NASHVILLE -- Time for me to get hacking on stories for the 50-center, but I wanted to pass this along. It's already been posted here, too.Over the past few hours, the Phillies have renewed discussions to bring back free-agent infielder Tadahito Iguchi to play third base. Phillies general manager Pat Gillick and top assistant Ruben Amaro Jr. were spotted in Haagen-Dasz (seriously, I can't make this stuff up) this afternoon with Iguchi's agent, Rocky Hall, at the winter meetings today at the sprawling Opryland Hotel and Convention Center. Gillick and Hall confirmed the Phillies and Iguchi have mutual interest in a multi-year contract to fill the club's third base need.
Iguchi, acquired in a trade July 27 after second baseman Chase Utley broke his hand, initially told the Phillies he wasn't willing to move to third. The Phillies released Iguchi in accordance with a clause in his contract that allowed him to bypass arbitration and become a free agent after his third season in the majors. But Hall said tonight that Iguchi has reconsidered playing third base. With potential offers evaporating from several other teams, Iguchi would agree to switch positions in return for a multi-year contract.
Iguchi, who turned 33 today, batted .304 with three home runs and 12 RBIs and impressed the Phillies with his situational hitting after being acquired. He's a .276 hitter in three major league seasons with the Chicago White Sox and the Phillies.There's one potential snag: MLB rules prohibit a released player to re-sign with the team that released him until May 15. But the Phillies and Hall believe that regulation may be lifted because of Iguchi's unique contract status.
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I'm sure you've heard (word travels fast nowadays), but the Marlins reportedly have dealt Miguel Cabrera and Dontrelle Willis to the Tigers for six players, including outfield prospect Cameron Maybin and pitching prospect Andrew Miller. Guess you can pencil in the Marlins for last place in the NL East, huh?
7 comments:
If this goes through and Iguchi is starting 3B, I would be very happy. This plugs a nice hole if Rowand leaves. Who knows how he'll be defensively, but thats a risk I'm willing to take.
Also happy Dontrelle and Miguel are out of the division!
The AL just got THAT much stronger, as if Detroit was a bad team before. Good Grief.
As far as Tad playing 3rd, why the hell not? When you look at the alternative (Wes Helms) and Dobbs being better suited in left, it really plugs a hole that they needed to plug, so give him something reasonable and at least make an effort to resign Rowand.
Thank goodness those two are out of the NL east and we won't have to face them anymore really.
They did get two really highly-touted guys in Maybin and Miller, but the rest seem like low- to mid-level prospects at best. Kind of a head-scratcher on behalf of the Marlins.
Wonder what it means for Inge?
As for Tad playing third, I really hope it happens. It really makes the loss (or potential loss) of Rowand a little easier to stomach. Get it done.
If we can finalize the Iguchi signing, it would make me feel a better moving forward this offseason. With that said, I can't see Aaron Rowand returning at this point... if Jose Guillen can get $12 million/season, forget about Rowand's demands.
A platoon of Iguchi and Helms at 3B could open up Dobbs to shift to being the RF platoon partner we need for Werth, which should hopefully save us some money for a possible run at Kuroda or Silva.
I just wanted to note that the "snag" you mentioned is no longer a problem under the new CBA.
Shalom: Just to clarify, even under the new CBA, released players can't sign with the team that released them until May 15. You're thinking of something a little different. The new CBA allows teams that don't offer salary arbitration to their free agents to still negotiate with those players. Under the old CBA, if you didn't offer salary arbitration to a free agent, you were prohibited from talking to that player until May 15.
Very complicated, I know. But there's a difference.
Jeff: I should mention that Gillick said signing Iguchi would still mean the Phillies would search for an outfielder to platoon with Werth in right, assuming they lose Rowand.
I read that the Phillies resigned some Phillies minor leaguers one being the younger Blalock brother could you list the other players resigned. I couldn't find that list anywhere.
Thanks Scott.
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