Indications are that Carlos Lee is being pursued by three teams -- the Phillies, Orioles and Astros -- and may make a decision by this weekend.None of my phone calls to the slugging left fielder's Los Angeles-based agent, Adam Katz, have been returned over the past two days. But it's believed the Astros met with Katz on Wednesday and presented a deal in the five-year, $73 million range. The Phillies likely will do better than that after watching their top choice, Alfonso Soriano, sign with the Cubs. Lee's price may climb closer to $100 million.
During their pursuit of Soriano, the Phillies seemed to dismiss Lee. They feared his size (6-foot-2, 235 pounds) and below-average defensive ability make him better suited to be a DH in the American League. But earlier this week, Pat Gillick remarked that Lee is a better athlete than he gets credit for and cited Lee's 19 stolen bases last season as evidence.
Lee, 30, also doesn't strike out much, just 65 times in 624 at-bats in 2006. That's significant since the Phils ranked fourth in the majors with 1,204 strikeouts, led by Ryan Howard (181), Chase Utley (132) and Pat Burrell (131). And, with an average of 32 homers and 110 RBIs over the past four seasons, Lee would fit the Phils' need for a right-handed power threat.
But you don't have to stretch your imagination to think Lee may be the next Mo Vaughn, a hefty slugger who signs a big contract and lets himself get woefully out of shape. In two years, will Lee weigh 235 pounds or 265? That's the concern here.
Here's more statistical information on Lee, courtesy of baseball-reference.com.
So, what does everyone think? Should the Phillies sign Lee and put him in the No. 5 spot behind Ryan Howard?
Happy Thanksgiving!
6 comments:
I like the idea of signing Lee. I just hope the Phillies save enough money though to sign Howard,Utley and Hamels to long term deals.
What do you think of the possibility of putting weight clauses/bonuses in Lee's contract (what they should have done with Lieber)? Don't you think if the Phils sign Lee that it is 1000% certain they have to trade Burrell because Willie Mays wouldn't be able to man center with Burrell and Lee at the corners.
Ed: Gillick believes there will be a market for Burrell once all the free-agent sluggers are spoken for, and I tend to agree with him. Teams that are looking for a hitter and missed out on Soriano, Aramis Ramirez, Sheffield and Lee likely will be interested in Burrell. Also, if the Phils sign Lee, Burrell will have more incentive to waive his no-trade clause. Obviously, his playing time would be severely diminished if Lee comes here. The outfield would be Lee in left, Rowand in center, Victorino in right, with Conine as the fourth outfielder. I don't think there's any way Lee would play anywhere but left field.
As much as I love the idea of a weight clause or a bonus for staying below a certain weight limit, I don't think many players would agree to such language in their contract. Then again, you never know. For $13-14 million per year, I don't think it's unreasonable to ask the player to stay in shape.
I understand that Lee is way more consistent than Burrell, but does it really make sense to pay someone to take Burrell AND sign Lee when they are really fairly similar players statistically?
I'd rather have Lee than Burrell, but I don't know that the improvement is worth the added expense.
It's a fair question, Tom, and one the Phils are surely discussing this week as they decide how hard to go after Lee. Trading Burrell probably means picking up at least one-third, probably more, of his remaining salary. But it's entirely possible they'll find a taker so desperate for offense that they're willing to pay for most of the $27 million.
so much for that...signed with the astros
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