Phillies finalize terms with LF Raul Ibanez -- 3 years, $30MM

As Travis says in his FanPost, homeboy is gonna be 40 when this contract is up. They certainly got younger and “more athletic” at the position, didn’t they?

What did Pat Burrell do to management to be hated so much?

http://www.thegoodphight.com
WHY CAN'T US?

by WholeCamels on Dec 12, 2008 8:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

And the Ruben Amaro-era begins…

Broad And Pattison - A Philadelphia Flyers Blog
Because the Broad Street Subway is orange for a reason.

by Travis Hughes on Dec 12, 2008 8:34 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

FUUCCCKKKK

by Clyde Simmons on Dec 12, 2008 8:43 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Maybe their wrong…
please be wrong
please be wrong
please be wrong

by Clyde Simmons on Dec 12, 2008 8:45 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This ruined my Friday….How can Ruben go and sign another left handed batter. He better have plans to bring in at least 1 RH bat to play LF. I mean what is his plan for 345? utley howard ibanez? The good news is that I think Gillick was behind this….there has to be more to this plan…

by Clyde Simmons on Dec 12, 2008 8:54 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

really?!?

he’s not a bad player but does he really fit this team? adam dunn would have been a worse option with his strikeouts plus howard’s. how did we not get a right handed bat with all the corner outfielders available? i don’t like the contract at all and losing the draft pick does hurt

by umdeagle on Dec 12, 2008 8:51 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Would Pat have been that much above 3 years and 30 mil?

by Clyde Simmons on Dec 12, 2008 8:55 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Most likely, no.

Ibanez had multiple active suitors (Angels, Cubs, etc.) which pulls the price up. He was the most coveted FA DH type, and thus would be the most expensive.

And the draft pick.

And you just don't get it, you keep it copacetic...

by Blicks on Dec 12, 2008 9:24 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

From ESPN.com: “The Phillies have agreed to a three-year contract with free-agent outfielder Raul Ibanez, pending a physical.” (emphasis added)

Dear God, I’ve never wanted someone to fail a physical so much in my life.

by PhillyFriar on Dec 12, 2008 8:59 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ok, who is going to get Monica Lewinsky on his a$$??

by Clyde Simmons on Dec 12, 2008 9:12 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Someone has to BLOW him?

Clyde, are you volunteering?

http://www.thegoodphight.com
WHY CAN'T US?

by WholeCamels on Dec 12, 2008 9:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

lol totally the wrong bitch female…i mean Tonya Harding…I guess I just had blowing on the mind

by Clyde Simmons on Dec 12, 2008 9:15 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well if someone taking a shot in the mouth would make this situation go away, I’m sure there would be someone out there that would step up and ummm…. take one for the team….

has finger on his nose

But T.O. and his sideline histrionics wear on a quarterback. He's like the hot stripper you tried to clean up and convert into a real girlfriend. It's a lot of fun until the moment she has her second drink while out to eat with your parents. You unravel quicker than she does.

by foos05 on Dec 12, 2008 9:29 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I don't get it

I really don’t. He’s lefty. He’s not a good fielder. He’s old. He can hit, yes, but how does this help the team overall? Isn’t every NL team going to save their lefty relievers (or righties who can get out lefties) for late in the games and just demolish our lineup?

by David S. Cohen on Dec 12, 2008 9:30 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Fangraphs doesn’t get it either

And this is Eric Seidman, a Phillies fan, before the deal was officially announced. Among the highlights…

Burrell’s 2009 Marcel wOBA is .369 to the .344 of Ibanez. This translates to +19 runs offensively for Burrell and just +6 for Ibanez. Both are likely to play the whole season, so we dock 7.5 runs for an adjustment. Meanwhile, Burrell would get +17 runs to adjust to value above replacement while Ibanez would get +18 runs. Now, we move onto defense. Both of these guys have been either the worst, or among the worst, defensive left-fielders over the past two seasons.

A rough UZR projection has them both at around -12 or -13 runs defensively for 2009. If we consider them both to be -12, then Burrell is, all told, +16.5 runs above replacement. Ibanez… is +5.5 runs. Translated to wins, we’re talking about +1.65 wins vs. +0.55 wins.

Sweet.

by PhillyFriar on Dec 12, 2008 9:52 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This just makes no sense. No sense whatsoever. The lefty lineup thing is absurd. And then we’re still getting a player that Charlie is going to feel he needs to pull from the lineup for defense in late innings. If there was one big knock against Pat, it’s that he became a part-time player. And that was a legit concern. But now we just got another guy who is the same in that sense (or even worse given his age!).

by David S. Cohen on Dec 12, 2008 10:27 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Tell me again that the phils didn’t offer arbitration to Pat Burrell because it was to their fiscal advantage because of the market.

Maybe that Park as starter thing isn’t bs huh?

