Not sure I understand this one, but ok.¬† A league source tells Foxsports.com that the Phillies are the favorites to land 3B Mark DeRosa.¬† DeRosa played with the Indians and Cardinals last season.¬† He hit .270 with the Indians and a paltry .228 with the Cardinals.¬† Defensively, he’s pretty solid.
Here is what I don’t get.¬† The Phillies declined a $5.5 million on Pedro Feliz, who is an excellent defender with a rocket arm, who hit just .266 last year.¬† Yes, his bat is obnoxious, I get that.¬†
But, a second league source tells Foxsports.com that the Phillies are looking to spend between $4 million and $6 million at third base.¬† Well, DeRosa hit .250 on the year last year, which is unacceptable.¬† His defense is solid, but not on the level of Feliz.¬† Yes, he did hit 23 HR’s last year compared to Feliz’s 12, but is that enough to make up for the loss in average and defense?¬†
If they kept Feliz, they’d be paying in the neighborhood of what they’d like to pay.¬† I’m not sure that DeRosa is that much of an upgrade.¬† Maybe the Phillies are looking at his career .275 average and thinking that’s what he’s bringing to the table.¬† I don’t know that I’d be thrilled with either of these guys at third.¬†
