Phillies off-season updates

The baseball world is continuously moving, even through the winter, and the World Champion Phillies are no exception.

No team ever stays exactly the same from one year to the next, and already the Phillies are making changes to their lineup, whilst trying to keep together the backbone of a roster that won the World Series, just over a month ago.

Let's look at all the Phillies off-season news in turn and examine exactly what it means for Philadelphia in 2009.

1. Chase Utley's injury

The second baseman could miss the start of the season after having surgery on his right hip.

The rumours are that Philly are not too concerned about finding a replacement for the All-star, and that should Utley not be ready for opening day, they have a couple of internal options.

The most likely is that they are willing to entrust the position to Eric Bruntlett, who filled in for shortstop Jimmy Rollins when he got hurt last season.

He won't provide the same production as Utley but Bruntlett proved in the World Series that he can chip in offensively, as he knocked in a home run in the Phillies only loss in Game 2 (see home run video).

The other option is promoting young prospect Jason Donald, but this would be more risky, despite Donald's good showing at the Olympics and during the minor league's off-season competition.

However, It was rumoured today that the Phillies are interested in signing the Astros free-agent infielder Mark Loretta, who would provide a viable stand-in at second or third base.

Even so, all Philly fans will be hoping Utley rehabs well, as there are few players in all of Major League Baseball, that can match the quality he brings to the lineup.

Another injury concern is third baseman Pedro Feliz, who has had surgery on his back.

However he is expected to be back long before opening day, with just a 2-3 month expected recovery time.

2. Free agents

Three members of last season's Championship winning team have already chosen to test the free agency market: Left fielder Pat Burrell, starting pitcher Jamie Moyer and reliever Tom Gordon.

Within the last 24 hours, the Phillies have decided not to offer arbitration to any of the three.

Arbitration is a complicated concept, but it basically means that the Phillies now get to negotiate with all three players on their own terms.

Had Philly offered arbitration to the trio and they had accepted, it could have guaranteed them all a pay rise which the Phillies can't really afford, especially with the possibility of having to make similar offers to other key players, including ace pitcher Cole Hamels.

However, it does mean that should any of them leave to join another club, the Phils will get no compensatory draft picks in return.

Of the three, Moyer has appeared the one most likely to return to Philadelphia, and the management have made it clear that resigning him is one of their top priorities.

Yet negotiations seem to have stalled somewhat in recent weeks, and no negotiations seem to have been started as yet with either Burrell or Gordon.

Should Burrell not be resigned, the team will have a gaping hole in left field, but several names have already been linked with filling the void: Rocco Baldelli (Tampa Bay Rays), Juan Rivera (LA Angels) and Raul Ibanez (Seattle Mariners), although the latter is now less likely after being offered arbitration.

Of the three, Ibanez would be the best fit as he is the only natural left fielder, with the other two both spending last season on the opposite side of the outfield.

Ibanez is also the only one who's offensive production would really match Burrell's, as he has consistently hit above .280 for the last 8 seasons.

Rivera's production had also been high prior to last season, but like Burrell he had an offensive slump in 2008, hitting below .250 for the first time in his career.

Baldelli has been injury riddled the last few seasons, and wasn't all that impressive for the Rays during the World Series, or the postseason as a whole, hitting just .200.

However, the Phillies have been reluctant over the years to shell out for big name free-agents, and Ibanez would fall under this category.

This is also why Philly are determined to resign Moyer, as strong starting pitching comes at a high price, especially as A.J. Burnett (Toronto Blue Jays) and Derek Lowe (LA Dodgers), two pitchers the Phillies are rumoured to have been tracking, have also been offered arbitration.

The management have stated that pitching is their priority, but the Phils are likely to try and find a cheaper answer, than chasing the big fish.

In terms of Gordon, the Phillies don't appear worried about resigning him, especially after his mediocre season where he went 5-4 with an ERA of over 5, which is far from great for a reliever.

One thing is for sure, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has a lot of decisions to make over the coming months.

3. Done deals

There have already been a few players going in and out of the club, some of which are bigger than others.

The Phillies recently added veteran reliever Mike Koplove to try and bring more depth to their bullpen, but the 32 year old has only made seven appearances in the Majors since 2005, so how much he will actually add is in question.

A bigger deal for the Philadelphia bullpen, which was so stifling last year, was the resigning of left-handed pitcher Scott Eyre on a one year $2 million deal.

Eyre came up big for the Phillies down the stretch, going 3-0 with an ERA of 1.88 and 18 strikeouts in 14 1/3 innings, after signing from the Cubs in early August.

The south paw was very good at his job of retiring left-handed hitters, allowing an average of just .220 off their bats and only giving up one home run.

The final move to this point was the release of outfielder So Taguchi, after less than a year in the city of brotherly love.

Taguchi had a poor year, hitting just .220 as a pinch hitter and defensive replacement for Burrell, a job which he eventually lost to Bruntlett.

His departure was expected, but all Philadelphia fans will be hoping that there are no surprise departures of key players between now and April.

Watch this space...