• March 19, 2024

Losing Rollins May Not Be A Bad Thing

With the baseball free agency period in full swing, the Phillies are busy talking to players and making moves to improve the ballclub for the 2012 season. One of the big decisions the team has to make in the coming weeks concerns the future of shortstop Jimmy Rollins.

Currently a free agent, Rollins has been said to be seeking a lucrative contract between four to five years in length. He’s had discussions with the Phillies, and some reports earlier the week had the team and the former All-Star close to a new deal, which has been refuted by both sides.

The Phillies would like to have Rollins back(for the right price), and all indications are that he wants to come back (for the right price). But is it truly in the best interest of the team for him to return? I’m not so sure.

When I look at Rollins, I see a player with declining offensive skills, and a maddening approach at the plate. Very rarely does Jimmy consistently work a pitch count in the way a leadoff hitter should. Too often, he takes a wild, undisciplined approach, resulting in frustrating pop ups or soft groundouts. That’s not to discount the many great moments at the plate for this team, but I’m just not in love with his offensive game.

As I consider how sorely that the Phillies’ lineup has underachieved in the last two seasons, I have to believe that it’s time for some significant changes to the batting order. The way that the offense is currently constructed doesn’t work the way it did from 2007 through 2009, and it’s been largely responsible for this team’s disappointing playoff runs in 2010 and 2011.

If losing Rollins meant that the Phillies would use his money to bring in a guy like Aramis Ramirez, a player who hits for average and power, I would be all for it. Anything to dramatically change up the current offensive approach.

However, it’s going to be difficult for the Phillies to let Rollins go. Though his offensive skills have declined, he’s still among the top defensive shortstops in the league. His range hasn’t fallen off at all, and what he accomplishes in the field is truly underrated. The Phillies don’t have a shortstop in the organization that is capable of filling the shoes of Rollins for an entire season, and there aren’t any attractive options available in free agency.

It’s going to be an interesting couple of weeks for the Phillies. They won’t grossly overpay Rollins to return, but they don’t have a better option at shortstop other than him. But if they do in fact lose him, it opens the door for another move that can help dramatically change to fortunes of the offense. Time will tell what Ruben Amaro has in store.

Denny Basens

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paulman
paulman
December 9, 2011 4:45 pm

Should be announced by Sat as the next St Louis Cardinal SS who have the $$$ to lock him up for 4-5 Seasons since Pujols is gone.. You can book it Danno.. Cardinals have no SS in their Farm System and will not re-sign Furcal

daggolden
daggolden
December 9, 2011 5:47 pm

The sad thing about this article is that there is no other Phillie I would rather have up in a crucial situation rather than Rollins. Utley is a has been who does nothing particularly well at this stage of his career. Talk about who should be shipped out.lol Howard, if theres a lefty on the mound forget-about-it. Victorino is the only other Philly I would trust in the clutch. Rollins is the best fielder (toss up with Polanco) on the team and is a better hitter than Utley, Howard, Ruiz, and Polanco if your honest about it.

DCar
DCar
December 10, 2011 6:18 am

Dagg, they all need to go. I’d keep Pence, Victorino & Mayberry, & rebuild the entire offense, but with age & the horrid, untradeable contracts they have, it’s all pipe dreams. Amaro can’t get caught up in all of the nostalgia, with these guys, & has to use his brain. If he was to let Rollins walk, & trade Utley & Polanco, I don’t think anyone would be storming the Bank with pitch forks & torches. Especially if he gets good, young players, in return, & frees up payroll for good free agents. We already have a stud staff & a decent BP, with possibly as many as 7 good young arms to help the staff in Worley, Bastardo, Stutes, Aumont, Defratus, Savery, Diekman, & with May, Colvin & Biddle, a few years from now.

