Bullpen Talk

The greatest need for the 2010 Phillies is the bullpen. The rotation, while not spectacular, is solid. The lineup is close to spectacular regardless of who plays third base. The can get anyone to backup Ruiz. The bullpen, however, needs a touch-up.

Brad Lidge is facing surgery after an absolutely horrid season. He has a ability to bounce back to 2008 form but he could also repeat the (injury plagued?) disaster of 2009. No one knows how Lidge will perform in the coming year so I l think a reasonable back-up plan needs to be in order. Is Ryan Madson an exceptable Plan B? No. He proved last season he cannot be counted on to close more than a handful of games. So, the Phils need to sign a relief arm that could close if Lidge isn't capable of getting the job done.

I want to see the Phils do what the Mets did last offseason when they signed K-Rod and JJ Putz. I want the back end of the bullpen to go from a liability, or at least a concern, to a strength. Granted, it didn’t work out well for the Mets but that doesn’t mean the strategy is flawed. A strong bullpen is a necessity, not a luxury.

There is a plethora of free agent closer arms. Many will not be good fits for the Phils because of salary, role demand, etc. Also, many of the arms are Type A free agents but that shouldn’t necessarily scare the Phils. They can only lose one first round draft pick and if they are considering a Type A third baseman (Beltre, DeRosa), they might as well grab a Type A pitcher too.

Here are some bullpen arms broken down into categories based on compensation.

Type A Free Agents I Don’t Think Can Be Signed:
Billy Wagner – Can you imagine the Rat back in Philadelphia? I can’t either.
Jose Valverde – Probably the best closer on the market, which means he’ll command a ton of money. He’d be great but unlikely the Phils have the cash or the save opportunities to satisfy Valverde.
Mike Gonzalez – Probably back with Atlanta next year.
Rafael Soriano – Similar situation to Valverde. He’s looking at a big pay day and should want to close.

Type A Free Agents That Could Be Signed:
Latroy Hawkins – I would love to have Valverde or Soriano or Gonalez but that isn’t happening, so my next choice would be Latroy Hawkins. Hawkins has been an on/off closer for year with many teams, so I don’t think he will be looking to be given the ninth inning like some of the established closers will be. He’s coming off of a great year (2.13 ERA), has post season experience, and hasn’t made over $4 million since 2006 so they may not have to break the bank.
Kevin Gregg – Don’t be fooled by the Type A status, Gregg was pretty brutal last year. 4.72 ERA and multiple blown saves. I don’t think many teams will be lining up to make him their closer, but that is the good news. He “only” made $4 million last season and given that his performance and Type A status, the Phils may be able to sneak in and grab him on the cheap.

Type B Free Agent:
Fernando Rodney – He may have converted 37 saves last season, but his other numbers don’t support Rodney being a dominant closer. He’s never had more than 13 saves in any other season. His ERA hasn’t been under 4 in the last three years. He averages a walk every other inning. He’s only pitched more than 50 innings in a season twice. That means he won’t (or shouldn’t) get paid like a closer. It’s unknown whether he would accept a non-closers job, however. If he would, he could be a great addition to the Phils staff.
Kiko Calero - This guy made $500k with the Marlins last year and posted a 1.93 ERA over 60 innings. He doesn't have much save experience but he may be a great bargain for the 7th inning.

No Compensation Required:
JJ Putz - The Mets paid Putz Eaton-like money and got an Eaton-like season. Injuries played a large part and I don't know if he could bounce back, but it would be nice to see a NY failure succeed in Philly. It would be a big gamble but depending on the price tag, one that could be worth it.
Brandon Lyon, Octavio Dotel, Rafael Betancourt, Takashi Saito - Closer pasts...are in the past for these guys. Like Calero, nice additions to the pen but certainly not closer insurance.
Chad Cordero - Teams have tried taking fomer closers off the injury pile before with limited success (see: Eric Gagne, Danys Baez, etc.). Cordero has had two years off so he should be well rested. And he could be signed real cheap, possibly even on a minor league deal. He's worth that.
Brett Myers - I know. I know.

