Phillies Keys to Offseason Success

As the 2009 national league champions Philadelphia Phillies turn the page to 2010, many questions remain up in the air. Though the Phillies made it back to the World Series in ’09, (the first time a national league team has accomplished that since the ’95-’96 Atlanta Braves) it all went to waste losing to the New York Yankees in six games. As Ruben Amaro Jr. enters his sophomore year as the Phillies general manager, he has many questions to answer and options to explore. The pressure is on, and Philadelphia is once again hungry for another championship.

Brad Lidge had the perfect season in 2008, going 41 for 41 in save opportunities during the regular season. Unfortunately, 2009 was a completely different story. Brad Lidge had 11 blown saves, as well as a 0-8 record with an ERA above 7. Going into the ’09 postseason, Lidge seemed almost back to his form when he began the playoffs 3 for 3 in save opportunities, but a crucial lost to the Yankees in game three of the world series proved that Lidge wasn’t himself. Going into the offseason, fans are worried what Lidge we will see in 2010. Also, how will the Phillies coaching staff deal with him if he doesn’t start off on the right foot? The option of acquiring a new closer is out of the question since there are multiple pitchers already on the team roster who are eligible to close, but it may take a while before the role is set in stone. Aside from the closing role, the Phillies also look forward to strengthening their bullpen. If lefty reliever Scott Eyre decides to retire (which he said is a possibility before the start of 2009 season), then a bullpen specialist will be needed. Reliever Chan Ho Park is also a free agent.

Pedro Feliz may not be the most clutch performer on the Phillies, (.254 career batting average) but he is one of the best defensive third basemen in the game. Feliz’s contract with the Phillies expired after the end of the 2009 season, so he his eligible for free agency. The Phillies will try to upgrade their bat at third base, even if they have to sacrifice defensively. Some of the 2010 free agent third basemen that the Phillies may be interested in include Mark DeRosa, who attended the University of Pennsylvania, Chone Figgins, the long-time LA Angels third baseman, and Joe Crede, who previously played for the White Sox. DeRosa is the likely fit for Philadelphia, but many fans are intrigued by the speed and consistency of Figgins, who was a productive bat for the Angels in the leadoff spot hitting .298 in 2009.

It seems as though going into every offseason, the Phillies have no idea how their starting pitching rotation is going to shape up, but somehow, they manage to figure it out during the regular season. Probables for the Phillies starting staff include Cole Hamels, Cliff new (the Phils new ace), and Joe Blanton. Other options include J.A. Happ, who had a superb rookie season, three-time Cy Young award winner Pedro Martinez, or any of the dozens of free-agent pitchers. The Phillies might want to look into acquiring another ace-type pitcher since that’s what the Yankees did last offseason, and coincidentally, they won the World Series. Some free agent options include Angels’ ace John Lackey, Jarrod Washburn, Ben Sheets, and Erik Bedard. If the Phillies decided to resign Martinez, which most likely will happen for a one-year deal, the Phillies would only have one spot left. They could either pick up a free agent, or place Happ in the rotation, rather than the bullpen.

No matter what the Phillies decide, they are going to have to make some tough decisions. If the Phillies want to make it back to the World Series for the third straight year, they are going to have to plan some holiday shopping and explore what’s out there on the market. Hopefully it will be an eventful winter season, but it’s going to take some hard work and time, so it definitely will not be easy.
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Despite Game Two, Phils Right Where They Want To Be...

Tonight, with the Dodgers tying the National League Championship Series at one game a piece, the Phillies seem to have taken a step backward. The team and fans hope it is only a small step, however. The legendary, albeit aging, Pedro Martinez pitched an incredible game, allowing only two hits while shutting out Los Angeles over seven innings. Unfortunately for him, a victory was not to be as the Phils’ poor offensive performance, a questionable managerial decision and a second baseman who appears to have completely forgotten how to throw a baseball made sure that Martinez’s effort was, in the end, completely meaningless.

