Werth every penny: Phils sign outfielder to two year deal

Another day, another Phillies signing. At least we know that new GM Ruben Amaro Jr. is keeping busy.

The latest Phillie to sign is Jayson Werth, who agreed to a 2 year deal with the Phillies worth 10 million dollars in total. He will make 3 million next season and 7 million in 2010. The contract takes him through his remaining arbitration years.

This is another deal where the Phillies got pretty good value. An average of 5 million per year for a guy who hit 24 homers and drove in 67 RBI while sharing playing time is quite a bargin. I would expect Werth's role to continue to grow, especially since the departure of Pat Burrell leaves Werth as the biggest right handed bat in the lineup.

Credit has to be given to the Phillies for working hard to secure all of these key players to deals and avoiding arbitration. Ryan Howard will remain the elephant in the room for the next few weeks but Amaro has done well to lock up the core of the team that won the World Series.

The Phillies now have just two players who are arbitration-eligible: Chad Durbin and Howard. Expect Durbin to be signed in the coming days.