Kuzul

Winning the World Series requires the perfect balance between pitching and hitting.

When the Philadelphia Phillies won the World Series in 2008, they did so on the strength of their bullpen, anchored by Brad Lidge, and an offense that went unrivaled in the National League.

When they returned to the World Series in 2009, the balance wasn’t perfect. Lidge crumbled, and the bullpen followed suit. The powerful offense wasn’t able to keep up with the bullpen’s woes.

In 2010, the tide turned. The bullpen was strong, at least at the back end, by the time the playoffs rolled around, but the injured, slumping offense drifted into oblivion.

What will the balance look like in 2011?

The offense will gain some internal boosts. Despite losing Jayson Werth, perennial All-Stars like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and Jimmy Rollins look to stay healthy and return to form. Players like Shane Victorino and Raul Ibanez look to capitalize on healthy seasons once again, and Carlos Ruiz looks to continue his 2010 success.

Though the right field puzzle remains in pieces, the Phillies play host to a few breakout candidates in Ben Francisco and Domonic Brown.

Health will be the key, and if the Phillies remain healthy, the offense will not be a concern.

The rotation, with aces galore, has already taken shape, and the bullpen is beginning to follow suit. With many roles already filled, health will play a major role in this area as well. Relievers like Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson, who had great success during last year’s stretch run, will look to solidify a bullpen that has been somewhat of an Achilles heel in the past.

In order to obtain balance, the Phillies’ bullpen must match the strength of a healthy offense. Can it be done?

Here is an in-depth look at the Phillies’ bullpen as it projects to shape up in the 2011 season.

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According to Adam Rubin of ESPNNewYork.com, former New York Met and current free agent pitcher John Maine’s agent Rex Gary has been contacted by NL East rival Philadelphia Phillies along with a few other teams.

Gary has said, “We have spoken to a lot of teams and there is a lot of interest.”

Maine was non-tendered by the Mets in early December before the hot stove began heating up. There has not been a lot of news on John Maine until now. Rubin did not name any other team that was interested.

Maine is only likely to get a minor league deal. He only pitched in nine games last season and went 1-3 with a 6.13 ERA. 

If Maine joins Philadelphia, he could join a rotation that includes Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Cole Hamels and maybe Joe Blanton.

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The Philadelphia Phillies and their fans are very familiar with Ed Wade and his work.

When Wade assumed the role of General Manager with the Phillies in 1998, he made trades and signings that never sat well with the fans.

During his tenure with the Phillies, he traded franchise cornerstones Curt Schilling and Scott Rolen for little return and made questionable signings on the free agent market, committing multi-year deals to players like Jose Mesa, David Bell, Jim Thome and Jon Lieber.

The Phillies consistently underperformed under his reigns, posting a record of 643-652 during his tenure.

Needless to say, when he was relieved of his duties after the 2005 season, there weren’t many Phillies fans losing sleep over the team’s decision.

After Wade was long gone, however, the fruits of his labor began to produce for the Phillies. Players drafted under his watch, including Pat Burrell, Ryan Madson, Brett Myers, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard, Cole Hamels, Kyle Kendrick and JA Happ, all formed part of the core of the Phillies team that won the World Series in 2008.

Other players that Wade drafted, including Happ, Lou Marson, Josh Outman, Michael Bourn, Geoff Geary and Michael Costanzo would be part of packages that would land the Phillies integral pieces like Cliff Lee, Roy Oswalt, Joe Blanton and Brad Lidge.

He also signed a number of amateur free agents, including Carlos Ruiz and Carlos Carrasco, who would eventually become yet another piece to the Lee trade.

So, while his tenure didn’t pay immediate dividends for the Phillies, his stint as General Manager provided crucial pieces to today’s team. Wade would go on to become the General Manager of the Houston Astros on September 20, 2007 and has kept in touch with the Phillies ever since.

One of the first deals he made as the General Manager of the Astros was to send closer Brad Lidge and utility infielder Eric Bruntlett to the Phillies for prospects Michael Bourn and Mike Costanzo and reliever Geoff Geary.

