
Comments (108)
Manor 2009. You dont watch baeball.This was the best free agent 3B for this team. You must be a Cataldi clone . Polanco is an above average third baseman with a strong arm and a much better hitter. I liked Pedro but this is definetly an upgrade. This line up is going to be tough with Polanco hitting 2nd .— Smartest Rat In The Sewer- This does not feel like a good deal... at all. It leaves me feeling blank and honestly I'd rather have pedro or at that price, I'd say Beltre or nothing. More important than any need at 3rd is the need for a quality starter and bullpen help. Shame to see the Phils lock up 18 mill over the next few years, when it could be better spent elsewhere.— Mo Biggsley
- We are going to miss Feliz's defense. Bookmark this.— bigphillydad
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- Tremendous news. He never should have been traded. Reaslistic you are worng. He would have played 3rd here. He was traded because the dynamic dunces, Ed Wade and Manuel, decided to keep Utley on the bench, keep playing classic stiff David Bell at 3rd and then finally trading him to give Utley 2nd. He plays hard, hits and is a great teammate who goes for the jugular. Should fit in well and give us consistent offense at the hot corner.— Bob1
- Feliz was a bore and was probably the same way in the locker room. Polanco brings some fire and attitude which is Phillie ball.— dpell
- Great move. Even in 3 years he'll still be choking up and getting basehits. A .300 batter in front of Chase Utley who is also a .300 batter in front of Ryan Howard the King of RBI's and HR's can only be good.— Bex
- Good Signing. This guy has an excellent baseball IQ. Knows when to take a pitch - Knows when to move a runner. He won't hurt you in a critical situation.— fxmc2
- I like this move, not because I expect Polanco to be any kind of superstar. But because, similar to the Burrell/Ibanez decision, the Phils are trying to keep this team fresh. We have enough superstars. What we need right now are good role players that can fill a hole and from what I remember about Polanco, he is a good situational hitter. Perfect for a lineup that has a lot of big bats but not a lot with good OBP. Assuming Polanco can do this, the key is whether this guy can still play solid defense at 3rd because THAT is what is crucial to maintain the Phils' stellar infield defense. Collectively saving runs is just as important as making them.— betsy72
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- The only possible position where the Phils could have acquired a legitimate leadoff hitter and now that opportunity is wasted.— lonestar2000
- He left because the Phils commited to David Bell at 3rd. How does that decision look now?— DennisAtwell
- and for the poor gulible people out there and that cant seem to get off the Halladay bandwagon, WE ......ARE......NOT......GETTING....ROY......HALLADAY!! GET OVER IT, ITS SO TIRED... GET OVER IT AND MOVE ON WITH YOUR LIFE. LET IT GO. WE'RE NOT GETTING HIM! WHAT DO PEOPLE NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT THIS?? And for those of you convinced that pitching lost us the WS.. first of all its never ONE thing. 2nd off moreso than pitching our offense lost it for us. 3 players offensively decided to show up for that series.. Utley, Werth and Ruiz. Everyone else was nonexistent. We had so many opportunities to break open the game in that series, so many guys left on base. We were never able to sustain any kind of momentum. And for the people looking to blame Lidge as one of the reasons we lost the series. Please, please. come on now. please dont be that incredibly stupid. We're from Philly, we're supposed to be knowledgable sports fans. Dont turn moronic on us. He pitched 1 bad inning. its a 7 game series. I rest my case— philliekev04
- The question is, on ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, how badly will Joe Morgan mispronounce J-Roll ("Jimmy Rollings) AND Placido Polanco, a name he really butchers!— EdWeirauch
- If I've said it once on here, I've said it a million times....most of you are morons. Flat out, no excuses,...... morons. Polanco is a flat out playa......Rollins and Utley and Howard are probably already down in Clearwater working out in preparation for what this team can do next year knowing that they have Polanco to anchor the infield and anchor the batting order. No more striking out with a man on 3rd.....no more DP groundballs with one out and a man on 3rd.....this guy mat be the best situational old scholl baseball hitter there is in the game right now. That's what this lineup needs. Plus... he hits in the playoffs and WS....Figgins doesn't.— Mark1npt
- If I've said it once on here, I've said it a million times....most of you are morons. Flat out, no excuses,...... morons. Polanco is a flat out playa......Rollins and Utley and Howard are probably already down in Clearwater working out in preparation for what this team can do next year knowing that they have Polanco to anchor the infield and anchor the batting order. No more striking out with a man on 3rd.....no more DP groundballs with one out and a man on 3rd.....this guy mat be the best situational old scholl baseball hitter there is in the game right now. That's what this lineup needs. Plus... he hits in the playoffs and WS....Figgins doesn't.— Mark1npt
