Polanco a Phillie?!!!

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Polanco a Phillie?!!!

POSTED: Thursday, December 3, 2009, 5:40 PM

UPDATE: It's a done deal. Polanco is again a Phil.

A blog on MLive.com, a Michigan news site, is reporting what Philly outlets are only suggesting: Placido Polanco has reportedly agreed to a three-year, $18 million dollar deal to become the Phillies' new third baseman.

The deal, which SI's Jon Heyman says will be finalized today, would make Polanco, the once and future(?) Phillie a very cheap option as a starter or a somewhat expensive reserve.

Polanco, an excellent defender, had some excellent offensive seasons for the Tigers but has seen his value fluctuate, at least at the plate, in recent seasons. However, Polanco, on average, is good for about 50 points of on base percentage over Pedro Feliz with an ever so slight drop-off in power. Maybe the biggest advantage Polanco brings over Feliz is that Polanco, unlike Feliz during the second half of 2009 especially, is a tough out. Like Feliz, he doesn't walk a lot, but he strikes out a whole lot less. Polanco's never struck out more than 42 times in a full season while Feliz tends to strike out quite a bit more often. Polanco tends to see more pitches than Feliz, if only by a little, though Polanco's got a rep for having good at bats while Feliz has been known to go through long stretches where he looks completely lost.

Is Polanco, at just $6 million per year, the answer, or is this a prelude to a bigger signing at 3b?

Posted by Brian Howard @ 5:40 PM  Permalink | Post a comment
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