Report: Phillies Sign Pedro Feliz

 According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, the Phillies and Pedro Feliz have agreed to a two-year deal.

The "meh"s echo throughout the Delaware Valley.  It certainly gives the Phillies a little more depth at the hot corner.

Comments

[good signing]

It's a solid signing...although he strikes out way too much (he fits in just fine in this lineup) he provides decent power (he has the potential to hit 25/yr home runs here) and is the best defensive 3rd baseman in baseball...im sure its not an astronomical amount of money...and by waiting him out im sure they saved...

[Tartan69]

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Matt P.]

he'll be lucky if all he gets are "meh"s

[Mike H.]

I just had a cubicle-shaking groan here at the office. My colleagues thought I was going to throw up. I only told them "it was in my mouth."

He might be good for one victory.

[Michael C]

I am mildly excited about this. Is it a great signing? No, of course not. But Feliz is an excellent defensive third baseman who has some pop too. Definitely better then what we had there.

[John]

OK, the Phillies made some mild improvements. Only things I would like to see now are Helms gone and the pick up of another reliever or starter.

[Matt P.]

I tend to agree with Michael C about upgrade over what they had (mild), but I want to know how much of Gillick's allowance they spent on him.

also, why 2 years? rotoworld points out that last year he only signed for one year, and he didn't do much to improve his stock, if at all.

[Beren]

Voice of the Giants on 950 had good things to say. Not only is he 80+ rbi, 20+ HR over last 4 years, but his defensive stock has risen to near gold glove level. (at least that was what they were saying out in San Fran.)

Regardless, a pitcher getting signed would be much nicer news.

[Jay]

PEDRO F'n FELIZ!??!?! HOLY CRAP ARE YOU SERIOUS??!!?!? WHOOOAAA HOOOOO!! LOOK OUT PHILLY CAUSE A CHAMPIONSHIP IS COMING TO TOWN!! MIGHT AS WELL START PLANNING THE PARADE NOW! I MEAN PEDRO FELIZ?? HOLY MOTHER OF GOD!! MIKE SCHMIDT BETTER LOOK OUT CAUSE HIS TITLE OF GREATEST THIRD BASEMAN OF ALL TIME IS ABOUT TO GET DESTROYED!! I MEAN...WELL ALL I CAN SAY IS WOW! SHORT OF BUILDING A TIME MACHINE AND GOING BACK AND GETTING BROOKS ROBINSON IN HIS PRIME I CAN'T THINK OF A BETTER OPTION AT THIRD FOR US!! NO SCREW THAT...BROOKS ROBINSON COULDN'T CARRY PEDRO FELIZ'S JOCK!

CRAP...LET ME JUST SOAK THIS IN...PEDRO FELIZ...WOW. MAN I GOTTA GO ORDER MY FELIZ PHILLIES JERSE....NO MY FELIZ ALL STAR JERSEY RIGHT NOW!!

WHOOOO HOOOO!!!

[MPlant]

I'm not in love with giving Feliz two years, but if he plays solid D, I'm OK it. Whatever offense he contributes is a bonus. That said, I'm sure I'll probably curse a blue streak when he pops up on a first pitch after the last two guys walked on a combined eight pitches.

Now, if they could only sign another decent starting pitcher...

[GreggyD]

I think the comments above mine are a bit ridiculous and clearly made by someone who cannot pull anything good out of a situation. Not one person has found this signing to be exciting, but to exaggerate like that is unnecessary. Feliz is a solid defensive option and I love him at the corner, but I am a bit concerned about his inconsistent bat which is exactly what we don't need. By no means is this a huge development and a lineup shaker, but I'll take his experience over that of Dobbs and I'll take his overall talent over that of Helms.

If we get rid of Helms, this deal would be much better.

[Nixorbo]

::Looks at career stats::

... So we just resigned David Bell?

[Beren]

Hmmm...considering the Giants/Phils offseason relationship, the Giants got one heck of a deal for Aaron Rowand!!

