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Beerleaguer for breakfast: Halladay the talk of town

More would be less now that the Phillies have reached the end of this long, drawn-out ordeal that started in July, so rather than beat a dead horse with another Roy Halladay column, here are some links.

Bill Conlin calls Ruben Amaro the master of the shell game. Rich Hofmann wonders "Why not Lee and Halladay?" David Murphy notes that Kyle Drabek wasn't untouchable after all. Bob Ford identifies that Philadelphia is now the place to be. Phil Sheridan admires what he sees as a bold move by the second-year GM. Ken Rosenthal, in a leftover from yesterday, reminds readers of the ludicrously high cost of top-flight pitching. Perhaps my favorite piece is Jayson Stark's Q&A with Baseball America's John Manuel, who covers the Phillies' farm system. While everyone knows the impact this deal will have on the big club for years to come, Stark and Manuel illustrate the toll it will take on the organization and identify a few holes this will create starting as early as 2011.

But even with the issue attacked from so many sides, there's still room for a good column entitled "OK, so what about the bullpen?"

Epic fail: Prospect involved in trade flunks physical

Bob Elliott, who has been covering the Roy Halladay deal for the Toronto Sun, reports that one of the seven prospects involved in the trade has failed their physical.

According to Shi Davidi, another Canadian writer, Phillippe Aumont, who has had injury problems, passed his physical. As we know, Kyle Drabek has undergone Tommy John surgery and was shut down early this season as a precautionary measure, this after posting a 5.02 ERA in five August starts. Michael Taylor also had his season shortened with an oblique injury, but played winter ball, appearing in 19 games before departing in early November. During his stint in Mexico, he was missed 10 days with mild elbow strain, according to Scott Lauber of the News-Journal.

Update: Larry Stone of the Seattle Times is hearing it's not a Mariners prospect who failed a physical, meaning it is either Michael Taylor, Kyle Drabek, Travis d'Arnaud or Brett Wallace, the player going to Toronto from Oakland. Stone adds that the news is not a dealbreaker.

New update: Andy Martino of the Inquirer tweets "Official announcement of Halladay trade today still not out of the question."

Wednesday: Phils set to formally announce Halladay

A presser could be held at Citizens Bank Park today, according to reports.

The Phillies and Roy Halladay agreed on a three-year, $60 million contract extension Tuesday that is believed to include at least one vesting option in the neighborhood of $20 million and possibly a second one for 2015. Halladay first checked into a Philadelphia hotel on Monday and reportedly passed yesterday's physical. The interrelated deals between Toronoto, Philadelphia, Seattle and Oakland, set to receive outfielder Michael Taylor in exchange for prospect Brett Wallace upon completion of the trade, will be finalized once all the players involved clear physicals, according to reports. As for new news, the Inquirer is reporting that in July, Jays GM J.P. Ricciardi requested Kyle Drabek, J.A. Happ, Domonic Brown and also outfielder Anthony Gose, who stole 76 bags for Lakewood this season. That is the first I'd read Gose's name mentioned in any trade rumor. Meanwhile, FoxSports is reporting that Oakland GM Billy Beane first became interested in Taylor after the Phillies inquired about outfielder Matt Holliday, fearing that Raul Ibanez's groin injury was severe enough to cause him to miss the rest of the season. Holliday was then sent to St. Louis in a deal that included Wallace.

Unleashing the beast; extension talks reportedly done

The deal between the Phillies and Roy Halladay is pending the outcome of a morning physical and will reportedly take the right-hander through 2013. The Phillies will also get $6M from Toronto and three prospects through an interrelated trade with Seattle involving Cliff Lee. Some thoughts ...

As the Beerleaguer barometer continues to sway toward the pessimistic side, here are a few words of encouragement on Doc Halladay, as expressed by former Phillies pitching coach Joe Kerrigan, who repeatedly called the 6-6 right-hander "an animal" this morning on 610 WIP radio. Kerrigan, who observed the former Cy Young winner many times from the opposite dugout, painted the picture of a fanatical competitor, a fitness zealot, a gym rat determined to achieve peak physical form while wearing his intensity on his sleeve for all to see. Besides a breaking ball, everything Lee can do Doc can do better: fewer walks, longer outings, more strikeouts, more grounders, more consistency. The key is that everything arrives down in the zone, including a hard, power sinker right-handers can’t handle, to go with an out-of-this-world cutter, which can take the fat form of a curve, according to Kerrigan, or a small, darting slider. There. Isn’t that better?