He has signed many former Phillies, including Brett Myers and Pedro Feliz.

This trend continued right into 2010, as he traded the long-time face of the Astros’ franchise, Roy Oswalt, to the Phillies for JA Happ, Jonathan Villar and Anthony Gose.

On January 11, 2011, Ed Wade struck again.

On a much smaller scale than the Lidge and Oswalt deals, the Phillies and Astros swapped minor leaguers Sergio Escalona and Albert Cartwright.

When asked about the deal, Wade said, “Sergio adds depth to the competition for left-handers in our bullpen. Our scouts have liked his stuff and believe he’s got a chance to be very effective in left-on-left situations.”

Escalona, 26, is going to need a chance at the major league level to prove Wade right. His brief stint in the major leagues with the Phillies in 2009 didn’t yield impressive results. He appeared in 14 games and posted a record of 1-0 and an ERA of 4.61. He struggled with command, walking more than three and striking out just over six batters per nine innings in that span of time.

Wade is relying heavily on his numbers in the minor leagues. In 2010, Escalona spent the season with the Phillies AA affiliate, posting a record of 4-8 and an ERA of 3.81. He’s had tremendous success at AA, posting ERAs of 2.22 and 1.77 in 2008 and 2009 respectively, but has struggled at AAA and in the majors.

If he wants to break camp with the Astros, he’s going to have to beat out fellow lefties Wesley Wright, Fernando Abad and Gustavo Chacin.

The Phillies, on the other hand, added much-needed depth to their system’s middle infield.

Cartwright, 23, has played second base in the Astros system over the last four seasons. He’s had a few very streaky seasons, and struggled at AA in 2010. However, he also played in 92 games at A+ ball, hitting .318/.381/.551, with 10 home runs.

Though an extremely high BABIP of .389 suggests those numbers will come down some, the potential for improvement is there.

The Phillies, who designated Escalona for assignment this week, were lucky to get anything in return for him. When the opportunity to swap him for a middle infielder presented itself, they were quite satisified.

Cartwright won’t be the next Chase Utley, but he’ll join other middle infielders Michael Martinez, Harold Garcia, Freddy Galvis, Brian Bocock and Carlos Rivero as the Phillies attempt to find another diamond in the rough.

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The numerous ways that the Philadelphia Phillies are affected by the signing of free agent left hander, Cliff Lee, are well documented.

In fact, so much has been made about Lee and the rest of the Phillies’ rotation has basically overshadowed what the signing means for the rest of the league, and in comparison, the division, outside the fact that many experts believe the Phillies are the favorites to win it. We must also examine, however, the decisions that teams will have to face to react to this signing.

Three out of the remaining four teams are easy to evaluate. The Atlanta Braves believe that they can compete with the Phillies’ rotation, and rightfully so. Outside of a couple of upgrades to their outfield, and maybe the bench, they seem to be settled.

The New York Mets and Washington Nationals will undergo, or continue, different rebuilding phases. The Mets will attempt to work young talent back on to their roster and receive boosts from returning, injured veterans, and the Nationals will continue to develop their farm system with little output at the Major League level.

But what about the Florida Marlins?

The Marlins operate in a unique way. Never completely set into a competitive or rebuilding phase, they are the hardest to predict. On one hand, the Marlins always seem to make a commitment to winning, but on the other, they always seem to make questionable moves by trading away valuable pieces of their Major League roster.

So where does the Cliff Lee signing leave the Marlins, and more specifically, their most valuable commodity—ace, Josh Johnson?

The following slideshow will examine some reasons that the Marlins may benefit from moving the face of their rotation, and why the Cliff Lee signing may have forced their hand a bit more than they would have liked.

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The first week in January is one of baseball’s most exciting time periods.

Sure, the regular season has been in hibernation for a few months, and a World Series champion has been crowned. The Hot Stove is cooling down quickly, with most big name free agents having already been signed to lucrative deals.

However, during that first week in January, grown men who have given their lives to the game of baseball wait by their telephones like children wait by the tree on Christmas morning, waiting for a call that welcomes them into baseball immortality—the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.

