Dec. 12 -- IBANEZ VS. BURRELL

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, the first thing I've noticed about the Raul Ibanez signing is that everyone seems to have a different opinion. Some folks believe Ibanez will be a suitable replacement for Pat Burrell, maybe even an upgrade. Others wonder how in the name of Jamie Moyer the Phillies could give a three-year contract to a guy who will be 37 in June.

My take: The Phillies have discussed getting younger and more athletic in left field. Ibanez is older and not much faster than/defensively superior to Burrell. But he is a more consistent hitter. It would help, certainly, if he batted right-handed. Although he hit .305 against left-handed pitchers last season, that appears to have been an anomaly. He's only a .268 career hitter against lefties, compared to .293 against righties. That said, the Mariners never took him out of the lineup against tough lefties, so there's no indication that Charlie Manuel will have to either. Besides, the Mets' twin closers (Francisco Rodriguez and J.J. Putz) are both right-handed anyway. And, regardless of which side of the plate he hits from, Ibanez figures to be more productive than a righty-lefty platoon involving Greg Dobbs, Matt Stairs, Geoff Jenkins and someone like Juan Rivera.

Regarding the three-year contract: In Vegas, multiple sources told me Burrell is looking for a three-year deal, too. Burrell, who routinely was lifted for a late-inning defensive replacement and may be best suited as a DH, made $14 million in 2008. So, spending $10 million per year for Ibanez actually is more affordable, especially when you have 10 arbitration-eligible players fixing to raise the payroll by a cumulative $20-30 million. Thus far, Ibanez actually is getting better with age. It wasn't until he turned 30 that he became an everyday player for the Royals, and over the past three years, only one AL outfielder (Magglio Ordonez) had more RBIs than Ibanez's 338. From what I hear, his health is impeccable. He played 162 games for the Mariners last season and has missed only 16 games over the past four years, thanks in part to a rigorous offseason conditioning program near his Miami-area home. Based on his track record, you won't have to worry about Ibanez's durability.

And while Burrell generally was well-liked by his teammates, anyone who has ever heard Dobbs rave about Ibanez's character and professionalism knows how highly he's regarded in the clubhouse. Ibanez comes with the endorsements of Pat Gillick and new assistant GM Benny Looper, both of whom have histories with him from their time in Seattle.

But the best thing about Ibanez: He kills the Mets. OK, it's a small sample size, but Ibanez is 13-for-37 (.351) with two homers in nine career games against the Mets. Keep that up, and he'll fit in just fine here.

So, do I like the Ibanez deal? Sure. If nothing else, it beats the alternatives.

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A Burrell-Ibanez tale of the tape:

IBANEZ
Age: 36
2008 stats: .293, 23 HR, 110 RBI, 85 R, 64 BB, 110 K, .479 SLG, .358 OBP
Career stats (13 seasons): .286, 182 HR, 794 RBI, 695 R, 446 BB, 787 K, .472 SLG, .346 OBP
Last four seasons (average): .288, 97 HR, 427 RBI, 360 R, 253 BB, 421 K, .478 SLG, .354 OBP

BURRELL
Age: 32
2008 stats: .250, 33 HR, 86 RBI, 74 R, 102 BB, 136 K, .507 SLG, .367 OBP
Career stats (9 seasons): .257, 251 HR, 827 RBI, 655 R, 785 BB, 1,273 K, .485 SLG, .367 OBP
Last four seasons: .262, 124 HR, 395 RBI, 309 R, 413 BB, 547 K, .504 SLG, .386 OBP

***
Everybody hear about the five-year, $82 million contract that A.J. Burnett is about to sign with the Yankees? So, Derek Lowe is the best remaining free-agent pitcher on the market, and with the Yankees locking up both Burnett and CC Sabathia, plenty of pitching-needy teams will be lining up to give Lowe the five-year, $80 million contract that he's seeking.

Is there any doubt, then, that the Phillies' best bet is re-signing Jamie Moyer?