It should not be a surprise to anyone that the Phillies' normally potent offense was shut down by Vicente Padilla in game two. At times during the season, the offense looked horrible at best during certain stretches. Tonight, unfortunately, looked like one of those nights. Aside from a solo homerun from Ryan Howard in the fourth inning, Philadelphia was only able to muster four hits, a tough spot for any pitcher, including Martinez.

From there, Phillies manager Charlie Manuel made a highly questionable decision by pinch hitting for Pedro Martinez in the top of the eighth inning. At that point, Martinez had thrown only eighty seven pitches and had completely dominated the Dodgers. Regardless of that Charlie felt that it was time to take his one run lead and put it into the hands of a bullpen that the Dodgers probably couldn’t wait to get their hands on. A booted groundball by normally fantastic third baseman Pedro Feliz and a perfectly placed bunt by Dodger second baseman Ronnie Belliard later, the Phillies came to realize their latest problem: Chase Utley and his arm from hell.

Instead of going into a play by play on what transpired next, as it’s already been seen, heard, reported and dissected by every “expert” in the country, let’s just say that the normally superb defensive second baseman, Chase Utley continued an interesting defensive post season. For the second game in a row he completely threw a double play away, one that nearly cost the team a game and one that did cost the team a game. A closer look, however, shows that Chase Utley has been having a problem throwing to first base this entire post season. Many of his, what are normally routine plays have resulted in some pretty interesting throws to first. Often, Ryan Howard has had to stretch as high as he can to catch Utley’s floaters to first. While it is possible that some have noticed this, surely no one thought it to be a problem until now. Either way, something as simple as Chase Utley throwing a baseball to first base has become a major concern.

All in all, the Phillies can’t be too upset about what transpired in Los Angeles. They still come away having won one of the games on the road, which was their main goal in the first place, they were able to hit, what most consider to be LA’s best starting pitcher, Clayton Kershaw, very hard in game one. Pedro Martinez has shown that he can still pitch and furthermore, aside from a strange fluke of an eighth inning the Dodgers did absolutely nothing to the Phillies offensively in game two. With the series tied at one and coming back to Philadelphia, the team and the fans should have their heads high knowing that this is exactly where they hoped to be at this point; having brought home field advantage back to Philly.
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Mets vs. Phils - Rambling Comments and Observations

This past weekend’s series against the Phillies was the cherry on the sundae for this horrific Mets season. Not only were they mathematically eliminated with Sunday night’s double-header loss, but the fatal blow was struck by none other than their former comrade, Pedro Martinez. Yes, that would be the same Pedro who was hurt the majority of the 2007 and 2008 seasons yet would not consider accepting less money from the Mets to return in 2009. The same Pedro who then took less money to go pitch midseason for our arch rivals, The Phils. How’s that for irony?


Oddly, I bear no ill-will towards Mr. Martinez. Baseball is a business and frankly, even if he had been willing to accept less money from the Mets earlier in the season, I don’t think the Mets were that interested. The truth of the matter is, with all of the injuries, even if Pedro had signed with us earlier on, I doubt his presence would have changed anything in this wretched season. And the way karma works; he probably would have gotten injured already somehow!

Pedro aside, however, the thing I find most interesting about this weekend’s Mets / Phils series was that going into it, most Mets fans expected our shell of a team to get drubbed soundly. But the truth is, they were in every game and made things pretty competitive. Ok, we all knew the Mets would ultimately end up on the losing end of the majority of the games. But unlike the Marlins series, the team actually showed up for the games - especially with all of the late inning scoring. If you are a Philly fan, you have to be a little concerned that a team without many of their regulars managed to put up this much of a fight. You also have to be concerned about your bullpen, which right now looks horrendous.

Now, I’m definitely not suggesting that the Phillies’ bullpen woes will lead to them losing the division a la the Mets of 2007 and 2008. It takes a special bunch to do what the Mets did the previous two years when they blew respective 7 and 3.5 game leads in the NL East with 17 games left on the season. But the circumstances right now for the Phils are eerily similar to those of the Mets of 2007 and 2008.