paulman
paulman
December 10, 2011 9:54 am

I agree with DCar,
The time to rebuild the franchise with some talent in their Primes is now…
If the Phils were able to sign 3B A ramirez adn then pull a trade for OF Adam Jones from Orioles or even Carlos Quentin from the WHite Sox, they could compete for WS the next 3-4 Seasons, keeping thie Core intact as is (Polanco,Utley,Rollins,) will only have them compete for regular season Wins and then get bounced in the Playoffs..
We all know they overpaid and will be stuck with Ryan Howards Contract and expecially with his Injury.. No team is going to be interested in him..But many of the Others can be moved or packaged with a some young players to land 1-2 Gooy solid players who best years are now and in the future.. I stated last Off-Season that this team was getting old and chastised for being a Phillie Hater which is not the, but the PHils management and Many of their fans get too sentimental about their Phitn’ Phils and don’t see the decline in many of the everyday players that I do which will only get worse in 2012 if they trot out a line-up of Polanco,Rollins,Utley who are all on their way down and have been for a good couple of seasons now… Maybe the logic is that with their good SPtarting Pitching, that they can overcome a older,slower Team that simply relies on the 3 Run HR all the time to win.. I think it’s time to get younger, add some speed, solid contact hitters who put th eball in play and can make things happen on the bases.. Look at the last couple of WS Winners.. Cardinals line up (outside of Puljos) had 5-6 players who make contoact and were collectively batting .280-.290 and have a little pop.. Phils have too many .260 Hitters who can’t put the ball in play consistently and strike out too much, The Phils have always been a great fast-ball hitting team but really struggle versus PItching Staffs that have Pitchers with the slow,breaking,sliders type of Pitchers sinec Phillie batters are trying to jack the ball out of the Park on every at-bat.. Rollins and Victoring are not going to change at this stage of their careers, even Manager Charlie is not going to change his philosophy of letting the hitters hit away and play for the long ball.. He is not a small-ball manager and this line-up has a difficult time manufacturing runs if they aren’t hitting th elong-ball and that’s the problem in a nutshell.. The NL east has gotten strong the las tcouple of Seasons as teams have re-tooled with solid Pitching and good contact hitters..

hot97x
hot97x
December 10, 2011 1:17 pm

while i agree with some of the points that Dcar and Paulman are making, you are both greatly overvaluing how much you could get in return for the veterans on this team. obviously Howard is flat out untradeable. however Polanco and Utley are pretty close as well. you will get nothing of great value in return for either of these guys. Polanco would mostly be a salary dump, he has been injured the past 2 years, and is coming off of sports hernia surgery. he makes $6.5 million next year, and his gold glove defense at 3rd is somewhat overshadowed by the fact that he almost certainly will be injured at some point during this season, and he is a terrible OPS guy because he has no power and almost never walks. if the phillies pay a third of his salary they MIGHT be able to get a second tier prospect and a throw in guy.

Utley is almost untradeable, he makes $15 million over the next 2 seasons, and he has a chronic knee problem that is only manageable and not fixable. nobody knows how much longer or how effectively he will play into the future. and he makes all-star money.

im not sure how you guys have them getting “good young players” or guys whose best years are “now and in the future”. there’s only 2 types of trades in MLB. you can trade prospects for veterans, or veterans for prospects. well we have almost no prospects to trade right now so im not sure how you think we are getting someone like Adam Jones who Baltimore isn’t exactly looking to trade. and if you trade the veterans like Utley and Polanco for prospects (middle tier guys at that), we have absolutely no one to fulfill those roles on the team and we still would have a payroll of $150 million or more.

what i wanted this team to do is let rollins walk, trade Polanco for anything you can get (prospect wise), sign Aramis Ramirez, and sign Alex Gonzalez to a one year contract to play short (of course he just signed a 1 year deal with MIL). then make a lineup that looks like this:

1. Utley (L)
2.Victorino (S)
3. Pence (R)
4. Howard (L)
5. Ramirez (R)
6. Mayberry (R)
7. Gonzalez (R)
8. Ruiz (R)
9. Pitcher

with a bench of Nix (L), Thome (L), Schneider (ugh!) (L), Wigginton (R), Valdez (R)

at that point, you also invite Freddy Galvis to spring training, and if halfway thru the year he is still hitting in Triple-A at an ok rate, AND if Gonzalez sucks you bring Galvis up. Gonzalez is very good defensively even tho he is another strike out guy in the lineup. the bench is def. better than last year. a full season of Pence, Mayberry, and hopefully Utley looks pretty good. the phillies did score the most runs in the national league last year after the all-star break, but must change their approach at the plate and become more patient like the 2008 world series team. i love Utley in the leadoff spot because he takes pitches, makes pitchers work, will only steal a bag here and there but is an excellent base runner when he gets on base. also he will take his walks.

