Ruben Amaro is wasting no time this offseason, already telling Brett Myers thanks, but no thanks for his services next season. Now it's becoming clear Brett may not be the only semi-high profile player being bounced this fall. According to an article at Philly.com, with the team option due on Pedro Feliz by Monday, the Phillies GM is looking at potential replacements for the third baseman.
"More than anything else, we want to see what options may be out there for us and decide whether picking his option up is best suited for this club to try to move forward," Amaro said.
A move away from Feliz would not be a complete surprise at this juncture. He's one of the better defensive players in baseball at a very difficult position to field, but he leaves quite a bit to be desired at the dish. At age 34, he's battled injuries since joining the club and seen his modest power numbers decline in a small ballpark, and his postseason was largely considered an abomination, mustering just nine hits and looking plain defeated at times.
Not to get too down on the man though. Feliz was certainly a critical piece of both the past two season's runs. It's not as if we're trying to run him out of town, but we believe most people see this as an area that could possibly be upgraded, in fact the only spot in the regular lineup that might require any tinkering at all.
Which brings about the obvious question: if the Phillies are serious about replacing Feliz, and they seem to be, who are the potential candidates? The top free agents are Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa, and Chone Figgins, and there's no guarantee any of these players won't re-sign with their current clubs. Andy Martino suggests they could also seek a trade.
Personally, while Feliz has been steady the past two seasons, I like the idea of improving. They have the money, and the time is now. That said, if they decline the option, they have to be reasonably certain they can bring somebody in who is actually, you know, better.
How do you see this playing out?
>> Phillies consider changes at third base [Philly.com]
P.S. The Phillies picked up the option on Cliff Lee for $9 million.
Original Story:
http://www.the700level.com/2009/11/ph...
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