Eddie Altamonte Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Utley gets seven-year, $85M extension 01/21/2007 11:15 AM ET By Ken Mandel / MLB.com PHILADELPHIA -- Chase Utley exchanged marriage vows with his fianc?e on Saturday afternoon in San Francisco. A day later, the All-Star second baseman made a similar long-term commitment to the Phillies, agreeing to a seven-year, $85 million contract that will keep him in Philadelphia through the 2013 season. Though Utley will make less annually up front and more toward the end, this deal averages a little more than $12 million a season. "We view Chase as not only a great second baseman but also one of the top 10-15 players in the game," assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement. "He's a hard-nosed, full-throttle player who exemplifies the spirit of Philadelphia. He is tailor-made for this city and we couldn't be happier to lock him up for years to come." The contract eliminates the sometimes messy process of salary arbitration, when teams exchange figures and either agree on a number or have a salary determined by an independent arbitrator. Last week, Utley submitted a figure of $6.25 million, while the Phillies offered $4.5 million, the third-largest gap between player and team. This pact covers Utley's three years of arbitration eligibility and delays his possible free agency for four years, keeping him in red pinstripes for a long time. In 2006, Utley emerged as Major League Baseball's premier offensive second baseman, clubbing 32 homers and driving in 102 runs, while scoring 131 times. He also fashioned a 35-game hitting streak, the longest streak of the season and second-longest streak in team history. There is precedent for such an agreement. Entering his first year of arbitration eligibility in 2004, the Cardinals' Albert Pujols inked a seven-year, $100 million extension, also avoiding the arbitration process. That came a year after St. Louis gave the slugging first baseman a $900,000 pact, a then-record one-year deal for a third-year player. National League Most Valuable Player Ryan Howard will likely read about Utley's contract with great interest, as he is eligible for arbitration after the 2007 season. If the Phillies don't signed Howard to a long-term deal this winter, he'll still likely break Pujols' $900,000 mark. http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/content/prin...21/c1783475.jsp I think he might shortchanged himself by not going to arbitration but oh well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poptart Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 7 more years of utley... damn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishfan79 Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 good signing for the phillies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EndLine Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 argh!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fish4Life Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Wow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheDon Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 On the Board of Directors of Marlins Killers. Its a LOT of coin but unfortunately (for Marlins fans) he is worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHUfishfan Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 Another Marlin Killer staying in our division for another 7 years...fantastic... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Das Texan Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 another smart team in terms of lockign up a player long term, buying out arbitration and getting a player at a cheaper rate then they would in 3 years. And then there is our team. :pctoss Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catchoftheday Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 another smart team in terms of lockign up a player long term, buying out arbitration and getting a player at a cheaper rate then they would in 3 years. And then there is our team. :pctoss feeling you on that one oh and its news to me that Ruben Amaro Jr was their assistant GM ... cool stuff and good for him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CYmarlins Posted January 21, 2007 Share Posted January 21, 2007 GET RID OF HIM!! LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhillyPhan04 Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 another smart team in terms of lockign up a player long term, buying out arbitration and getting a player at a cheaper rate then they would in 3 years. And then there is our team. :pctoss feeling you on that one oh and its news to me that Ruben Amaro Jr was their assistant GM ... cool stuff and good for him Amaro's been around since the middle of Ed Wade's tenure. He was a candidate for the GM job before Gillick got it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The_Punisher Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 I don't know what to think about this signing. REALLY! It's crazy... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hammerhead Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Gotta be good news for Phillies fans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
QuickGold Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 Great move by Phils Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catchoftheday Posted January 22, 2007 Share Posted January 22, 2007 another smart team in terms of lockign up a player long term, buying out arbitration and getting a player at a cheaper rate then they would in 3 years. And then there is our team. :pctoss feeling you on that one oh and its news to me that Ruben Amaro Jr was their assistant GM ... cool stuff and good for him Amaro's been around since the middle of Ed Wade's tenure. He was a candidate for the GM job before Gillick got it. I knew that he was working with the front office but nothing as high as their assistant GM Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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