Chad Durbin wants to sign with a competitive team and is holding out for offers from contenders, according to Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports. Durbin has offers from teams that aren’t expected to contend, but he’s waiting for proposals from teams that could win in 2011. Two or three likely contenders are showing interest, Rosenthal reports.
The Phillies are probably not re-signing Durbin, but other contenders could reach out to the right-hander. Rosenthal lists the Rays, Marlins, Brewers and Twins as clubs that could emerge as suitors for Durbin.
The 33-year-old posted a 3.80 ERA with 8.3 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 and a 42.4% ground ball rate in 68 2/3 innings last year. Durbin has averaged 65 appearances and 75 innings in three seasons out of the Phillies' bullpen.
verlander
Maybe he’ll come back to the Tigers. (Probably not.)
Rick Garcia
only if he considers the Tigers a contender…
inleylandwetrust
And you don’t consider them a contender for the division? Once you get into the playoffs, anything is possible.
Daniel Wesley
I don’t consider the Tigers a contender for the division. They’re just not as good of a team as the White Sox or Twins.
shysox
The Tigers are a contender. Cabrera, Martinez, and Ordonez is equal to a Rios, Dunn, and Konerko.
tiger313
here we go talking about who is a contender before the season even begins.
ballmich
Henning very well may die of a heart attack if we were to re-sign his favorite player. That alone could make this worth it.
$1529282
I’d be perfectly fine with Durbin as a low-budget bullpen option. And our new AL version of Petco should be appealing to him. Go for it Billy.
Bobby A 2
I’ve been wondering for days, why is Durbin still available?
NYBravosFan10
because he just got done with a run with the Phillies and noone wants to get an infection 🙂 nah j/k, I’m really not too sure why. He’s an effective middle reliever who would really fit on any team that needs bullpen help.
Rick Garcia
i would love to know the psychic durbin’s talking to find out who’s a contender…
still better than the excuse for more money/years that everybody else uses
NYBravosFan10
Yeah, I’m not sure what he means by “contender”. Every team is a contender and after what the Padres did last year I’m convinced that even the lowest projected team can suprise everyone. Look at the talent teams like the Mets, Pirates and Orioles have. You never know, that’s what makes baseball so great.
$1529282
Translation: “My current offers are from Kansas City, Pittsburgh, Houston, and Cleveland.”
Cade White
Are the Marlins really considered a contender? I noticed that they might emerge as a suitor, so they might emerge as a contender? Confusing.
Page
We’re a borderline team. If Hanley hits like Hanley, Stanton and Logan hit, and JJ and Ricky hold up the rotation, we could be dangerous.
Motor_City_Bombshell
I wrote a blog article about how he’d be a nice addition to Detroit…and he would be, and he wouldn’t be too expensive. I seriously think they should at least be interested in bringing him back.
stl_cards16
Can he play First Base?
– J. Mozeliak
NYBravosFan10
ok, that type of comment seems to be a running theme around here lately and apparently I’m missing something. Care to explain?
stl_cards16
Someone likes to do it on every thread about the yankees needing pitching. So I thought I’d take a little shot at my own team for a little humor. Apparently it didn’t go well. lol
start_wearing_purple
Dark days ahead in St. Louis?
stl_cards16
Could be, but I’m prepared. There is one good thing about rooting for a bad team. CHEAP TICKETS!
start_wearing_purple
Look on the bright side, NL Central is a pretty weak division.
stl_cards16
ehh…Obviously it’s not the AL East. But with the Brewers finally getting some pitching, Reds are young, and look like they are only going to get better over the next few years. The Cubs just waiting out the bad contracts before they go on a big spending spree again. I think the NL Central could be one of the tougher divisions in baseball over the next few years.
NYBravosFan10
oh ok, gotcha
Brad426
Oh, I disagree… it was funny.
WhenMattStairsIsKing
Come to Wrigley, Chad.
Vincent Bellotti
SELFISH
briantalletsmoustache
I also think less of athletes who like winning.
FrankTheFunkasaurusRex
The O’s!
oh wait, contenders?
daveineg
I honestly don’t see any reason the Brewers would be interested in Durbin. With Loe, Saito and Braddock set in late inning relief ahead of closer Axford, they have enough other candidates: Hawkins, Green, McClendon, Parra, etc. to fill out the remainder of a pen that shouldn’t see as much work as in years past.
Dusty Resch
I disagree… I would take Durbin over Green or McClendon… McClendon will probably be in AAA to start the year anyway. So Durbin over Green, I’ll take Durbin any day.
daveineg
Personally, I’d take McClendon over both Green and Durbin. The only reason McClendon doesn’t make the team out of ST, is because he has options Why pay any kind of premium for mediocre veterans when you have a young cheap arm like McClendon who did well in August and September last year? It’s not like they don’t have veteran presence in the pen with Saito, Loe, and Hawkins.
As Attanasio pointed out, the days of signing guys just to sign guys are over. Unless they are convinced Hawkins can’t make it back health wise, they don’t need another arm.
