Brandon Phillips

With the Reds heading to New York to play the Mets, general manager Walt Jocketty plans on meeting with the agents for Brandon Phillips while in the Big Apple, according to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon.

Seth and Sam Levinson, the agents for for Phillips, are the same pair that helped the 30-year-old second baseman work out the current four-year, $27MM contract that he's currently finishing up. It's already all but decided that the Reds will exercise Phillps' $12MM option for the 2012 season, but it's been well-publicized that Phillips would consider merely exercising the option a "slap in the face."

Current discussions are expected to be preliminary, and Jocketty tells Sheldon that the negotiations could very well carry on into the winter. We've seen a few September extensions from other teams this season (Chris Carpenter, Tim Byrdak, and Lance Berkman), but none of those three signed a deal that would be of the size or magnitude that it would require to lock up Phillips.

Phillips has certainly upped his stock in September, batting .326/.402/.628 with six homers entering play today to raise his season line to .301/.352/.459. His .811 OPS would be his highest since the .816 mark he posted in his 30-30 season in 2007, while his OPS+ of 120 would be a career-high.

Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips told John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer that he hopes to stay in Cincinnati, where he established himself as an MLB star. Just don’t expect him to give the Reds a hometown discount if they want to talk extension this offseason.

“No bueno,” he said. “This is my last contract. There’s no homeboy hookup. That ain’t going to work. I want to be paid what I’m worth.”

The Reds can sidestep questions about Phillips’ long-term role on the team by exercising their $12MM option for the 30-year-old’s services in 2012. Though Phillips told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon this month that it would feel like “a slap in my face” if the Reds pick up the option without talking long-term deal, that remains a perfectly viable option for the team.

Phillips says he’s glad Reds GM Walt Jocketty expects to have him back in 2012 and that he hasn’t heard anything official about his option for next year. The sides have had some talks about an extension and, as MLBTR's Tim Dierkes suggested this morning, a backloaded deal might work for the Reds given their limited financial flexibility heading into 2012.

Reds GM Walt Jocketty said second baseman Brandon Phillips will be back next year, reports John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer.  Fay takes that to mean the Reds will pick up Phillips' $12MM option in the least.  The two sides have had preliminary talks on an extension, so it may not come to that.

Phillips is opposed to the idea of the Reds picking up the option.  He told MLB.com's Mark Sheldon earlier this month, "If they just pick my option up and don't extend me, I feel like that's a slap in my face.  If the team wants you, they will make room. They will show you they want you here, period. They did it for some of the other guys.  If they're going to have me for just one year, I feel like they don't see me in the future."

The Reds probably would prefer some kind of backloaded extension, because simply exercising the option would give them limited payroll space for 2012.  Phillips, 30, is hitting .294/.346/.452 with 18 home runs in 648 plate appearances this year with above-average defense at second base.

Reds' second baseman Brandon Phillips has made it no secret that he would like a contract extension, but talks were not progressing as of June. He spoke to MLB.com's Mark Sheldon today about how negotiations are going and his feelings about the situation.

"I've always said from Day One that this is where I want to be at," said Phillips. "I thought there might be some talks going on during the season but I haven't heard anything all year. I was very disappointed about it … I can't really trip about anything that much. I came here and got my career back to where it should be going."

GM Walt Jocketty, meanwhile, does not believe the lack of talks are unusual, acknowledging that he has not spoken to Phillips' agent but believes he would "at some point between now and the next month or so." The Reds hold a 2012 club option that would pay the 30-year-old infielder $12MM, but Phillips said he will test the free agent waters if the team simply picks up the option without a contract extension.

"If they just pick my option up and don't extend me, I feel like that's a slap in my face," he said. "If the team wants you, they will make room. They will show you they want you here, period. They did it for some of the other guys … If they're going to have me for just one year, I feel like they don't see me in the future."

Cincinnati gave contract extensions to Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, Johnny Cueto, and Bronson Arroyo this past offseason, though Votto's did not buy out any free agent years. Phillips is hitting .295/.345/.433 with a dozen homers this season, and he would be the cream of the middle infield free agent crop after next year.

Earlier this week, we heard Brandon Phillips say that it would "be hard" to keep him in Cincinnati, despite his desire to stay there. Phillips said in March that he doesn't want to break the bank with a C.C. Sabathia or Jayson Werth -style contract, but is looking for fair money.

Now, John Fay of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets that Phillips says nothing is going on with his extension talks: "It was bothering me earlier," said Phillips. "but now I'm just playing." In a separate tweet, Fay points out that the Reds could simply exercise Phillips' $12MM option, and it sounds like Phillips would be fine with that outcome: "That's a lot of money. I want that guarantee."

GM Walt Jocketty has indicated that the Reds will likely exercise the option, Fay writes in his blog: “He’s got an option. That’s what options are for. We might try to get something done later.”

Phillips turns 30 in ten days, and isn't experiencing his usual level of production, hitting .280/.338/.387 with just four stolen bases entering play today. These factors make it difficult to gauge his value.

Speculating here, but in Phillips' eyes, "fair" could be something along the lines of Dan Uggla's five-year $63MM contract with the Braves. After all, he's one year younger than Uggla was when he signed his deal, and unlike Uggla, Phillips is a well-reputed defender. While his typical power doesn't match Uggla's, it's still above-average for a second baseman and Phillips has significantly more speed to burn than Uggla.

Another comparable could be Brian Roberts, who signed a four-year $40MM contract with the Orioles at age 31 in 2009. Phillips has been equally as durable as Roberts was prior to his deal, averaging 151 games over his past five seasons compared to Roberts' 150. And, over the previous five years, he's hit .275/.326/.447 to Roberts' .291/.366/.435 in five years prior to his deal. According to UZR, Phillips is a historically better defender than Roberts as well.

If an extension can't be worked out, then the remainder of Phillips' 2011 season will dictate his paycheck in 2012 and beyond. If he continues to slug below .400, the Reds may buy out his option for $1MM and let him explore free agency. If he has a hot summer and regains his power stroke, I can see the Reds exercising his his option and worrying about his next contract over the winter or during the 2012 season.

As Tim Dierkes pointed out in the previously-linked post, Jocketty exercised Bronson Arroyo's $13MM option for 2011 before negating it in lieu of a three-year, $35MM extension this offseason.

ESPN's Amy K. Nelson wrote a feature on Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips, focusing mainly on his interactions with fans via his Twitter account, @DatDudeBP.  Really cool stuff.  But there is an MLBTR-related nugget from a March conversation Phillips had with fans/friends Rachel and Dave Zahniser.  Phillips' Spring Training comments on his future in Cincinnati:

"It's going to be hard to keep me here." On whether he'd be willing to take a pay cut to stay: "I'm not trying to break the bank. I'm just trying to be fair. I don't want Jayson Werth money or CC Sabathia money."

Despite that comment, Phillips has made it well-known he'd like to stay in Cincinnati.  The first issue will be his 2012 club option, worth $12MM with a $1MM buyout.  The $11MM net price feels a bit high, as Phillips' slugging percentage has dipped below .400.  His defense remains well-regarded, so some team would probably find the salary palatable even if the Reds don't.  Jocketty told Nelson he hasn't had internal discussions or with Phillips' agents at ACES about a new deal.

For fans hoping Phillips stays, Jocketty's dealings with Bronson Arroyo are encouraging.  Arroyo's hefty $13MM club option was exercised in November, which was then overwritten as part of a three-year deal heavy on deferrals.