"Again, there is no real time frame, but it's obviously an important position for us," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "I think things tend to [heat up] at the winter meetings just by the natural order of progression."
The facts of the matter have not changed since the Phillies' season ended with a disappointing division series loss to the St. Louis Cardinals. Rollins would like a five-year deal and the Phillies would like to sign him to something less than that.
The dream scenario for many Phillies fans seems to be letting Rollins walk and signing free agent Jose Reyes, an ultra-talented rival with the New York Mets during the last decade. The argument is sound. Reyes is younger, faster, and has a better career batting average and on-base percentage.
No one will argue that Rollins is as talented as Reyes at this point in their careers.
It can be argued, however, that Rollins is a better fit in Philadelphia for a lot of reasons.
Let's start with defense, an underrated commodity, especially for the team that still has the best starting rotation in baseball. A year ago, Reyes made 18 errors in 124 games and he committed 15 in 133 games the year before. The number of times Rollins has made 15 errors in a season? That would be zero.
"Jimmy's consistency has been extraordinary," Amaro said. "We have been spoiled."
Amaro was asked if it would be accurate to say that Rollins is a better defensive shortstop than Reyes.
