Dec. 15 -- MORE FROM MOYER

BY SCOTT LAUBER

So, Jamie Moyer, what took so long for you to re-sign with the Phillies?

"In my estimation, I don't think it really dragged on," Moyer said in a teleconference today after signing a two-year contract. "Negotiations are negotiations. Both sides take their stand for what they feel is right. It's all about timing. The timing was right. It all got resolved. I'm happy to be a Phillie again, to defend our World Series championship."

But it wasn't exactly a slam dunk, right?

"When you get involved with negotiations, I think you approach it open-mindedly," he said. "After last season, and winning the World Series, I was very interested in coming back to the Phillies. They showed great interest and said they'd love to have me back. But you go through the process. There were other clubs that did show interest. We talked to them. The Phillies showed interested as well. Did I ever think I wouldn't be back with the Phillies? No. But I've been through this process long enough, you never know how the market is going to go. From my side of it, I didn't know what the Phillies were doing in seeking out other free agents or trades. But I was hoping to be a Phillie again."

More later.

(Updated, 6:30 p.m.): Here are some details on Moyer's contract: He's guaranteed no less than $13 million. He'll make a base salary of $6.5 million 2009 and 2010. His 2010 salary can escalate to as much as $11 million based on innings pitched in '09 ($250,000 for 150 innings, $500,000 each for 160, 170, 180 and 190 innings) and starts in '09 ($250,000 for 23 starts, $500,000 each for 25, 27, 29 and 31 starts). Also, he can earn $250,000 performance bonuses each year for 150, 160, 170, 180 and 190 innings pitched.

To give you an idea of whether he can reach those plateaus, Moyer made 33 starts in each of the past two seasons. Last season, he pitched 196-1/3 innings. In 2007, he pitched 199-1/3 innings.

Oh, by the way, Moyer's family Christmas cards feature a picture of him holding the pitching rubber that he dug up from the mound at the Bank during the World Series celebration. Nice touch, don't you think?