With only a few more days to negotiate exclusively with J.C. Romero, the Phils have re-signed the lefty reliever to a three-year, $12 million contract with a $4.75 million club option for 2011. It's a more lucrative deal than I thought Romero would get when the season ended, but to retain him in this weak free-agent market, the Phils had to pony up serious cash. Romero would've gotten similar money -- maybe even more -- if he'd hit the open market this week.Quick story: A few days ago, I received a 19-page e-mail from the publicist for free-agent Ron Mahay, who may be the best lefty reliever remaining on the open market. In the portfolio, Mahay's agent assembled stats that demonstrate how he fares against prominent left-handed hitters, including Ryan Howard (0-for-3), David Ortiz (1-for-7) and Carlos Delgado (0-for-13).
Also, there are statistical breakdowns that compare Mahay with other lefty relievers, including Romero. Over the past five years, here's how they match up:
ERA
Mahay: 3.51
Romero: 4.03
Opponents' batting average
Mahay: .239
Romero: .246
Strikeouts per nine innings
Mahay: 7.71
Romero: 7.22
Walks/hits per innings pitches (WHIP)
Mahay: 1.38
Romero: 1.54
It'll be interesting to see if Mahay gets a bigger deal than Romero. For now, I'll ask you, are the Phillies better off with Romero, or should they have gone after Mahay?
*
The wave of postseason awards kicks into gear this week. Here's a schedule of the award announcements by the Baseball Writers Association of America:
Monday -- AL Rookie of the Year, NL Rookie of the Year
Tuesday -- AL Cy Young
Wednesday -- AL Manager of the Year, NL Manager of the Year
Thursday -- NL Cy Young
Monday, Nov. 19 -- AL MVP
Tuesday, Nov. 20 -- NL MVP
4 comments:
The Romero deal was pricey, but the Phils had to go with the devil they know.
Romero has pitched effectively in CBP; he clearly isn't afraid of the park.
Had Mahay been faced with competing offers from the Phillies and teams with more pitcher-friendly parks, chances would be that he'd sign elsewhere.
Good move
J.C. Romero showed he could pitch effectively for an entire inning of relief last season game after game. I like his intensity. I will like this deal a lot more if he gets his BB rate down a bit from last season and maintains everything else.
So what are the details of Romero's contract? Is there a signing bonus included in the $12 million? Is there a buyout price on the option year - and if there is, is the buyout price part of the $12 million? How is the money spread across the life of the contract? All of which is to say, how much of this contract hits the 2008 budget?
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