This is terrible for so many reasons…seriously, here Pat, for all your dedication and committment to philadelphia over your career – and dealing with the unappreciative fans for the whole time – here’s a finger – raised high – telling you what we really think.

Another left handed bat AND a worse defender (due to weak ass arm) than pat? for three years? Again, those who were defending no arbitration to Pat – please stand up and continue to defend it saying ‘no way he’d be worth 16 million for one year’ and then tell me how ibanez is worth 3 years – at any price.

by jemagee on Dec 12, 2008 10:16 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I was disappointed when Burrell wasn’t offered arbitration, but I’ve softened my stance on that position a little. I can see the value in not paying Burrell $16 million — even for just 1 year — and instead putting that money toward a platoon bat like Rivera and a big splash on someone like Lowe.

What I’m saying is: I don’t know if not offering arbitration to Burrell was the worst decision in the world. But I agree with you in that it would have been preferable to this signing.

by PhillyFriar on Dec 12, 2008 10:31 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This is assuming Pat signed nowhere else or the Phillies didn’t come to an agreement with him. It’s loser speak. Not you, but from the Phillies. We didn’t want the worst case scenario which still ends up being better than 98% of the other scenarios, such as this.

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Dec 12, 2008 10:57 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

This.

A relatively healthy slugger in the latter stages of his prime shouldn’t have trouble finding a multiyear deal, especially if a 37yo can get one.

And you just don't get it, you keep it copacetic...

by Blicks on Dec 12, 2008 11:06 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

How much would Burrell have cost?

If they had just waited for somebody else to set the market, does anybody think Burrell would have cost significantly more than this?

What. The. Fuck.

by phatj on Dec 12, 2008 10:17 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I’m not sure – isn’t he much much better than Ibanez? Is this a market value deal or the phillies over paying stupidly because they realized they made a mistake and pat said ‘bite me’ when they tried to negotiate because not offering him arbitration was also insulting to all he’s done for the team?

by jemagee on Dec 12, 2008 10:23 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Say Burrell accepted arbitration and got $17 million—which I think is way higher than what he would have been awarded, but for the sake of this argument we’ll go there.

That’s still $13 million less than they’ll pay this guy for his age-37, 38, and 39 seasons.

Unfathomably stupid decision by that smug POS the idiot owners hired as GM.

by dajafi on Dec 12, 2008 11:07 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

Please God, let the Amaro years be short.

There is ONE good righty in this lineup. And he happens to be pretty fragile. I don’t understand this on so many level.

by FuquaManuel on Dec 12, 2008 11:13 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

If you're the Mets

Don’t you pursue lefty starters and relievers a little more intensely now?

by David S. Cohen on Dec 12, 2008 11:35 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

If you’re the mets aren’t you celebrating that there’s a worse GM than Minaya running your only real competition for the division?

by jemagee on Dec 12, 2008 12:12 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Minaya’s deals are either great or awful. Maine and Julio for Benson was a masterpiece. Same with the Santana trade, in which they gave up NOTHING OF VALUE. (Yeah, I’m still pissed.) I think the Putz deal will be equally good, unless J.J. is hurt more than anyone knows.

His problem, as was true of Gillick I guess, is free agency. The Luis Castillo signing was much worse than what we just did. And he couldn’t dumpster-dive like Gillick… I mean, nobody can, but when you have unlimited money yet are counting on Luis Ayala and Ramon E. Martinez to win a playoff spot, that’s really bad.

by dajafi on Dec 12, 2008 12:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

So far they got putz and rodriguez

the phillies got paulino and ibanez

who has done better?

by jemagee on Dec 12, 2008 1:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I’m upset they signed a guy with so many GIFs that capture his lousy defense.

by Walcott on Dec 12, 2008 11:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

I don’t really have much to add here. Ibanez is an ok player, but choosing him over Burrell and locking him up for three years are both stupid, stupid, stupid.

This isn’t a situation where the cons outweigh the pros. There aren’t any pros. We get worse in some things without getting better in anything.

by taco pal on Dec 12, 2008 12:48 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I haven’t listened to the radio today, but the “fan on the street” reaction on philly.com has been overwhelmingly positive. I suspect that the front office knew this would be the case, and were motivated in part by a desire to appeal to the idiot constituency, which is admittedly rather large.

by taco pal on Dec 12, 2008 12:53 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Well that doesn’t surprise me any more than the ‘fan on the street’ thought the abreu trade was awesome addition by subtraction even though the phils got squat and gave up lidle also.

by jemagee on Dec 12, 2008 1:22 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I like to look at it like this. Flash back 2 years ago before the 2007 season. Phils make a big splash signing 35 year old Raul Ibanez to a 5 year/$50 million contract (Burrell doesn’t exist).

After two years, I am PISSED we are stuck with this guy for 3 more years and $30 million more dollars. This isn’t a good signing, this is the kind of dead weight that is only going to hurt your team.

