Any team would be thrilled to have Brandon Phillips(notes). He plays hard every day and has the stats to prove it. Phillips won his third Golden Glove award in 2011 and his first Silver Slugger – he is the best the game has to offer at 2 ^nd base. Brandon Phillips has indicated he wants to stay in Cincinnati for the rest of his major league career, until it comes time for him to retire. If that is truly what Phillips wants, there is no doubt he can make that happen.

Aroldis Chapman looks to take the field for the Cincinnati Reds this September to help the Reds chances for a strong playoff run
Wikimedia Commons

The days of Marge Schott are long gone, and the current majority owner of the Cincinnati Reds, Bob Castellini, is a smart, reasonable man who wants to see this team succeed. Castellini agreed to a one year contract extension for Phillips for the 2012 season for $12 million. He has indicated publicly he’d like to keep Phillips on the Reds. However he isn’t going to sacrifice the entire team for the sake of Phillips, and Brandon Phillips shouldn’t ask him to do so.

Brandon Phillips is at the top of his game, coming off a stellar season, the sky is the limit. He says he wants to remain with the Reds, yet he has also indicated he is unwilling to take a “hometown discount” and compromise to do so. With enormous amount of money players make these days, it is not unusual for a player to take a little less to stay where they want to play and help their team remain competitive.

To say Brandon Phillips is popular in Cincinnati is like saying that kids enjoy candy. Much like his idol Barry Larkin was in the 90′s, Brandon Phillips is the face of the Reds in Cincinnati. He is followed on Twitter by the masses and is considered an all-around good guy. Last year when one of his young followers tweeted him about an upcoming baseball game, Phillips surprised the 14 year old and his teammates by showing up to cheer them on. Talk about making a kid’s day. Perhaps all-around great guy would be a more appropriate description.

Brandon Phillips is the kind of ball player that parents are happy to have their children look to as a role model. If he wants to stay in Cincinnati, and play on a team that is on track to compete in the post season, he may have to compromise. He’s a smart man, and he’s a good man. Chances are Phillips will do what it takes to stay on the team, and in the city, he has grown to love.

Travis Gettys, “Phillips: Contract Talk About Years, Not Money,” wlwt.com

John Fay, “Reds applaud Astros move to American League,” cincinnati.com

‘Duk, “Brandon Phillips shocks Twitter follower by showing up at his game,” Yahoo! Sports

Lisa has been a fan of the Cincinnati Reds since her family moved to Cincinnati when she was in elementary school. Her favorite player is the great Barry Larkin and she looks forward to him receiving his just rewards and being inducted in the Hall of Fame. Lisa was away at college when the Reds won the World Series in 1990 and forever regrets not being in town to celebrate appropriately. She longs for the day when her Reds win it all again.

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Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips(notes) tweeted Tuesday night that he had just spoken to his agent and “it feels good to know that we’re moving in the right direction to make me a #Red4Life.”

However, according to Reds GM Walt Jocketty, the deal isn’t imminent. “I think it’s still a ways to go,” Jocketty said, MLB.com reports. “We’re still hopeful to get something done. We’re glad he feels that way.”

The Reds exercised a $12 million option in late October to keep Phillips for 2012 but the hope, from it appears both sides, is to keep him around for a lot longer than that. The 30-year-old snagged his first Silver Slugger award this past season while batting .300 with 18 home runs and 82 RBIs. He also earned his third Gold Glove.

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Source: MLB.comBrandon Phillips

Related: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati Reds second baseman Brandon Phillips(notes) tweeted Tuesday night that he had just spoken to his agent and “it feels good to know that we’re moving in the right direction to make me a #Red4Life.”

However, according to Reds GM Walt Jocketty, the deal isn’t imminent. “I think it’s still a ways to go,” Jocketty said, MLB.com reports. “We’re still hopeful to get something done. We’re glad he feels that way.”

The Reds exercised a $12 million option in late October to keep Phillips for 2012 but the hope, from it appears both sides, is to keep him around for a lot longer than that. The 30-year-old snagged his first Silver Slugger award this past season while batting .300 with 18 home runs and 82 RBIs. He also earned his third Gold Glove.

Follow Scoop du Jour on Twitter or Facebook.

Source: MLB.comBrandon Phillips

Related: Brandon Phillips, Cincinnati Reds