As of today, September 15th, the Phils are 7 games up on the Marlins with 19 games left to play. Three upcoming games are against Atlanta, who still has a long-shot chance at the Wild Card berth. Even scarier is that five are against the similarly Wild Card gunning Marlins, including the three that end the season. In 2007 and 2008 the Marlins were the final nails in the coffin for the Mets during their fateful season-ending matchups. Adding to the similarities are the bullpen woes of the 2007-2008 Mets and the 2009 Phils.

The fat lady has sung and has been escorted offstage for the Mets in 2009. But could she be headed to Philly for an encore performance? As a Mets fan, I don’t know. To me, bullpen woes aside, the Phillies have insane offense, play good defense, have good starting pitching and play with heart. These are factors that the Mets definitely did not get at all in 2009 or at the end of the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Truly good teams stop bad streaks from picking up too much momentum and spiraling out of control. The Mets weren’t good enough to stop the snowball effect. The Phils have 19 games left to prove they are by figuring out a solution with that bullpen. Otherwise, these last 19 games are going to be the most painful Philly fans will ever experience. Trust me on this. Been there, done this twice and it isn’t remotely fun. Read more!

Distractions Not Distracting the Phillies

It was the most anticipated start for the Phillies since Cliff Lee made his debut against the Giants on July 31st. It was the first time since Steve Carlton that a pitcher with at least 3 Cy Coung Award wins started for the Phillies. And it was a long, but much needed win for the struggling Phils offense and for all the distractions that have been surrounding the Phillies lately. Despite Shane Victorino’s 350 ft. centerfield ejection, Moyer’s unhappy remarks, Pedro’s anticipation, Howard’s struggles, Ibanez’s struggles, and an unruly Cubs fan tossing beer, the Phillies were able to take the first two games from the Cubs in the 3-game set.

During the bottom of the fifth inning with one out and the bases juiced in last night’s ballgame, Cubs’ Jake Fox hit a long fly ball to the edge of the warning track to centerfield. Victorino drifted back, with his hand out protecting himself from the wall when a Cubs fan threw an entire cup of beer on Victorino as soon as he caught the ball. Luckily, the beer didn’t avoid Victorino from catching the ball or hurting himself, because even if he did drop the ball, Fox would have been out anyway for fan interference. Who knows what prompted this fan to do something so wrong and unsportsmanlike? Maybe it was because his Cubs were down 10 runs at that point in time, or he was bored out of his mind, or because of what happened with Victorino in last Sunday’s ballgame.

It was a hot and humid day on August 9th when the Phillies played the Marlins to avoid a three-game sweep. It was the top of the seventh inning, and bad blood had already been created between the Phillies and the home plate umpire over a pitch delivered to Ryan Howard earlier in the game. With no outs and Wes Helms at the plate for the Marlins, Rodrigo Lopez fired in a pitch, and the ump called it a ball. Victorino who was standing approximately 350 feet away from the umpire at home plate out in centerfield, was ejected for throwing his hands in the air in disgust over the umps call. Victorino immediately started to sprint into the infield to discuss this with the home plate umpire. Fortunately, he was restrained by teammates Paul Bako and Howard so he wouldn’t get a suspension to add onto his ejection.

Ever since the Phillies signed Pedro Martinez to a one year, one million dollar deal, the Phillies had some decisions to make about their bullpen and starting rotation. Who would have to go to the bullpen to make room for the three-time Cy Young Award winner? Is a six-man rotation possible? These questions were answered when the Phillies announced that they would move the struggling Jamie Moyer to the bullpen. Moyer, a hometown hero with 250+ career wins, talked Tuesday about the decision the Phillies made and how he felt about it. “I’m really not happy with the decision the Phillies made,” Moyer boldly stated. He also continued to say that last winter, Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. “promised” him that if the Phillies re-signed him, he would remain a starter. Unfortunately, I believe that Amaro made these circumstances assuming that Moyer wouldn’t have a lucky 10-9 record, and a colossal 5.47 earned run average. Moyer also stated that though he is unhappy with the final decision to demote him to the bullpen, it is something that he is going to have to deal with, and he will. Now the only question left is, how exactly will Moyer be used in the pen? Charlie will have to answer that one for you.

