Good News or Bad News: Competition for Feliz

According to Ken Rosenthal - which I read quotes from MLB Trade Rumors - four teams are seriously interested in signing Pedro Feliz: Dodgers, Brewers, Phillies, and Giants. It was also noted:

Phillies Assistant GM Ruben Amaro Jr. confirmed interest today in an MLB.com chat. Rosenthal admits that the Dodgers don't seem like a great fit. He says Bill Hall would have to be traded to make room for Feliz, though Tom Haudricourt implied today that Hall would stay put.

So I can't quite say whether that is good news or bad news. Good news that some other team might take Feliz off our hands and give us a supplemental draft pick early on. Bad news that it might force the Giants to overpay and give Feliz the three years he desires, nay, demanded.

I would have to say that given that we are already into the new year, that usually means that players who sign typically don't get that good a contract, as most good free agents are pursued and signed before the year ends, you know, get things settled on your team before the holidays roll around. This is when supplemental players like Kenny Lofton and Reggie Sanders end up getting a contract in the $1-3M range as another team decides that they need whatever gift they provide on the cheap and, OK, I guess we can really use you. The A's just did one with Emil Brown yesterday, most probably, given Brown's poor year last season.

However, I still cannot quite shake that Sabean was willing to give two years - I would guess most probably a one year contract with an option that can vest if Feliz plays a certain number of games, as that seems to be what Sabean gives to players who want to be able to vest, though it could be just a team option, as has been done before. Plus, he has regularly gone the extra year when he really wants someone, like Edgardo Alfonzo and, more recently, Aaron Rowand. So will he do likewise with Feliz this year?

And we know that Sabean likes to build a good defensive team. Feliz was considered among the best in 2007, fulfilling Felipe Alou's (at that point, seemingly crazed idea, or so I thought) pronouncement that Feliz deserves a gold glove. Usually, a player is a good defensive player or not, they don't usually develop over time, though the best sometimes do, like Mike Schmidt. I only wish Feliz would have spent that energy on hitting instead, who knows how good he could have become. :^) And offense was more what we needed, particularly today, not defense.

Now, I know the Phillies probably are serious, as they signed Wes Holms, I think, last year to play 3B and he didn't do that well and so they are looking again. It excites me that the D'gers are excited because that means that they will have a giant logjam at 3B with Feliz presumably the starter, then what happens to Nomar, plus then there is Andy LaRoche, very highly rated 3B, waiting in the wings.

I've been hoping that, despite the history of not dealing with the devil, that the Giants might, since there is the Sabean-Colletti connection, be able to pry LaRoche off the D'gers hands and if they sign Feliz, that might be an option that gains more possibility. I would be totally OK with trading Lowry for LaRoche and another prospect or two (Blake DeWitt too, can I dream? Or even Chin-Lung Hu?).

Still, there is a gnawing in my gut that the Giants might be the one who ends up signing Feliz to a 3 year contract. Just say No!