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The latest out of the Philadelphia Phillies camp is that they want to feel out the market before they move in free agency.
That is better than the story the day before, where a source said that Mark DeRosa could land on the Phillies to fill the shoes of Pedro Feliz.
According to MLB.com, DeRosa hit .250 with 23 home runs and 78 RBIs last season with the Cleveland Indians and St. Louis Cardinals. He hit .285 with 21 homers and 87 RBIs in 2008 with the Chicago Cubs. He had wrist surgery on Oct. 26, but his representatives said Tuesday that DeRosa should resume baseball activities before Spring Training.
According to the story by Todd Zolecki, there are reasons why DeRosa would make sense.
He is from the Northeast. He grew up in New Jersey and attended Penn. He has a reputation as a hard worker and good teammate, which the Phillies consider important attributes.
Ryan Howard is from St. Louis, Mo. Chase Utley and Cole Hamels are from California.
Former Phillie Doug Glanville, shown above, went to the University of Pennsylvania, too. He had a nice career for some pretty bad Phillies teams of the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Hard work is an attribute that Phillies fans love. That much is true.
And guess what else? DeRosa made $5.5 million last year. That is the same money the Phillies would have paid Pedro Feliz if they picked up his option.
DeRosa is a nice player, but is he that much better than Feliz?
Their fielding abilities are about even. DeRosa has a better average than Feliz in the last two years.
But DeRosa is not an impact player. There are doubts whether he is an every day player.
So while the Phillies backed off from signing anyone Friday, they left the door open for future signings in the next few weeks or months.
They are probably waiting to see what the Angels offer Chone Figgins.
Figgins could well be off the board by Friday. The Phillies are willing to take that chance.
Or are they just posturing?
If they don't sign Figgins on Friday, then look for them to go after Adrian Beltre or DeRosa.
But don't cry poor.
While the Phillies paid $106.75 million for 12 players, which included arbitration-eligible players like Shane Victorino, Joe Blanton, and Carlos Ruiz, they need help at third base, in the bullpen, and on the bench.
The Yankees? The 2009 World Champions? Their payroll is $192.35 million.
I don't mind if the Phillies wait, even if it mean they miss out on Figgins.
Just step up to the plate financially when the time comes, Phillies.
I don't care what region of the country the player comes from.
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