Taylor flipped for Wallace? Buster Olney says the Jays will immediately deal outfielder Michael Taylor to Oakland for Ben Wallace. Here’s Beerleaguer maven, clout, on Wallace. “Wallace is one of the best hitting prospects in the minors. The question is his glove and if he moves to another position he becomes far less valuable. He combined for .293/.367/.455 with 20 HRs between AA/AAA last season. because being dealt to the A's he was Cardinals #2 prospect according to BA, just behind Rasmus. He's a heavy legged guy with an average arm, but I think he can be league average defensively at 3B. I think he'll hit .300 in the big leagues with 20-25 HR power.”

Rankings: Baseball America ranked the incoming Mariners prospects this way: RHP Phillippe Aumont (No. 3 in Ms system), OF Tyson Gillies (No. 20), RHP Juan (J.C.) Ramirez (No. 5). From what I gather, Ramirez, a late addition to the reports, has the most upside. Phuture Phillies had this to say: “I actually like Ramirez more than Aumont, mainly based on his also plus arm strength but his more fine tuned delivery. Like Aumont, he gets nice tailing movement on his fastball and couples it with a hard slider and a rudimentary changeup. Ramirez, signed out of Nicaragua, dominated the Midwest League in 2008, striking out 113 and walking only 38 in 124 IP. He was moved up to the Cal League this year, and the results weren’t good. As I detailed before, High Desert is one of the best hitting parks in all of baseball, minors or majors, and it appears to have gotten into his head"

Keith Law also says Ramirez has No. 2 starter potential.

Beerleaguer for breakfast: Breaking down the deal

Attacking the deal from all sides, based on developing reports.

The good: The best part of this deal is the cost of Roy Halladay's extension - averaging $20 million a season and committing to only three guaranteed years past free agency. That's very reasonable, and since they're reportedly getting $6 million from Toronto, he's essentially owed Cliff Lee money for 2010. The Phillies know what they're getting: a stud set to rip the ass out of the weaker Senior Circuit, and a great fit for the elite Phillies in every possible respect.

The bad: The part that could haunt Ruben Amaro's dreams is not finding a home for Joe Blanton last week in an effort to shed salary, and because he didn't want to get caught with his pants down, tendered a deal to Kentucky Joe in the event that they couldn't land Doc. So because of that, they essentially had to sell some of their premium prospects to guarantee having a front-line starter for the next few seasons, while missing out on the opportunity to unleash the hounds of hell - Doc, Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels - upon the league next season. What's more, if Amaro is dumping Lee as a way to free up funds to go toward free agent relief - and he fails to acquire some - than this series of deals smells like a sophomore slump for the second-year GM.

As of this morning, the prospect portion is still up in the air. The Phillies universal development philosophy is to draft and retain the players with elite star potential, often at a very high risk. The Phillies believed they had two good bets in Domonic Brown and Kyle Drabek, with a significant drop between them and the next highest group, including Michael Taylor and Travis d'Arnaud, also included in the reported deal. They were able to keep one of them - Brown - and Toronto, justifiably, took the other - Drabek - according to reports. Though still unclear, it appears the Phils' system will at least take a small step backward. (Although I gotta say I'm intrigued by the heavy fastball of 6-7 closer prospect Phillippe Aumont, and Tyson Gillies could experience the same type of breakout season in Double-A as Taylor had in Reading this season).

The unknown: Now that the framework is set, will another team stand up and be heard? Halladay and Lee are coming and going in separate deals, so the Phillies could tell the Mariners to go pound sand if they receive a better offer. Keep in mind the 72-hour window granted to the Phils and Jays, and the AP report of Blanton getting a physical yesterday. Guys like Blanton and even J.A. Happ are the real wildcards here: competent, economic starting pitchers, but in my view, non-essential components in the Phillies' master plan for knocking off the Yankees.

Halladay inspires off-season of giving for Phillies

New details on the reportedly imminent deal between the Phillies, Blue Jays and Mariners have emerged since our last update. Here's what we think we know, culled from multiple sources.