Last night’s 12-5 win against the Cubs was great to see (as always), especially because of the way the Phillies offense has been underperforming as of late. One main reason is due to the lack of power and consistency of two of the Phillies biggest sluggers, Ryan Howard and Raul Ibanez. Ibanez is hitting a miserable .214, while Howard is hitting just a few points higher at .217 in the last 14 days. They have a combined one homerun and 30 strikeouts. That’s not exactly getting the power production we hope for here in Philadelphia. Hopefully Howard’s triple and Ibanez’s three run blast last night are a sign of good things to come for the rest of the season from these two much needed sluggers in the middle of that potentially dangerous lineup.

Out of all of the distractions of late, probably the biggest one and most exciting one was Pedro Martinez’s debut in 2009 and for the Phillies. After a few rehab starts, the Phillies believed that he was ready to compete again in the majors. So, they put him up against former Notre Dame wide receiver, Jeff Samardzija. Fortunately, Samardzija, who was also making his 2009 debut as a starting pitcher, couldn’t match Pedro’s performance. The Phillies definitely came out swinging the sticks and they continued throughout the entire ballgame. Martinez complete five frames giving up seven hits and 3 earned and received his first victory since September 25th of last year against the Cubs. Though Martinez is not going to give the Phillies a solid 7-8 innings every time he starts, he proved last night that he could still compete, and contribute to this ballclub hoping to repeat what they did in 2008.

Though there have been many distractions surrounding the Phillies lately, they seem to be avoiding them when they step onto the field, and hopefully it remains that way.
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The rotation is just fine

There’s an old quote that says, “You can never have enough pitching.” Well, actually, you can, and that is what the Philadelphia Phillies are faced with now. They have potentially six starting pitchers and only five spots in the rotation.

The problem surfaced when the Phillies signed free agent Pedro Martinez in July as an insurance policy in case they had to trade away Rookie of the Year candidate J.A. Happ as part of a deal to land Roy Halladay. That deal never took place; Happ stayed, and the Phillies acquired Indians ace Cliff Lee instead.

When Lee joined the club last week, Rodrigo Lopez, who was filling in as the club’s fifth starter, had to move to the bullpen. Martinez, however, is still working out the bugs in the minor leagues, but when he is ready to come up and join the Phillies, many have speculated as to where he will go and what will happen to the rotation. The choice is not easy, but it might not be as complicated as some are making it out to be.

The top end of the rotation has no questions as to who will fill the spots: Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and Joe Blanton. The only question here is whether or not Hamels can look like the ace he was back in October when he lead the Phillies to a World Championship. Cole has struggled this year at times, and excluding his last start against the Giants where he gave up six earned runs in just five innings, he appeared to be stringing together a few good starts against Florida, San Diego, and Arizona, and he looked like the Hamels of old.

The back end of the rotation, however, is where all the controversy has been brewing for the past few weeks. Three pitchers – J.A. Happ, Jamie Moyer, Pedro Martinez – and only two spots.

Phillies General Manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. filled one of those spots on Wednesday after J.A. Happ tossed a complete game shutout over the Colorado Rockies. Happ upped his record to 8-2 on the year and dropped his ERA to 2.74. Prior to that start, he lost his previous two outings, was faced with swirling trade talk, and had to deal with rumors that he might get moved to the bullpen.

The sheer fact Happ was able to show composure amidst such chaos and toss a gem is one of the reasons he needs to pitch every fifth day. Also, it would be unwise to even consider tinkering with Happ at this point. He is a young hurler who is pitching fantastically for the Phillies right now, and moving him back to the bullpen would not only weaken the rotation, but it would also mess with his confidence. I seem to recall young pitchers named Gavin Floyd and Ryan Madson who went back and forth, and that didn’t work out so well for the Phils now did it?