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Dec 12, 2008 1:17 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Mariners fan here.

On behalf of the entire Pacific Northwest, I’d like to thank you for giving up a draft pick in order to save us from Raul’s truly astounding glove work out in left.

Have fun, guys.

I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.

by Llewdor on Dec 12, 2008 1:59 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Jesus Christ, it’s like watching snuff films.

http://www.thegoodphight.com
WHY CAN'T US?

by WholeCamels on Dec 12, 2008 2:02 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

We call that third one “the lawn dart”.

I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.

by Llewdor on Dec 12, 2008 2:03 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

PErsonally my favorite

I thought it would be very funny it RAuul sign with NYY.
As an M’s fan i wanted the angels to sign him just for the laughs.

BOOYA! You got Slurved!

by Slurvey on Dec 12, 2008 10:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You missed my favorite, though (courtesy of our friends at Lookout Landing, who are all laffing at us right now).

Ichiro’s “WTF?” shrug is priceless.

http://www.thegoodphight.com
WHY CAN'T US?

by WholeCamels on Dec 12, 2008 2:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Look on the bright side.

Without a DH spot, at least you guys will have an excuse for letting him field.

I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.

by Llewdor on Dec 12, 2008 2:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

FFFFUUUUCCCCKKKK!

That’s all I got…

Maybe a stray meteor the size of a softball will take him out at some point this season… Question… if that happens, do we get the rest of his salary back for the year?

But T.O. and his sideline histrionics wear on a quarterback. He's like the hot stripper you tried to clean up and convert into a real girlfriend. It's a lot of fun until the moment she has her second drink while out to eat with your parents. You unravel quicker than she does.

by foos05 on Dec 12, 2008 2:23 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think the “throw it into the ground” one is my favorite.

Enjoy the draft pick. And you at least could give us Bedard to ease the pain a bit.

by dajafi on Dec 12, 2008 3:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

at least could give us Bedard to ease the pain a bit.

or cause more of it…

But T.O. and his sideline histrionics wear on a quarterback. He's like the hot stripper you tried to clean up and convert into a real girlfriend. It's a lot of fun until the moment she has her second drink while out to eat with your parents. You unravel quicker than she does.

by foos05 on Dec 12, 2008 3:48 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Could be, but my guess is bigtime bounceback season from a guy who has serious ace stuff. I’d take the chance.

by dajafi on Dec 12, 2008 3:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He had serious ace results in exactly one season. That’s not a track record worth pursuing.

Yes, all Mariners fans are this fatalistic.

I like using semi-colons; they make me feel smart.

by Llewdor on Dec 12, 2008 8:01 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Sweet sweet relief.

Thank god.

Yesterday's Pants
A blog-thingy about the Mariners and stuff.

by BrettJMiller on Dec 12, 2008 5:37 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Wow – Burrell looks like a gold glover in comparison.

by David S. Cohen on Dec 12, 2008 2:07 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This is so stupid.

by FuquaManuel on Dec 12, 2008 2:32 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Ibanez vs. Burrell

good comparison and article about the signing here:

http://cheapseats-blog.blogspot.com/2008/12/phillies-sign-ibanez-cut-ties-with.html

by Mobcommish on Dec 12, 2008 2:43 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

am I going to cry if I read it? if so, just tell me and I’d rather have someone kick me in the balls instead…

But T.O. and his sideline histrionics wear on a quarterback. He's like the hot stripper you tried to clean up and convert into a real girlfriend. It's a lot of fun until the moment she has her second drink while out to eat with your parents. You unravel quicker than she does.

by foos05 on Dec 12, 2008 2:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Actually, that was a meh comparison. It had little objective analysis (like the Phillies front office) and basically said that Pat was ok because we stopped expecting too much from him. Stoopid.

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Dec 12, 2008 2:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Pending a physical...

Should translate to, “We are too cheap to do the analysis, but will defer to the intelligent fans out there to disect the contract and if they show us the error of our ways then we will fail him.”

I’d actually be ok with that.

For Who? My teammates.

For What? To Win.

How Much? Where do I sign?

by jonk on Dec 12, 2008 2:57 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

+100

Do we have any idea if anyone in the FO surfs on over to TGP?

But T.O. and his sideline histrionics wear on a quarterback. He's like the hot stripper you tried to clean up and convert into a real girlfriend. It's a lot of fun until the moment she has her second drink while out to eat with your parents. You unravel quicker than she does.

by foos05 on Dec 12, 2008 3:19 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Probably lawyers looking for lawsuits or ways to shut it down :)

by jemagee on Dec 12, 2008 3:24 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

all too true

But T.O. and his sideline histrionics wear on a quarterback. He's like the hot stripper you tried to clean up and convert into a real girlfriend. It's a lot of fun until the moment she has her second drink while out to eat with your parents. You unravel quicker than she does.

by foos05 on Dec 12, 2008 3:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs