This Is Why You Don't Get Angry At The Yankees For "Buying" Championships

Because when your team (in this case) the Phillies position themselves to do the same thing, it can be, in the words of Dash Treyhorn of The Fightins on Twitter, "pants wettingly awesome". The rumors of Doc Halladay to Philly have started up again and while it looks like the Phillies will end up parting with J.A. Happ, to get Doc for now would be worth it. The Phils have Drabek waiting in the wings as the young guy and, I've brought this up before, with the core of the 2008 team sure to disintegrate in 365 days, you gotta make 2010 the year.

It's official. The Phillies have declined the $5M dollar option on Pedro Feliz. And while they could theoretically sign him for less, considering all that is out on the market, I would be shocked if they kept Pete Happy just based off of the fact there are so many 3rd basemen free agents this year. The names being tossed to Philadelphia the most are Chone Figgins and Adrian Beltre. Both have their benefits and drawbacks. Figgins is lightning fast and gets on base a lot, but he is not exactly Mr. Postseason and despite his speed, he does get caught a lot (although Davey Lopes is one of the best base-running coaches there is, so that could fix that; after all Ryan Howard is 9 for 9 career stealing bases). Beltre on the other hand I am reading would fit in perfectly with the Phillies clubhouse, although he appears to be injury prone, especially as he is the only player in the majors who plays without a cup. The more I read, the more I would be shocked if Beltre does not end up a Phillie. While it seems like Figgins could remain in LA with the Angels now and the names Mark DeRosa, Placido Polanco, and Dan Uggla who would convert from 2nd to 3rd have been tossed around to Philly, the likeliness of them coming to Philly is probably not as high as Adrian Beltre's.

Another interesting discussion with the Phillies is that of the closer. As much as I know some want it, Brad Lidge is not going to be traded this off-season, period. The Phillies owe him way too much money for that to happen and who would we get for him? A 5th starter? Meh. A bullpen guy? Talk about a horrible move, especially with Lidge reverts back to '08 form after surgery. A 3rd basemen? With all of the guys on the market this year, no fucking way. However, that does not mean that Lidge or for that matter, Ryan Madson, will be the teams closer this year. According to MLBTradeRumors.com, the Phillies could be able to land the best available free agent closer, Jose Valverde for a real bargain. According to Tim Dierkes of MLBTR

"One way to shore up a shaky bullpen: sign the best closer available. Few teams are seeking closers, and even fewer have money, so the Phillies should be able to get a relative bargain."

I like Valverde and that would be a good move, besides, I like Madson 20 times better as an 8th inning set up man. He got his shot at closer this year and while he was better than Lidge was this year, he was still shaky and I would not trust him in that position for the whole season. It would be the same song and dance as last year at closer.

But we're not done yet. In fact, I have not dropped the bombshell on you yet. Actually, I mentioned this above, but the Doc Halladay to Philly rumors have started up again. Last time, Ricciardi wanted way the farm and Happ, the Phillies were unwilling to deal that much for him so they turned to Cleveland and paid a lot less relatively speaking for this guy named Cliff Lee. Ricciardi is out of Toronto now, and given the fact that he was somewhat shaky in the post-season both in his Colorado start and coming out in the pen, they could be willing to deal him, especially if the farm price is not too high. I am more confident about parting with Happ now than I was back before the deadline. That being said, though, Halladay is also a free agent in a yearso whether it's him or Lee, if the Phillies will make the move, they will have to lock one of them up long-term.

I know not everyone believes in "buying" teams through free agency and it may not be right and fair to the Tampa Bays of the league, if you are in the position where your payroll dictates you can and you have the solid management and a good skipper like the Yankees do with Girardi and can get the group of players to come together like that, it really is a beautiful thing to watch. The Yankees did it in 2009. In 2010, to quote the gramatically awful slogan of the 2008 run, why can't us?

Whether you are for what may transpire or are against what may transpire, one thing is for sure, the Phillies may be about to take the baseball world and all of the Phillies fanbase on the ride of their lives that no may never be forgotten.