Next up is the ageless Jamie Moyer. Charlie Manuel mentioned earlier in the week that he wanted Jamie to stay in the rotation, and I almost agree with Charlie to a point. Jamie does lead the team in wins, but he also bolsters a 5.55 ERA, which is worst amongst starters. The reason he has the most wins is primarily because he typically faces one of the opposing team’s worst pitchers, and the Phillies give him a ton of run support. Yes, he does string together a few good outings every so often, but there are too many times like the one on Tuesday where he gave up six earned runs in five innings and walked four batters.

With that said, I still don’t think shipping Jamie off to the bullpen is such a good idea. First of all, Moyer hasn’t pitched in relief since the mid 1990’s. Second, Jamie would be coming into situations where he would have to get out of jams, which a lot of relievers rely on their fastball to do, and let’s face it, an 86 mph fastball isn’t mowing down anyone. Third, being in the bullpen means you have to be ready to pitch almost every day, and I think at age 47, Jamie has earned his four days off in between starts.

Lastly, there is Pedro Martinez, the man for whom all this controversy is over. When Pedro joins the team, he should do so as a member of the bullpen. I honestly don’t think Pedro has what it takes to be an effective starter any more. If he did, he would have had a job for the first four months of the season. He can probably get the job done for one, two, or maybe even three innings, but once lineups begin to face him a second time around, I feel they would start to tee off on him.

Plus, I don’t think Pedro’s arm can last into the seventh inning as a starter. So if you replace Moyer with Pedro, you would be replacing a guy in the rotation who can’t pitch seven innings for a guy who can’t even pitch six innings. That doesn’t exactly help out an already overworked bullpen. As a result, Pedro could pitch either in long relief or maybe take turns making guest appearances with Brett Myers in the ninth inning if Brad Lidge begins to struggle again.
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Goodbye Moyer, How Quickly We Forget...

Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the Phillies’ starting pitching rotation. Everyone wants to know who will remain in the rotation and who will go to the bullpen once future hall-of-famer Pedro Martinez is ready for the big leagues. According to local radio stations and Internet message boards, popular opinion seems to be that Jamie Moyer should be the one that is bumped from the rotation. Lately, there has been a lot of talk about the Phillies’ starting pitching rotation. Everyone wants to know who will remain in the rotation and who will go to the bullpen once future hall-of-famer Pedro Martinez is ready for the big leagues. According to local radio stations and Internet message boards, popular opinion seems to be that Jamie Moyer should be the one that is bumped from the rotation.

Sure, Moyer’s start Tuesday night start against Colorado was a rough one, but before that, in the entire month of July, he had a 3.30 earned run average and a four and one record. Most teams would give the world for their fifth starter to put up those kinds of numbers.

Granted, Jamie Moyer struggled throughout the first half of the season, but other than a small hiccup earlier this week, seems to have righted the ship in the second half. Not even supposed “Ace” Cole Hamels has put together a stretch like Moyer did in July this entire season. Looking at the numbers and the logic, it simply makes more sense to put a guy like recently signed Pedro Martinez into the bullpen than it does a guy who is putting up some pretty stellar second half numbers like Moyer.

Think about it. Pedro hasn’t even thrown a Major League pitch this year and by all accounts, probably couldn’t go any more than five innings in a game while Moyer, in his last ten starts, has gone at least six innings in more than half of them. Pedro hasn’t even thrown more than eighty-two pitches this season, a feat that he’s only accomplished once. Not to mention the fact that Martinez even volunteered to pitch out of the bullpen if needed.

On a club that has been as fair as possible to everyone from Chan Ho Park, who no one actually thought would last as a starter, to Brad Lidge, who if not for a perfect 2008 season would be relegated to a mop up role and possibly booed out of Philadelphia, it seems completely ridiculous to simply bump Moyer because he had a shaky first half, especially since he’s been so solid of late.

