Phillips Wants An Extension Now

Brandon Phillips will be a Red next year but wants to be a Red forever.

Cincinnati General Manager Walt Jocketty told the Cincinnati Enquirer that the team was definitely going to pick up Phillips option.

Phillips is thankful but wants to talk after a sleepless night in which he envisioned the Reds' last home game of 2011 as the last time Cincinnati would see him with the wishbone C.


"I haven't heard anything about them picking up my option.  I'm just playing.  That's all I can really do.  I feel like this is my city. I couldn't sleep last night, you know.  I was awake at like seven o'clock in the morning.  I'm surprised I got some hits today."

"That's how crazy the game is," Phillips said.  "I thought this might be it for me here, of course you never know your future.  They could not pick my option up and I'd become a free agent, that is, it's an option.  It was a sad night for me.  I couldn't sleep. I mean I just remember the way Harang was acting.  He was crying and stuff.  I wasn't crying. Don't get me wrong, I'm a sensitive individual but the thing is you never know the future.  You can't predict the future. That's how crazy this game is its a business."


Not only does Phillips want to come back, he is going to insist that he has an extension for what he is worth as a player.  He really wants to return but doesn't want to discount his value to the team.

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"This is my last contract.  There's no homeboy hookup.  That isn't going to work.  I just want to be paid what I'm worth. I feel like I didn't have the opportunity to be the player I can really be.  I feel like I didn't have the chance this year. I hit all over the lineup. Like this year, I thought I'd be hitting at the top of the lineup but I had to go down and do what's best for the team.  Thjis is the best year I've had in a Reds' uniform.  I think I proved to a lot of people that I can really play this game and get things done."


He really has no choice if the Reds want to wait to negotiate later, but Phillips wants the extension done before spring training.

"No, really no. To be honest with you no I wouldn't," said Phillips when asked if he'd like to work out an extension during the season.  "That's just real talk. That's like if you rent a house for a year.  That's not going to work.I am very content with them picking up my option if they do, but this is my career.  You never know what's going to happen. I could be hurt next year and my career would be over.  I want an extension.  I want to stay here for the rest of my career.  Hopefully, they can get it done. If not, I'll be hurt.  I very thankful to the Castellini's.  They made me a rich man. Yes, thank you very much.  I want to be here.  This is where I want to be." 

Phillips posted on twitter that he wanted an extension.  Manager Dusty Baker doesn't believe that Phillips should have been so public about his negotiations.

"I don't read those (tweets) plus, that's not real good to negotiate through the papers or tweets," Baker said. "They usually don't negotiate those until the end of the season with a lot of guys."

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