Kuzul

The Philadelphia Phillies have made a major splash in free agency this past offseason. The only person of note they lost was Jayson Werth, who signed with the Washington Nationals, and they signed Cliff Lee to a deal seemingly out of nowhere.

Beyond that huge signing, most of their contracts were either minor league offers, such as signing Kevin Cash, and re-signing their own free agents, like Jose Contreras.

Nonetheless, the team still has a couple voids remaining. They could use a number five starter, although they don’t seem to be in a hurry to trade Joe Blanton. Having an extra proven lefty alongside J.C. Romero could help as well. While Ruben Amaro has noted that he’s fine with the roster as is, here are some players that the Phillies could bring in.

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With the Philadelphia Phillies picking up Cliff Lee in a deal that shocked all of baseball last month, there has been a lot of talk about the how good the Phillies current rotation is, which ranks probably within the best five rotations in baseball history. The 2011 Phillies rotation compares to the rotations of the Atlanta Braves from the mid-1990s, the 1971 Orioles with Jim Palmer, and the 1966 Dodgers with Sandy Koufax.

Sadly for the Phillies fans, this rotation has a life of probably no more than two years. After the 2011 season, two of the pitchers of this potentially legendary rotation could be seeking new contracts. Cole Hamels’ contract ends after this season, and Roy Oswalt has a $16 million club option for the 2012 season. It is possible that the option might occur for 2012, but he is only 33 and may be seeking a multi-year contract following 2011.

Assuming that Oswalt will be looking for an opportunity following 2011 to find a multi-year deal to retire with, it is vitally important for the Phillies to sign Hamels to a contract very soon in order to avoid a contract war. Hamels is not eligible to be a free agent until after the season of 2012, but he is due arbitration following this coming season, which would put his value much higher than his current contract. The 2010-2011 offseason has seen a great deal of pitcher changes, and the Phillies need to insure soon that Hamels is not among that list for next season.

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The Philadelphia Phillies have made a name for themselves in recent years, reaching the NLCS the past three seasons. However Ruben Amaro Jr. seems to always make mid-season trades to give them the extra boost they need to make a run.

Many critics say that the Phillies are only a good team in the present time and are not a team of the future. Fans often argue that the team has an excellent farm system and develops players to become great players in the majors. One such case of this is the development of Ryan Howard.

Here are the top 10 players in the Phillies farm system right now.  

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There sure has been a lot of banter about the Philadelphia Phillies over the past week, and why not?

The Phillies made a splash in the free agent market by netting it’s top prize – left handed starter and former Phillie, Cliff Lee. While Phillies fans have basked in the glory of pairing him with Roy Halladay, Roy Oswalt, and Cole Hamels and enjoying their chances for a repeat as baseball’s team with the best record, Lee and others have firmly stated that they won’t settle for finishing second best. Anything other than a World Series title will be a disappointment for the Phillies and their fans alike.

With high expectations from your own fan base comes a lot of negative feedback from those teams that a signing like this will effect. It’s not the perfect situation for the Phillies. As those teams and fans have pointed out, this elite Phillies core is aging quickly. Injuries ravaged the team in 2010, and though they hope for a healthier 2011, they certainly aren’t getting any younger. Add that to the largest payroll in the history of the franchise, and a lot of people believe that the Phillies have a limited window to be successful.

Is that the case?

There are no reinforcements on the way in the Phillies’ immediate future. The organization’s best prospects are all located in the lower levels of the minor league system. The bullpen could possibly benefit from some minor league talent like Scott Mathieson, BJ Rosenberg, Mike Zagurski, Michael Schwimmer and Justin DeFratus in the near future, but that’s about it.

An aging core, payroll that is reaching new heights, and lack of upper level prospects have a lot of fans and foes alike calling for the end of the Phillies in the near future. These factors are somewhat misleading, as many of the Phillies’ lower level minor league talent projects to be quality major league starters over the next few seasons. As the Phillies’ core ages now, an influx of young talent should give the team a nice shot in the arm, and a television contract that expires in 2015 should give the Phillies all the payroll they need. According to one professional scout, the Phillies could go on a “Braves-like” streak of divisional titles.

While the Phillies enjoy their glory days now, the future is always on our minds. So with that, here is a look at Baseball America’s projected roster for the Phillies in 2014.

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On Monday night, Cliff Lee shocked the baseball world when he signed a five-year, $132 million dollar contract with the Philadelphia Phillies.  Interest in Lee’s 2011 destination began as soon as he threw his final pitch to the Giants in the World Series, and all signs pointed to New York. 

When the Phillies announced Monday that Lee would become a member of their already elite pitching staff, baseball fans around the country wasted no time in dubbing this fearsome four the best staff in baseball—and possibly, of all time.

On paper, it is hard to argue otherwise.  The “Fearsome Four,” or “R2C2” of Halladay, Lee, Oswalt and Hamels is a staff that one would have a difficult time assembling for a video game roster, let alone a Major League season.  Halladay is arguably the best pitcher in baseball, and the other three would be considered number one starters on at least 25 of the other staffs in baseball.  Only the Giants boast a staff that is comparable, which brings us to the point of this column.

