Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it?

As wallets creaked shut and the dollars didn't flow nearly as freely as certain free agents hoped this winter, Pat Burrell wound up moving from one World Series team to another.

An "American League player" for, oh, roughly most of his career, Burrell now really is an AL player, having signed with Tampa Bay for two years and $16 million.

It's a noticeable cut from the $14 million he earned for the world champion Philadelphia Phillies last year.

What's also noticeable is that the Phillies long ago replaced Burrell with an older, more expensive left fielder.

Maybe Tampa Bay's gain will be Philadelphia's loss.

Burrell, his lifetime .083 batting average in Tropicana Field notwithstanding (he's 1-for-12 there with one homer and two RBI), is a significant upgrade for the Rays, a left-handed heavy team in need of a righty bat and designated hitter.

Over the past four seasons, he's averaged 31 homers, 99 RBI, 103 walks and 77 runs scored, and he is one of only six major-leaguers to hit 20 or more homers in each of the past eight seasons. Carlos Delgado, Chipper Jones, Vladimir Guerrero, Manny Ramirez and Alex Rodriguez are the other five.

Not bad for $8 million a season.

Meantime, the Phillies gave Raul Ibanez three years and $30 million.

Ibanez, over the past four seasons, has averaged 24 homers, 105 RBI, 63 walks and 90 runs scored. His lifetime OBP is .346.

Burrell is 32 (he won't turn 33 until next Oct. 10). Ibanez will turn 37 on June 2.

While Burrell routinely was removed for defensive purposes, Ibanez is a competent left fielder but is in no danger of winning a Gold Glove award anytime soon himself, either.

Burrell well could surpass the 536 at-bats he reached last summer in Philly because, in the AL, presumably spending most of his time as a DH, he will not be removed in the late innings.

There are never any guarantees in the winter, and if Burrell's weak Tropicana Field numbers continue, then the Phillies could look like geniuses for cutting bait and going with Ibanez.

But that's a really small sample, of course, and odds are that Burrell, in time, will rake at the Trop. And at five years younger than Ibanez and with a price tag that dropped below Ibanez, you have to wonder whether the Phillies, in the end, out-smarted themselves.

Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it?

