Report: Phillies offered Ichiro $14 million
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Report: Phillies offered Ichiro $14 million
Ichiro Suzuki was rejuvenated by a mid-season trade to New York, and he will remain a Yankee with an agreement forthcoming, believed to be for one year. But, according to a report by ESPN.com's Buster Olney, Ichiro may turn down more money and a longer guarantee from the Phillies.
Olney reported the Phillies offered Ichiro a two-year, $14 million contract. The New York Times also reported strong Phillies interest. Charlie Manuel has long been an admirer of Ichiro. He would have probably batted leadoff in the Phillies lineup and played right field.
The offer is surprising for a few reasons, most notably, Ichiro is not the prototypical corner outfielder the Phillies require. He's 39 and posted the lowest on-base percentage of his career (.307) in 2012. He has a career slugging percentage of .419. (Although, in a small sample size, he slugged .454 with the Yankees in 240 plate appearances.) He led all of baseball in hits for five straight seasons from 2006-10.
Pat Gillick, special assistant to Ruben Amaro Jr., has a long-standing relationship with Ichiro and his agent, Tony Attansio, from his Seattle days.
A lineup with Ichiro would have theoretically resembled this:
1. Ichiro 9
2. Michael Young 5
3. Chase Utley 4
4. Ryan Howard 3
5. Carlos Ruiz 2
6. Jimmy Rollins 6
7. Domonic Brown/Darin Ruf 7
8. Ben Revere 8
The reported offer tells us four things:
1. The Phillies are turned off by the demands of the top corner outfielders on the market, Josh Hamilton, Nick Swisher and Cody Ross. This has long been the sentiment of rival executives, who had predicted a splash from Ruben Amaro Jr., only for silence to persist. The Phillies are wary of any commitment longer than three years to a player over 30, and in some cases, that is too long. Hamilton is seeking upward of five years. Swisher could net at least four years. And Ross is reportedly looking for three years.
2. The power must come from Utley and Howard. The Phillies are attempting to augment the middle of their lineup with hitter who put the ball in play. Young and Revere are not high on-base guys. Neither is Ichiro (in recent years). But Young and Ichiro are career .300 hitters and Revere reached .294 as a 24-year-old centerfielder. While there is a veritable lack of power on the corners, they are banking on production from Utley and Howard.
3. Had Ichiro signed, the Phillies would possess approximately $13 million to spend for 2013. With three new acquisitions for the lineup, the remaining funds could have been directed toward pitching upgrades. Amaro has stated he wants a "low-risk, high-reward" fifth starter. He could have aimed higher there and still had money for a veteran setup man.
4. They value the 16th overall pick in June's draft. This is an under-reported element of the winter's happenings. That pick is the highest for the Phillies since 2001. If they sign Hamilton or Swisher, they would forfeit that pick. They would also forfeit the bonus money that is tied to that pick, which drains their overall money pool for signing all drafted players under the new CBA. That pick holds great value considering all of the minor-league talent Amaro has dealt in the last three years.
Whatever the case, Amaro has stressed his need to be "creative" this winter. The reported Ichiro offer certainly falls in that category, for better or worse.
Have a question? Send it to Matt Gelb's Mailbag.
7 MM / yr over two years... he turned that down... at his age?!?!
Was this before, or after, Phils acquired Revere?
What was Ichiro thinking? What was RUBEN thinking?
Ya know Matt, I'm glad that didn't happen. Phils have in Ben Revere a potential future Ichiro/top-of-the-order type guy. Let's see Phils work toward making Revere that everyday lead-off guy. I like Ichiro; love Raul, love JamieMojo. But come on guys, can't sign forty-somethings as everyday players.— ExiledinFla- Another Ichiro type ? Nah.....the mold was broken after that guy, but even at this stage of life, he'd be the best hitter on this club...
— Phiggles - GET HAMILTON!— ChangeISNeeded
- So happy to see he's gone to the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim! Now we don't have to feel threatened that half of his next five years will be lost to whatever it is he keeps losing seasons! — BEMiller
- He11 Amaro, Why not just go to the senior centers and recruit!— twpman
- You realize you are knocking him for a rumor that never happened, right?
Has it really come to this?— smfree31 - "You realize you are knocking him for a rumor that never happened, right?
Has it really come to this? "
Oh i'm sorry, was it another GM who TRIED to sign him?— twpman - This is completely unacceptable. We need a power bat. We fill those stands and offer our money so we can see a quality team. Last year proved that without power, this team is mediocre or slightly better. At best, Young is able to provide 15 homers, 20 if he exceeds all expectations.
Rube, of course you're going to be turned off by what they're asking, but we need the likes of Swisher or Hamilton if we hope to enter next season without the same exact team and the same exact problems. As much I would have loved to see Rollins forfeit his leadoff spot, this signing would have been unforgivably stupid. Open up the purse, Rube.— troegs76 - Just fishin'. Just enough money for Suzuki to swim over and smell the bait. Alarmed, the Yankees made a more committed cast and hooked him. Well played by RAJ! His move made the Yankees strike first, leaving more desirable players like Hamilton and Swisher still swimming free in the pond.
And besides, that proposed lineup was pure fantasy. Until J-Roll completely loses his batting skills, he will remain in pinstripes and at the leadoff position, despite our protestations. This team, as assembled, requires him in that hitting role and I have no problem with it at all.....— DelawareRiverRat - Do you people even LOOK at what players have done over the length of their careers?
Swisher has, at the best, MODEST, power. He has never hit thirty HR's in a season nor has he ever driven in 100 runs!
GOOD GRIEF!— BEMiller - Totally agree. His numbers don't impress enough to begin with for that kind of commitment. Plus, they're it's Abreu-like production - very quiet and never when you need it. Look at what he did in the playoffs for the Yanks. — pfes
- Swisher will hit 30 home runs and 100 rbi's in Phillies ballpark...get Swisher now.— jim35
- All of a sudden he's going to do 30/100?
It's something he's NEVER done.
The grass really is green under overly esteemed free (i.e., way EXPENSIVE) free agents's feet!
GOOD GRIEF!— BEMiller - As i have to post everytime until this old wives tale dies. Citizen Bank park has been open for awhile now so the verdict is in...The Bank is dead in the middle, sometimes trending as low as #20, in terms of HR's. There are multiole sources that try to gauage and come up with adjusted metrics to measure it and the Bank has been inthe middle of the pack almost every year since it opened. By todays standards compared to the rest of the league THE BANK IS NOT A LAUNCHING PAD, it is average, in the middle, etc. — UncleStosh
- This is not true at all. Give me a break. These writers had no clue when Amaro signed Lee and traded for Halladay. Why? Because Amaro is so secretive. He never lets stuff get out.— matty177