With the Helms/Nunez combo previously, you either got a bat, or defense, bet NEVER both at once...this is definately an acceptable compromise, no more, no less...

We SERIOUSLY need to get a pitcher...what good is a top ranked offense with a bottom ranked ERA?

[will]

nice signing,solid upgrade over any platoon,good power,best defensive third basemen in the national league and cost them no prospects,opens door to deal helms for pitching..prediction,phils will also sign kyle lohse

[jeremy]

It is almost impossible to describe how foolish of a decision this is. I'm amazed that more people aren't outraged by this signing. This isn't a "whatever" signing, it's flatout motherfucking idiotic. By any metric, Feliz is an atrocious batter. He's capable of hitting a moderate number of homeruns and that's it.

I've posted this before, but look at his lines the last 3 years:
2005: .250/.295/.422 (OPS+ 85)
2006: .244/.281/.428 (OPS+ 79)
2007: .253/.290/.418 (OPS+ 81)

Of course, OPS weights OBP + Slug equally, whereas OBP is even more important and his OBP is atrocious. David Bell was hands down a better hitter the last 3 years he was here. In fact, I bet if you signed David Bell RIGHT NOW, he would put up better numbers than Feliz next year.

Even more importantly, who are typically less statistically minded than the front office, don't seem to realize how terrible he is because he hits a decent number of home runs. I predict Greg Dobbs and Wes Helms will hit better than Feliz next year, while given fewer at bats.

I just don't understand this move. There's no upside, there's no way it will work out. I think it's the stupidest signing that Gillick has made. Eaton may end up being worst but at least there was some logic behind it, some chance that he might be good. Feliz is terrible, has always been terrible, and will only get terribler.

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[jeremy]

Even more importantly, managers, who are typically less statistically minded than the front office, don't seem to realize how terrible he is because he hits a decent number of home runs.

That sentence was missing a word.

[Beren]

700level should repost the picture of Bell they had up when the Steroid list came out with his name on it. I can't believe Jeremy argued against this signing by juxtaposing him against Bell (a .257/.320/.396 career hitter). Just casually ignore the year he batted .195 for us, which is hard to forgive/forget. He hit a measly 44 total HR's while here, and those are guaranteed runs on the board (which win games last i checked). Sure, Feliz hits 20+ in San Fran each of the last 4 years, but in Citizens Bank you can extrapolate that to maybe 30? In this lineup, what more do you need from a 6th/7th slot batter?

Note that Jeremy mentioned defense zero times, so it must not be important to decision making.

[Beren]

Just keep in mind no one here is running out and betting on a pennant with this signing. We as a community seem to approve, but aren't applauding it. Certainly not terrible, nor deserving of a scathing review.

[Jay]

"Certainly not terrible, nor deserving of a scathing review."

My ass it ain't! This move blows donkey dick! What improvement over Wes Helms is this?!? Why for the love of god do the Phillies have to half ass ever goddamned decision they make???

[M.O.]

78 Errors by Bell in 3 1/2 SEASONS @ 3rd. (24, 21, 19, 14 each year, last for only 90 games)

59 Errors for Feliz @ 3rd for HIS CAREER.

Then take Feliz 20+ HR avg the last 4, to Bells 10 HR career avg.

hmmmm...

[dan]

2 years for 8.5 million. team option for 3rd year.

as long as we find a taker for Helms I'm ok with this.

[M.O.]

Helms - 5 HR, .246/292/.368, 39, yes JUST 39 freakin RBI's for Phils.

Helms - 9 errors in 68 games at 3rd base, vs Feliz - 11 Errors in 143 games at 3rd base.

That's the freakin' improvement over HELMS.

This team doesn't need an all-star 3rd baseman, the lineup is the best in the NL. They need pitching. This is a temporary solution after years of platooning inconsistency. Spend money on the worst ERA in baseball, not the best offense.

[jeremy]

I don't usually like getting into arguments over the internet, but I'll make one reply backing up my arguments.

Re: Pedro Feliz' Defense
I don't dispute that Feliz is a great fielder. By conventional or advanced defensive metrics he ranks at the top. However, his defense doesn't make up for his atrocious hitting.

Take a look at a stat like Win Shares, which incorporates both fielding and hitting (and ranks Feliz quite high defensively) and he still comes out terrible. His Win Shares Above Bench (which compares him to an "average" bench player) over the last 3 years were 2, 1, -1. This basically means that Feliz was equivalent to an "average" bench 3B , or is in the bottom 25 percentile of third basemen, defense included.

Re: David Bell v. Pedro Feliz
Offensively, David Bell was better in the 3 years he was here than Feliz was in the last 3 for SF. Bell's OPS+ the last 3 years was 107, 72, 87. Please understand that OPS+ is park neutral - it doesn't matter that Bell played in Veterans/CBP while Feliz played at PacBell/AT&T/whatever it's called today.

Defensively, Feliz is certainly better, but Bell also had an undeserved terrible rep as a fielder. He made a lot of errors, but he had great range and made a lot of plays your average 3B doesn't. Remember, that a ball Bell gets to and fumbles is an error, while a ball Wes Helms never touches doesn't count for anything. Using Win Shares Above Bench again, Bell had 1, -3, 8 in his last three years here. I'm pretty comfortable saying that he and Feliz are pretty comparable and I think there's a valid argument that Bell was better.

(n.b. David Pinto's PMR rankings from 2006, which show Feliz as the 3rd best fielding 3B and Bell as 13th)

[PhilCali]

Per Jeremy's comment >It is almost impossible to describe how foolish of a decision this is<

I agree with you. I don't know how many times I saw Feliz strike out when the Giants were on TV. They better hide him in the lineup to avoid me also 'swearing a blue streak when he pops up on the 1st pitch with guys in scoring position'. He's another strikeout in the lineup, of which we have too many already.

Bat him 7th so he doesn't have to K leaving the pitcher to lead off the next inning.

Another bull-sheet move by a cheap organization. Howard will leave after 2011 and I hope to J-Christ that the fans stop coming to the park. This has to stop. Bill Giles started this mess way back in the early 80's when he bought the team. He sucks Philly-red ass.

Peace

[johndewar]

When you take into account the fact that the Phils basically had to stitch together their situation at 3rd because of Wes Helms' suckitude, then this isn't that bad.

Honestly, were the Giants that talent-deprived that they were depending on this guy, who is such a strikeout machine, in big RBI spots?

The presence of Utley and Howard provides alot of deodorant when it comes to other hitter's weaknesses.

This guy ain't Mike Schmidt; he ain't even Scott Rolen, but he's going to be better than Wes Helms. And for that, I say why the hell not.

Now, let's go get a starter.

[Michael C]

While I don't discount Feliz's gawd-awful OBP, I would point out that I think sometimes it is over-rated; most especially, i think it is over-rated in batters hitting low in the order. I don't really care if my number 7/8 hitters get a lot of walks, since they probably aren't getting knocked in by the pitcher. This is why it pisses the shit out of me when Burrell takes that pitch just off the plate with runners on, just so Wes Helms or Nunez could ground out. At least with Feliz, he can hit one out and clear the bases.

Again, its not that I am super excited about this signing, but i think it is an improvement over Wes Helms.

[Michael C]

Just FYI for everyone interested, Feliz only struck out 70 times last year. He just never walks. Unfortunately, he also grounded into a David Bell-esque 15 double plays.

[Benjamin]

Bell?

Bell played with the emotion of a block of cheese. For all the energy that a lineup with Rollins, Victorino, Utley, and Howards brings, Bell would have sucked it into the blackhole void that his energy represented.

Statistics don't reflect this. What a player brings to a lineup is not entirely numbers, but personality, and Bell was never meant to be a Phillie. Best example was Abreau. His numbers were great! Yet, we threw him out of town because he was as lazy as my eazy-chair.

