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Phillies win big by signing Thome Posted: Monday December 02, 2002 5:11 PM
On Monday free-agent first baseman Jim Thome reportedly agreed to a six-year, $87.5 million contract with the Philadelphia Phillies. CNNSI.com spoke to Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci about the impact of Thome's move to the City of Brotherly Love. CNNSI.com: Was this all about money? It seems like Thome just went after the biggest offer. Tom Verducci: A large part of it was about money, let's face it. Philadelphia felt the biggest advantage it had over Cleveland was money, so the Phillies had to step up. It was clear that Thome's heart was in Cleveland, it was the incumbent, but Philadelphia came up with enough cash to the point where basically Thome couldn't say no to the Phillies. CNNSI.com: How much does this hurt the Indians, who could have traded Thome during the summer and at least received a couple of prospects for him? Verducci: I think they did the right thing in trying to see if there was a way to keep him -- unlike Scott Rolen [who was traded from the Phillies to the Cardinals after turning down a long-term deal], it was always known that Thome liked Cleveland and that he preferred to stay. I give the Indians credit for taking their best shot. But without him, they have to go into full rebuilding mode right now. With him, they could have tried to accelerate their program by a year or two. Now they're looking at 2004 or 2005 at best to be competitive. CNNSI.com: The Phillies have now brought in Thome and David Bell at the corners. How does their lineup look? Verducci: They were pretty good offensively last year, and obviously they're better now. Thome is the kind of guy who can change the way an entire lineup is pitched. His signing is great news for the Phillies in general, and specifically for Bobby Abreu and Pat Burrell. Thome will take lot of heat off of them. He's on base a ton, when you factor in the walks, and Abreu and Burrell will have a lot of opportunities to drive in runs. Philadelphia now has a very, very dangerous offensive team. CNNSI.com: Will Thome's signing affect the Phillies' pursuit of Tom Glavine? Verducci: I'm not so sure it helps much at all; it can't hurt, now that Glavine sees he'll have a really good offense behind him if he chooses Philadelphia. Still, I think Glavine's choice largely is a personal one. In his mind, it's: Do I want to leave Atlanta, where I have my home and my family, to set up shop somewhere else where I don't know the manager and pitching coach? Glavine's decision is more a matter of the heart than what kind of offense the Phillies have. CNNSI.com: We heard a lot about a market correction, yet Thome will get nearly $15 million a year. How does his new contract affect other free-agent hitters? Verducci: I think the market correction is still in play. Most teams look at Philadelphia this year as an aberration, the one team that has pretty good money to spend. I don't necessarily think this will start a trend. If Jeff Kent thinks he now can just slot in behind Thome in terms of average annual salary, that remains to be seen. I don't see this as a market-setting contract, because Thome was the only hitter out there who came without risk: a guy in his prime, on top of his game. Sports Illustrated senior writer Tom Verducci covers baseball for the magazine and is a regular contributor to CNNSI.com.
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