ColonelB Since: Dec 27, 2008	Posted on: January 10, 2009 2:40 pm Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it? Hey anybody that thought Burrell would be a long time Philly was snortin cheesestakes up their noses- He has been on the "gone" list for years- only his contract kept him in Philly and only decent stats kept him in the lineup. He was supposed to be Greg Luzinski re-incarnated when he arrived- and never met the bill. He had the chance to save his career in Philly two years ago when his bat would have made an impact in the line-up and he didn't show up. Numbers are one thing, but they weren't coming at the right time. He might have been traded but no offers- what's that telling you. He got to go to an AL team which is great for him, he gets moocho more At Bats, and doesn't have to play the field every day. (oh yeh- so I guess we won't have to pay him as much) As far as anybody looking at his TAMPA field history- oops- he was facing Tampa Bay pitching then, and now with Tampa he not only gets to bat more, he plays in some AL parks for away games- remember them things- away games, like 82 of them. You semi-trashing Ibanez about not winning a gold glove- too compare with the wall full that Burrell had??? Ibanez's stats were with Seattle, not exactly a pennant contender during his years.-you take BELTRE out of the lineup and nobody except Ibanez hit 20 homers - Ibanez was the only one over 90 RBI's(Beltre had 90) and only Ichiro had more Runs scored than him. Ibanex should be a tremendous impact with Philly. And his batting average looks like he should be playing everyday unlike -just a home run threat. Philly might have offered Burrell a reduced contract (for a reduced role) if nobody took him, but this way- everybody is happy- remember the 14 mil was part of a contract signed earlier, so he didn't take a cut- he was over paid when he signed. It's been prooven a long time ago that the best individual players don't always fit on the same team- Philly doesn't see themselves getting any BETTER with Burrell, they do with Ibanez. I hope Burrell excells in Tampa, if for no other reason than to show thats where he belongs. [ Reply to Comment ]
ColonelB Since: Dec 27, 2008	Posted on: January 10, 2009 2:14 pm Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it? Burrell's days were numbered a long time ago- anybody that thought he was going to be a longtime Philly has been snuffin cheesestakes up their noses Burrell was suppose to be the continuation of Luzinski when he arrived- never happened and he was doomed, two years ago when a great season from Burrell could have really helped he didn't cut it, and so went his expendibility They probably would have offered him a cut salary to stay if nobody went fishing for him, keep his bat in a DH/pinch hitter type of role0 but with much less at bat time. But Tampa rose to the top and took the needs that an AL team needs, and now everybody makes out. As far as his stats in Tampa- less we forget- those stats are AGAINST tampa pitching not against the field. and that only represents half the Tampa games- they have to play away games too. You think people are going to be surprise by Romero- wait till they see the news release MLB just put out on EXEMPTIONS from restricted drugs for players- apparently 106- get that- 106 MLB players were given exemptions from controlled substance use for - are you ready- Attention Deficient Disorder--- I didn't know so many professional athletes could not pay attention to what's going on during a game. [ Reply to Comment ]
ThePlanMan47 Since: Dec 14, 2006	Posted on: January 6, 2009 12:15 pm Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it? OBP, Your arguement is a classic case of someone manipulating the facts to prove there point without presenting the whole arguement. Four of the top Six ERA's last year belonged to NL teams (one of which was the Phillies and one of which was the Rays...Toronto of course being first). Hence, Burrelll faced some top qualitiy pitching to begin with while with the Phillies so your arguement regarding the weakness of the NL is based on the typical rumors that are passed around the league and the constant belief that BOS and NYY are the best. Also, the reason you can't remember a single NL team that had a decent DH is because AL teams invest millions of dollars into finding a suitable DH (see 16 million dollars for Pat Burrell) while NL teams dont focus on DH's because they are not a prominent of an NL team. [ Reply to Comment ]
Patches17 Since: Apr 25, 2008	Posted on: January 6, 2009 10:36 am Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it? I don't think the Phils blew it outright as much as the Rays benefited.He will be missed in the clubhouse but Ibanez is a good pickup who will do well at CBP.I think Pat is a good fit for the Rays and I hope to see him in the World Series again next year vs. the Phils. [ Reply to Comment ]
Phillys08 Since: Nov 20, 2008	Posted on: January 6, 2009 12:04 am Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it? I thought this mattered. It doesn't. wait until you read about or hear about the real mistake. J.C. Romero was suspended for 50 games. Wait until you find out why. [ Reply to Comment ]
Miami U Since: Oct 27, 2008	Posted on: January 5, 2009 10:33 pm This comment has been removed. Post Deleted by Administrator
fezzman1234 Since: Oct 29, 2008	Posted on: January 5, 2009 8:28 pm Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it? No the Jays did.. Ricciardi, this guy could of been a nice bat to have instead he goes to Tampa Bay, way to go JP! Good pick you Rays! (whole lot of curse words under my breath..lol) [ Reply to Comment ]
brm2073 Since: Feb 24, 2008	Posted on: January 5, 2009 8:19 pm Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it? I like Burrell hes a decent bat and its nice to see the Rays spendin g some money but it would have been nice if they decided to spend just a little more and pickup Bradley. Also I dont see how anyone thinks he is going to have better numbers going from the NL East to the AL East. [ Reply to Comment ]
OBP-482 Since: Aug 6, 2008	Posted on: January 5, 2009 8:04 pm Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it? "odds are that Burrell, in time, will rake at the Trop" Maybe. The parks are about the same, the Trop is bigger in center. The pitching is completely different, as is sitting on the bench all game. NL East pitching, lets see that's mighty WSH and FLA, with visits to PIT and CIN. AL East is TOR, BOS and NYY, with visits into CWS and MIN. SItting on the bench was one of the hardest things to do when the DH was introduced and I cannot think of a single long term NL player that had an outstanding first year when assigned to DH....in fact, in interleague games, I cannot remember a single NL team that had a decent DH for the last 2 years. I wonder if the Rays thought the train was leaving and just grabbed the first bat they saw...Bradley was a better deal, and I think there is still a better choice out there. I feel a cold draft of Andruws ghost nearby.... [ Reply to Comment ]

Hey anybody that thought Burrell would be a long time Philly was snortin cheesestakes up their noses- He has been on the "gone" list for years- only his contract kept him in Philly and only decent stats kept him in the lineup.