- man, after reading some of these comments, you'd think we just gave up albert pujols for david bell. i'm sorry, but were we all watching the same pedro feliz this year? these are the same people that cried about pat burrell leaving and 2 months later they were sporting raul jerseys. i think rube knows what he is doing.— jayfril
- yes templekev, such a "horribly stupid" move. a career .300 situational hitter that runs faster than pedro that sports a 2009 gold glove. you sure you go to temple? seems more like lincoln tech.— jayfril
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- I agree Philsfan in the atx. The lack of intelligence and the amount of stupidity in some of these comments really scares me. It scares me to know that some of those people could be our doctors or lawyers or cops or someone that works for the government or teachers. I dont think i want any of these people to help me out if i need anyone from any of those professions. lol. Man those civil service exams must be really easy. Id love to know how this is a bad signing. as far as hits go in the past 3 seasons he had 200, 170s, 170s. 2 of those years he hit over .300avg. The guy has the 2nd best strikeout/AB ratio in all of baseball among all active players, he can play 2nd and 3rd base. 2 gold gloves in the past 3yrs (yes i know they were for 2nd base) but he is perfectly adequate at 3rd. He never strikes out. The amount of errors he has committed is mind boggling. 16 erros in the past 4 yrs TOTAL! His offensive #'s are better than Feliz and yes i know his #'s declined but even with the decline, his #'s are still better than Feliz and thats against AL pitching. Imagine what he can do at CBP since he is a great contact hitter. He plays small ball which is exactly what they need. But yeah why would we ever want a player like this.— philliekev04
- There ain't nothing horrible or stupid about signing Polanco! I'm happy as hell with him coming back!— Greg V.
- Upgrade in offense / Break even in defense = good signing.— lgeagles
- Please enlighten us and tell us how this is a horribly stupid move TempleKev. He just won a gold glove at 2nd base this year. Has won 2 gold gloves in the past 3 seasons so we know he can replace Utley on Utley's days off with no problem. And he is definitly more than adequate at 3rd base also. They guy doesnt make errors. Look at his defensive stats. His offense may have declined over the past 3 years but its still better alot better than Feliz's offense in the past 3 yr period. He's a pure contact hitter which will be huge in CBP, he never strikes out. He is only years removed from a 200 hit season. He's an upgrade over Feliz. Face it.— philliekev04
- Newsflash: Toronto has agreed to pay all of Halladay's contract in a straight up trade for Chad Durbin. Halladay has agreed to the trade with the one stipulation that Philly agree to offer him a 5-yr extension for the major league minimum salary. Merry xmas, Philly.— philly_in_DC
- I don't understand the haters here! PP is the quintessential gamer! Wherever he is used in the batting order should help us score more runs. We keep a solid defensive presence at third, and upgrade the run-producing capabilities of the line-up. Great move to get him, not QUITE sure about the contract length. (And if we all close our eyes tight, and wish, and wish, and wish some more....maybe....could it be ....why...why it's HALIDAY!! And he's -----awwwwww, he's someplace else. Phooey.)— TBear
- Move Utley to 3rd & play Polanco at 2nd— SONNY BOY
- you people are m0r0ns. the reason they signed him is because he can be used to rest Utley and Rollins. GET IT???!!!— PuPuMan
- I like the Schneider signing - good back-up for Chooch. Polanco's a good player and I guess they get more utility (3B/SS/2B) but they need H-A-L-L-A-D-A-Y. They lost to the Yunks because of pitching and Roids. The Yunks just had 1 more well pitched game than we did and it wasn't Sabathia BTW. It was the one game Burnett threw well. Lee, Halladay, Hamels, Happ, Blanton-Drabek would be a terrific bunch of starters. Bring up Michael Taylor to platoon with Raaaaulll!!! and he could give Shane and Werth a blow from time to time. Go Phightins!!!! 3 terrific years in a row. Can't beat it!!!— Phillyexp
- .300 career hitter, 2nd best strikeout ratio among active players, and a gold glover. I'm not sure how this ISN'T an upgrade over Pedro "GIDP" Feliz.— willyf
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- Not my first choice. PP has not played third recently. Still, like his bat- clearly better then Happy Pete with the stick. Hopefully, the first pitch twin killing or weak pops with RISP that Feliz are mitigated with Placido's situational hitting. Nice having the right-handed bat as well.— Nigel#1
- Are you kidding me?... Absolutely a good move! Really good contact hitter with solid glove. Perfect fit in the locker room...— jimmy f.