paulman
paulman
December 10, 2011 4:45 pm

Good news if your a J Rollins Fans
The Cardinals just igned SS R Furcal to a 2 Year Deal taking them out of th emarket for pursing Rollins.. I think Rollins has 1 more Team that he would even consider leaving for and that would be the SF Giants who have the $$$ and the need to sign a SS, Rollins is also from nearby Oakland and would be a move home for him if he was interested.. I’d say it looks prery good that ROllins will be back in a Phillie uniform

paulman
paulman
December 10, 2011 5:10 pm

Forgot to mention about hot97x post above..
Would you really ahve Utley as the Lead-off Batter . Why not Victorino as Lead-Off and Utley 2 or 5 or 6 …

atra1781
December 10, 2011 10:17 pm

I would let Rollins walk. I was hoping Furcal would come here. Give Galvis a chance and look into the Gio trade and possibly someone like Cuddyer or a trade.

paulman
paulman
December 10, 2011 11:22 pm

I think former Brewer’s SS Y Bettancourt is still a Free-Agent and that’s about it.. Maybe a trade with Division Rival the Marlins (which would be highly unlikely) for their disgruntled SS Hanley Ramirez who from all reports doesn’t want to move position sinice they signed SS Jose Reyes but I doubt th eMarlins would want to trade him to a team they are trying to chase in the NL East, but you never know…

DCar
DCar
December 12, 2011 6:01 am

hot, trust me, I’m not overvaluing anyone. I have know delusions of their worth. I was just saying what needed to be done little by little the last two years. Howard & Ibanez should have never been signed to their albatross contracts. Also Utley & Polanco should have been weeded out. I know the ramifications of these trades would not have went over big, because it would of hindered our chances of making a run last year at a World series run. IMHO, with two years in a row now, out too early from the playoffs, with the oldest team in the league, & untradeable contracts, it is going to be hard to rebuild this team. So they better win it this year, because IMO, the door will close.

hot97x
hot97x
December 12, 2011 3:43 pm

paulman, SF does not have the money. they have stated that there current payroll is about there limit this year and next. they have huge contracts like Zito and Rowland and will be paying Lincecum and Cain pretty big in arbitration. yes i would have Utley lead off for the reasons i already stated. Victorino doesn’t take enough pitches or foul off enough balls for me to be a leadoff guy. furthermore Utley’s power days are most likely behind him because of the knee, but i certainly hope i am wrong there.

DCar, i agree that the Howard deal is a killer, and Polanco and Ibanez were both given 1 too many years on there contract. Utley couldn’t have been fazed out in any realistic scenario. he went from being an all-star to being injured in one year. there’s just no predicting that big of a drop off. i feel bad for the guy, he should have had a HOF career. the one thing this team needs to do is stop trading for high priced veterans. sign pence long term, and Hamels, but no trades for the prospects in the lower minors. they had an awesome draft haul last year with a bunch of extremely high ceiling guys, a couple of whom will try to make it at SS and 2B. they need to stop trading these guys as they come up through the system. they are what allows the team to spend huge money on established stars because they’re first 3 years of service time they make 500,000$.

paulman
paulman
December 12, 2011 5:25 pm

3B Free-Agent Aramis Ramirez reportedly is about to sign a 3 Year Deal with the Milwaukee Brewers which caught me by surprise..
It appears they will move incumbent 3B C McGhee over to 1B since Fielder will be moving on most likely to the Ranger or maybe the Cubs or Nationals…

hot97x
hot97x
December 12, 2011 8:34 pm

yeah how bout that 3 year deal, that would have been perfect for the phillies.

paulman
paulman
December 12, 2011 8:48 pm

Brewers also signed SS Alex Gonzales on a 1 Year Deal so it appears the Phils will probably overpay to keep Rollins since Furcal and Gonzales are both off the board// Don’t forget about my sleeper signing .. SS Y Bettancourt.. ..

