David Bell agreed to a $17M, 4-year contract with Philadelphia on Sunday. Under the terms of the contract, he will reportedly receive an $800,000 signing bonus, $3M in 2003, $4.2M in 2004, and $4.5M in each of the final two seasons of the deal. San Francisco supposedly offered a similar package, but after spending a week in Philly where he was warmly welcomed and shown the sites, Bell chose to move. He was also likely swayed by the fact that Dusty Baker will be replaced with Felipe Alou in San Francisco, whereas Bell's somewhat familiar with Larry Bowa who was the third base coach for the Mariners in 2000 when Bell played for Seattle.

However, while Phillies would like to portray Bell as a replacement for Scott Rolen, their respective relationships with Larry Bowa are not the only factors that separate the two players. Although Rolen had a slightly sub-par season in 2002, he still performed significantly better than Bell. The two players are separated by at least 100 points of OPS, for which Rolen's higher SLG doesn't entirely account. Additionally, while Rolen will turn 28 in the spring, Bell is already 30, meaning Philadelphia should feel his decline before the end of this deal. I highly doubt Bell's reputed positive clubhouse influence will bridge the gap between the two players. Bell can't even claim defensive superiority as although he has a solid reputation in that area, Scott Rolen just won another Gold Glove and plays the best third base defense in the majors.

As I'm writing this article, I realize that I never commented on the extension Rolen signed with the Cardinals at the end of the regular season. St. Louis gave him an $8-year deal worth a reported $90M, of which $5M was his signing bonus. The contract was considerably smaller than the package originally offered to Rolen by the Phillies, so if he'd been solely interested in money, he probably would have remained in Philadelphia. He even might have returned to the Phillies if he'd been treated indifferently, but the rancor he experienced drove him away and into the waiting arms of the Cardinals. Consequently, the Phillies were left with a big wad of cash that they can't seem to spend fast enough regardless of players they're acquiring.

Although Bell is certainly less expensive, Philadelphia didn't get the same bang for their buck that St. Louis received. Rolen's deal might look bad in several years, as it will stretch into his decline and is reportedly back-weighted. However, the Cardinals own Rolen throughout his prime, and as he seems likely to perform among the best third basemen in baseball for the next few years, St. Louis should wind up very pleased with the overall value of their purchase.

Bell and his agent did a fantastic job of creating interest and a bidding battle that led to a very lucrative contract, which should allow him to settle down for a few seasons. The Phillies overpaid for someone who's had the good fortune to play with some of the better teams of the last few years.

With Bell at third, Placido Polanco will compete for playing time with Marlon Anderson at second. Given Polanco bats right and Anderson bats left, the team may chose to platoon the pair. Polanco also has the flexibility to cover other positions and will likely move around when not starting at second.

Philadelphia continues to pursue both Jim Thome and Tom Glavine. The Phillies don't seem overly optimistic about acquiring Glavine but have high hopes that the Indians will fail to retain Thome by not sufficiently increasing their offer. All sales pitches to the free agents have included trips to the construction site of the Phillies' new ballpark, which should be ready for the start of the 2004 season. Thome has expressed considerable interest in the Cubs due to his personal ties to the area. However with Hee Seop Choi ready to emerge as their starting first baseman, Chicago would want a significant discount in order to entice them to sign Thome and trade Choi even though they have considerable payroll room with which to play this off-season. Philadelphia should be thankful if Glavine signs elsewhere, as they'd likely overpay for his services and could really use someone other than a veteran lefty to tutor their right-handers.

The Phillies have signed a couple of players to minor league contracts, including 3B-R Mike Coolbaugh and UT-R Kevin Sefcik. Coolbaugh spent last season at the Cardinals AAA franchise after sneaking into the majors in 2001. The 30-year-old has power but insufficient plate discipline to earn a consistent job on a major league team. If Philly suffers injury problems, he might receive a promotion, but I generally expect him to spend the season at AAA.

After a half dozen seasons split between AAA and the majors, Sefcik remained at AA for all of 2002. Despite playing in the Devil Rays' system, he managed to maintain his normally solid plate discipline and he possesses wide position flexibility. Unfortunately, he's unable to complement those skills with either power or speed, so he'll probably spend the season at AAA.

Elsewhere in the division, the Mets signed LHP John Bale to a minor league deal, and C-R Mike Hubbard signed a minor league contract with Atlanta. New York picked up Bale from Baltimore for Gary Matthews, Jr. last season. The 28-year-old performed strongly as a lefty reliever at AAA and should be considered for the Mets' pen in 2003.

Mike Hubbard's spent most of the last eight years at AAA aside from several major league call-ups sprinkled through the seasons. The 31-year-old really developed his plate discipline last season, enabling him to hit for average, though most of his once decent power skills have diminished. He provides quality injury insurance for the Braves at AAA.