At this hour, Phillies outfielder Domonic Brown is dancing around his bedroom to MC Hammer's "Can't touch this." Reason being - all this hullabaloo seems to stem from the Phillies' reluctance to deal their prized prospect, the player Toronto wants most of all. They'll need to settle for Travis d'Arnaud, a player the Phillies like a lot, outfielder Michael Taylor, who they like less than Brown, and either Kyle Drabek or J.A. Happ. Indeed, a boatload of young talent, intended to jump-start a rebuilding franchise, appears headed north of the border in exchange for Roy Halladay and possibly $6 million in cash. Happ tied for the team lead in wins last season and finished runner up for Rookie of the Year. The other three are rated 2-through-4 in the Phillies' chain by Baseball America, Drabek being the highest. The last we heard of Drabek was that he was a deal-breaker in the July negotiations between these two sides. Amaro's willingness to pull the trigger now may be tied to a completely separate salary dump type deal in which the Mariners would receive ace left-hander Cliff Lee in exchange for 2007 first-round pick (11th overall), 6-7 right-hander Phillippe Aumont, soon 21, considered a closer prospect, along with 21-year-old tools outfielder Tyson Gillies, who appeared in the Futures Games this season and hit .341/.430/.486 with 42 SB, 9 HR with Seattle's High-A affiliate. According to report by a Seattle paper, both are blocked in the Mariners' chain.

Meanwhile, the Associated Press jumped in with a report that Joe Blanton, the subject of rumors during the Winter Meetings, Happ and Brown took physicals Monday in Philadelphia. The AP also reported the commissioner's office granted a three-day window for the Jays and Phils to hash out a deal Sunday.

We'll have more details as this story unfolds, but for now, the only near certainty is that Doc Halladay, who sported a lights-out 155 ERA+ last season, is set to become the Phillies' ace for the next four seasons.

12:32 a.m. update: Ken Rosenthal of FoxSports reports the deal will involve Drabek, and could include a third prospect coming to Philadelphia.

Stark: Parties agree to framework of Halladay trade

ESPN's Jayson Stark said the deal hinges on the Phillies' ability to extend Roy Halladay, who is believed to be willing to accept a three-year, $60 million extension with a vesting option. [Link]

Beerleaguer: Speculation continues to swirl at this hour and most outlets are sure a deal will not be finalized tonight. However, the possibility of Roy Halladay wearing red pinstripes next season appears likely. Pick your poison with these rumors, but I'm hanging my hat on Stark's latest offering; Stark has been a good friend to Beerleaguer over the years. Stark and several others believe there is a three-way trade on the table, with Philadelphia receiving Halladay, postseason hero Cliff Lee going to Seattle and a care package of Phillies and Mariners prospects going north of the border. Aside from finalizing an extension with Doc, it sounds like there are other variables at play. Phillies catching prospect Travis d'Arnaud is believed to be involved in the deal, but there is some uncertainty over the second player in the the package; speculation surrounds outfielder Michael Taylor, but that is unconfirmed (it's all unconfirmed). Meanwhile, the deal may or may not involve cash coming from Toronto; the latest reports actually have the Phillies getting a few players back in the deal. The centerpiece of the deal, from the Jays' end, appears to be right-handed prospect Phillipe Aumont, a Canadian first-round pick of Seattle in 2007.

If the reported deal holds, the Phillies will be able to keep Domonic Brown and Kyle Drabek, who are considered 1-2 in the Phillies' system with a wide gap between the next best players; this according to Stark on Beerleaguer two weeks ago. Toronto has been hot after both of them since July. According to Stark, the Phillies had been trying to shed payroll by aggressively shopping Joe Blanton at the Winter Meetings, but couldn't find a match.

Breaking report: Halladay, agent arrive in Philadelphia

Two sources for the Inquirer report that Toronto Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay and his agent have checked into a Philadelphia hotel. [Link]

Hold on to your hats! According to reports, the Phillies and Blue Jays have graduated past the flirtation phase of a pact that would send Halladay to the Phillies in exchange for prospects, with the reported involvement of a third team, and possibility of World Series hero Cliff Lee being sent out of town to complete the three-way deal. If the reports are correct, Halladay's presence in Philadelphia signals the start of a negotiation process to extend the right-hander past this season. Halladay is set to become a free agent at the end of the year and is owed $16 million in 2010. The Phils and Jays have long been locked in discussions about Halladay, but reports of cash coming from Toronto and the inclusion of Lee in a deal are new developments, speculated in multiple reports. Lee is also set to become a free agent after the season and is said to be leaning toward testing the open market after the 2010 season. [FoxSports]  [CSNPhilly]

Update: The Mariners are the third team and would possibly receive Cliff Lee in the three-way trade, according to Jon Heyman of SI.com.