On January 5, 2010, the Hall of Fame welcomed two newcomers into it’s elite ranks—second baseman, Roberto Alomar, and right handed pitcher, Bert Blyleven. They come from different walks of life.

Alomar, who hails from Ponce, Puerto Rico, spent just two years on the ballot before having his plaque engraved. On the other hand, Blyleven, born in Zeist, Netherlands, spent 15 years on the ballot before achieving greatness.

More than anything, this got me to thinking—how many of today’s great players will one day be enshrined in Cooperstown?

Narrowing that down even further, I wondered, “Just how good is Roy Halladay?”

Halladay, 33, completed a smooth transition into the National League in 2010, posting a record of 21-10 with the Philadelphia Phillies.

He took the National League by storm, finishing first in the NL in wins (21), innings pitched (250.2), CG (9), BB/9 (1.08), LOB % (82.7%), and WAR (6.6).

He finished second in a number of other categories, including strikeouts (219), and third in other categories, including ERA (2.44), pitching his way to the National League Cy Young Award, the second Cy Young Award of his career.

According to the Baseball Writer’s Association of America, Halladay was, without a doubt, the best pitcher in the National League in 2010. Though voting was completed before the post-season, the baseball world would know of Halladay’s lore before the award was announced.

On May 29, 2010, Halladay threw a perfect game against the Florida Marlins, and a few months later, on October 6, 2010, he threw a second no-hitter, this time against the Cincinnati Reds.

He became just the second pitcher in the history of baseball to throw a post-season no-hitter—the first since Don Larsen of the New York Yankees threw arguably the greatest game of all time, a perfect game against the Brooklyn Dodgers in Game Five of the 1956 World Series.

Halladay’s 2010 accomplishments have been well documented, but the most recent season was far from an oddity for the man who also won the American League Cy Young Award in 2003, as a member of the Toronto Blue Jays.

During that season, he posted a record of 22-7, with stats that nearly mirrored those he posted in 2010, creating the argument that moving to the National League added years to the ace’s career.

Premature as it may be, we must ask ourselves—”Are we witnessing one of the greatest pitcher’s of all time? Will this man eventually have a spot in Cooperstown?”

There is plenty of evidence to support his case.

Through the first 13 years of his career (which includes just two games in 1998), Halladay has posted a career record of 169 – 86, to go along with a career ERA of 3.32.

Over the course of his career, he has won 20 games three times, and in 2003, came close by winning 19.

He posted an ERA under four 11 times in his career and—more impressively—posted ERA’s below three, six times, including a rookie season that boasted an ERA below two.

His resume already includes some very impressive feats, including winning the Cy Young Award twice, being selected as an All-Star seven times, being named the Starting Pitcher of the Year in 2010, leading the league in wins twice, and throwing two no-hitters.

Though his accomplishments are impressive to date, his career is far from over.

He has yet to rank in the top 50 in any of the major pitching categories, though that can change the longer he extends his career.

The common benchmark for pitching is wins, and 300 is the “guarantee marker.” Well, in order for Roy Halladay to win 300 games by the age of 40, he would have to average 19 wins per season over the next seven seasons.

Though it is possible, it is also unlikely.

On the other hand, the Baseball Hall of Fame finally opened it’s doors to Bert Blyleven in 2011, and his resume featured just 287 wins, though he was on the ballet for an incredible 15 years, the last of his eligibility.

According to Baseball-Reference.com’s Similarity Scores (through age 33), Halladay ranks favorably among two Hall of Fame pitchers —Carl Hubbell and Jim Bunning.

Through age 33, Hubbell posted a record of 170 – 94, with an ERA of 2.79.

He played for a total of 16 seasons with the New York Giants, and finished with a career record of 253 – 154, with an ERA of 2.98.

He threw an incredible 3,590.1 innings over the entirety of his career with the Giants, and finished with an impressive accolades resume of his own, including nine All-Star selections, two National League MVP awards, and the ability to call himself a World Champion, something Halladay has yet to do in his career.