I'm sick of platooning guys. Feliz is every day. He brings some meaningful offense and sound defense to a position that has been a big freaking zero for several years. Are we the Yankees with a 220 million dollar roster? NO! I'd rather pay Howard (the next Babe Ruth) and Utley (A-Rod with grit and leadership). Even BEFORE this signing, we had the best infield in baseball (or damn near close), yet most people are selfish and unrealistic about what we need at 3rd. This will do just fine. Most importantly, Burrell needs help on the line, and Feliz help him.

Lets not forget people. This team doesn't need a 3rd baseman, it needs a starting rotation. If we cut our ERA by 1.5, we could platoon players from the line at Tony Luke's in Ashburn alley, and still win the division.

There are people across the country who say the most exciting team to watch in baseball was the Phillies last year. That's right, US!

I understand we've suffered without a championship for a while now, I've never seen one in my conscious life (Born 1982, so Sixers in 83 means nothing to me). But let's not become irrational and demand the best person in baseball at every position. It's not feasible. Let's go out and give our players the support they deserve. They gave us everything they had last year, with all the injuries, and despite the terrible pitching, they gave us one hell of a ride. It was fun, and I enjoyed it.

I believe, do you?

[gootman]

Its not like are a ton of better options out there. There always has to be one Phillie to pick on, so now we have him.

[John]

I'm anticipating the Phillies next move....claiming that this signing broke their bank and now they can't afford any pitching.

[sean]

this is the equivalent of adding matt schobel.....basically who cares?

[Felizispoop]

This is bullshit. Feliz is awful. Just look at the OBP for him and the rest of the numbers. Until he actually hits some homers in CBP, and proves me wrong, I'm shaking my head in disgust. He's not even a Scott Rolen...shit, lets see the forest for the fuckin trees

[themajor]

I love reading all the arguments for and against this signing. baseball and its numbers is just like the bible you can find anything you want in it to support your point of view

[Kulp]

I see a lot of bitching and no realistic alternatives. This is by no means a blockbuster move, but it definitely fills a void. You're never going to have an All-Star at every position.

Jimmy Rollins seemed excited about the addition. I'm willing to give this guy a chance.

[Michael C]

1. Improve Infield Defense- now with Gold Glover caliber players at 3 positions.

2. Teach pitchers to pound the zone and get ground balls.

3. Lower ERA

Though I would happily pay more for my season tickets if they moved back the fences some.

[HLH]

PAY RYAN HOWARD HIS MONEY!!!

[MasterlockJr.]

Also, we have to remember that he hit in a pitchers park, so moving to CBP could prove a benefit for Feliz. Its not going to hide the low OBP, but someone mentioned he only stuck out 70 times, just didn't walk a lot. That is fine with me, hitting 7th with power and a low OBP. Definitely an upgrade, and probably the best FA 3d baseman out there right now. I like the move, regardless of the need for pitching.

[T]

Only good thing is that it's only 2 years

[Ed Hardiman]

Gillick is the proverbial monkey throwing darts at a newspaper to find these mutts. How many decades does it take to recognize 3rd sack is a sucking chest wound?

Last year Helms made blood shoot out my ears every time he; bobble-pump-stumble-bobble-pump-threw to first...

Dreadful, add Feliz to the honor roll of:

Chris Not Ready for Prime Time James

Choo-Choo Cholley Hayes

Mikey I lost the '93 World Series by hitting a weak pop fly to 2nd, rally killing 3rd out, when I should have taken the 1st pitch from a pitcher who walked 2 straight batters on 9 pitches Hollins

Todd Cup of Coffee Zeile,

Dave Call Me Mr. .240, great in the clubhouse not so great at the plate Bell,

Abraham A-Nez Nunez,

&

Wes the Mess Helms...

Gillick has utterly destroyed the farm system, now he's working on the team.

[themajor]

I don't know about putting the farm systems shambles of gillicks shoulders, it wasn't the greatest famr system when he came to town. there is no possible way the addition of pedro feliz is a downgrade to the phillies team. It isn't another starting pitcher but its better than what we had at third. there is no way of denying that. so be pissed it isn't a solid arm in the pen or starting ro, but don't be pissed at feliz