Name That Player #4

"Preserve Jon" leads "mikethemacguy" 2-1 but there is a loooooong way to go until the regular season starts so it's not too late throw your hat in the ring. The next few "NTP" posts will be picture oriented because we don't want to discriminate against the illiterate. They also will be a little more difficult than the first but don't get discouraged, we will give hints if no one gets it in a few hours.

This Phillie had a mustache and played in the 80's. Name That Mustache Player!

Phillies Cardboard Classics

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"Rendell with the Bill Cosby sweater."

~Carson

Moyer- Get Well Soon & Minor Additions

Grand Pappy Moyer tore his groin near the end of the season and had surgery in October. Following the surgery he was hospitalized with a blood infection while the Phillies began the playoffs. On Wednesday he was readmitted to the hospital with further complications stemming from his groin surgery. The 47 year old doesn't heal quite as quickly as he used to. Moyer is under contract for 1 more season and is expected to be the Phils 5th starter in 2010. Get well soon!
___________________________________________________

Minor Additions:
*DeWayne Wise- 31 year old Quad-A outfielder has seen time with the Blue Jays, Braves, Reds, and ChiSox in 7 big league seasons. Career .216/.636 hitter in 324 games. He plays solid defense and can swipe a bag here and there. Is likely destined for Lehigh Valley, but adds depth to the system. Made the catch of the year to save Mark Buehrle's perfect game.

*Wilson Valdez- 31 year old utility infielder that has bounced around organizations over the years. Former teams- ChiSox, Mariners, Padres, Dodgers, and spent part of last season with the injury-riddled Mets. Career .222/.565 hitter in 152 MLB games spanning 4 seasons. Will be heading to Triple-A unless he out hits Juan Castro in spring training...which could happen since they both kinda stink.

*Paul Hoover- the veteran catcher signed on for another tour of duty mentoring the Iron Pigs pitching staff. Hit .750 (3-4) for the Phils last season. Might be being considered for backup catcher to Chooch.

*Andy Tracy- the 35 year old first baseman is back for a third season in the Phils organization. Has been a September call-up each of the last 2 years, batting .417 (5-12) in 2009. Has blasted a Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs record 48 homeruns.

~Carson

Happy Turkey Day

Prepare To Not Like...

Juan Castro. If you didn't like Eric Bruntlett, and c'mon who the hell did?, you won't like Juan Castro. Castro is older, but is every bit as crappy of a utility infielder that Bruntlett was/is. He can't hit, but he's versatile...well la-de-fricken-da! A Swiss Army Knife is versatile too, but you don't see the Yankees trying to sign one to backup their infielders next season. Cutting Bruntlett loose was a smart move by Ruben Amaro Jr; signing his elder Mexican brother was not. The Phillies are upping ticket prices, are coming off their best attendance ever and three straight years of playoffs, so open up the f'n wallet and sign someone worth a pinch of shit. No offense to Juan Castro, but a .230/.270/.332 dash line for a will be 38 year old next season is pathetic...Tomas Perez pisses on that. If you go off of last season alone, sure he's an upgrade over Bruntlett (.277/.650 Castro, .171/.462 Bruntlett). However, that was only 1 season of 112 at bats for Castro, the previous year ('08) he batted .193/.513 and in the year before that ('07) .180/.446...Bruntlett-esque. A very uninspired signing by Rube regardless of how cheap he comes.

Juan Castro is a veteran of 15 MLB seasons and has played for the Reds, Dodgers, Twins, and Orioles. SS, 2nd, and 3rd are his primary positions. Career line: .230 AVG, 244 r, 572 h, 118 2b, 13 3b, 36 hr, 220 rbi, 5 sb, .601 OPS.

~Carson

Name That Player #3

After two rounds, our leaders is Preserve Jon. Can he get the 3-peat?

