Huston Street's new contract, Jonathan Papelbon's current one
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Huston Street's new contract, Jonathan Papelbon's current one
Huston Street signed a two-year, $14 million contract extension today, the latest closer deal that will be dwarfed by the four-year, $50 million contract that the Phillies signed Jonathan Papelbon to this season. We'll never know how the market would have ended up valuing Papelbon had the Phillies been less aggressive in their pursuit of him, but it is interesting to note that the two teams who committed more than two years to a closer this offseason are two of the more disappointing teams in the majors.
The Marlins have already given up on 2012, and they are in that position thanks in part to the struggles of Heath Bell, who has a 5.75 ERA and six blown saves in 25 opportunities after signing a three-year, $27 million deal over the offseason. Papelbon, conversely, has been the pitcher the Phillies expected, converting 22-of-25 save opportunities with a 3.29 ERA in 41 innings. Yet even with the production they expected out of their closer, the Phillies are 11 games under .500 and, for all intents and purposes, out of the National League playoff picture. Which suggests that there might have been a wiser way to spend the money they dedicated to Papelbon. An elite closer is a luxury, not a necessity. If you already have a nice house and have money left over, go ahead and add the swimming pool. But if you have water pouring into the attic, then you are probably better off spending the 10 grand on a new roof.
Just like there are other ways to cool off, there are other ways to handle the ninth inning then to pay a guy $12.5 million a year over four years to handle it. Street has had significant injury problems over the last few seasons, missing 28 games this season with a right latissimus dorsi strain and 29 in 2011 with groin and arm injuries, and the first three months of 2010 with right shoulder inflammation. When healthy, he has been very good: a 3.12 ERA, 88 percent save rate, and 139 strikeouts against 28 walks in 135 1/3 innings since the start of 2010. Papelbon's numbers during that same stretch: 3.39 ERA, 86.5 percent save rate, 214 strikeouts, 47 walks in 172 1/3 innings.
Is the extra $5.5 million a year and two extra years worth the better health history and higher workload of Papelbon?
come on murph! why even ask the question? if we signed bell everybody would have touted that move as cost saving for a good reliever. yet anyone with a brain would know that when you take him out of the cavernous park he's not so graet. now you ask about street vs papelbon? i'd sign street as a pen piece, but not as the primary piece with his injury history. and if the phils would have given madson a 44 m 4 yr contract everybody would have been happy! till he went down in the spring. then everyone including you would be saying that they should have gone after paps! and now at this stage of the year you're still fanning the fires of the amount of his contract and if he's worth it? well if we were in first place nobody would be giving it a second thought! bad article !— Ryne Duren- Bell or Papelbon? Doesn't matter. Only an idiot gives that kind of loot for a closer. Aceves replaced Papelbon for $1MM and has saved 22 games. Rodney 30 saves for $2MM. Johnson 30 saves for $1.5MM. Hanrahan 31 saves for $4MM. And on and on. You cannot overpay every position like Amaro. Otherwise, you end up lopsided and exactly where they are right now. — JodyMac
- No, and you might want to edit your piece, says 58 million should be 50. This was just another nail in bobo's incompetence resume. The fact he came close to inking Madson to a 4/44 deal is another. He's jut an idiot. He doesn't know baseball and can't negotiate. I think he's getting kick backs. It would explain the bloated contracts he hands out. 175 million, last place team. Injuries are just an excuse Hungry Hippo isn't that good anymore and droopy dog signed all these guys...how about some accountability and a real GM?— lazyboy
- Uh....no— m82492
- Murph, you're making this point now?
Are you kidding?
Here's an update - the ship has sunk and you've been floating around in your lifejacket for a couple of months...— Cameiros - This is an easy one, of course he was. What about Palpalbon has been impressive this year? Paying 50 million for a closer when your offense needed help and the rest of your bullpen was leaking oil is not a good move. Besides, if the guy was so great, Boston would have kept him.— Hemingway
- Huston Street is not a reliable closer. The guy has a good season and then stinks. He's been extremely streaky over his career and the Phils have owned him. He's now pitching in the pitcher-friendliest park there is which helps him keep his HRs down. He'd give up too many bombs here. You need to be asking this question in 4 years, he didn't sign a 1 year deal. If they hadn't signed Papelbon, then they would have given 10+ million per year to Madson who ended up blowing out his arm. So I'd have rather have signed Papelbon than Madson, in hindsight.— JimG
no- Write an article not this drool, please!— Rumrunner11
- Hindsight is 20-20. Murph preferred Madson over Papelbon.— EL Zorro
- Not worth it. Needed to fill out the bench and the bullpen. Which is what most of here have been writing just about everyday for the past 2 years.— F. Harry Stowe
Sitting here watching Doc get pounded in the first inning by the Braves makes me think none of the players are worth the obscene money they get paid, especially for long term contracts.— dogman5- I keep hearing the submarine dive sirens going off as this team continues to sink......New manager, bring up some kids, and get this ship right for 2013.— drhoffman
- The sad thing is that all of this was painfully obvious to any logical baseball observer before they ever even took the field, that is, except the guys upstairs
- This just in...
We should have never traded Ryne Sandberg!
— Jerome99RIP