The question at hand is whether the 2011 Phillies pitching staff is the greatest ever assembled—and it is one deserving of serious debate.  In reviewing various articles that address this question, I noticed something was missing from the debate, and from the conversation altogether.  The Phillies are clearly the favorites to win the National League Pennant, and they will—barring injuries—hold opposing teams to very few runs over the course of the season. However…so will the San Francisco Giants. 

The 2010 San Francisco Giants pitching staff was finally able to thrust itself into the national spotlight when the group pitched itself past a solid Braves lineup, out-pitched the “best staff of all time at the time?” 2010 Phillies and then shut down the best lineup in all of baseball in the Texas Rangers.

  Claiming that R2C2 is a better staff than the Giants’, I can accept.  Forgetting to mention the Giants in the conversation altogether, I cannot.

The Braves of the mid ’90s had one of the best pitching staffs of all time. Their top three of Maddux, Glavine and Smoltz all pitched in different styles, and all put together Hall-of-Fame numbers in the steroid era.  The media seems to assume that the Phillies are destined to duplicate the success of this Braves staff. 

They will run over their competitors in the National League and come face to face with the Boston Red Sox in the World Series: a perfect showcase of dominant hitting vs. the best rotation in baseball  (Giants vs. Rangers anyone?).  Another possibility is that the youthful and exuberant Giants pitching staff will do exactly as they did last year and beat the teams dubbed “unbeatable.” 

The potential for a matchup between these two teams in the 2011 NLCS is the real story, and it is being ignored.  I find it almost comical that fans, writers and analysts can forget to mention the Giants in argument with the supremacy of the 2011 Phillies.  Do you not learn from your mistakes? 

The Phillies may be the best pitching staff of all time in 2011—they certainly have the potential.  Yet, so do the Giants.  Perhaps the articles prematurely slobbering over the Phillies and Golden Boy Cliff Lee should wait until NLCS Round 2.  Halladay, Lincecum, Lee, Cain, Oswalt, Sanchez, Hamels, Bumgarner: A line of names such as these only exists in Cooperstown.  This is the real story behind Cliff Lee signing with the Philadelphia Phillies.

To attempt to make the debate as simple as possible, I have compared the pitching of the Giants and Phillies in slideshow format, comparing each starter head to head.  Before I address specific players, first let me address the pros and cons of each staff as a whole. 

The Phillies are aging, but not necessarily for the worse.  I believe, however, that Oswalt may be losing a bit of extra life on his pitches.  The Giants are incredibly young, with only Zito aging for the worse.  The Phillies’ incredible starting staff will hand games over to a solid, albeit limited bullpen, and a closer plagued by inconsistencies from season to season. 

The Giants’ starters will hand games over to an elite bullpen.  It is better than the Phillies’, and it is not even especially close.  I consider the closer a primary contributor of a staff, and it must be noted that the Giants are superior here as well.  Let’s now take a look at the starters.



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Philadelphia Phillies fans were devastated when they heard the news, especially the fact that it was so sudden.

It can also be said that it was shocking to see our everyday right fielder, Jayson Werth, sign to a team within our own division.

Well, like normal, Philadelphia fans panicked immediately, just like every time when something like this happens.

It’s hard to admit, but as a Phillies fan myself, it’s true.

But let me be the first to tell you that there isn’t too much to worry about.

Yeah, we lost our right fielder, but that’s why we have young prospects to take his place.

Not only that, but it will also make every other player know that they lost something valuable and they must step up their game in place of it. 

Without further ado, the 10 ways the Phillies can make up for the loss of Werth.

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The Philadelphia Phillies are a great team with very little flaws.

After losing to the San Francisco Giants in the 2010 NLCS, Phillies fans were devastated on what happened.

They sat in the stands, at their homes, or at the local bar in shock and could not believe the defeat they faced.

Well, now we are entering the 2011 MLB season and we as Phillies fans must put the past behind us. We must try and make ourselves a better team for the near future.

As I said earlier, the Phillies have very little flaws. On paper, our only weakness is the bullpen.

Lucky for us, the 2011 free agent list is infested with relievers.

The majority of our entire pitching staff are right handers, so I think we should focus on hauling in lefties to make our staff more dynamic.

Ruben Amaro Jr. has proved he can be successful in the business of baseball and I have faith in him again.

Without a due, I give you 10 free agent relievers that the Phillies and Ruben Amaro Jr. will try to grab off of the free agent wire.

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Since Jayson Werth’s surprise signing with the Washington Nationals on Sunday, Philadelphia has been left with a giant void to fill in the outfield. 

Many rumors have been thrown around as to how the Phillies are looking to replace Werth.  Some rumors include signing San Francisco’s Aaron Rowand and moving top prospect Dominic Brown into the starting position.  However, with Jayson Werth out, the Phillies have a lot of freed-up money.  Tampa Bay’s Carl Crawford is the top outfielder available since Werth signed on Sunday. The Phillies seem to be passing him by with very little interest.