This former Pirate once had a line of .264-22-97 that was good enough for 11th in MVP voting. He played for many teams including the Brewers, Angels and Blue Jays. Bonus Hint- G.I. Joe is his arch nemesis.

Name That Player!

Lowell a Fit in Philly?

The Phillies need a thirdbaseman. The Red Sox need to get rid of a thirdbaseman. I'm thinking swap meet. Mike Lowell is in the last year of his contract and is set to make $12M. However, it's being reported that Theo Epstein may be willing to eat half the contract to move him to make room for slugging Padres firstbaseman Adrian Gonzalez. At $6M for 1 year and a stopgap plan at 3rd, I'd do it. The BoSox probably wouldn't want much of a prospect in return for Lowell, since the trade would be more of a salary dump. Lowell was extremely durable for most of his career, playing through pain Chase Utley style, but the last 2 seasons have seen him land on the DL and play less than 120 games each year. However, when in the lineup his bat is still produtive (.290, 17 hr, 75 rbi, .811 OPS). He will be 36 years old in 2010, and he still plays adequate defense. Envisioning his bat in the 7-hole of the Phils lineup brings a smile to my face.

Although Lowell wouldn't be my first choice for 3rd, he may be the best choice. No draft picks will be surrendered when signing him (as would be the case with Beltre or DeRosa), and he's not out of the Phils price range like Chone Figgins. Get a quality utility infielder that can play 3rd to give Lowell a breather, and you've got yourself a solid infield again.

~Carson

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"GM-Carson's front yard."

Submit your captions in the comments section.

Delectable Phillies

I enjoy doing Google image searches for various things Phillies related. You'd be surprised with some of the interesting pictures that I find, which are perfect for use on the blog during the typically slow offseason. Recently I typed in "Phillies cakes" and was treated to some sweet eye candy. Personally, I prefer my mothers homemade from scratch carrot cake on my birthday day, but these confections look pretty tasty too.





~Carson

Phillies Phlashback Phriday: Jay Johnstone

Jay Johnstone was a career .303 left-handed hitter during his 5 seasons in Philadelphia. In total, he played 20 years in the majors for the Phillies, Dodgers, Yankees, Angels, Cubs, White Sox, Padres and Athletics batting .267. That's the definition of journeyman, as he played for 8 of the 26 MLB teams (Rockies, Marlins, Rays, and DBacks weren't in existence when he played). He roamed the outfield and played a little bit of 1st base in Philly from 1974-1978, and to be honest, I don't really know much about him. However, loyal reader Sir Alden has been begging for this particular phlashback, so here it is. Therefore, I'll turn to Wikipedia for the rest...

Jay was best known for keeping the clubhouse atmosphere loosey-goosey with his sense of humor. He'd often pull pranks to keep teammates in good spirits. Some of his most notorious pranks included the hot-foot, putting a soggy brownie in Steve Garvey's glove, cutting out the crotch area of Rick Sutcliffe's underwear, nailing teammates cleats to the floor, and dressing up as a member of the grounds crew and sweeping the infield between innings. Following his playing days he worked along side John Sterling in the Yankees broadcast booth as the color commentator for a couple seasons. Career highlight- batting .778 (7-9) in the 1976 NLCS. He also appeared in the movie Naked Gun as a right-handed batter playing for the Seattle Mariners, neither of which he really ever did.

~Carson

Barack & Chuck

At WSBGMs headquarters, somewhere in a dank basement in our mother's house according to Buzz Bissinger, we've been following the 44th President of the United States of America's ties with the Philadelphia Phillies quite closely. By now, it should be no secret that Barack Obama is a Phightin's fan.

*Obama Talks Baseball with WSBGMs.

*Can Barack Obama pitch?