- This is borderline idiotic. The Phils are going to pay more for an old guy who has seen a huge drop in his batting numbers over the past few years AND move him from his preferred position. This makes very little sense. Unless A) Feliz was secretly a clubhouse cancer who they had to rid themselves of or, B) This opens dollars to go out and get Roy Halladay, I just don't understand.— hunsinator
- Can play 2B when Dobbs plays 3B, good flexibility.— JBP
- Wanted Beltre because of defense (he only plays 3B and plays it well) and power(not the Phils really need it) but I'll take Polanco. He's a steady player and doesn't make many errors where ever he plays. He'll work well at the top part of Phils order next year. They need a player like him to offset our power hitter style lineup.— James TL
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- Although Polanco was reluctant to play 3rd, he was not truly unwilling. The problem there was the commitment to David Bell, and Polanco did NOT want to be a utility man, he wanted to start. They would have traded Bell if there were any takers, but... As for fielding, he may not have Felix' arm, but he has good range and great hands. After all, he HAS won two Gold Gloves at 2nd! Good move, welcome back!— DocB
- Something else to consider is that Beltre and Figgins were offered arbitration by their teams which means if we had signed either of them we would have forfeited a first round draft pick. Polanco, even though he was a Type A free agent was not offered arbitration so the Phillies do not have to surrender a draft pick.— F. Harry Stowe
- Great move to bring Polanco back. On-base percentage is much higher than Felix, and he's a very good fielder.— pogiepop
- reminds me of the 93 team and Mariano Duncan. could be a pretty good asset to have...— thegreaterdan
- and for the handful of genius comments about defensive downgrade..career fielding % at 3rd base is better then Felizs career % for what its worth..not saying he is a better defensive player but lets not act like we are Adam Dunn here..scary how dumb some of these comments are on here.. similar to last year and how a small % of us were sticking up for the Raul signing when all the brain dead posters were coming out like this..— philsfan in the atx
- I think it's a great move. The guy averaged 307 for the last 3 years, averages 65 RBI's and doesn't strike out a lot. Shows up every at bat.— Ags8th
- I think it's a great move. The guy averaged 307 for the last 3 years, averages 65 RBI's and doesn't strike out a lot. Shows up every at bat.— Ags8th
- Quagmire is back - giggity-giggity!!!— bubbagoozer
- The return of P-squared, if only he would have accepted a move to third in 2003!— downthemiddle
- Come on guys how can't you see this as an improvement. Some of these comments really bother me. Diminishing skills? Is that why he won a gold glove this year and has a 98.2 fielding percentage at third base in his career. He's got above average talent in the field and can hit like he is now at the age a 40. He puts the ball in play and goes the other way often. He's not a power hitter where you would see a big drop off in production with age. This is the best move we could have made. Would you rather see DeRosa here with utility man batting average and experience. Or over pay for Figgins and have no budget left? Beltre? Yea he worked out real well for Seattle. Good move Rueb keep em coming.— word
- dont even start with the whole "his stats are in decline"..he hit 285 last year, a lower avg year..in 08 he hit above his career average..this is a great sign. how can u bash this move when his stick is exactly what we need for this lineup, a great contact hitter with high average..Pedro was good Defensive 3rd baseman but its not like Polanco doesnt have a good glove..the move to third should work fine, not like we are losing Jrolls glove at short here..look how many years he has hit 310,315 or better..in this lineup he will do great.— philsfan in the atx
- Andy, you might as well do a search for the articles in Dec 2002 when we signed David Bell and just reuse them next year when we have to go out and get a REAL third basemen. Why reinvent the wheel?— booman55
- How can anyone say this is a stupid move? He's as good, or close to as good as Feliz defensively and far and away the more consistent, reliable hitter.— Realistic One
- VOTE FOR PEDRO WE WILL SEE— TOMMYSTERNO
- We're all heartbroken here in Detroit. Nothing gets by Polanco (at 2B, anyway). Best of luck to him at 3B. And, he never strikes out! He was a fan favorite, an intregal part of our 2006 WS team. Tigers are broke, financially, and couldn't even offer him $18M. Our loss - your gain. Glad he's going to the Phillies. Good organization to finish his career.— BOB139
- TempleKev might want to know a little bit about baseball big guy. Lifetime .301 hitter is among the leaders in the league in least amount of strikeouts. He only struckout 46 times last year. We have a lineup with Howard, Utley, Ibanez, Werth, and Feliz last year who all struckout over 100 times. now we have a good contact hitter which is something this lineup really needs. We have enough power. Granted he is not as good of a fielder as Feliz, but he is not horrible either.— charliem