Bunning’s line through age 33 featured much of the same.

Through his first 11 seasons, Bunning posted a record of 156 – 104, and an ERA of 3.53. Over the course of his career with the Detroit Tigers, Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Los Angeles Dodgers, he posted a record of 224 – 184, with an ERA of 3.27.

Like many Hall of Fame pitchers, he boasts several career accolades, including nine All-Star selections and pitching a perfect game.

Though Carl Hubbell and Jim Bunning pitched in a different era, where many starting pitchers threw complete games and logged ridiculous amounts of innings with incredible frequency, the fact of the matter remains the same—through the first 13 years of his career, Roy Halladay has pitched like a potential Hall of Famer.

He already boasts several of the game’s greatest feats, including winning the Cy Young Award in both leagues, being selected as an All-Star in both leagues, leading both leagues in wins, and throwing multiple no-hitters, including a perfect game.

If, over the course of the next seven seasons, Halladay can compile 55 more wins, which seems like a great possibility, he will have surpassed those of Jim Bunning, and if he can win 84 more games, he will have pulled even with Carl Hubbell.

You can also make the argument that he has already achieved more in the game, minus winning the World Series, than Hubbell or Bunning ever have, and finishing out his career would simply make Halladay a Hall of Fame pitcher.

Several intangibles also give Halladay a boost, in the minds of eligible voters.

In an era plagued by the clouds of steroids and performance enhancing drugs, Halladay has dominated both leagues while never testing positive for a substance. He has never been involved in controversy, and has represented Major League Baseball with the greatest of pride.

So the question remains—Will Roy Halladay be a Hall of Fame pitcher when his career is over?

Based on his track record, it’s hard to believe that he won’t be.

If Jim Bunning and Carl Hubbell are the litmus test, then Halladay arrives in Cooperstown as a First Ballot player. As mentioned, he has already achieved, in just 13 seasons, many of the feats that voters look for—no-hitters, 20-win seasons, and notable awards, including the Cy Young, twice.

Two things, in my mind, would hold him up, assuming he finishes his career on the track he’s heading—new statistics and wins.

We live in an ever-evolving world, and with the introduction of SABRmetrics a few years back, baseball statistics have changed greatly.

With more and more baseball writers familiarizing themselves with said stats, a deeper evaluation of those eligible for the Hall of Fame has gone underway. Though SABRmetrics favor Halladay highly, you never know what the future holds.

In the same regard, Halladay will have to pass at least Bunning in wins at this point, and though he may not be a sure-fire 300-game winner, if anyone has the chance to pitch effectively into his forties’, it is Roy Halladay.

However, with his accomplishments, and a resume that is likely to be added to, it is hard to believe that Halladay won’t win over 250 games, and perhaps, finish his career with just two Cy Young Awards.

Though nothing in baseball is guaranteed, pitchers like Roy Halladay don’t come along often.

The Hall of Fame features just 60 pitchers as of 2011, but several years in the future, the consensus says that Cooperstown will be opening it’s doors for one more, the only question that remains is—what hat will he wear?

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The MLB has benefited greatly off of imported talent.  A recent wave of Japanese and South American players have taken the game by storm.  

Today, about 27% of MLB consists of foreign-born players.  Great talents like Hideki Matsui and Ichiro were established already in Japan.  They still were able to make an even bigger name for themselves here in the States.  Many others from South American countries as well have “made it big” in America.  Collectively, these foreign-born plays add another dimension to the game.  

Baseball has become the most diverse sport in the world.  It’s no longer limited to the 50 states in America but has expanded across the globe.

A lot of scouting goes into finding talent overseas.  Teams with better international scouting tend to land such talent.  We’ve seen foreign players (who teams sometimes know little about) get some large contracts here.  Whether deservedly or not, many have had success in MLB.  

Here are the top five free-agent signings of foreign-born players.  

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The Phillies‘ recent acquisition of Cliff Lee is drawing the attention of baseball writers all over the country.  Many of them commend GM Ruben Amaro Jr. and his bold decision to acquire the lefty, but others are not quite as generous.  