Vizquel & Park

Omar Vizquel's name is being floated around as a possible replacement for the newly departed Eric Bruntlett. Vizquel, who is 42, still manages to be in excellent shape and play outstanding defense at multiple positions (SS, 2nd, and 3rd), but his bat is weak. Of course, a crusty piece of pooh could replace Bruntlett, so I'm not going to complain much if the Phillies decide to go this route. Last year with the Texas Rangers he hit .266 with a .660 OPS. Like I said, better than Bruntlett. Vizquel's role would be limited anyway, because Rollins and Utley are everyday players that do not need defensive replacements. The only question mark in the Phils infield is currently at 3rd base. Despite turning 43 at the beginning of the 2010 season, Omar still has decent speed, so he has the ability to be used as a pinch-runner, plus he's a switch hitter, which also adds to his value.

Chan Ho Park had a bad season and a good season with the Phillies last year. He was bad as a starting pitcher: 1-1, 7.29 ERA, 1.74 WHIP in 7 starts. He was good as a reliever: 2-2, 2.52 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, and no homeruns allowed in 50 innings pitched. Despite the huge discrepancy between roles, he still yearns to be a starting pitcher. However, the Phillies are not considering him for that capacity, they view him strictly as a reliever. I hope he's brought back into the fold, and becomes the go-to guy in the 7th, but there's plenty of offseason yet to play out.

Brad Lidge Needs Your Horse's Placenta

Yeah, you read that correctly.

All year long while Lidge was blowing saves many fans of the Fightins were convinced that Lidge was hurt. It was repeatedly denied but as soon as the season finished, a season that saw Lidge give up three runs in a tie Game 4 of the World Series, he was on the operating room schedule for at least one procedure.

Just think if Lidge could have been fixed in the middle of the season. That is where the horse placenta makes an appearance in the story.

Arsenal (that's a soccer team) and Dutch forward Robin van Persie tore some ankle ligaments in a friendly (that's an exhibition) versus Italy. He was initially thought to be out for the rest of the season but now there is word he may be back on the pitch (that's a field) in only 6 weeks. How? Serbian horse placenta.

According to The Sun, van Persie says he will receive treatment from "a female doctor" who will "massage you for a long time with placenta fluid" that "has probably come from a large animal such as a horse."

Just think, we could have been just a single horse placenta away from a healthy closer and a different World Series outcome. Of course, it is not known if the placenta rub will have a happy ending or not. Check back in six weeks for an update...

Name That Player #2

After one round, "Preserve Jon" is the leader for that autographed picture of GM-Carson in a speedo. Despite that, we hope you keep playing. Round two!

This former Phillie was a 1st round pick of Detroit Tigers. He made only one All-Star game but has the lowest career ERA in the history of the Philadelphia Phillies. Known for his "tremendous arm" (at least according to wikipedia), this player's nickname was derived from a Sylvester Stallone movie character.

This one should be a little bit tougher than the first so good luck and Name That Player!

No More Bruntlett Part 2

Just last week Corey begged Ruben Amaro Jr. to nontender Eric Bruntlett a contract. A petition was put into action by the fine readership of WSBGMs. Today our wish was granted, as Bruntlett was removed from the 40-man roster, thus becoming a free agent.


*In other less exciting news, JA Happ finished 2nd in the NL Rookie of the Year balloting.

From Paris To Philly

For some odd reason, WSBGMs has an obsession with Steve Jeltz. The hair, the classic array of baseball cards, the switch hitting prowess, the Frenchyness...the man had it all.

The Jeltz Chronicles:
*Jheri Curls & Mullets

*Where have you gone Steve Jeltz? (WSBGMs 1st ever post)

*Jeltzed (collection of baseball cards)

*WSBGMs Hall of Fame (he was on the 1st ballot)

*My Ultimate Lineup (Jeltz is the starting SS on Corey's squad)

~Carson

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"The bowl cut used to be all the rage."

Submit your captions in the comments section.

Victorino is a Good Guy

WSBGMs recently got this email, and we thought we'd share it with you this weekend...