A solid right handed hitter. This puts some needed balance back in the lineup. A very good move.— Boto- Great signing. Feliz's glove will be missed, but good riddance to his bat. And make no mistake- Polanco is HUGE upgrade over Feliz at the plate. The defense is a minor question, but I believe a Gold Glove 2B who played 3B can make a more permanent move there with minimal problems.— stormcominin
- Excellent signing. A right handed contact hitter, with speed, and good defense. Way to go Ruben.— F. Harry Stowe
- One of the most fundamental players in the game..Man on 2nd no outs..he will get him to 3rd..— elfman
- Great move. And the Phils keep thir Latin quota in tact.— mitch of mullica
- I thought he left because Ed Wade didn't want to eat all the money the wasted on David Bell, and no one would have given him anything for Bell in a trade. Apparently, David Bell wasn't even worth a murderer in trade.— B in DC
likes this- CBP will help his power numbers, and eventually if all else fails he can be a utility guy. The problem to me is that this is an aging team that has zero infield prospects. Howard, Utley, Rollins, Ruiz, Werth, Victorino,are at their peak. Ibanez and Polanco are probably hitting the downside and it may be a steep fall. They need pitching NOW!— AlanInFlorida
- I like the guy's hustle. Let's hope his defense is as good at third as it was at 2nd last season. Don't like the 3 year deal, though.— TerryW
- Signing this guy will enable the Phils to beat the Yanks next year! NOT!!!!! Bad signing. Spend the money you made during this years playoffs!!! Stop cheaping out. This signing reeks of it being ok to win NL but not the whole thing. Years from now everyone will wonder how this team with all its great players didnt win more than one WS. This is a reason. I swear Giles is back running the team.
this guy has a PLAN when he comes to the plan, unlike Feliz who's plan was swing at the 1st pitch and hope for good contact.— potus- The Phils complained about Feliz's lack of power. So this is the answer? This team needs pitching help if they hope to repeat as Division champs again but I'm guessing they are going to rest on their laurels now and hope for the best.— mibrze
- No, he left because we were saddled with David Bell at 3rd at the time. I'm not unhappy with this move at all.— aud
- Great move. Polanco is tough as nails, clutch, and is great contact hitter.— Jordan F. Arena
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- I am ambivalent. I think there were better guys to get if they weren't going to resign Feliz. The next news I want to hear is a top of the line starter being signed.— bwillie
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He was traded, he didn't leave. At the time Bell was playing 3rd and Utley was taking 2nd.. They obviously kept the wrong guy for 3rd but I'm glad he is back. Good fundimentals, good contact hitter which we need to cancel some of Howards Ks [and others]. Good move. Now get a starter that isn't a #5. More than likely #2 hitter with Vic dropping down. Gives us a little speed at the bottom of the line up that way too. We have enough power.— tpizza- Polanco's going to celebrate by popping a few Geritols.— haplo
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- This is a terrible signing reminds me of the late 90's when we saved money instead of winning. I knew this was going to happen Ruben is an Ed Wade clone he will make us bad again. This guy hasn't played 3rd in 4 years has no power in a traditional power position on the diamond. The rest of the national league is laughing right now because they all just got closer to the world series with this move. I don't know the last time I was so dissapointed by a move.— Bob Crogan
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- i wanted figgins.....— DON17
- Feliz was better. Even Mike Schmidt said so.— chemlady
Realistic One: They originally got Polanco the first time in the Rolen trade, when he took over 3b for Rolen. He moved back to second when David Bell was signed as a free agent. He ended up traded because Utley was coming up and they were stuck paying Bell big money.- @manor--polanco is a 2 time gold glover. I have no worries about his Dfense. He is a clutch hitter, and has WS experience. I liked Feliz at third, but this is not too bad. Its a shame they still cant get derosa to back up everyone in the infield when needed.— jphil
