An update on the Phillies' center field situation

PBR - The Phillies were involved in plenty of storylines earlier this week, but none of them ended the way general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. had hoped.

 

First, the club made a a run at free-agent center fielder B.J. Upton offering him five years at $55 million, but the Atlanta Braves trumped the Phillies by nearly $20 million, landing the 28-year-old for five years at $75.25 million. Then, the club had a trade in place with the Houston Astros for reliever Wilton Lopez only to have the deal fall apart with Lopez failing a physical.

 

Amaro can only hope  his luck improves next week at the Winter Meetings in Nashville, Tenn.

 

Center field remains at the top of the Phillies prioritiy list with Josh Hamilton, Angel Pagan, Michael Bourn and Shane Victorino all likely targets. Hamilton is the best of the bunch but his asking price of nearly $25 million per year and the risks off the field may be too much for the club to realistically entertain. Bourn, a left-handed hitter with minimal power, is probably the least likely of the four because he simply dosen't fit the club's needs and is looking for more money than Upton, leaving Pagan and Victorino as the leading candidates.

 

The Phillies are believed to have already made a four-year offer to Pagan, according to a source. The 31-year-old put together a solid season with San Francisco last season (.288/.338/.440), collecting 71 hits from the leadoff spot over the final two months of the season. He also is one of the better fielders in the game and stole 29 bases last year. He also will come significantly cheaper than Bourn, meaning the club can use the saved money on other needs such as the bullpen and third base. The biggest concern about Pagan is his durablity. He has played in more than 123 games just twice in his career, including last year when he appeared in a career-high 154.

Victorino is the known commodity. The 32-year-old spent seven seasons with the Phillies before the club dealt him to the Los Angeles Dodgers at the trade deadline last season. A two-time All Star, he is believed to be looking for a five-year deal  which is something the Phillies will certainly not do. The club would likely entertain a two-year deal with him, but nothing more.

- Patrick Gordon is the editor of the Philadelphia Baseball Review. Contact him at pgordon@philadelphiabaseballreview.com or @Philabaseball on Twitter.