THE PHILLIES are officially in the market for a third baseman, bringing a new level of intrigue to the offseason as members of the front office arrive in Chicago today for the start of baseball's annual general managers meetings.
Last night, the club announced that it has declined Pedro Feliz' $5.5 million option for the 2010 season, making the 2-year starter a free agent. It leaves general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. with an opportunity to upgrade a lineup that led the National League in runs and home runs, but was prone to maddening stretches of impotence, thanks in part to its vulnerability against lefthanded pitchers.
Feliz contributed to both areas, driving in 82 runs and hitting .336 with runners in scoring position, but hitting just .208 against lefties and enduring lengthy slumps (.186 in 16 games from Aug. 14-30, .227 in 20 games from Sept. 13 through the end of the season, .167 in 15 postseason games). He finished hitting .262 with 12 homers in 158 games.
Although Amaro said Friday that a decision to decline Feliz' option would not necessarily stop the team from attempting to bring him back at a lower salary, it is clear that the Phillies feel there are some attractive alternatives on the free-agent market.
"This doesn't preclude us from bringing Pedro back next season," Amaro said last night in a statement. "While this allows us to explore other opportunities, we will continue to keep the lines of communication open with Pedro and his representative."
Among the players who could be available once the free-agent signing period begins on Nov. 20 are Angels All-Star Chone Figgins, Mariners Gold Glover Adrian Beltre, and veteran utility man Mark DeRosa, all of whom would seem to fit the Phillies' needs for a dependable righthanded bat.
But there are plenty of other veteran righthanded hitters who are eligible for free agency, including the Cardinals' Troy Glaus, the Tigers' Placido Polanco and the Orioles' Melvin Mora.
The fact that the Phillies have declined Feliz' option, paying him a $500,000 buyout, means their personnel department has identified some candidates who would either provide a substantial upgrade or, at the very least, provide better cost efficiency than the money they would have paid their incumbent.
But evaluating talent is one thing; projecting the market for those candidates is another, as last offseason illustrated. In January, a player like Pat Burrell was able to land a 2-year, $16 million contract from the Rays. By the start of spring training, however, several veterans with impressive credentials were still unsigned, including former Phillies All-Star Bobby Abreu, who had to settle for a 1-year, $5 million deal with the Angels.
Amaro admitted Friday that declining Feliz' option would be a gamble, given the uncertainty of the marketplace.
Figgins, for example, has hit .301 with a .386 on base percentage with 117 stolen bases over the last three seasons. But he will be 32 years old on Opening Day (nearly a year older than Jimmy Rollins), has played his entire 8-year career with the Angels, and can play second base and the outfield as well as third. Good luck predicting the type of contract he ultimately will receive.
Same goes for Beltre. And what about DeRosa, a player whom the Phillies have long admired, but who is coming off wrist surgery and will be 35 on Opening Day? Is there a team out there that would give the versatile righthanded hitter a hefty multiyear contract? Or might he wind up providing a better value than Feliz?
"Those are difficult decisions, because we don't know," Amaro said Friday during a news conference at Citizens Bank Park. "Beauty is kind of in the eye of the beholder. The free-agent market is just that. A certain team will value one guy one way, and we might value a guy another way."
The search for a third baseman is sure to be a topic of conversation today in Chicago at the GM meetings, which run through Wednesday. Although Amaro and his team of assistants are not allowed to engage in specific negotiations with prospective free agents until Nov. 20, they can express their interest and speak in general terms with the representatives of those players.
Sports-hernia surgery for Ibanez
What many suspected was confirmed over the weekend as the Phillies announced that veteran leftfielder Raul Ibanez will have surgery today to repair a sports hernia that plagued him throughout the last 5 months. A typical recovery for sports-hernia surgery is 6-to-10 weeks, which means he should be ready to participate when spring training begins in mid-February.
Other lefthanded power hitters who have had sports-hernia surgery over the past couple of years include the Cardinals' Rick Ankiel and the Tigers' Aubrey Huff, although both were at least 5 years younger than Ibanez when they had the surgery, which will be performed by Dr. Bill Meyers, of Philadelphia.
Huff had the surgery in January 2008 and missed the first week of spring training, but went on to hit .304 with 32 home runs and 108 RBI for the Orioles during the regular season. Ankiel battled a sports hernia the second half of '08, hitting just .169 after suffering the injury in late July. He had surgery in September and was healthy by spring training earlier this year. He hit just .231 with 11 home runs in 2009, but was hampered by a shoulder injury.
Ibanez hit just .232 with 12 home runs and struck out 70 times in 250 at-bats after a stint on the disabled list for what the team described as a groin injury. Ibanez was hitting .312 with 22 home runs and 49 strikeouts in 250 at-bats prior to the injury.
Surgeries for Lidge, Eyre:
Only Brad Lidge knows how much the pain in his elbow contributed to a season in which he went 0-8 with a 7.21 ERA and 11 blown saves. His agent, Philadelphia-based Rex Gary, said Friday that he never heard Lidge say the pain affected his performance. Regardless, the 32-year-old closer will have arthroscopic surgery on Wednesday to remove loose fragments in his elbow. He is expected to be healthy by February, but his flexor tendon will be evaluated during the procedure so his recovery could stretch into the early part of spring training.
Lidge's condition is similar to the one that hampered veteran lefthander Scott Eyre, who will also have arthroscopic surgery to remove loose fragments. Eyre is a free agent and mulling retirement. The Phillies are taking a wait-and-see approach on whether to offer him a contract.
Phillers
Domonic Brown went 1-for-4, with a double and scored a run for the AFL East team in its 8-7 loss to the AFL West in the Arizona Fall League's Rising Stars Showcase on Saturday. He also walked and was caught stealing. He is hitting .256 with two home runs and 15 RBI for the Scottsdale Scorpions.
For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese