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- Agree with Manor2009, and I can't believe so many people are beaming about this. Besides for a downgrade defensively, how does this significantly improve the offense? I understand this changes the dynamics of an offense that often stalled with strikeouts and unproductive outs, and Polanco is an upgrade in terms of OBP and making contact. But 82 RBI's is 82 RBI's, and that's no slouch for a #7 hitter who plays the hot corner as well as Pete Happy does. Polanco hasn't played there since 2005, and was not thrilled to be there. While it provides someone that can spell Utley at 2B, does Castro or Dobbs get you excited at 3B on those days? This move doesn't really tip the scales, and seems hard to justify for a 34-year old, especially at 3 yrs/$18 mil with a 4th year option. If you really wanted to change the dynamic, get #11 the hell out of the leadoff spot at long last. I'm willing to give Rube the benefit of the doubt, but I'm scratching my head right now.— EaglesWest
- I liked Feliz defense but tdont agree we loose anything defensively with Polanco, Polanco has played 3rd admittedly not as much as 2nd but he has 2 gold gloves there, the question will be does he still have the arm for 3rd. Placido willadd some hitting (303 lifetime BA) speed and do better against lefthanded pitching then Pedro did. Another good move by Amaro.— Don w
- Steroids.— notojm
maddy44 -- we understand. and i dont get this. we were fine with pedro at 3rd. i hope this works out but i think i would have rather had pedro. we shall see- I might be a bit greedy here, but I really wanted Chone Figgins. Just imagine him and Victorino at the top of the lineup and Rollins batting seven. But I think Figgins wanted a long-term contract, and it might just not be possible to sign him and keep the rest of the guys. Hey Polanco is solid, so I won't complain...any more. www.philsbaseball.com— Ebuttzpsu
- Maddy44 - it is real easy - press submit once. Great move by the Phils. Feliz will be missed in the field, but I will take a few more errors for the improvement in OBP.— ChahlieM
- If I had my druthers, I'd like Beltre the best with Figgins next, but Polly is an offensive upgrade....hits to contact, doesn't strike out much and is decent on the field...my question is his arm strength...but it's a good sigining.— theragtopguy
- He's not the best choice, but he's a good one.— everydayguy
- I think I understand where the 44 in Maddy's name comes from.— Joe Funk
- Yes, definitley a good signing. I liked Feliz's defense, but really what you need a good fielder and a better bat, and Polanco fills that role.— mikemcnhl
- Everybody talks about Utley blocking Polanco when he was here before but the real truth is the Phillies allowed worthless David Bell, because of his contract, to block Polanco at third. The money blinded the Phillies from seeing that Polanco was a rising star that eventually helped the Tigers to get to the World Series. I hope Polance is not over-the-hill now, but he's gotta be a better hitter that Feliz. Good move for the money. Shoulda never let him go.— PhillieJoe
- reclinergm has some great analysis about this signing. might make you more optimistic if you don't like this move... http://www.reclinergm.com/what-are-the-phillies-getting-in-polanco/— psalveso
- At this time ESPN is reporting it also. Welcome back Placido. Thank you for everything Pedro. Let's roll... Some were expecting a flashier signing, like Figgins, etc. If Polanco is a type-B, Phils are upgrading at third offensively, without having to give up much (or anything). That's equally important. So what you got for the pen Ruben?
- What a horribly stupid move...now they NEED to get Halladay to make up for this— TempleKev
- I remember what Larry Bowa said about Polanco. Something like "I wish I had 11 of him." Solid player with great attitude and work ethic coming off a career year.— heynow
- i wont hold my breath waiting for the rollins lineup move, but i guess victorino would be a slight upgrade at leadoff... we'll see how he looks as a 37 year old third baseman with no power in 2012— jim715
Not a good move at all. 3 years with an option for a 4th is far too long for an aging player who's stats are in decline.— sdgeiger- Excellent. Never should have traded him in the first place. What jail is Uggie rotting in anyway?— Stuie
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- Terrible signing. How is this an upgrade? What you gain in offense, you hand away in defense. Its a washout.— Manor2009
- I like this...way to go Big Rube! Move Victorino to lead-off, drop J-Roll to seventh and we are as solid as it gets. Would it be too much to ask as this point to try and get Halladay out of Toronto as an early Xmas gift to Phils fans?— StopMakingExcuses
- not bad. about an additiona .5 million over Feliz's contract, to get Polanco back.— DCExpat
- He left, I believe, because he wasn't interested in playing 3rd base before and Utley was here in his way and 2nd base. Funny how winning changes things. Very good signing!— Realistic One
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- Not sure how much of an upgrade this will be, but we shall see.— whiplash240
- now just move victorino to the lead spot, bat polanco 2nd and move rollins down to the sixth or seventh spot where he belongs !!!— jack torrente
- Welcome back Placido!!— Mark Patrick
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