Results tagged ‘ Scott Boras ’
Bye Bye Madson
Ryan Madson wants to be a closer, so he declined salary arbitration from the Phillies before tonight’s midnight deadline.
The move means Madson is headed elsewhere, which means the Phillies will receive two draft picks as compensation once he signs with another team. If Madson had accepted salary arbitration he essentially would have been signed to a one-year contract with the Phillies, but would have been a setup man for closer Jonathan Papelbon.
That would have hurt Madson’s earning potential once he became a free agent again next offseason.
“Ryan was never (going to accept),” Scott Boras said. “He’s remaining a free agent here.”
Last month there had been reports the Phillies and Madson were close to a four-year, $44 million contract. The Phillies signed Papelbon to a four-year, $50 million deal instead. It is hard to imagine Madson finding that kind of a deal now with most teams already filling their closer roles, but Boras has worked magic before.
“Ryan Madson is a closer that … has performed in a large market, performed in the playoffs, performed at high levels, one of the few closers at that age (31) and has the combination of a 95 mph fastball and a changeup,” Boras said. “I think we’ve seen a lot of teams that have dismissed the expenditure required to sign a player of that caliber. Much like the starting pitching market, we haven’t seen a lot of activity in that until maybe today. I think we’ll just have to wait in time to see how that filters out.”
Madson went 47-30 with a 3.59 ERA and 52 saves in 491 appearances in nine seasons with the Phillies. He went 4-1 with a 2.37 ERA and 32 saves in 34 opportunities in his first season as a full-time closer in 2011.
Because Madson is a Type A free agent, the Phillies will receive the signing team’s top draft pick, plus a compensatory pick between the first and second rounds in the 2012 First-Year Player Draft.
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Phils Reach Agreement with Papelbon
The Phillies have their closer for 2012 and beyond.
Sources confirmed the Phillies reached an agreement on a four-year contract with free agent right-hander Jonathan Papelbon, who has spent his first seven seasons in the big leagues with the Boston Red Sox. The Phillies and Papelbon’s agents, Sam and Seth Levinson, are still finalizing the details of the contract, which is pending a physical.
The deal includes a fifth-year vesting option. CSNPhilly.com reports the deal approaches $50 million.
The agreement caps an interesting week. Talks between the Phillies and Ryan Madson’s agent Scott Boras ratcheted up Monday. There were multiple reports Tuesday the sides had reached an agreement on a four-year, $44 million deal, which Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. denied.
Talks between the Phillies and Madson fell apart and the Phillies finalized their deal for Papelbon.
Madson or Papelbon?
The Phillies might sign a closer to a multiyear contact in the coming days.
It could be Ryan Madson.
But don’t rule out Jonathan Papelbon.
Sources said the Phillies and Madson’s agent Scott Boras never reached an agreement on a four-year, $44 million deal, which has been widely reported since yesterday. The sources said the parties continue to talk, but no deal is imminent.
While the Phillies have been talking to Boras about Madson, they also have been talking to Sam and Seth Levinson, who represent Papelbon. Ruben Amaro Jr. has said he wants a veteran closer in the bullpen next season, and Papelbon certainly fits the bill. He is a four-time All-Star with 219 career saves with the Boston Red Sox.
Boras Talks Werth, Brown
Scott Boras participated this afternoon in a news conference for Carlos Pena‘s one-year, $10 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.
He spoke afterward about a host of his clients, including Jayson Werth and Domonic Brown.
Boras said the Phillies’ interest in Werth was not token interest. They formally offered him a three-year contract worth $16 million annually with a vesting option that would have increased the total value to $60 million. Werth signed a seven-year, $126 million contract with the Washington Nationals.
“Ruben met with us at the general managers’ meetings and definitely said the Phillies were interested,” Boras said. “The question was going to be the years. The marketplace had really advanced itself obvoiusly. And the level of years they were going to go vs. what the Phillies were willing to go (was different).”
Werth $126 Million; Now What?
Jayson Werth wore black to an October news conference at Citizens Bank Park.
The color of clothing proved prophetic.
Werth, who had become a fan favorite during four successful seasons with the Phillies, spoke like a man who knew his time in Philadelphia had come to an end. It officially ended today, when he signed a colossal seven-year, $126 million contract with the Washington Nationals. MLB.com first reported the impending deal. CSNPhilly.com reported the Phillies offered Werth a three-year contract with an average annual value of $16 million and an option for a fourth year.
A source told MLB.com the vesting option would have increased the value of the contract to $60 million.
Even if the option had vested for the 2014 season, the Nationals offered $66 million more than the Phillies with an average annual value of $18 million.
The Phillies never had a chance.
“We felt that we offered him a significant contract such that we had a chance to bring him back,” Ruben Amaro Jr. said tonight at the Winter Meetings in Lake Buena Vista, Fla. “But clearly, at the end of the day it was about trying to get the best contract he could and I think he did.”