Although Cliff Lee left money on the table, it still took Philadelphia a boat load of money to bring him back into red pinstripes.  So much money actually, that the Phillies are even being compared to the New York Yankees who are infamous for purchasing the top free agents on the market without any financial limitations.

Now I must confess, I am a die-hard Philadelphia Phillies fan, but it does not take a genius to see that the Phillies are by no means like the Yankees.  Here are some reasons (they are in no specific order):

1. The Phillies Payroll Is a Lot Smaller Than the Yankees’

I am not saying the Phillies and Yankees are not comparable.  They both have very high payrolls, they both purchase and trade for stellar players and they both have comparable lineups.  However, the Phillies payroll is around $50 million smaller than the Yankees payroll of over $210 million.

$50 million is a lot of money!  To put that in perspective, the 2009 payroll of the Florida Marlins was smaller than $50 million.  With the big names in free agency this season and an extra $50 million, the Phillies could have re-signed Jayson Werth, still have inked Cliff Lee, signed free-agent outfielder Carl Crawford, acquired the top left-handed reliever on the market in Scott Downs and they could use the remaining money to upgrade the bullpen even further.  Now that team would be “Yankee comparable.”

The Phillies have also publicized their interest in getting rid of starting pitcher Joe Blanton to help reduce the large number that is the Phillies payroll.  They have acknowledged that a large sum of money was spent and they are planning on loosening the payroll with a trade.  If they do not get this done however, they have many contracts ending after the 2011 season, and they will eat Blanton’s salary until they lose players to free agency like Raul Ibanez, and possibly Jimmy Rollins and Brad Lidge.  Needless to say, after losing those hefty salaries, they will have more money to spend on other players.

2. Cliff Lee Was Once a Phillie

In July of 2009, the Philadelphia Phillies were looking to ink a top-of-the-rotation starting pitcher to assist them in their quest to their second straight World Series.  Roy Halladay was their prime target, but J.P Ricciardi’s asking price was far too high, so they settled for Cliff Lee.  Lee instantly became a fan favorite in Philadelphia leading them to their second straight World Series.

Before the 2010 season began, the Phils were looking to re-attempt to acquire right-handed pitcher Roy Halladay.  Philadelphia fans had already made shirts that said “Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee,” but GM Ruben Amaro Jr. felt that the Phillies needed to replenish their farm system, so he sent Cliff Lee away to Seattle for prospects that turned out to be quite mediocre.

This move was very unpopular in Philadelphia, and at the next trade deadline, Ruben Amaro redeemed himself with the acquisition of right-handed starting pitcher Roy Oswalt.  This had already given the Phillies one of the top rotations in all of the majors, but it was not enough as the Phillies fell to the San Francisco Giants in the NLCS.

Now, one could compare the Phillies to the Yankees, accusing them of stealing the No. 1 free agent on the market, but as poor as the excuse may sound, Cliff Lee is an exception. 

Amaro had earlier stated before the signing that the Phillies payroll is very tight and it would take only a rare exception to expand the payroll any further.  Although Cliff Lee was the top free agent in the free agency pool this year, the Phillies would not have spent that money on Carl Crawford; not once did the Phillies even mention that they were attempting to sign the top outfielder on the free-agent market.

Letting Cliff Lee go in the first place was a mistake—Amaro knew Cliff Lee wanted to be in Philadelphia.  Opportunities, like getting the top pitcher on the free-agent market for much less money, rarely ever occur.  Cliff Lee had a connection with Philadelphia and it is not much of a surprise that they got him; if his name was “Liff Cee” and he never played for the Phillies, they probably would not have tried to get him.  

If you want to compare the Phillies to the Yankees, do not start comparing them after the signing of Cliff Lee, because, although it is improving the team’s already-stellar rotation, Cliff Lee has a connection with Philadelphia.  