Rays fan 95
Maybe the Rays, we still have a spot or two open.
phoenix2042
refresh my memory: who is still in that bullpen?
diesel2410
Rafael Soriano…oh wait…Joaquin Benoit! Oh….damnit. Kyle Farnsworth!!!!! Darn..
Kickme Inthenads
Are you guys all seriously fighting over Chad Durbin? Man I can’t wait until spring training.
NYBravosFan10
I guess you can’t blame the guy for holding out for a “contender” but come on, I’m not a baseball player and even I know that that’s a terrible mindset for a middle reliever. They come a dime a dozen and he doesn’t have a team a week before he’s supposed to report to spring training. He’d better sign soon or he might be up you-know-what creek without a paddle
Muggi
Point taken, but in his defense it’s not like he’d have trouble finding a job mid-season either. He’s been an effective (not GREAT, but solid) MR guy for quite a few years.
Someone will have an injury or ineffective pen sooner or later. Most likely sooner.
NYBravosFan10
That’s a good point as well I just have always felt strongly about signing with your club in time to get to know the other players, coaches and other officials and what better time to do that than spring training?
phoenix2042
maybe the As don’t have enough relievers yet.
FrankTheFunkasaurusRex
Don’t the Jays need some right-handed relievers?
roberty
C’mon Chad. Sign one year deal with a crappy team like the Royals and you will be traded to a contender at the deadline.
grownice
Doesnt Durbin realise that wherever he signs , he automatically makes them contenders!? I mean its Chad %&$#ing Durbin for Christ’s sake!
NYBravosFan10
Are you saying that a middle reliever will define a team? Or are you implying that it’s a psychological thing and the team that he signs with should think of themselves as contenders because by signing he deemed them worthy.
grownice
sarcasm 😉
NYBravosFan10
me too lol
Anthony
I woke up today and am very pleased with my overall ‘Comment/Likes’ ratio since joining this site.
HerbertAnchovy
Are you serious? You actually care?
I woke up today and was very pleased that I was going to eat toast.
Anthony
Absolutely, sure I care. Who wouldn’t?
In fact, there should be some sort of incentive-based system involving the like button. Something like the 10 best ratios in each quarter gets to write their own article on here on any player they like, just as long as your bashing that player and that player is a current member of the Phillies organization.
Were you pleased with the toast, though? I get up every morning and eat a bowl of beef jerkey and Tobasco.
Muggi
The like button is meaningless without a dislike button.
Anthony
^This guy knows his stuff.
Zuckerberg is a gazillionaire(not to be confused with mere gabillionaires) and he can’t invest in a dislike button?
Muggi
Well he’d never put something like that on the giant circle-fellatio-fest that is Facebook. It’s a place of happiness and sunshine where everyone gets to feel like they’re the most important person in the world!
Anthony
Haha, here’s what I just got to read on Facebook….
“Just remember…God doesn’t give us anything we can’t handle”
Except people who literally can’t eat, child prostitutes, etc. Your analysis is spot-on and I’m ridiculously close to deleting my account.
HerbertAnchovy
Thanks, the toast was great. Mackay’s Dundee Marmalade. Fantastic.
stl_cards16
This is the first comment of the day to actually make me laugh out loud. I still haven’t figured out if you are serious, maybe that’s the funny part. But good luck on your quest.
FrankTheFunkasaurusRex
what is it
myname_989
About three months ago, people called me crazy when I said the Phillies would sign Lee. I’m telling you, Durbin will be a Phillie within the next six days. At the very least, it gives Amaro a reason to cut Baez…
Anthony
What makes you think Durbin will be a Phillie again in the next 6 days? And why 6 days, btw? Why not 7?
Generally when a GM comes out and says they likely aren’t signing a player it means that more than likely, they aren’t signing that player. I know Amaro is rarely truthful, but you just said that Durbin will be resigned based solely on the fact that you predicted Lee’s destination correctly and that it gives Amaro an excuse to cut a player he recently signed.
myname_989
You clearly have zero idea what you’re talking about. When I mentioned six days, it was an allusion to the fact that Spring Training begins in six days. As for Durbin, it makes more sense than you think. Since you clearly don’t understand humor, I’ll spell it out. Currently, Durbin has no offers from a contender. (Again, reading between the lines here.) That means that if he truly wants to play for a contender, he’ll have to take a paycut. The Phillies and Durbin have exchanged figures a few times, so there is interest. When Amaro says that the team probably won’t bring him back, it’s because they aren’t interested in his asking price. If he decides that he wants to win, he’ll sign with the Phillies, who would love to have him at a reduced rate. The addition of another right handed reliever would give Amaro the flexibility to designate Danys Baez, who was terrible last season and never deserved a multi-year deal, for assignment. They’d be on the hook for the remainder of his salary, but the bullpen would be upgraded in that regard.
Slopeboy
Durbin should get together with Jermaine Dye and sign as a package deal.
NYBravosFan10
like x30
nm344
Durbin has tasted the sweet playoff nectar for the last 3 years. I’d imagine it would be tough to go to a non-contender. It’d be even worse if it was a team like the Mets.