Philadelphia Phillies storyline: Free-agent arms for immediate relief

Ryan Madson is the reliever that fans of the Philadelphia Phillies would like to see on the mound in the 8th. Will that become a reality in 2013?

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Mad Dog Deals In Game 5 Of The 2011 NLDS During The 9th At The Bank On October 7 Against The Cardinals

NITECAP INSIGHT

Autumn Morsels To Chew On:

Rube Amaro has 10 raw hurlers that will need 2013 and 2014 to be ready for backend jobs. The outfield, like the bullpen, only needs one 2-season veteran, because that would provide the time for Darin Ruf and Dom Brown to blossom into regular contributors. The same is true of Phillippe Aumont and the others. So, a player–who is 37–would not be a problem, and the money would fit due to the age. In other words, the competition will be willing to pay more for a 28 year old, who will command a longer, more expensive contract.

Koji Uehara Fires A Bullet During The 8th At Home On Friday Night Against The O’s In The Wild-Card Game

There are several excellent candidates, and 2 of them were closing by necessity this campaign. That is a plus because they can fill in for Jonathan Papelbon. Rafael Betancourt was a hammer for the entire tour, and he saved 31 of 38 opportunities. Before that he has a history as a very successful 8th-inning set-up man. Grant Balfour locked down contests during the first 2 and last 2 months, protecting leads in 24 of 26 chances.

Brandon League lost his fireman’s role in Seattle, but they knew beforehand that a replacement was needed for ’13. League had 6 blown attempts out of 15 but shut down all 6 for the Dodgers. However, he will probably be offered a 9th-frame position elsewhere. Mike Adams has done it in spacious-park San Diego and the homer-friendly confines of the Rangers. However, after they re-sign Josh Hamilton, they may have to part with Adams or Koji Uehara, who has worked there also.

Free Agent Relievers:

HURLER	AGE	2012 $	ERA	GMS	GOOD	OK	BAD
Mike Adams	34	$4.40M	3.27	61	40	7	14
Grant Balfour	35	$4.00M	2.72	75	60	2	13
Rafael Betancourt	37	$4.25M	2.81	60	43	6	11
Brandon League *	29	$5.00M	3.13	74	52	6	16
* For The Dodgers	-----	-----	2.30	28	19	3	06
Koji Uehara	37	$4.00M	1.75	37	31	2	04

Grant Balfour Saves His 24th During The 9th At Home On October 2 Against The Rangers

The other possibility is Madson, who probably won’t be returning to the Reds with Aroldis Chapman there. His agent, however, is Scott Boras and that may cloud things. Madson, 32, had a complicated deal with Cincinnati, where he was listed at $8.5M for 2012. However, that is broken down to $6M with a $2.5M buyout on an $11M mutual option for next summer. After he missed the entire season, the Reds will turn that down. Also, $4M of the $6M is deferred with $2M each due on 11/1/12 and 11/1/13. He earned $4.5M for the Phils in 2011.

Mike Adams Dials Up A 4-Seam Fastball In The 8th At Home On September 27 Against The A’s

The brain trust is interested in right-handers, because Antonio Bastardo can face left-side heavy lineups. He can also give Papelbon’s bridge an occasional rest as well. That stated, Amaro has only $16.5M to add and remain under the competitive-balance threshold of $178M. GM’s are usually reluctant to invest millions until the athlete proves he is healthy, but I’m sure Rube could be creative in this case.

THEIR FINAL STATS FOR 2012

APOCALYPTIC
HORSEMEN

DOC, THE GENERAL & KING COLE

ACE	W - L	ERA	INN+	CONV	CG - SO	BAD	INN	ER	BB - IBB	SO
Total	34 - 23	3.48	6.1	59 of 86	2 - 2	12	582.2	225	114 -2	557
Hamels	17 - 06	3.05	6.2	21 of 31	2 - 2	03	215.1	073	050 - 2	218
Lee	06 - 09	3.16	6.1	23 of 30	0 - 0	02	211.0	074	028 - 0	207
Halladay	11 - 08	4.49	7.0	15 of 25	0 - 0	07	156.1	078	036- 0	132

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