To make a rash decision based on one poor performance, three nights ago, would be completely unfair to a guy who has done nothing but give everything he has to the Phillies and their fans, including winning sixteen games in 2008 to help lead the team to only it’s second world championship in franchise history. How quickly we forget.
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Let's Not Over-Think This Pedro Thing

So common sense prevailed and Phillies GM Ruben Amaro announced today that JA Happ will remain in the Philadelphia rotation for the remainder of the season. It's not that I doubted the Phillies would do the right thing (given their recent track record, they deserve the benefit of the doubt), it's just that there had been a lot of crazy ideas going around about what will happen once Pedro Martinez is ready to pitch in the big leagues again.

While the Phillies have assured Happ that his spot in the rotation is safe, they have not yet decided how they will sort the rest of the rotation out. Obviously it comes down to Jamie Moyer and Pedro for the 5th slot. There is some talk that the team could go with a six man rotation, but I'm not sure I like this idea. While the Phillies are in good shape as far as the division is concerned, a lot can happen between now and October (just ask a Mets fan). With a six man rotation, you are only limiting the starts of guys like Cliff Lee and Joe Blanton, and in a pennant race you want your best guys out there as often as possible. The Phillies have also discussed doing some "creative" things with the rotation, keeping Lee and Blanton on normal rest and pushing others back here and there. While I give the team credit for trying, I don't like this idea either. Baseball players are creatures of habit. Screwing with their normal preparation routines could end up being more of a hindrance come playoff time if guys aren't used to dialing it up they way they normally do. Also, if the playoffs were today, neither Moyer nor Pedro would be starting a postseason game. Why make all these concessions for guys that ultimately don't matter?

If they really wanted to, I wouldn't necessarily have a problem with the Phillies replacing Jamie Moyer with Pedro when the time comes, but I'm not sure that Martinez will be a whole lot more effective than Moyer as a starting pitcher. At the very least we can safely assume that Martinez won't pitch more innings in his starts than Moyer would. But for all of his warts, Moyer isn't nearly the health risk that Pedro is, and under the right circumstances (generous plate umpire, overly aggressive hitters) the old man can still be very good. Sure, Moyer blows up a little more often than Phillies fans would like, but how do we know it wouldn't be the same story with Pedro? Lost in his gaudy strike out numbers in his minor league starts (a product of throwing changeups and breaking balls to hitters who are mostly still in the minors because they haven't figured out how to hit those pitches) is the fact that Pedro is still giving up a few more runs than you'd like to AA and AAA teams. So if it's a wash, I'd prefer to stay loyal to the guy who has been a major contributor to the organization for three years over the guy who signed late hoping to ride coattails to another World Series title.

To me, the solution seems clear. Put Pedro in the bullpen. Not only because he may not deserve to start, but because he could actually be fantastic as a reliever. If his stuff is as good as the Phillies say it is in his rehab starts, and we know that Pedro's arm is fragile and he won't be eating innings no matter how good he is, why not have him pitch out of the bullpen? If he only has to muster his best stuff for an inning or two at a time, how good could he be? And who cares that the Phillies signed him as a starter? Pedro knew that things could change when he signed on, and he has expressed a willingness to do whatever is necessary. Well things changed. The Phillies don't need him in the rotation right now, they need him in the bullpen. Instead of wasting a bunch of time figuring out how work Pedro into the rotation, why not do what is best for the team? Sometimes the right answer is the most obvious. Get Pedro Martinez ready for the bullpen.

You can read me more often at MikeonthePhillies.com

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I Wouldn't Say Pedro is Old...

By Chris Pollay

The Philadelphia Phils recently attempted to bolster its pitching rotation by signing three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez. In other news, they also hope to sign Cy Young and Satchel Paige.

Not only is it a risky maneuver, it is a potentially expensive one, as well. The one-year contract will cost them a cool million... and there were several unreported bonuses that sweetened the deal, as well.

Apparently, Pedro agreed to be a Philly only if the team would guarantee a “comfortable rocking chair” during home games. He also requires special travel arrangements. He plans to arrive at road games via the same mode of travel he enjoyed as a young boy: the horse and buggy.

