NL Beast

Pat Gillick doesn’t prefer talking to players about contract extensions in-season. But saying this is his last year, he is willing to consider organization wishes before his own. Todd Zolecki elaborates:

So, will Gillick remain steadfast in his preference not to talk in-season, even though he won’t be back next year? It is believed the Phillies will remain inside the organization and replace Gillick with one of their assistant general managers, Ruben Amaro Jr. or Mike Arbuckle. What if everyone else thinks they should move forward and lock up Lidge or Burrell before they hit the open market?

“If I’m not going to be back and the organization thinks that they would like to move ahead, then it would be something that we would have to consider,” Gillick said before yesterday’s 4-3 loss to the San Francisco Giants at AT&T Park.

Lidge and Burrell could fit that description.

“I’d say at this point they’re both having above-average seasons,” Gillick said. “They probably would be somebody we would have to consider retaining.”

The Phillies have not had talks with them yet, but Burrell already has said he would like to return. Lidge so far is happy in Philadelphia.

The resigning of Lidge and Burrell poses many questions to the organization. Firstly, is Brad Lidge having a legitimate season? How do we know he’s not just performing well in a contract year? Lidge has been masterful so far, but his past says this won’t last forever.

It also plays into the Brett Myers situation. Myers gave the Phils a solid closer last season, capable of going multiple innings and throwing with high velocity. This year, Myers is struggling immensely from the mound as a starter. Every sign points to Myers moving back to the closer role eventually, either for the Phillies or another team. He says he likes it, he did well there last season, and he’s not performing well as a starter. Obviously, the Phils aren’t going to keep Lidge and Myers in the pen together. If the Phillies sign Lidge, it means that they are sticking with Myers as a starter. That may not be the best move.

As for Burrell, the questions really start to mount. Burrell is 31, he had a career second-half last year and had a career April this year. So far in May he has struggled. Regardless, say he keeps up solid numbers throughout the season, are the Phillies really going to sign a 31 year-old historically under-performing left fielder? The same questions about performance in a contract year comes up with Burrell. I tend to believe that Burrell has legitimately figured things out. Even so, are you going to keep his average glove in left?

Jason Werth seems poised for a starting role, and Ryan Howard can’t find the right pitch to swing at. The rumblings over the last month suggest the possibility of Werth starting in the outfield and Burrell possibly moving to first. That means bye-bye for Ryan Howard. Howard is getting paid $10 million through arbitration this year. It’s the highest amount ever awarded to a player in arbitration. The Phillies have the rights to the 28 year old through 2010, thus they have every opportunity to trade him or resign him.

At this point, don’t hedge your bets on the Phillies trading Ryan Howard. He was the 2006 MVP, and it simply unfathomable for this organization to do something that may make sense, but would be a PR disaster. While the rest of baseball figures out that signing aging, overweight, one-dimensional players may not be the best move, the Phillies will likely resign Howard or continue to take him to arbitration for a couple more years. That would mean resigning Burrell would keep him in left field. Burrell’s running days weren’t every really here, but they’re definitely gone now.

Pat Gillick has a lot of moves to think over this season, especially before the trade deadline. If they’re going to resign either Burrell or Lidge, Gillick must have a plan for Howard and Myers. Question marks are popping up everywhere.

And don’t underestimate the hand of the ownership in any deal. It’s bad enough that they’re pressuring Gillick to act now. But if they want Burrell or Lidge signed, they’ll get their way. Being a GM for the Phillies means that ultimately you are just a pawn of the ownership. After Pat Gillick, pawn-in-training Ruban Amaro Jr.

-Greg Berlin