UPDATE, 1-28-08 at 8:47pm: Feliz gets a guaranteed $8.5MM over two years. With a third year option and incentives, the deal could reach $15MM over three. Feliz left the Giants with some bad blood, turning down what may have been a better offer. We all know Feliz has his flaws, but he is what he is. I agree that the Phils improved themselves here, and I’m not sure if I saw a better alternative.
FROM 1-28-08 at 3:06pm:
According to ESPN’s Jayson Stark, the Phillies have signed third baseman Pedro Feliz to a two-year deal (pending a physical).
Feliz, 33 in April, has a career line of .252/.288/.433. The average NL third baseman hit .280/.348/.456 in ’07, so Feliz is definitely subpar offensively. On the flip side, the Fielding Bible’s panel of experts ranked him the best defensive third baseman in baseball for 2007. Sum it up and you have a player worth roughly three wins above replacement, an improvement over what the Phillies had. Kyle Kendrick may be most appreciative of Feliz’s defense, as he is the staff’s lead groundballer.
Feliz was a Type B free agent, so the Giants get a sandwich pick for their loss.
