Pagan is pretty psyched to be re-signing with San Francisco.

According to Fox Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the San Francisco Giants have agreed to a four-year contract with their center fielder Angel Pagan, worth a rumored $40 million.

The best possible free agent fit for the Phillies is now off the market, joining Denard Span and B.J. Upton as center field possibilities to sign elsewhere.

Inside, my feelings cry a little.

San Francisco’s run to the World Series shined too much light on Pagan, driving up his price beyond the point to which Amaro and the Phillies front office felt comfortable.

Of course, the question is, now what?

The remaining free agents on the board, Michael Bourn, Josh Hamilton and Shane Victorino, are all less-than-ideal solutions at their current asking prices.

There are numerous reports that say teams are calling about Shane Victorino, with three and four-year-deals in tow. Bourn is said to want a contract similar to the five-year, $75 million Upton got with Atlanta. And Hamilton’s contract requests, past drug and alcohol abuse and injury history, make him the biggest boom-or-bust option of the three. There is also doubt as to how long Hamilton will be able to continue playing center field anyway.

Some possible trade targets include Colorado’s Dexter Fowler, Anaheim’s Peter Bourjos and Boston’s Jacoby Ellsbury. Unfortunately, the price tag for Fowler and Ellsbury, in terms of prospects, is likely to be quite high. And Anaheim says they’re planning on starting Bourjos in their outfield this year.

Perhaps Amaro will pursue a lesser-named center fielder and look for a big-bat corner outfielder. Nick Swisher and Ryan Ludwick are free agents, and a trade for Josh Willingham could be a possibility as well.

But there is no option that seems like a perfect fit for the Phillies any longer. Upton and Pagan were easily the two best fits for the Phils, and both are now gone.

Amaro must make a move at some point, but his patience thus far has probably been wise. Unlike previous years, Ruben is biding his time and refusing to overpay for players, unlike in years past.

Hopefully his patience, combined with his nose for a big deal, will combine to bring home something palatable that will improve an inconsistent Phillies offense for 2013 and beyond.

How Ruben Amaro plans on showing his face is beyond me.  Guy can’t even fill a single-A managing slot in Williamsport.  How’s he going to spend all our money on a center fielder so we have nothing left to pay a third baseman in a matter of days?!

Well fret no more!  The Phillies have signed big name free agent Angel Pagan!

…is the sentence you will hear when the Phillies current pursuit of Pagan, who has only received four year offers from the Phillies and Giants report the small gnomes that whisper into Ken Rosenthal’s ears when he sleeps, blooms into an amicable reality.

The Giants believe it is “likely” that Pagan will re-sign with them, just because they keep winning the World Series.  But what they don’t know is that a real championship team wins the World Series once and then remains content to just pick away at division titles for the next few years before the inevitable .500 season.

Yeah.

The guy wants four years with an average salary of $10 million, which is understandable.  It’s a great asking price; I’ve asked for it in every job interview I’ve ever had, and people are always impressed and confused.  Pagan’s appeal lies in the fact that he has similar numbers to competing free agent center fielders, with a lower cost, though the Phillies would be stepping down a bit in terms of speed and leading off (Bourn), power (Hamilton), and sharp increases in Hawaiian-themed local car dealership commercials (Victorino).

Also Pagan gets hurt a lot, playing over 123 games just twice in his career.  He’s now 31.

So, is that not the most thrilling chase you’ve ever been apart of?

Shut up, Angel. You’ll love it here. Eric Hartline-US PRESSWIRE

Justin Klugh

I think we can all agree that the best way to stay occupied in the winter and keep from axe-murdering our families is burying ourselves in sweet, sweet MLB trade rumors.  And why not!  They’re flying fast and loose these days!  Why, look at this one—the Phillies have signed B.J. Upton!  Wait, no, that’s a fake account.  Well how about this here! The Phillies traded Joe Blanton to the Orioles—huh.  Well that’s even dumber.  Was David Herndon really DFA’d and then picked back up by the Yankees?  WHICH DANNY KNOBLER CAN WE TRUST?!

Just for starters—and this goes for frantic tweeters and beat reporters confused as to how fake accounts are funny enough to be, you know, things—you can assume the guy with the 36,000+ followers is the real CBS Sports writer.  The guy with 13?  I don’t think even CBS could be that unsuccessful.  This isn’t The Big Bang Theory, here.

So, whether they truly are attempts at humor, or beat writers from another dimension’s timeline slipping through a fabrics of space—whispers of another universe, if you will—just try to keep a suspicious alertness when dealing with Twitter’s hot stove.

Or just, you know.  Take the extra two fucking seconds to be sure.

Ethan Seidel

With the Phillies staying mum on who they will throw millions of dollars at this off season, I thought I’d take a break from scouring the rumor mill to wish Jamie Moyer a belated happy 50th birthday. The Phillies made a nice bday video for the ageless wonder. Here’s hoping he’s got one more season in him! [EDITOR’S NOTE: Why do you want Jamie Moyer dead?!]

A new Rocky musical just debuted in Germany! Wait what, Rocky–a musical? Yes, you read correctly. Apparently this artistic affair was given the seal of approval by Sly himself, who attended the opening night. And don’t worry Philadelphians, the show is set to come to Broadway in 2013 so you don’t have to cross the pond to witness the magic.

Jovan Alford

I like how the Phillies added four players to their 40 man roster that could help them possibly this season if need be, but two of the four players I think can be a part of Phillies pitching staff. Pettibone and May look like future pitching stars in the making. Both pitchers I expect to be pitching down at Lehigh Valley for this season.

John Stolnis

Normally, I don’t start off my links with a rousing testimony to how brilliant and insightful I am. Unfortunately, today isn’t one of those days. ESPN’s Jayson Stark was asked yesterday who would be the best fit in the Phillies outfield. And, like the brilliant baseball writer he is, he agreed that my man-love for Angel Pagan is well founded.

Pretty much every free agent and trade-eligible player on the open market has been linked to the Phillies over the last week and a half. The most recent additions to the Phils’ “kicking the tire” list are an aging Puma and a Japanese reliever who once said he didn’t want to get traded to Toronto because “of the weather.” Yeah, Toronto plays in a dome.

And the Phillies have identified a few more prospects not named Darin Ruf that they’d like to hold onto, adding them to their 40-man roster.