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Friggin' Todd Hollandsworth is going to be on the team this year, I think

I fear for KB's safety, as baseball news has been made without him posting it first...

I am very interested to see what Utley, Myers, and Howard do, the time is drawing near to either sign or go through the arbitration process.

Vern Ruhle died of cancer last night at the age of 55.

In happier news, Utley signed 7 year contact.

Utley gets 85m over 7 years.

KB, where art thou?

nevermind.

Nice work

The structure of his deal seems really weird:

After making $500,000 last year, Utley gets a $2 million signing bonus and salaries of $4.5 million this year, $7.5 million in 2008, $11 million in 2009 and $15 million in each of the final seasons.

Backloaded, like Burrell's and others', to guarantee everyone in Philly hates him when he's 33.

Kind of an unnecessary deal right now, but whatever.

It was a smart deal for both sides, KB, I think. Lock Utley up for his prime years and at a decent rate. Dude is only a few years away from free agency.


However, what's up with signing the day AFTER you get married? Strategically speaking, isn't that a smidge, Manuel-esque?

Is Utley's deal the most given to a second baseman, either currently or of all time?

GGB, I think a few years is enough time to to let him play under the arbitration rules.

Like I said, no biggie. It's not like they'd use those savings on anything good, anyway.

I think it creates ill will, KB. I personally think that all arbitration cases are won by the teams. Regardless of who is announced as the winner. Soriano had the largest arbitration award ever last year, right? 10 million? Yeah, you saw real quickly how much more he was worth on the open market than that. And they make him play a whole year and hope to not get injured so he can sign a FA deal. What was Utley going to get this year, 6 million? Yeah, he's worth only 6 million. Polanco makes almost that and Durham makes more. It pisses players off to have to go through arbitration every year and you risk losing them if you make them fight to get paid 2/3 of what they're worth. I realize that the ones they should be pissed at are baseball as a whole or their own union, but it rarely works out that cause an individual team can always give them a long-term deal.

Teams do it all the time. I don't think Pujols had a nice contract until his 4th or 5th full year. It never seems to create ill will there.

I'm with Glenn. It rewards not only your best hitter but the emerging leader of the team and the guy who plays the hardest.

And the way free agent deals went this offseason, his price tag would have been astronomical if they waited another two years.

He's got three years left, and that's not what I suggested.

BTW, I don't think a lot of the players consider him a leader at all. Not that that matters to me, just pointing it out.

He's got three years left, and that's not what I suggested.

You said a few years is enough time to let him play under arbitration rules. He's getting 4.5mil the first year and 7.5mil the next, about what he'd get in arbitration if his numbers stay on course. Then they'd have to sign him long term and the terms of his deal for year 3-7 are probably less than what he'd get on the open market if he were to hit it at that time, judging by the fact that he's the best hitter at his position and an improving second baseman.

I'd say they're saving money.

And now his contract expires at age 35 as opposed to 37.

Utley leads by example.

He's getting 6.5 this year b/c of the signing bonus.

Like I said 100 times, it's not a big deal, I guess I'm kind of frustrated with how the money has been spent so far, and that's another $2 mil at least that didn't have to be spend yet.

EAG, I'm not saying he's quiet, I'm saying the players don't look at him as a leader on the team, that's all.

I think that's stupid anyway (on a baseball team, especially)

And if you're worried about ill will, then this was stupid.

Amaro comes out about a week or two ago and says "Signing Howard isn't a priority for us", then you go ahead and sign the other guy. That's not good will, either.

Howard has a little over 1 year under his belt. From the article I read the other day, his stance is possibly absurd. They implied that he is basing what he should be paid of off Soriano's deal. Ain't gonna happen.


KB, where do you want to see the money spent, middle relief/bullpen? Those guys ain't cheap either, Jamie Walker got a vault full of money from the O's to be a situational lefty.

I don't like a lot of money spent on middle relief, either, since those guys are so unpredictable.

I would have liked a more dependable and obvious answer at 3rd, they still need a RF, and probably a closer, since I don't trust Gordon.

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