3. Most Phillies Have Been on the Team Since Drafted

Philadelphia’s core lineup and the majority of their team consists of players that were drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies or players that came into the majors from the Phillies farm system.  Some of their best players—Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, Cole Hamels and Placido Polanco (left Philadelphia then came back)—emerged from the Phillies farm system and became the highly regarded players that they are today.

The Phillies’ large payroll is merely a result of retaining their Philadelphia products.  The New York Yankees have two players that they once drafted: Derek Jeter, ariano rivera, robinson cano, brett gardner, and phil hughes.  Now it is true that the Yankees have a lot of young talent currently in their systems, but trades do occur and some of those players will be on different clubs in the future. 

So as you can see, the Philadelphia Phillies may be comparable to the New York Yankees, but in terms of accusations towards the Phillies for purchasing the top players on the market, the Phillies are very different.  Let me know what you think.  Thanks! 

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The Kansas City Royals had two prized pitchers heading into the offseason. The first was 2009 American League Cy Young Award winner, Zack Greinke. He was known to be available after having voiced his disgust with the Royals, and a few months later, they shipped him to the Milwaukee Brewers for four of the Brewers’ top prospects.

According to FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal, the press release had barely gone public when teams started calling about the Royals’ second most valued commodity—closer, Joakim Soria.

Soria, 26, has been nicknamed “The Mexicutioner,” and it should be fairly obvious why: When he enters the ball game in the ninth inning, the opponent’s hopes of winning are all but dead.

Since becoming a full time reliever in 2007, Soria has been electric, appearing in a total of 238 games, posting a record of 8-10, with an ERA of just 2.01. Through age 26, he has converted 238 saves for the bottom dwelling, Kansas City Royals, and has blow just 13 saves over the course of his career. By the time his career is finished, he could be one of the greatest closers baseball has ever seen.

So why would the Royals want to trade him?

Though they’re not stuck in the same predicament they were with Greinke, the Royals interest in trading Soria would be more of a want than a necessity. Soria is signed to a team friendly deal through the 2011 season, with club options that become guaranteed with various in-game feats for each season through 2014.

Soria’s contract is one of his best selling points, and has drawn the interest of large market teams like the New York Yankees, who were rumored to have offered their top prospect, catcher/DH Jesus Montero, straight up for the Royals’ closer. The Yankees were denied because of the depth of the Royals’ farm system in that position, but the point is clear: teams are willing to give up their best to acquire Soria. Why is that?

In short, he has been absolutely dominant as a closer. Last season alone, he posted a record of 1-2 with an ERA of 1.78 for the Royals, converting 43 saves. Take into consideration that the Royals won just 67 games in 2010.

That means that Soria saved more than 64 percent of all Royals wins in 2010. Imagine what he can do with an annual contender like the New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox, or as this article is concerned, the Philadelphia Phillies.

With Brad Lidge already in tow, why would the Phillies consider Soria?

When he is completely healthy, Lidge is one of the best closers in baseball. He showed flashes of that brilliance at the end of the 2010 season, where he posted an ERA of 0.76 over the final three months of the season, and reduced his blown saves from 11 in 2009 to just five in 2010. It is his inconsistency that has worried the Phillies organization, however.

Before he returned to form in those final three months, Lidge posted an ERA of 6.52 in the months of June and July. Aside from his on the field performance, Lidge is almost sure to become a free agent after the 2011 season, since the Phillies hold a hefty option for 2012 that is sure to be declined.

The Phillies also boast a set-up man that has “closer stuff,” in right-hander Ryan Madson. Madson was much better—and more consistent, for that matter—than Lidge in 2010. He posted a 6-2 with an ERA of 2.55, and despite missing a significant amount of time with a broken toe, recorded 15 holds to effectively set up Lidge.

Like Lidge, however, Madson will become a free agent after the 2011 season, and though he is more likely to return to the Phillies than his closer counterpart, he is a Scott Boras client, and will surely make the Phillies sweat it out and ask for a big pay day.

With the uncertainty of the Phillies bullpen after the 2011 season, why not make a play for the golden standard?