To Whom It May Concern,

On behalf of Shane Victorino, who is one of our clients at Legacy Direct, wanted to make you aware of an upcoming Charity Golf Tournament benefiting the Hawaii Children’s Cancer Foundation that Shane is hosting in Maui next Saturday, November 21st. We would greatly appreciate if you could help his fundraising campaign by putting the below message on your blogs. I’ve also included a recent clip of Shane Victorino and Mark Rockefeller on Fox Business to give you more of an overview of Shane’s involvement with Legacy.

Thank you very much,
Mike Wooters

Phillies Phlashback Phriday: Greg Gross

Greg Gross is the case of local boy done good (pardon the grammar). He was born in York, Pennsylvania and was drafted in the 4th round of the 1970 amateur draft by the Houston Astros. He made his MLB debut with Houston 3 years later in 1973, and played for them until 1976. The following 2 seasons he spent in Chicago with the Cubs, and then finally in 1979 he became a Phillie. It was as a Phillie that Gross cemented his place in baseball history as one of the best pinch hitters of all-time. He spent a decade with the Phils (1979-1988) racking up 117 pinch hits (club record). For his career, which ended after one more stint in Houston in 1989, he collected 143 pinch hits (ranked 5th all-time).

Gross played all three outfield position and a little first base, but his primary use was as a bat off of the bench. He was only an everyday player for 3 seasons with Houston at the beginning of his career, and actually finished 2nd in the Rookie of the Year balloting in 1974 batting .314 in 156 games. Problem was, Greg had virtually no power and lacked the speed to make up for that deficiency and was on a Phillies team with many talented outfielders which pushed him into a platoon/reserve role.

Career Totals: .287/.372/.351, 449 r, 1073 h, 130 2B, 46 3B, 7 HR, 308 rbi, 39 sb.

Tidbits:
Struckout only 250 times in 3745 career at bats. Made 2 appearances as a pitcher (1986 & 1989) with a 10.80 ERA. Went 8 straight seasons without a homerun (1979-1987). Has been a hitting coach in the Phillies minor league system since 2005, and is currently with the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

~Carson

My Ultimate Lineup

The offseason can be very boring for a baseball fan. There is only so much "Hot Stove" talk to fill the 3 1/2 months until Spring Training, especially for a team like the Phils who have 90% of their roster set for next year. So we have to come up with stuff to fill the time and the blog space. Here is what I came up with today...

It's been so much fun watching the Phils the last few years. Great players, great teams, mediocre utility players. But it hasn't always been this fun watching the Phillies. There have been many, many lean years filled with poor, poor players. Of course, mixed in with the slop were great, entertaining players and the '93 team. So I decided to put together my "Ultimate Phillies Lineup" consisting of the eight position players from the past that I would like to see play again. Here goes.

1. Lenny Dykstra – LF – He played for the Mets, but I won’t hold that against him here. Instead, I’ll focus on what made Dykstra great for the Phillies: loads and loads of chew tobacco and his hat folded haphazardly and placed into a back pocket during at-bats. I’ve never seen anyone else put their hat in their pocket while they hit and it will be a special day when I do.

2. Juan Samuel – 2B – No one threw the ball to first quite the same way Samuel did. He would scissor his arms, left over right, making an “X” shape before uncurling and slinging the ball sidearmed to first where it would be gracefully snagged by Von Hayes. That’s what I want to see again, even more than Mickey Morandini's mullet.

3. Darren Daulton – C – Have the Phillies had a better catcher? Have they had a crazier one? He makes the team on both counts, just as long as this game is played in the next three years.

4. Pete Incaviglia – LF – My favorite Phillie from the ’93 team. Mullet? Check. Awesome ‘stache? Check. Slightly overweight? Check. Homers? Check. Hall of Fame worthy? He’s got my vote.

5. Pat Burrell – 1B – A third baseman at “The U”, Burrell was the Phillies first baseman of the future…until the future came and was moved to left. But he’ll play first for this team, even though it pushes Von Hayes and his freakishly wide stance to the bench. My man crush on Burrell is well documented on this site, so I don’t think a further explanation on his inclusion is necessary.