Ex-Yankee 3B among Phillies' non-roster invitees

Seven minor league veterans, including A-Rod's early season replacement in 2009, will be invited to Phillies spring training in Clearwater. Here's a look at three you haven't seen before.

Chris Duffy, OF: Duffy, 29, started the season with Milwaukee, where he hit .125/.222/.156 in 19 games before he was demoted to Triple-A Nashville in late May, where he appeared in only three games before going temporarily inactive for the rest of the season due to personal issues. He'll slice the occasional home run, otherwise he's your basic banjo-hitting minor league center fielder with OK athleticism and a schooled approach, hitting .269/.328/.361 during his days in Pittsburgh, swiping 41 bags. He should have discovered Japan by now.

Bill White, LHP: White, 31, did not pitch professionally this past season, last pitching 2008 as a member of the Texas Rangers organization where he combined to go 4-1 with six saves and a 3.48 ERA in 51 relief appearances between triple-A Oklahoma and single-A Bakersfield. He appeared in eight games for Texas in 2008. Over nine minor league seasons, he's 19-23 with a 4.66 ERA. Think Allentown, or even Reading. Definitely not Philadelphia.

Cody Ransom, INF: Ransom, 33, split the 2009 season between New York and Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He began the year as the Yankees' opening day third baseman, filling in for Alex Rodriguez as he recovered from hip surgery. With New York, Ransom hit .190/.256/.329 in 31 games, including 18 starts at third, two at shortstop and one each at first and second base. He's appeared in parts of seven Major League seasons between the Giants (2001-04), Astros (2007) and Yanks (2008-09). Aside from filling in for A-Rod, his modus operandi is that of a Triple-A lifer, hitting .247/.325/.446 in parts of nine seasons at the minor league's highest level. He has good power from the right side, hitting over 20 home runs the last three seasons in Triple-A, plus he has speed. However, he has no plate discipline to speak of, whiffing 1,195 times in 4,802 lifetime minor league plate appearances. With the Yankees last season, he struck out 25 times in 86 plate appearances. He's another guy who should seriously consider Japan.

The Phillies also invited Andy Tracy, DeWayne Wise, Wilson Valdez and Paul Hoover to spring training. Valdez, as discussed, is slightly worse than Juan Castro, but since he'll have the luxury of staying fresh an entire season in Triple-A, could creep into the mix late in '10 if Castro starts collecting too much dust, which is how it worked for Miguel Cairo and Eric Bruntlett a year ago. Ransom, as a righty hitter with pop, versatility, athleticism and experience, is positioned pretty well in the Phillies' chain if someone like Greg Dobbs gets hurt again.

Ex-Phillie report: The Mets have signed third baseman Mike Cervenak to a minor deal. Cervenak collected his first MLB hit with the Phils in 2008 as a September call-up. Meanwhile, the Astros are helping themselves to more of the Phillies' sloppy seconds, including reliever Gary Majewski and starter Gustavo Chacin, both signed to minor deals. Finally, T.J. Bohn, who appeared in a couple games for the Phillies in 2008, has signed on with the ChiSox.

Phillies sign Colombian catcher? Wanted to pass along an unconfirmed report that the Phils have signed 16-year-old Colombian catcher Jorge Alfaro in the amount of 2,500 million Colombian pesos, which is a record signing for that country, according to a report in a Colombian paper. A follow-up Twitter report from an ESPN senior scribe said the catcher worked out with the Phillies yesterday, but no deal has been struck. That figure, by the way, translates to $1.25 million US dollars.

'Everyday' Clay gets midnight non-tender by Phillies

Clay Condrey, 34, had been in the organization since 2004 and went 6-2 with a 3.00 ERA in an injury-shortened 2009. He is now a free agent.

Beerleaguer: We bid farewell to one of the most popular Beerleaguers of all time today, a handy middle reliever whose fringe status made him the subject of countless debates over the years. After a season in which he floated between Triple-A and the Majors five times - faithfully accepting his assignment each time - the right-hander finally earned a full ride in Philadelphia during the championship season and played an important role in the middle frames and in long relief. The sinkerballer had one of his best seasons going in 2009, creeping closer to the late frames, displaying a little more life on his fastball and picking up six vulture wins before injuries set in. He pitched sparingly over the final month and was left off the postseason roster.