I kid. I kid. I wouldn’t say Pedro Martinez is old... but when he and new teammate Jamie Moyer start discussing the economic recession, they mean the one that occurred during “The Champ’s” term. (That’s Franklin D. Roosevelt for anyone under 90.)

I wouldn’t say Pedro is old... but he has pitched for 17 seasons and 2,782 innings! He has also tabulated over 3,100 strikeouts and issued 752 walks. By now, he certainly must be on the waiting list for a second bionic arm.

I wouldn’t say that Pedro is old... but his $1 million contract today would be worth the equivalent of $5,325,753.09 during the year of his birth (1971). You know how much butter churning supplies a person can buy with that kind of cabbage?

I wouldn’t say Pedro is old... but his idea of “juicing up” means drinking a gallon of Metamucil.

I wouldn’t say Pedro is old... but he might still believe that the commissioner of baseball is Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis.

I wouldn’t say Pedro is old... but he doesn’t believe in scouting reports. After all, he already knows how to pitch to Garvey, Schmidt, Rose and Brett.

I wouldn’t say Pedro is old... but he once pitched for the Boston Red Stockings, the Brooklyn Dodgers, the Montreal Expos and the New York Metropolitans.

I wouldn’t say Pedro is old... but he won his first Cy Young award the year Titanic was released. I’m talking about the ship, not the movie.

But, most importantly: I wouldn’t say Pedro is old... if the Phillies win the World Series again this year.

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Phillies making headlines off as well as on the field

The Phillies are 7-1 on their current homestand, bouncing back from an atrocious road trip. They swept the hated Mets, took three of four from the Reds, and took game one of the three-game series versus the Pirates. Their offense, led by the revival of Jimmy Rollins, seems to have found its groove. The starting pitching is living up to its expectations by going deeper into games and not giving up many runs. The bullpen is finally starting to hold on at the end of games.

These things alone will have any Phillies fan talking enthusiastically about the team, especially since all of the above were things that weren’t really clicking in the opening months of the 2009 campaign. The team couldn’t win at home, Jimmy Rollins looked lost, and the pitching was in shambles. However, it is the off-the-field rumors and activities that are making Philadelphia the new windy city.

It was earlier in the week that Toronto Blue Jays general manager J.P. Ricciardi made a statement that the team is now willing to talk trade for their ace pitcher, Roy Halladay. Halladay is 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA this season and would certainly be a valuable acquisition to a team already defending a world championship and whose starting rotation has a slew of injuries. What Ricciardi neglected to mention was that the Jays basically have Halladay tied to a chair with a blindfold on and are reading off a list of demands if anyone wants him. From the Phillies, who seem to be one of the top suitable teams interested, Ricciardi literally wants the farm (Drabek, Taylor, and Donald for starters) as well as some starting pitching as well (Happ). Although the 32-year old pitcher would be that vital Game 2 starter in the playoffs the Phillies would so desperately need if they wish to repeat, is he really worth significantly overpaying this much?

The Phillies are also said to have interest in former three-time Cy Young winner Pedro Martinez. The 37-year old pitcher has been out of baseball this season but has had a few teams show interest in him as of late. This week Martinez threw a three inning simulated game for the Phillies at their Dominican Republic complex. Sources say that Pedro’s agent is in constant talks with Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr., as well as other teams, but it looks like the Phillies seem to be Martinez’s top choice. Pedro’s most recent stint came with the New York Mets, where they grossly overpaid for a pitcher who, in four years, only yielded them 32 wins. I am certain that the Mets will be more than thrilled to see the Phillies sign a pitcher that even they didn’t want.

On a lighter note, earlier in the week, the MLB All Star Game’s rosters were finalized, and the Phillies are well-represented. Phillies skipper Charlie Manuel will be managing the NL squad, and second basemen Chase Utley and outfielder Raul Ibanez were named starters to the team. Manuel then named first baseman Ryan Howard to the roster to back up at first base as well. On Thursday, Phillies outfielder Shane Victorino won the fan choice with over 15 million votes for the final roster spot. Then on Friday, Phillies outfielder Jayson Werth was named to the team to replace Mets injured outfielder Carlos Beltran.