6. Dave Hollins – 3B – He threatened to punch pitching teammates if they didn’t “protect” the batters and retaliate for HBPs. He added that they shouldn’t worry about the batter charging the mound because he would beat the batter there. Literally, beat them. This team would need that attitude.

7. Jim Eisenreich – RF – Eisenreich’s determination, hustle and quiet productivity left me wishing that all Phillies outfielders would have Tourette’s Syndrome. “Beaker,” as nicknamed by my grandmother because of his prominent nose, was the less-talented version of Chase Utley. He was professional, fundamentally sound, silently intense and very clutch.

8. Steve Jeltz – SS – Couldn’t hit worth a Bruntlett, but I would love to see the greatest jheri curl in Phillies history turn another 4-6-3 with Samuel.

In addition, any game this team would play would have to take place at the Vet and I would have to watch them from section 713 while drinking cans of High Life that I duct taped to my leg to sneak them in. Good times.

Top 10 Phillies Prospects

Baseball America recently released their Top 10 prospects in the Philadelphia Phillies organization. The top 3 should come as no surprise (Brown, Drabek, and Taylor), as their names have been popping up on here and across other Phillies blogs all summer long. Lets take a look at the crop of youngsters expected to keep the recent winning ways of the Phils going...

1. Domonic Brown, OF- he's still developing power to go with his lanky frame (6'5" 204 lb.), but he has 20+ hr/30+ sb potential. Along with Taylor and Gose (down further on the list), Brown helps form a formidable trio to take the place of the all-star cast outfield currently in Philly.

2. Kyle Drabek, RHP- after some disappointing seasons due to immaturity and injury, he finally put it all together this year with a 12-3 record and 3.19 ERA campaign. There's a reason Rube wouldn't part with Drabek in the proposed Halladay deal, he's got top of the rotation stuff with tremendous upside.

3. Michael Taylor, OF- Towering like a linebacker at 6'6" 250 lb., I can't help but salivate over Michael Taylor. His .312 batting average and .898 OPS over 3 minor seasons is promising too.

4. Travis D'Arnaud, C- I'm not as sold on this guy as others are, as he allowed 132 sb in 99 games and only batted .255/.738 in Lakewood (Single A). He is only 20 though, so there's time for improvement.

5. Trevor May, RHP- 2010 will be his real test as he faces better competition and an entire season's workload, but so good so far with 5-2 record, 2.72 ERA, and 106 k in 89.1 ip over 20 games in 2 seasons.

6. Anthony Gose, OF- at the tender age of 18 he swiped 76 bags in Lakewood. If he learns how to get his average up to the .275 area with an on base % of .340+, we're looking at the next Juan Pierre...but with a better arm.

7. Sebastian Valle, C- another young catcher (18) that's still learning the craft in the low minors. Some believe a position switch will be in order for him down the road (3B/1B?).

8. Jarred Cosart, RHP- first I heard of this kid, but his #'s are impressive: 2.22 ERA, 0.78 WHIP in his pro debut with the Gulf Coast Phillies.

9. Antonio Bastardo, LHP- got a taste of the big leagues and even the playoffs this past season. Look for Old Dirty Bastardo to push for a roster spot on the 25-man heading north next spring.

10. Domingo Santana, OF- a 16 year old who hit .288/.388/.508 in 37 games with the Gulf Coast Phillies...sign me up!!!

~Carson

Name That Player #1

We're breaking out a new feature today on the ol' blog called "Name That Player." Every few days, or every day or every week, basically when we feel like it, we'll run a post with a few vague items describing a Phillie or Pirate of the past or present. We'll ask that you guess that player in the comment section. The first person to guess correctly is the winner and the person who gets the most at the end of the offseason will get a prize from us. We haven't decided on a prize yet but it will be something nice, like a T-shirt from Birdland/The Fightins or Philly Phaithful or an autographed WSBGMs swimsuit calendar.

