Werth

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - Not long after the Phillies had been eliminated from the postseason by the soon-to-be-champion Giants, a man in a business suit approached Jayson Werth outside a conference room at Citizens Bank Park. The man, an upper-level member of the organization's business department, extended a hand and spent a few moments extolling the rightfielder's career with the club. It's been a pleasure watching you play the last few years, he said, watching you perform, watching you develop, watching you thrive.

LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. - The general manager was asked why on earth he had committed so much more to the Phillies free-agent outfielder than any other team was seemingly willing to spend. "Price of doing business," Giants GM Brian Sabean shrugged three springs ago when queried about guaranteeing Aaron Rowand $60 million over 5 years. This time it was rightfielder Jayson Werth who was lured away from Citizens Bank Park by big bucks, agreeing yesterday to a 7-year deal with the last-place Washington Nationals that will reportedly pay him $126 million.

As far as ballparks to make his new home, Jayson Werth selected a pretty good one in Nationals Park. Werth is a career .307 hitter there, with six homers and 13 RBI in 25 games. This past season, he hit .419, with two homers and six RBI in eight games. Among those teams that have to face Werth often is the Phillies, now that he remains in the National League East. "We'll get him out a lot. That's what I think," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. "I believe that we will.

SCOTT BORAS sold the Washington Nationals the Brooklyn Bridge yesterday. Told general manager Mike Rizzo it's a great deal because in a few years the bridge will be carrying auto traffic instead of horses and buggies. Scott Boras sold the Nationals 1,000 acres of oceanfront property in the Sahara desert. Convinced owner Ted Lerner it's a great deal because Ted's buddy, Al Gore, says in a few hundred years the Mediterranean Sea will be lapping at the edge of the property. Just think of the condo potential.

Jayson Werth is worth $126 million over the next seven years because he has a contract from the Washington Nationals that says he is. That's great for Werth, whose signature on that contract is a confession that free agency for him was always about getting the last possible dollar. That's great for Scott Boras, the agent/hypnotist who manages to persuade Major League Baseball teams to part with wheelbarrows full of money for his clients. It is not so great for the Phillies, who lose a really good player and key contributor to their superb three-year run as the class of the National League.

The righthanded bat the Phillies are looking for may have officially hit the free-agent market Thursday. A day after the Phillies' own top free agent, Jayson Werth, reportedly met with Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona and general manager Theo Epstein in a Chicago hotel, the Atlanta Braves opted not to tender a contract to veteran outfielder Matt Diaz. The Phillies, meanwhile, did tender offers to outfielder Ben Francisco and righthanded pitcher Kyle Kendrick, both of whom are eligible for salary arbitration.

Jayson Werth has taken another step toward becoming a former Phillie. As expected, Werth declined the Phillies' offer of salary arbitration before the midnight deadline Tuesday night in what was largely a procedural move. The Phillies still can negotiate with Werth and agent Scott Boras, but the move means that if Werth signs elsewhere, the Phillies will receive two high draft picks, because Werth is classified as a Type A free agent. The Phillies would get the top pick from the team that signs Werth - either a first- or second-rounder - and then a sandwich pick between the first and second rounds.

Jayson Werth rejected salary arbitration before Tuesday's midnight deadline and Jamie Moyer had successful surgery on his left elbow Wednesday. In a move that surprised no one, Werth declined the Phillies' arbitration offer, which means the team will receive two high draft picks if the veteran rightfielder signs elsewhere. Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. has declined to comment about negotiations with Werth's agent, Scott Boras, and the agent has not returned numerous phone calls from The Inquirer.