Friday also saw the end of Chris Coste’s career as a Philadelphia Phillie. Coste was waived by the team yesterday to make room on the roster for Raul Ibanez, who returned off the disabled list before Friday night’s 3-2 victory over the Pirates. Coste spent 11 years in the minor leagues before actually making the Phillies roster four years ago at age 33. In his time in Philadelphia, he batted .282 with 23 home runs and 98 RBI’s.

The Phillies still have two games left against the Pirates before heading into the all star break, which ironically doesn’t appear to be much of a break for a lot of their players. The team is playing hot right now, and history has shown us that their best baseball has yet to come, although most fans believe that a roster move needs to be made if the team is going to win down the stretch. Read more!

A Phillies Dream Scenario

While the Phillies play on the field has steadily improved since their recent return home (and who would have thought that?), they've also made a few headlines off the field as well. Between Shane Victorino's All Star campaign, Roy Halladay rumors, and a potential Pedro Martinez signing, there has been plenty to keep a Phillies fan busy between games over the last few days. With that in mind, let's take a look a scenario based on real possibilities that would take place for the Phightin' Phils in a perfect world...

The Phillies sign Pedro Martinez. As an isolated transaction, I don't really support this move. But every indication is that this thing is happening, so we might as well get on board. I'm concerned that Pedro hasn't been healthy or effective for several years, he doesn't seem to be much more than a 5 or 6 inning pitcher, and I don't like how his stuff plays at Citizen's Bank Park. Also, he still has a little too much of the Mets stink on him for my liking, and frankly, I just don't want to root for him. That's not to say there isn't some upside there, especially if he is as healthy as he claims to be. But...

This could and should be a precursor to the Phillies trading for Roy Halladay. If the Phils sign Martinez, it could free them up to include JA Happ in the deal for Halladay. I've written at length about Halladay here (short summary: Yes. Do it. Kyle Drabek? Sure. Dominic Brown? Enjoy.), and I like Happ a lot and would prefer not to trade him. But Happ's ceiling isn't as high as some of the other top pitching prospects the Phillies have in the system and his inclusion in the deal likely means that they'd probably get to keep at least two out of a group that consists of Kyle Drabek, Carlos Carrasco, Jason Knapp, and Antonio Bastardo. They'd probably also get to keep either Michael Taylor or Dominic Brown (one would likely have to go) and all of a sudden the farm doesn't look as decimated as everyone says it will be if Halladay is acquired. It will likely take 4 or 5 very good to great prospects to get the Toronto ace, but with the core of talent the Phillies have in their primes at the major league level, the team can weather the loss when the return is only THE BEST PITCHER IN BASEBALL. But wait, the dream isn't over...

Brett Myers makes his triumphant return. I promised that I would try to make this somewhat realistic, and I am. My plan is not for Myers to return to the rotation. My plan is for him to return to the bullpen. You see, Myers has been cleared to start a throwing program any day now and if the team gears his rehab toward a return to the bullpen, the process is much shorter than if his goal is to return to the rotation. Myers' stated objective is to come back and pitch this season, and just about every indication is that a return to the rotation this season probably isn't realistic. But a return to the bullpen could be. If he can return sometime near the beginning of September, that ought to give him plenty of time to find himself a groove and allow the team to settle on a role for him. If all goes according to plan, and everyone stays healthy and pitches relatively close to established norms, take a gander at this playoff staff:

Rotation: Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer, Pedro Martinez (with one of the last two a playoff long man)
Bullpen: Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, JC Romero, Chan Ho Park, Scott Eyre, Brett Myers, Chad Durbin/Clay Condrey

Oh, and you know our offense can score a run or two, right?

So did you enjoy that big parade we had in Philly last year? Yeah, me too. Let's do that again. Hey, a guy can dream, right...

If you really want to, you can also read me at MikeonthePhillies.
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