He was supposed to be Greg Luzinski re-incarnated when he arrived- and never met the bill. He had the chance to save his career in Philly two years ago when his bat would have made an impact in the line-up and he didn't show up. Numbers are one thing, but they weren't coming at the right time. He might have been traded but no offers- what's that telling you.

He got to go to an AL team which is great for him, he gets moocho more At Bats, and doesn't have to play the field every day. (oh yeh- so I guess we won't have to pay him as much)

As far as anybody looking at his TAMPA field history- oops- he was facing Tampa Bay pitching then, and now with Tampa he not only gets to bat more, he plays in some AL parks for away games- remember them things- away games, like 82 of them.

You semi-trashing Ibanez about not winning a gold glove- too compare with the wall full that Burrell had??? Ibanez's stats were with Seattle, not exactly a pennant contender during his years.-you take BELTRE out of the lineup and nobody except Ibanez hit 20 homers - Ibanez was the only one over 90 RBI's(Beltre had 90) and only Ichiro had more Runs scored than him. Ibanex should be a tremendous impact with Philly. And his batting average looks like he should be playing everyday unlike -just a home run threat.

Philly might have offered Burrell a reduced contract (for a reduced role) if nobody took him, but this way- everybody is happy- remember the 14 mil was part of a contract signed earlier, so he didn't take a cut- he was over paid when he signed.

It's been prooven a long time ago that the best individual players don't always fit on the same team- Philly doesn't see themselves getting any BETTER with Burrell, they do with Ibanez.

I hope Burrell excells in Tampa, if for no other reason than to show thats where he belongs.

Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it?

Burrell's days were numbered a long time ago- anybody that thought he was going to be a longtime Philly has been snuffin cheesestakes up their noses

Burrell was suppose to be the continuation of Luzinski when he arrived- never happened and he was doomed, two years ago when a great season from Burrell could have really helped he didn't cut it, and so went his expendibility

They probably would have offered him a cut salary to stay if nobody went fishing for him, keep his bat in a DH/pinch hitter type of role0 but with much less at bat time. But Tampa rose to the top and took the needs that an AL team needs, and now everybody makes out.

As far as his stats in Tampa- less we forget- those stats are AGAINST tampa pitching not against the field. and that only represents half the Tampa games- they have to play away games too.

You think people are going to be surprise by Romero- wait till they see the news release MLB just put out on EXEMPTIONS from restricted drugs for players- apparently 106- get that- 106 MLB players were given exemptions from controlled substance use for - are you ready-

Attention Deficient Disorder--- I didn't know so many professional athletes could not pay attention to what's going on during a game.

Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it?

OBP,

Your arguement is a classic case of someone manipulating the facts to prove there point without presenting the whole arguement. Four of the top Six ERA's last year belonged to NL teams (one of which was the Phillies and one of which was the Rays...Toronto of course being first). Hence, Burrelll faced some top qualitiy pitching to begin with while with the Phillies so your arguement regarding the weakness of the NL is based on the typical rumors that are passed around the league and the constant belief that BOS and NYY are the best. Also, the reason you can't remember a single NL team that had a decent DH is because AL teams invest millions of dollars into finding a suitable DH (see 16 million dollars for Pat Burrell) while NL teams dont focus on DH's because they are not a prominent of an NL team.

Rays land Burrell; did Phillies blow it?

"odds are that Burrell, in time, will rake at the Trop"

Maybe.

The parks are about the same, the Trop is bigger in center. The pitching is completely different, as is sitting on the bench all game.

NL East pitching, lets see that's mighty WSH and FLA, with visits to PIT and CIN. AL East is TOR, BOS and NYY, with visits into CWS and MIN. SItting on the bench was one of the hardest things to do when the DH was introduced and I cannot think of a single long term NL player that had an outstanding first year when assigned to DH....in fact, in interleague games, I cannot remember a single NL team that had a decent DH for the last 2 years.

I wonder if the Rays thought the train was leaving and just grabbed the first bat they saw...Bradley was a better deal, and I think there is still a better choice out there. I feel a cold draft of Andruws ghost nearby....

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