Werth Declines Arbitration
The Phillies expected this. So did everybody else.
Jayson Werth declined salary arbitration with the Phillies before tonight’s midnight deadline.
The news is hardly surprising. Werth is expecting to land a once-in-a-lifetime contract as one of the top two free agent outfielders on the market (Carl Crawford is the other). Accepting arbitration meant Werth would have been signed to a one-year contract with the Philllies. The only way that would have happened (and made sense) would have been if the market had not existed for him.
Phillies fans might recall Boras had Kevin Millwood accept arbitration with the Phillies in 2003, when there was no market for him.
That shouldn’t be the case for Werth with teams like the Red Sox and Angels interested.
The Phillies will get two draft picks if Werth signs elsewhere as expected: the team’s top available pick and a sandwich pick between the first and second round.
Declining arbitration does not prevent the Phillies from trying to resign Werth. They can continue to talk with Boras about a deal. But it’s my belief the Phillies won’t go more than four years for Werth with Boras and Werth looking for a longer, more lucrative contract.
Heard Any Good Rumors Lately?
If Jayson Werth is going to sign a contract with the Phillies or anybody else, it will not happen in the next couple days.
A report in Philadelphia this weekend indicated Werth could be close to accepting a deal with the Phillies, but it needed to happen by Tuesday. But one source said tonight the reports were untrue. Werth is not close to signing with the Phillies – or anybody else – and there is no deadline for him to make a decision.
The Phillies have been talking with Scott Boras, who is Werth’s agent. If the Phillies have not yet made an offer they certainly have discussed the framework for a deal.
If the Phillies have made an offer, a contract in the three- or four-year range is a smart bet. The Phillies signed Ryan Howard to a five-year, $125 million contract extension this year, but Chase Utley (seven years) and Jimmy Rollins (five years) are the only other current players the Phillies have signed to deals longer than three years, not including option years.
Phillies to Offer Werth Arbitration, Not Durbin
A source said today the Phillies will offer salary arbitration to Jayson Werth, who is a Type A free agent, but not to Chad Durbin, who is a Type B free agent.
The decision on Werth hardly comes as a surprise. If he signs with another team as expected – the Phillies have had talks with Scott Boras, but he is expected to find a bigger deal elsewhere – the Phillies will receive two picks: a team’s top available pick (either a first or second-round selection based on their 2010 record) and a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds.
If the Phillies had offered Durbin arbitration and he signed elsewhere, the Phillies would have received a sandwich pick.
It makes complete sense to offer Werth arbitration because there is no downside. If Werth declines arbitration and signs elsewhere they get the picks. If Werth accepts arbitration, which is highly unlikely, they automatically get Werth to return next season on a one-year contract. (The Phillies absolutely would love that to happen.)
Hitting the Open Market
Jayson Werth hits the open market in less than 24 hours.
That should not surprise anybody. Werth was not going to sign a contract during his exclusive negotiating period with the Phillies. But beginning at midnight Saturday anybody from any team can contact any player, including Werth.
I still don’t think Werth resigns with the Phillies.
Scott Boras, who is Werth’s agent, said yesterday it doesn’t have to be that way.
“The Yankees are a Goliath,” Boras said. “George (Steinbrenner) built them with the idea of the word ‘best.’ The Phillies are now Goliaths. The reality of it is they have the ability to do what they need to do to retain their players. It’s merely a matter of choice. It’s not a matter of good business because I think everybody would agree they’ve made some really good business decisions. They’ve all proven to be fruitful economically as far as franchise value increase, future television negotiations, fans. Everything is going well. Somebody asked me if they can have a $200 million payroll? Of course they could. It would be good business to do so.”
Phillies Contact Boras
Ruben Amaro Jr. said Monday the Phillies would call Scott Boras before the end of the week.
They’ve called.
And?
“There’s really not much to say,” Amaro said. “We’re not going to have a public discussion with what’s happening with Jayson (Werth), but we have touched based and we’ll see where it goes from here.”
It has been speculated Boras, who Werth hired as his agent last month, could seek a contract in the neighborhood of the seven-year, $120 million contract outfielder Matt Holliday signed last winter with the St. Louis Cardinals. If Boras cannot land that, Werth could fall somewhere in line with the four-year, $66 million contract outfielder Jason Bay signed last winter with the New York Mets.
Either way, it is believed Werth will not be back in 2011. The Phillies have nearly $145 million committed to 16 players next season, and Amaro said during Monday’s news conference he needs to inject some youth into the roster. With every other starter under contract and expected back next season, the only place the Phillies could get younger in the lineup is right field.
The Phillies have exclusive negotiating rights with Werth until five days after the World Series, but it is almost a certainty there will be no agreement before then. Boras certainly will test Werth’s value on the open market.
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Former Phillies hitting coach Milt Thompson interviewed Thursday for the same job with the Seattle Mariners, according to his agent.
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Todd Zolecki
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