Werth it? Hardly
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Werth it? Hardly
Phil Sheridan, Inquirer Columnist
It has become a Philadelphia trait to obsess on the players who are leaving rather than the ones who are staying.
Jeremiah Trotter was going to destroy the Eagles as a member of the rival Washington Redskins. Terrell Owens was going to embarrass his former team from Dallas. Sheldon Brown? Brian Dawkins? They were too valuable to lose!
Well, the alarmists might have been right about Dawk.
For much of the past season, Phillies fans have been all twisted up about whether Jayson Werth would leave as a free agent.
Well, now he has: Werth has agreed to a reported seven-year, $126-million contract with the Washington Nationals. The worst has happened and you know what? It’s not that bad.
Sorry, but the Phillies would have been idiots to give Werth that deal. Those of you who bemoan their commitment to the aging Raul Ibanez should fast-forward to 2015, when an aged Phillies team would have been locked into two more years with a broken-down Werth. The GM would be cursing his predecessor – no way Ruben Amaro Jr. is still here if he tossed that contract Werth’s way – for tying his hands with such a short-sighted deal.
With their top four starting pitchers and the Howard/Utley/Rollins nucleus, the Phillies have everything it takes to be a contender. If the pitchers or that lineup fail to produce as needed, Werth would not make that much of a difference. You pay money like that to players who do make a difference in that situation.
We learned Sunday that Werth was always going to take the biggest contract he could get. Period. You don’t sign with the Washington Nationals to win. You certainly don’t leave the Phillies for the Nationals to win.
Werth got what he wanted. The Phillies will be fine without him, provided they spend a chunk of the money Werth would have commanded on bullpen help and a solid veteran corner outfielder.
Life will go on. It really will.
The Phillies no longer have the talent to compete with elite teams like the Braves and Giants and Reds. The Phillies used to be able to beat up on teams like the Nationals, but now the Phillies will struggle to win 88 games. The Phillies could have re-signed Jayson Werth before he hired Scott Boras as his new agent, but the Phillies organization is too cheap.— Freedom Fries- Does anybody understand that this is a ...... business? Now, let's let the gasps of shock die down! People will act in their own self-interest, and do what's best for them. Why is there such vitriol when a person acts like, well, normal? I am also a bit surprised that many people do not understand that professional sports is simply an aspect of the entertainment industry. Is there the same wrath directed at a movie actor who decides that 15M is not enough and goes with Paramount for 25M per flick? They are here to entertain us, distract us for a bit, and yes, show some superb athletic ability and other feats of derring-do. However, keep the professional sports in their place. I would suggest a side order of business reality with your sports page.
- Durbin couldn't get my grandmother out, and she is dead. Werth is not worth that kind of money, but that said, they need to find some right handed bats to balance out the lineup.
- The phils would not have been able to afford werth's salary demands anyway. Werth's offense and defense was able to get the phils to another nlcs, but he would have been more valuable with a trade this summer. atleast he went to the triple aaa team in the nl east division. he should have a fun time in an empty stadium and playing with big man Nyjer.— flavious27
- I'll tell ya, these 'Werth' "worth' puns just get funnier every time. Wow are homonyms funny!— JimmyB74
- So the Nats have a 3 in Zimmrman,a 5 in Werth,but no 4 unless this last draft pick is the next Mickey Mantle. The Mets and Nats n a rush to finish last.— stixnstonz
- MRD, I do not know what planet you are from but there were about 30 teams that did not make it to the World Series, including the Phils, Yankees, Red Sox, Angels, Rays etc.... in other words most of the best records in MLB. So failing to get to the WS hardly makes the Phillies "losers". Werth may well hit some HRs against the Phils but I doubt that losing him will be the difference in the Phils getting back to the WS. And I am almost sure that getting Werth will not get the Nationals to the WS anytime soon. But hey, Good Luck with that!— BillinVA
- I still don't understand why Durbin is gone...Who are the Phillies going to get that's a reliable middle-reliever such as Durbin? Do they have someone wrapped up as a free agent or in a trade that Amaro's sitting on?— Polecat_39
- MRD you are the loser. Give me a break. I remember how the Phillies were done when Rowand left. He is a real superstar now isn't he. In another year people will forget Werth. The nationals lost a hitter who is more dangerous than Werth. If they would have kept Dunn and put werth with him then it might have helped them. Werth is as valuable as Iguodala is to the seventy sixers. He is a good player but he is not someone who is going to put you over the top. The disgusting part is the stupid rule where the top spots are protected in the draft. It causes bad teams to drive up the salary structure in baseball because they have nothing to lose. In the end guess who pays for that. Anyone who wants to take their kids to a ballgame.— rich729
If I see one more play on words substituting werth in place of the word worth, i think i may hurt someone.— CosmoK- Get over it PS! There is NO ONE IN SPORTS getting what they are worth. To the contrary, WAY OVER. They're nothing but STUPID GAMES! BTW, Citizenc92, the Nationalisticos will NEVER be great.— BEMiller