Nevertheless, it was a good ride for Everyday Clay, who initially signed as a minor league starter in 2004 and was converted to a reliever in 2006. The right-handed Texan would eventually make 161 middle relief appearances for the Phillies over a span of four seasons, going 16-8 with a 3.65 ERA and 143/87 K/BB ratio over 189 2-3 innings. Beerleaguers had this to say following news of the non-tender:

"He's a low leverage middle relief pitcher. The reason guys like this get non-tendered is because, as the put on service years, their likely arbitration value exceeds their actual value. His production is easily replaceable for less money." - sophist

"Condrey is nothing but a middle-of-the-road reliever coming off an injury-plagued year and who likely would have commanded ~$900k-$1M or so in arbitration. He's far from irreplaceable. Still, the bullpen has almost zero depth right now and a ton of question marks. Addition by subtraction doesn't help things" - MG

Notes: I'll be back later today with a recap of Friday's announcement of the non-roster invitees and contract offers to the rest of the Phillies' arbitration-eligible players.

Beerleaguer for breakfast: Arb deadline approaching

Just a few notes to get you started this Friday, none of them related to the odds of the Phillies landing Roy Halladay before Christmas (the odds are down to 34.2 percent today).

After selecting sinkerball reliever David Herndon in the Major League portion of the Rule 5 draft, the Phils followed up by taking right-hander Angelo Sanchez from the Twins in the minor league phase. The 20-year-old Venezuelan started 12 games for Elizabethton of the rookie Appalachian League, going 5-1 with a 5.52 ERA. The Phillies relinquished only one player in the draft: Carlos Monaserios, which is good news for those who hold Edgar Garcia in high regard. Meanwhile, talks reportedly continue with agents for Chan Ho Park, Scott Eyre and also John Smoltz, who Jayson Stark sees as a fit for the Phillies’ bullpen rather than the rotation. Speaking of the bullpen, the Phillies have until midnight Saturday to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players, a list that includes Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey. The last piece of news stemming from this week’s winter meetings includes the Philllies’ reported interest in flame thrower Aroldis Chapman, a Cuban defector who is said to be seeking a four-year deal in the $15 million range. The Phils have reportedly been tracking him for a year. Elsewhere, the Mets were the center of the hottest rumor of yesterday, a reported four-year, $65 million offer on the table to Jason Bay.

Scribe sets Phillies' odds for Halladay at 35 percent

Re-Rewrite: Todd Zolecki, a guest of WIP radio, suggested the Phillies have a fighting chance of landing Blue Jays ace Roy Halladay in a trade before Christmas, setting the likelihood at 35 percent. J.A. Happ and either Domonic Brown or Michael Taylor would be part of the deal, according to reports. Other outlets, including FoxSports, are calling the Phillies and the Angels frontrunners for the right-hander's services. The asking price for Halladay, who is a free agent after the season, has dropped since the trade deadline since his presence will impact only one World Series, not two. And the World Series is exactly where the Phillies are going if they make this trade.

Former Phillie Pedro Feliz headed for Houston

Multiple reports are confirming that free agent Pedro Feliz, who spent the last two seasons with the Phillies, will earn $4.5 million on a one-year deal to become the Astros new third baseman. Feliz would have earned $5 million had the Philllies entertained his 2010 option, but received a $500,000 buyout instead. So financially it evens out for Pete Happy. The 34-year-old posted a .694 OPS last season and hit just .167 in the postseason. If the financials are accurate, Ed Wade, once again, overpaid for an aging, marginal veteran, and I'm a little surprised by how much teams have been spending here in the early going.

Phillies select Herndon, lose Monasterios, in Rule 5

David Herndon, a big, 24-year-old right-handed reliever, spent last season with Double-A Arkansas (Angels), going 5-6 with a 3.03 ERA and 11 saves in 65 1-3 innings.

John Manuel, who covers the Phillies for Baseball America, writes that Herndon, listed under the name "Kenneth" "struggles with lefthanded hitters, but he has a solid-average fastball and pretty decent slider and splitter. He’s another groundball pitcher who walked just 14 in 65 innings at Double-A this year." Meanwhile, the Mets grabbed Venezuelan right-hander Carlos Monasterios with the seventh pick overall, then immediately traded him to the Dodgers for cash. In 35 games for Clearwater, Monasterios, part of the 2006 Bobby Abreu deal, was 5–6 with a 3.73 ERA, pitching primarily in relief. Herndon must be kept on the Phillies 25-man roster all of next season or be offered back to Angels.

