Remember when, just a few years ago, Phillies off-seasons were marked by one "splash" move involving a player who may or may not have been exiting his prime, followed by several more moves of similar ilk on a declining scale? If not, join me in recalling that feeling of empathizing with the Indians fans in that spring training sequence of Major League, where they look through the paper and don't understand the direction of the team, but know it isn't up... culminating famously in with the grounds crew saying, "They're shitty."
Not anymore though. For the past couple of offseasons and and the most recent trade deadline, the Phillies have been among the premier players in acquiring top-tier talents, or at least making a legit run at them. With the 2009 campaign coming to a screeching stop at the hands of the Yankees in the World Series, Ruben Amaro Jr. has already come out swinging, and it sounds like no one is off the table, except those who play positions already filled by top talent.
While not to distant offseason stories have been filled with quotes about the Phillies ownership-imposed salary cap, which was always lower than what most thought the city's market size should dictate, this year's quotes tell a whole different story.
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From Jim Salisbury's piece posted last night:
These are the glory days for the Phillies. They are thinking big, and players want to play for them. "We're in a fortunate position," Amaro said in general. "We've become an attractive place to go."
Yeah, and... that was in reference to the Phillies being in the hunt, again, for Roy Halladay. The article also included this gem:
"Philadelphia is into winning now, and Halladay fits that," one rival front-office man said.
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From MLBTraderumors.com's Top 50 Free Agents listing:
Jose Valverde - Phillies. One way to shore up a shaky bullpen: sign the best closer available.
Amen. MLBTR's Tim Dierkes also likes the Phillies to land locally tied Mark DeRosa to take over at 3B. I'd rather see them get someone who won't miss 40 games on the DL to start at 3B, then somehow manage to pull DeRosa as a god of a bench player/util IF. Hey, we're in one of those eras for the Phillies, so I'm aiming high.
Speaking of the hot corner, do the Phillies have any options there? David Murphy:
The Phils will investigate top free-agent third baseman Chone Figgins, but his initial price tag of five years and $50 million might give them pause. Figgins has been an important piece in the Los Angeles Angels' success and there are signs that they want to keep him. The Phils will take a look at Adrian Beltre if his price tag is not prohibitive. Mark DeRosa is a likely target, and there's word he'd like to play for the Phils. Don't be surprised if the Phils jumped on Miguel Tejada or Placido Polanco, both of whom are open to playing third base. Tejada, who made $13 million with Houston in 2009, is looking for a three-year deal, but the market could take him down and make him attractive to the Phils. Several teams have tried to trade the Phils a third baseman.
Hmmyeah, couple of options to consider. Oh, and, if none of those options work out, there's a guy named Pedro Feliz, fella who played third for back-to-back NL champs.
Is it time for me to let go of those lean years, when other teams got fat and David Bell made headlines here?
Nope. Decades of those offseasons have 2009-2010 feeling even better.