hot97x
hot97x
December 12, 2011 11:57 pm

well the good thing is that even tho there aren’t any SS left, there also isn’t anyone left for rollins to go to. the phillies at this point are his only option. i would say that since everyone else has snatched up there SS, this has actually helped the phillies gain leverage on jimmy. i still would rather have ramirez and gonzalez than rollins and polanco, but what do i know. Ruben certainly isn’t thinking outside the box so far this off season.

paulman
paulman
December 13, 2011 7:33 am

You still have the Free-agent SS Bettancourt out there from the Brewers who has a pretty good bat and some power from the SS position but is not the fielder that J Ro is…and your right, the market has gotten smaller for SS now so PHils probably have the upper hand for retaining Rollins though I still think the SF Giants will make a run at him…

jakedog
jakedog
December 13, 2011 9:08 am

paulman ,stop with the baseball predictions, you are a good football man but you are lousy at baseball, stop trying to be a jack of all trades, stick to football, book it danno

paulman
paulman
December 13, 2011 9:26 am

Ha ha Jake…I know my Baseball too…not as well as Football I have to admit, but still good enough to comment on it but on a serious note, this should be 1 heck of a Season for Baseball…Lot’s of other teams in the mix now who will be competing with the Big 3 (Phils,Yankees & Red Sox)
Have to think the Angels,Rangers,TB Rays,Tigers, will all be in the mix in AL
while in the NL, the Braves,Marlins,Cardinals,Brewers,Arizona,Giants and even teams like the Nationals,Cubs,Dodgers will be improved..

hot97x
hot97x
December 13, 2011 5:41 pm

i don’t see any reason to look at Betancourt now that you can’t upgrade 3B. he is not nearly as good of an offensive player as Rollins when you consider that he has no speed, and never walks (horrendous OBP), and has less power than jimmy. and as you mentioned he’s not as good defensively either. needless to say this lineup needs more walks and speed, not less of both.

paulman
paulman
December 13, 2011 6:20 pm

Your right hot97x,
He’s 29 years old, and his last 4 Years Combined # ‘s are very close to Rollins in terms of total production
Rollins .260 Batting Avg, Rollins has 56 Hrs and 240 RBI since 2008
and 119 Doubles where as Bettencourt has a .259 Batting Average and 52 HR’s with 242 RBI’s and 112 DOubles so very close indeed
J Ro has better speed adn many more Stolen Bases and is a much better Fielder and SS than Bettancourt..
J Ro is looking for $12-$15 Million, Bettencourt made $4.5 Million last season but is looking for a Free-agent Deal of who knows what..

hot97x
hot97x
December 13, 2011 7:59 pm

it’s not the batting #s i have a problem with, it’s the disgustingly low amount of walks he takes every year of his career and pretty much total lack of speed. cost is no longer a factor here, because money saved doesn’t really do them any good this year because there is nobody of significant upgrade left to sign.

paulman
paulman
December 13, 2011 8:46 pm

I hear, he’s definitely a free swinger who puts the ball into play and doesn’t walk much, He also doesn’t strike out as much at Rollins.. I don’t think the Phils should choose him over Rollins, but if they lose Rollins to some ridiculous Money deal, then he may be a decent fill-in for a couple of years until they groom someone from the Minor Leagues

hot97x
hot97x
December 13, 2011 9:06 pm

oh yeah if they lost rollins then yeah, but i just don’t see that happening. what’s going on now is rollins and his agent are desperately trying to find another team to play against the phillies to get them to increase whatever offer they made, and so far they are failing.

paulman
paulman
December 14, 2011 7:27 am

Per ESPN, the Detroit Tigers are now pursuing J Rollins and talks are reaching the serious stage per some reports…
Something could be announced by week’s end …

hot97x
hot97x
December 16, 2011 6:24 pm

don’t even listen to ESPN, jimmy rollins agent is most likely putting out all kinds of rumors, like i said to drum up interest in jimmy that simply isn’t there.

paulman
paulman
December 16, 2011 7:46 pm

He and his agent will be not be getting any 5 Year Deals offered.. He better take the Phils 3 Year offer before they lower it would be my suggestion….