Phillips faces arbitration

The crooked hat....the huge, infectious smile....the overwhelming aura of fun.....You just have to love the way Brandon Phillips plays. In what turned out to be a steal, he was acquired by the Reds in April of 2006 for minor leaguer Jeffrey Stevens. He was seen as a guy with all of the ability in the world, but too many problems to harnass that ability and excel on the field. He has proven people wrong since coming to Cincinnati. In 2007, he was easily the Reds' MVP and the best all around second baseman in the majors. He became just the third Red to go 30-30 and set a club record for most home runs by a second baseman. His numbers for last year were quite impressive:

AVG .288
Runs 106
Hits 187
2B 26
3B 6
HR 30
RBI 94
SB 32
SLG .485
FP .990

The most astounding number, by far, is his salary.....$407,500 for 2007. He was one of the best bargains in the majors last year. Now he is eligible for arbitration. He is asking for 4.2 million. The Reds have countered with 2.7 million. Due to the way MLB's arbitration works, he will get one or the other of these numbers. He deserves much more. Recently he was quoted as saying he wanted to be the next Barry Larkin (he actually said he would like to be better than Barry) and finish his career in Cincinnati. He brings so much excitement to the game. He is an All-Star caliber player, a team leader and a threat in every facet of the game. The Reds are silly for even arguing. The best player on the team wants to spend his entire career in the same uniform, sign him already.

I would like to think that the Reds will follow the Twins lead. Justin Morneau avoided arbitration by signing a one year deal worth 7.5 million. A week later they completed a deal that locks him up for six years at 80 million. When it comes to this arbitration hearing, it doesn't matter whether the Reds win or lose. What matters is what they do next. They need to get Phillips signed long term before he becomes too expensive. If they can get a six or seven or eight year deal worth about 10 million a year, they should be happy.