Teams make $50,000 bet on longshots in Rule 5 draft

There will be diamonds in the rough, but far more fool's gold when teams stake their claim for unprotected minor leaguers in tomorrow's Rule 5 Draft.

Shane Victorino turned into a prize for the Phillies five years ago in the Rule 5 Draft, but the Flyin' Hawaiian is more the exception than the rule. The Phils are scheduled to pick way down at 26 tomorrow, and with a team poised for the pennant once again, odds of drafting, and keeping, a hidden gem on the 25-man roster are slim to none. Last year, the Phils selected Double-A right-hander Robert Mosebach and gave him a short, spring audition in the bullpen before returning him to the Angels. There was no room for Mosebach, but credit the Phils for seeing something they liked. Mosebach actually turned in a pretty good season for the Halos between Double and Triple-A, posting a 1.48 ERA in 52 relief appearances, allowing just one long ball the entire year, which is hard to do when 33 of your games come in the PCL.

Picking 26, the story this season could be the players the Phillies lose to other clubs. Right-hander Edgar Garcia and second baseman Harold Garcia are notable Phillies left unprotected, according to Baseball America. E. Garcia, who throws heat and can miss bats, was a FSL All-Star in 2008, but missed much of '09 with visa issues. Before the '09 season, assistent GM Chuch LaMar told me during a winter tour stop that the right-hander was one of the prospects teams frequently inquired about. H. Garcia is an older infielder with some assets who had something of a breakout season with Lakewood. It will be harder for a team to make room on a 25-man roster for a position player than it will be for a reliever, so of these two, Edgar might be more likely to be stashed somewhere. Catcher is another position that's coveted as an economic way to pad inventory. My understanding is that organizational catcher Tuffy Gosewisch is eligible to be taken.

Phillies bring bench veteran Ross Gload into the fold

Gload, 33, bats from the left side and can play first and corner outfield. Reportedly a two-year deal, he's coming off a season in which he hit a capable .261/.329/.400 and led baseball in pinch hits.

Beerleaguer: With Gload, Ben Francisco, Brian Schneider, Greg Dobbs and Juan Castro, the Phillies have a "presentable" bench headed into 2010. It wasn't long ago that Gload was an everyday first baseman in this league, but it was with Kansas City in 2008 and he was considered the worst regular at the position in all of baseball. Baseball Prospectus said after 2008 that the last time a regular first baseman posted a sub .665 OPS in 400 or more PAs was Pittsburgh's Kevin Young in 1993, and the last time a first baseman went yard fewer than four times in a season was Todd Benzinger in 1991.

None of that really matters for the Phillies; what matters is that at age 33, soon to be 34, Gload has successfully transitioned to his second career as a pinch hitter in the National League, hitting a robust .318/.418/.455 with a pair of homers in the role for the Marlins. He's got marginal pop from the left side, sound defensive skill at first base and can be used sparingly in the outfield, so he's an upgrade over Matt Stairs and more in the mold of primary pinch option Greg Dobbs, who had a shaky year. Unfortunately, he doesn't hit lefties, so the bench will remain imbalanced. Interestingly, Dobbs is signed only through 2010, so if this is indeed a two-year pact to Gload, or even if it isn't, we could be seeing the last of Dobbs after this season.

Gload, who earned $1.9 million last season and is expected to command a similar payout, was also pursued by the Braves and Marlins. Good signing by the Phils.

Monday: Beerleaguer VIP lounge open for speculation

It ain’t Vegas, and it ain’t Indianapolis, either, but business hours are open for readers to share the Winter Meetings' dirty little secrets in this virtual hot stove champagne room.

Beerleaguer wishes he was present at the Winter Meetings so he could sift through the hotel lobby trash cans in search of any nugget of information blotted on a cocktail napkin. Readers recall it was last year at this time when Ruben Amaro Jr. and his cronies, fresh off a chest-thumping win in the World Series, slung some serious hash in Las Vegas, netting Ronny Paulino straight up for Jason Jaramillo in a rare catcher swap, likely hatched at 1:34 a.m., brandy snifters and Cubans in hand. (Imagine what that cocktail napkin would go for on eBay). It ended up being Rube’s second worst deal of the season, second only to the swap that flipped Paulino to the Giants for Jack Taschner.