Why?

Werth brought speed, great defensive ability and a powerful bat to the club.  Crawford possesses these same abilities, and to a point may be able to surpass Werth’s talent.  Over the past five seasons Crawford has 71 home runs, 372 RBI, 240 stolen bases and hit .301. 

In the same time frame Werth has 102 home runs, 343 RBI, 71 stolen bases and hit .268.  While Werth has more power than Crawford, Crawford has more RBI, stolen bases and has a higher batting average than Werth. 

The Phillies already have power in their lineup in the form of Ryan Howard, Chase Utley and the occasional power streak of Raul Ibanez.  Their only true base-stealing threats left after the departure of Werth are Jimmy Rollins and Shane Victorino.  Should the Phillies pursue Aaron Rowand, the only speed in the outfield would be Victorino in center field. 

Rowand has clearly lost some speed over the years and Ibanez is relatively slow thanks to age.  Crawford can help stabilize the outfield and also add a very strong arm. 

Crawford could be a strong fit in Philadelphia if they are willing to pay the money now.  Philadelphia has always been a team that focuses on the present more so than the future and the addition of Crawford could help them make another run for the World Series in 2011. 

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Have you ever owned a jack-in-the-box? If so, do you remember that feeling of anticipation that sunk deep within your stomach right before the lid popped open? No matter what you did to prepare yourself, nothing could stop the overflow of surprise when that lid popped open, right?

Well, the same feeling has run through the Philadelphia faithful after news of Jayson Werth declining arbitration Tuesday night. We can all say it was expected, but it does nothing to lessen the blow.

And while a few diehard fans will fall deep into the gasping grip of denial will comment: ‘just because he declined arbitration doesn’t mean he still can’t sign…” the rest of us are beginning to move on, and accept the end of a truly great run from a truly great player.

But there are two significant questions that still linger: Could Jayson Werth Be headed to Boston, and is Domonic Brown even ready?

Across the Boston University Bridge is another fanbase beginning to wonder if perhaps Mr. Werth could be the offensive addition they’ve been so desperately craving. The rumor is that Boston is in fact very interested.

The Red Sox have the second largest payroll in baseball—we all know who is the current champion in that arena—but they also have significant room to move. Outfielders Bill Hall and Ryan Kalish have been serviceable, but not the Type A power bats the Red Sox need.

In addition to all of this, there is news that eight different teams have shown interest in Hall, and Kalish could be used as possible trade bait in the near future. This could open a clear path for the Red Sox to roll out the red carpet for Werth.

But the question always comes down to money doesn’t it?

The Red Sox could toy with the notion of extending a five year deal worth a cool $100 million dollars, but that is left to be seen. The Red Sox also know that there aren’t many teams that are willing to compete in such a high priced arena for one guy—namely Jayson Werth.

The second question is whether or not prospect Domonic Brown is ready to fill some pretty big shoes.

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that despite being sent to the Dominican Winter League, Brown has yet to appear in a single game.

And nobody believes Philadelphia sent Brown down there to gauge how comfortable the benches are.

The hot hitting Phillies’ prospect has been a monster in minor league ball since 2007 accumulating a .296/.373/.464 line with 48 home runs, 232 RBI and 89 stolen bases; so the Phillies are eager to get Brown some at bats, and back in shape.

But that’s just it, the Winter League isn’t very long. After the league finishes up, there is a month long layover in holiday happy-land before the advent of Spring Training.

The biggest question is whether or not that will be enough time to get him in shape.

Not being in shape leaves a player vulnerable to injury in Spring Training, and the Phillies can’t afford such a situation with Brown, especially considering the sizable shoes he has to fill in such a short time.

So here we are, the latest scribed chapter in an ever growing book of questions.

Either way, the coming months are going to be quite arduous for Phillies’ fans to say the least, or as George Herbert put it: “Every mile is two in winter.”

But in the same vein winter dies into spring, and with such a death rises a new life (season) filled with promise, hope, and new beginnings.

Ah, such is the way of the diamond.

Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com

Tired of hearing about Jayson Werth?  Well, I’m not tired of writing about him just yet!  In a stunning report out of Philadelphia’s 97.5 The Fanatic, Jayson Werth may be on his way back to Philadelphia for another run.  Multiple reports supported this notion, in fact.  

Not so fast yet my dear Philly phaithful.  This isn’t certain, but remains likely.  The Phillies “reportedly” offered Werth a three year, $55 million deal.  This is a significant increase from their original offer and apparently works for Werth and super-agent Scott Boras, who may not have seen the right things thus far in free agency. 

Werth crawling back to the Phillies tells me quite a few things:

1.) Maybe he’s not as money-hungry as we thought (the guy will still be making about $18 million a year, give me a break.)  

2.) Ruben Amaro Jr. is one crafty bastard (I told you guys all along that RAJ is a genius).

Here are a few reasons why we were wrong about Jayson Werth and we’re…sorry.

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