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PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES
Team Audit | Player Cards | Depth Chart

Signed P-R Jonathan Papelbon to a four-year deal worth approximately $50 million and a vesting option that could bring the total value over $60 million. [11/11]

The closer and snark markets are now open for business.

Papelbon’s deal calls for around $12.5 million annually, with a vesting option worth an additional $10-plus million according to Jayson Stark. Suggesting that this deal will not sit well with the sabermetrics community would be an understatement. Skepticism runs rampant whenever a team gives a non-Rivera reliever this much cash over this many years, and for good reason. Relievers are the most volatile lot in a game known for its unpredictability; to commit so much with so little guarantee goes against prudent financial management.

Attackers of the deal, however, should aim their weapons towards the Phillies and Ruben Amaro Jr., not Papelbon. He is a good, now mega-rich reliever with four-straight 60-plus inning seasons and an earned run average better than the league average in each season since 2005. In 27 postseason innings with Boston, Papelbon allowed three runs, showing great aplomb in big spots and earning a reputation as a primetime pitcher.

The signing concludes a strange week for the Phillies. Just days ago, it looked like the Phillies were heading towards re-signing Ryan Madson. The rumored contract in that case—four-years worth $44 million with a club option attached—needed to be cleared by Philadelphia’s upper management. Depending on the source, either the clearance or the agreement never happened. Whatever the case, the Phillies have opted for Papelbon, yielding a first-round pick and an additional $6 million over the next four seasons. Should the Phillies offer Madson arbitration, then they would get a first- or second-round pick back.

One wonders how much injury history played into the Phillies’ preference for Papelbon. Madson has missed time with benign injuries in recent seasons—a broken big toe in 2010 and a hand injury after being struck with a batted ball in 2011—otherwise his most alarming issue is a strained shoulder that came back in 2007 and 2008. In theory, no one knows Madson’s medical records and conditioning habits better than the Phillies. Papelbon, alternatively, has never been to the disabled list in the majors, missing significant time back in 2006 and little since.

There will be talk about Papelbon’s compensation and about whether the market correctly values relievers. That is an argument for another time, but it does look like Papelbon is being paid market value. Just compare Papelbon’s 2009-2011 surface statistics with the 2008-2010 stats of relievers who received multiple years last offseason and their annual average value:

Pitcher

IP

ERA

Saves

AAV

Mariano Rivera

258.1

1.71

160

$15M

Papelbon

199.1

2.89

106

$12.5M

Rafael Soriano

191.1

2.78

77

$11.7M

Joaquin Benoit

166.1

2.92

4

$5.5M

Brian Fuentes

224

3.29

114

$5.25M

Scott Downs

232.1

2.17

15

$5M

J.J. Putz

187.2

3.26

65

$5M

Jesse Crain

247.2

3.42

2

$4.33M

Grant Balfour

243

2.85

10

$4M

Matt Guerrier

290

3.69

4

$4M

There is but one Rivera. Papelbon does compare favorably to Soriano statistically, although Papelbon has proven more durable and has the closer tag attached to his name, which explains the salary difference.  As Kevin Goldstein tweeted after rumors of the Madson deal hit Twitter: closer mentality does exist. Not in certain pitchers who live for the moment, but rather it exists in those who sign the checks and make the pitching changes. If it takes a myth for a manager to get through the ninth inning, so be it.

In trusting Madson with the ninth inning last season, the Phillies appeared ready to pay $5 million more than they had in order to previously retain him—all so Charlie Manuel would not deign himself by calling for an untested reliever in save situations next season. Instead, Manuel will get to bring in one of the best modern closers to finish games out.

Skeptics should appreciate the timing. Papelbon receives his payday weeks after Brad Lidge’s tenure in Philadelphia ended. Lidge, of course, signed a three-year, $37.5 million extension in July 2008. He finished that season just fine but tallied 41 innings per season and a 4.73 earned run average over the contract’s remainder. Nowadays, Lidge serves as a poster boy for what can go wrong with lengthy relief contracts.

As part of the aftershock, Papelbon’s contract adds to a forthcoming budget logjam in Philadelphia. Under Amaro, the Phillies have shown a penchant for making the big move, whether it comes via free agency, trade, re-signing, or even a non-move. Amaro let Pat Burrell walk after winning the World Series, traded for Cliff Lee just to trade him away, acquired Roy Halladay and Roy Oswalt, then declined options on Oswalt and Lidge, re-signed Ryan Howard, decided against re-signing Jayson Werth, and so far has done the same with Jimmy Rollins and now Madson.

Those moves have helped the Phillies reach the playoffs in each season under Amaro, with one World Series berth to show for it. The roster is older, but the Phillies should make trips to the playoffs at least once or twice more before the core is ineffective. With that in mind, can a general manager justify a questionable long-term contract to ensure short-term success? Maybe not. Still, unless signing Papelbon impedes their ability to acquire a shortstop, the Phillies should be okay for the 2012 season.

After next season, Cole Hamels and Shane Victorino will become free agents, with Chase Utley, Carlos Ruiz, and Hunter Pence following suit in winter 2013. Amaro has now committed more than $80 million in 2014 salaries to four players (Roy Halladay, Lee, Howard, and Papelbon), leaving the Phillies in a tough spot. Even with great revenues, the Phillies’ payrolls have not stretched beyond $150 million in two of the past three seasons. The next 24 months will present some difficult decisions, even if only the Phillies know their true payroll ceiling.

Meanwhile, Heath Bell’s agent should be taking notes and compiling comparisons. Anything to present a case that nets Bell an annual average value between the rumored four-year $44 million offer to Madson and Papelbon’s contract. Bell seems willing to remain with San Diego, so he could aim for comfort over money, but his surface statistics are better than the others; however, his advanced statistics suggest the opposite:

Pitcher

IP

ERA

Saves

K/BB

WARP

Madson

191

2.78

47

4

4.2

Bell

202.1

2.36

132

2.96

3.7

Papelbon

199.1

2.89

106

3.85

6.3

If the Papelbon deal proves anything, it is that teams are still willing to spend big money on closers. On a related note, Madson and Bell should sleep like children on Christmas Eve until their signing days. The rest of us will wait to play Scrooge. 

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councilmanjim
11/11
"Meanwhile, Heath Bell’s agent should be taking notes and compiling comparisons"

The same firm represents Pap and Heath bell, so indeed they have!
RJAnderson
11/11
Ha, good point. Sorry about the oversight.
dodgerken222
11/12
Any major league relief pitcher who gets named his team's closer can get 25-30 saves. That's ANYBODY. Not every major league batter can hit 20, or even 10 homers if named a regular. Closers are the most over-rated ballplayers (with rare exceptions like Rivera and Hoffman) around, and saves is the most silly statistic. Dodgers payed a lot to Broxton, Padilla and (gasp) Guerrier and who were their best relievers? Javy Guerra and Kenley Jansen. Tampa Bay lost their whole bullpen and what difference did it make? Show some sense, ballclubs, spend your big money elsewhere.
dodgerken222
11/12
Bell averaged about 7 K's per 9 last year, Madson over 9 and Papelbon over 12. Throw in Bell's weight considerations, and I don't see how he gets paid like Papelbon or even Madson.
brownsugar
11/12
If Bell were a set-up man, teams might consider him overweight. But he is a closer, so his weight just makes him quirky.
meanwhoogean
11/12
Normally I disagree with these types of deal, but this one seems to make sense. The Phillies should be in the playoffs many times over the next 4 years, and Papelbon can be a game changer once they get there. There's plenty of evidence suggesting relievers, especially closers, are overpaid for their regular season work. However, in the playoffs, closers pitch a greater percentage of innings, and also in the highest stakes innings. Maybe paying an elite closer is more of a luxury purchase, but it is a purchase teams like the Phillies can afford.
Oleoay
11/14
Shouldn't the Phillies have learned their lesson about the volatility of relievers, even in a playoff situation, with Brad Lidge? Papelbon has a few chinks in his clutch and postseason numbers too.
roughcarrigan
11/12
How exactly would Charlie Manuel "deign" himself?
dodgerken222
11/12
Even for a playoff team, I don't like this deal. Rookie Todd Worrell for the '85 Cards, rookie Frankie Rodriguez for the '02 Angels. Spend time and money on your farm system and scouting and a relief corps is not that hard to assemble. Jason Motte wasn't a "game-changer" in the WS, and neither was Feliz. "Closers"...waaaay overpriced.
dodgerken222
11/12
Final thought: I just haven't often seen closers as "game-changers" in the post-season (non-Mariano Division). And even Lord Rivera blew game 7 of the WS in 2001. Larry Sherry was a Series-changer for the 1959 Dodgers. And the aforementioned Worrell and Rodriguez. The Cincy Nasty Boys. But even the worst closer, like Lidge in 2009, is going to save 75 percent of his chances. Closers are made, not born, over-emphasized by the baseball establishment media hypesters.
jessehoffins
11/13
No matter the recent financial success of the phil's lets talk about a team with 100 million wrapped up in 2013 for lee, howard, paplebon halladay and utley.
Lee and halladay will be 35 and 36, Utley 34(with knees!) and howard 33. And papelbon.

Given 50 million to spend on the entire rest of their roster, with arb for almost everyone relevant and walk years for hamels and victorino, how does this move make any damn sense for their future? Considering that they might offer a stupid amount of money to cuddyer or rollins still.
If this team heads south and can't continue rasiing ticket prices and selling out, they could end up in serious trouble.
Ragnhild
11/13
Sure, he shows aplomb (self-confidence) in big spots...but he also blew Game 3 of the 2009 ALDS (4 hits, 3 runs with 2 outs, season over) and blew the save against the Orioles this year that would have clinched a playoff spot. So 2 of the past 3 years he has choked away the last game of the season...I'd say that big game reputation is neutral at best.
ScottBehson
11/13
The Phillies sure have an interesting off-season approach- strike early to get who you want, even if there are cheaper alternatives if you wait. Papelbon NOW for $50mil, when one of the "proven closers" on the market (Bell, Krod, Cordero, Nathan, etc.) is going to be left begging for a 1-2 year low money deal.

Just like how they jumped at Ibanez when Abreu and Dunn were similarly avaioable (and Abreu was stuck signing a 1-year, make-good deal).