According to Baseball America and numerous other prospect gurus, the Royals have the most talented, deepest farm system in baseball. With names like Mike Montgomery, Mike Moustakas, Eric Hosmer and Wil Meyers in their system, the Royals made it clear that they will not just settle for a team’s top prospect. In any deal for any of their star players, they are going to fill areas of need with young, talented players.

General Manager Dayton Moore made it clear that he was going to seek a middle infielder, a center fielder and pitching help for Zack Greinke’s services, and what did he do? He went out and acquired shortstop Alcides Escobar, center fielder Lorenzo Cain and pitchers Jeremy Jeffress and Jake Odorizzi from the Milwaukee Brewers. So what’s left to upgrade?

From an outsider’s perspective, the Royals appear to need the most help in the outfield, in the starting rotation, in the bullpen, and behind the plate. If the Phillies were going to express interest in Soria, they could help fill each of those areas. Any deal for Soria would surely start with baseball’s top prospect, outfielder Domonic Brown.

Though he had a less than impressive debut, Brown mashed minor league pitching, posting a slash line of .332/.391/.582, with 20 home runs. He is the standard five tool player, and will transition into one of baseball’s premier outfielders.

The Phillies could also offer a bevy of relief prospects, highlighted by right hander, Justin DeFratus. He posted ERAs below 2.20 at three different levels in the Phillies’ system in 2010, and was added to the 40-man roster earlier in the winter.

Combined with any number of starting pitching prospects like Trevor May, Jarred Cosart, or Brody Colvin and talented defensive catcher Sebastian Valle, and the Phillies could put together an impressive package.

That seems to be where most teams put Dayton Moore on hold. How do you value a pitcher that is going to throw a maximum of 70 innings pitched? According to some sources, the Phillies wouldn’t be ridiculous to offer Domonic Brown straight up for Soria, but like the Yankees, they would probably be turned down.

As mentioned earlier, Soria has an extremely team friendly contract that should up his value. If the Phillies were to offer Domonic Brown, Justin DeFratus and another player, I think it would be hard to turn that package down.

Soria himself could also be an obstacle to a deal. He has a partial no trade clause that blocks, among other teams, the Phillies. Though recent reports suggest that Soria wouldn’t block a trade to any team, he could use his no-trade clause as leverage to negotiate an extension with a new team. That, is a different discussion all together.

At the end of the day, Soria seems like a perfect fit for the Phillies bullpen. Assuming that they could move Joe Blanton, he’d make just half of what the starter is due in 2011.

Assuming that he’d be the go-to guy in the ninth inning, the Phillies would be able to turn to Jose Contreras, JC Romero, Ryan Madson and Brad Lidge in some combination from the sixth inning onward, and with their four horseman manning the rotation, how often would they be necessary?

It would easily be the greatest pitching staff of all time, and certainly complies with General Manager Ruben Amaro’s philosophy that pitching wins championships.

I suppose it comes down to the discussion, who is more valuable going forward—Joakim Soria or Domonic Brown?

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Consider this piece more of a memoir than anything else.  My childhood with the Phillies was always adventurous but often ugly.  The Phillies were constantly a losing team and never broke the bank to go out and sign any big-name free agents.  At the time, we knew they weren’t the New York Yankees, nor were we asking them to be.  We just wanted to know that they had a desire to someday win.

This all changed in 2003 when they signed Jim Thome and closed out the Vet.  Then, in the following off-season, they added Billy Wagner to fill the void of closer and open Citizens Bank Park.  This told the fans that the Phillies wanted to win and apparently now had the funds to do so.  

A lot has changed since those “dog days.”  Philadelphia is now the place to play and you can somewhat thank Thome for helping put Philly on the map.  During the Phillies’ period of misery while at the Vet, you’d be lucky to see 20,000 people down at the ballpark.  My father and I would venture out to the 700 level of rightfield with our $7.00 General Admission tickets.  Those days were enjoyable but also bitter and painful.  Someday though, we knew that the Phillies would turn it around. 

Well, today that period of misery is long gone.  The Phillies are now a marquee team in baseball and have made the playoffs four years running.  They sell out just about every game as tickets are nearly impossible to come by.