In Indianapolis, there's a good bit of chatter involving former Phillies. Brett Myers is drawing interest from the Rangers and Astros. Myers would be wise to stay in the familiar framework of the National League I think. I wouldn't put it past Myers to make his decision based on the fact that he could still take his hacks by staying in the NL. Meanwhile, I’ve read Pat Burrell’s name in connection with the Mets and Luis Castillo, but most of the reports coming from New York’s press corp say they want no part in Pat the Bat, as part of a three-way deal or even in a straight-up for Castillo.

The juiciest bit of information involves Phillies right-hander Joe Blanton, who is arbitration eligible. Ed Price of AOL’s Fanhouse reports the Phillies are exploring interest in the right-hander. In other news, the Phillies are revisiting the Chan Ho Park issue today, according to David Murphy of the Daily News. Share with the class ...

Baseball America abuzz about toolsy, aggressive Phils

Baseball America continues to lavish the Phillies with praise, recently rating the organization's farm system as the fourth strongest in baseball behind only the Rangers, Rays and Giants.

John Manuel, who has covered the Phillies for the last few seasons, couldn't say enough about the National League pennant winners in a November BA podcast (subscribe for free on iTunes; I highly recommend it). I can't remember his exact words, but he said something to the effect of the Phillies having toolsy outfielders coming out the wazzo. He seems generally high on many of them, even guys who didn't make the top 10 cut, like Jiwan James and Zach Collier. He's obviously most stoked about Domonic Brown, who was something of a reach by Manuel a season ago as the top prospect in the chain. Manuel's scouting sources think the still developing gazelle could hit 30 homers in the pros.

Long story short, Manuel's most striking observation during the podcast compared the system under assistant GM Chuck LaMar with that of Mike Arbuckle, who moved on to Kansas City after the promotion of Ruben Amaro Jr. Unlike Arbuckle, LaMar has been very aggressive to move prospects through the ranks and less inclined to demote struggling players. Look at someone like Kyle Drabek, for example, who needed only 10 starts at Clearwater before making the jump to Double-A, with only 35 injury-interrupted starts made before that point. Carlos Carrasco, now with the Indians, was another hard-throwing pitcher shuffled along quickly. Compare that to the methodical, step-by-step development of prospects during Arbuckle's early days.

I wonder, however, which is the correct approach. To me, Drabek and Carrasco each took their lumps for it; Drabek really faded after Toronto's scouts withdrew following the trade deadline. On the other hand, Drabek's mid-season promotion succeeded in buidling excitement around a potential trade chip. And to me, Carrasco never pitched with much consistency at any point during his hurried time with the club. Food for thought.

Phillies could lean on young pitching in bullpen

The Phillies are expected to direct their remaining offseason efforts toward the bullpen. But with resources stretched, there’s a chance not every hole will be filled by an established reliever.

Ruben Amaro got his third baseman. Now comes the hard part: untangling the web in middle relief. Free agents Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre were not offered arbitration, even though they filled very important roles in the 'pen last season. Meanwhile, Chad Durbin and Clay Condrey are due raises through arbitration. Neither one is a given to be tendered considering the Phillies’ financial constraints. Dec. 12 is the deadline to make an offer. And now this: There’s a report from Jayson Stark today suggesting late-inning option Brandon Lyon is now the Phillies’ top free agent priority. Competition for the right-hander’s services will be stiff. The Yankees and others are in on him, too, so his price tag immediately goes up. If the Phillies can somehow get him, will there be room for anyone else? It's doubtful.

The Phils have had the good fortune to maintain a cohesive, mostly veteran bullpen these last two seasons, but there’s a chance 2010 could resemble 2006-07 as a time of youthful experimentation. The Phillies have 18 slots on the 40-man roster devoted to pitching and nearly half are for pitchers who spent time in the minors last season. Some of them, like Drew Naylor, for example, will be non-factors, but others, like left-hander Antonio Bastardo, who stayed on the active roster the entire postseason, appear to be part of the Phillies’ plans. Others include Sergio Escalona, who bounced back-and-forth between the minors, and Kyle Kendrick, who may be forced to embrace a relief role. It’s also sounding like dart-thrower Scott Mathieson could factor into the mix if there’s room. And just as Escalona came out of nowhere to earn a call-up last season, the same could happen to Yohan Flande or Jesus Sanchez, depending on the timing of it. The Phillies tend to go with the hottest hand when the need arises. Both prospects are included on the 40-man.