It won't be easy to guess the players. Some will be near impossible. But don't get frustrated because we'll throw some easy ones in too. So without further adiue, good luck and Name That Player!

This former Phillies was a seven time All Star. A power hitter by trade yet he couldn't get a single ball out of the park while playing for the Rockies. Considered by this blog to be the anti-Chipper Jones, this Gold Glover fathered all of his many children with the same woman.

There you go. An easy one to start...

No More Bruntlett

The Phillies management has plenty to do this offseason and they've already made a few decision. Brett Myers won't be back next season. Pedro Feliz could be back but not with his current contract. The Phils didn't pick up the option so he is now a free agent.

I'm okay with both of these moves. What I'm not okay with is the lack of news about Eric Bruntlett. Ruben Amaro Jr. needs to come out immediately and state their plans for the bearded utility player. As fans, we deserve to know if the team plans on signing Bruntlett again so that we have as many winter days as possible to find a new team to cheer for.

In an effort to expedite the decision on Bruntlett and to hopefully persuade Amaro to make the correct decision, I've started an online petition. The goal is simple - No More Eric Bruntlett.

Please click the photo and sign the petition. It's your duty as a Phillies fan to prevent Eric Bruntlett from ever putting on a Phillies uniform again.

Offseason Business

Under Contract:
1. Cliff Lee- $9M
2. Greg Dobbs- $1.35M
3. Ryan Howard- $19M
4. Jimmy Rollins- $7.5M
5. Chase Utley- $15M
6. Raul Ibanez- $11.5M
7. Jayson Werth- $7M
8. Cole Hamels- $6.65M
9. JC Romero- $4M
10. Brad Lidge- $11.5M
11. Jamie Moyer- $8M
12. Ryan Madson- $4.5M
Total= $105M for only half a roster.

Arbitration Eligible:
1. Joe Blanton- will be back, '09 $5.475M.
2. Shane Victorio- will be back, '09 $3.125M.
3. Carlos Ruiz- will be back, '09 $0.475M.
4. Tyler Walker- possible non-tender, '09 $0.75M.
5. Clay Condrey- possible non-tender, '09 $0.65M.
6. Chad Durbin- possible non-tender, '09 $1.635M.
7. Eric Bruntlett- possible non-tender, '09 $0.8M.

*Contract information gathered from Cot's Baseball Contracts.

Option:
1. Pedro Feliz- $5M for '10 or a 500K buyout. His offense (namely OPS) continues to dip as he gets older, and as the core of this team continues to age, this is a position where the Phils can start to get younger.

Under Team Control:
Ben Francisco, Antonio Bastardo, JA Happ, John Mayberry Jr., Sergio Escalona, and Kyle Kendrick. This means they can have their contracts renewed at the league minimum for their respective service time.

Free Agents:
1. Chan Ho Park- will try to re-sign.
2. Matt Stairs- might offer minor league deal.
3. Paul Bako- doubtful he returns.
4. Jack Taschner- convinced he's gone.
5. Brett Myers- told he won't be back.
6. Miguel Cairo- services not needed.
7. Pedro Martinez- can't pitch an entire season, what's the point?
8. Scott Eyre- been great for the Phils, but they need to see how surgery goes before extending a contract.

Possible Holes:
1. Backup Catcher- Yorvit Torrealba, Miguel Olivo, Ramon Hernandez.
2. 3rd Base- Chone Figgins, Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa.
3. Bullpen- Octavio Dotel, Kiko Calero, Brandon Lyon.
4. Utility Infielder- Alex Cora, Craig Counsell, Jerry Hairston Jr.
*MLB Trade Rumors 2010 Free Agent Database.

Surgeries:
1. Scott Eyre- remove floating loose bodies in left elbow.
2. Raul Ibanez- repair sports hernia.
3. Brad Lidge- remove floating loose bodies in right elbow. Will also have his right flexor/pronator tendon checked, and if surgery is needed will likely not be ready until post-Opening Day.

Coaches:
All coaches were asked to return for the 2010 season.

~Carson