They now have (on paper) one of the best rotations of all time.  Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt and Cole Hamels will be a formidable foursome for the Fightin’ Phils in 2011.  

Through their minor league system, they were able to develop loads of young talent.  This is a pool that includes Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Hamels, Jimmy Rollins and Dominic Brown among others.

Those sad days weren’t that long ago, but are now in the rear-view mirror.  Misery has been turned into all positives for the Phillies.  They bumped the Yankees off of a “Cliff” and are now looking to return to the World Series in 2011.  Ruben Amaro Jr. deserves a bulk of the praise for such moves as this may be the deepest Phils team ever.

For 14 years, Philadelphia suffered without a playoff appearance.  Now, they’re aiming for a fifth straight playoff appearance and third World Series berth.  What a turnaround for a team that was in the basement for so long.  

In four seasons, they’ve doubled the payroll of this team.  During that time, look at the success that they’ve enjoyed.  

They can actually compete financially with the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees.  That’s something I never thought we could say.     

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Move over Cliff Lee, because this move will make more of an impact than Lee going back to Philadelphia. Zack Greinke was dealt to the Milwaukee Brewers Sunday morning and this shifts the entire outlook of the National League.

The Brewers finished third in the National League Central last year, 14 games back of the Cincinnati Reds. Milwaukee was not light in hitting, but struggled mightily on the mound. They finished 12th in runs scored, but were 26th in ERA.

The ERA number should change drastically.

This move was made with the plan of revamping the starting rotation. Going into next season, the Brewers had Yovanni Gallardo (3.84 ERA, 200 Ks in 2010), Randy Wolf (4.17 ERA in 215 innings) and recently acquired Shaun Marcum (3.64 ERA, 1.15 WHIP in Toronto).

This makes them an immediate player in the NL Central and the National League as a whole. If you take a look at the divisions and really break down the rosters, there were only a few teams who could have competed.

In the West, it is San Francisco’s division to lose.

The Dodgers are picking up scraps from other teams and are in total dysfunction. Colorado cannot stay healthy and have to hope for another stellar season from Carlos Gonzalez to stay close.

The Diamondbacks and Padres have already mailed it in for 2011.

There is no legitimate contender for Philadelphia in the East.

The Mets are still trying to figure out their offense and have no stand out pitcher except for Johan Santana. Jason Bay needs to stay healthy.

Florida has a solid core of young players, but without Dan Uggla in the middle of the lineup, they are no match for anybody.

I wonder how much Bobby Cox retiring will affect the Braves. The more pressing issue is what they do for a closer.

Billy Wagner is retired and they may need a bullpen by committee at the beginning to figure that part out.

Atlanta’s offense is questionable as well. Sure, they have Brian McCann and Jason Heyward but after that, who?

Chipper Jones is a shell of himself. Matt Diaz is gone. Alex Gonzalez and Troy Glaus are another year older.

The Washington Nationals are not at this stage yet. They have a great deal of young talent, but they are not ready to make the leap yet, especially without Steven Strasburg.

This leaves the Central, which is now wide open.

It looks to be a three team race between the Brewers, Reds and the St. Louis Cardinals.

The young Reds team received their first taste of postseason baseball, only to be swept away by the Phillies. The Cardinals did not have enough gas in the tank to make a September run.

For the Reds, youth is on their side. Their young pitchers, Johnny Cueto and Edison Volquez, have another year of experience under their belts and for Volquez, hopefully a healthy season.

Joey Votto is one of the premier players in baseball.

The Cardinals have the best player on the planet in Albert Pujols and one of the best one-two punches in baseball (Carpenter and Wainwright) when healthy.

The Brewers now have front of the line pitchers to be able to matchup with the others in the division.

This is also a more complete team than the one with CC Sabathia in 2008. The rotation is deeper, the lineup is more mature and they have a solid guy at the end of the bullpen with John Axford (24 saves in 27 chances).

They will make a run at the playoffs and, if they get in, could be very dangerous.

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