Phillies Update -- New Developments

Here goes:

1. Brett Myers will not be back with the team. According to this report in the Philadelphia Inquirer, the never-dull righty will not be offered a contract. There could be many reasons for this -- that the Phillies have doubts about his health, his maturity, clubhouse chemistry, or his ability to pitch consistently. This would have been more of a surprise had Myers not had a dust up with Cole Hamels after Game 3.

2. The Daily News' Rich Hoffman Wants the Phillies to Trade for Roy Halladay. It's not as far-fetched as it seems, but Hoffman seems to think that the Phillies could do so and end up with a rotation of Lee, Halladay, Hamels, Blanton and Happ. A friend ran by a scenario the other day where the Phillies would peddle the somewhat damaged (at least in the clubhouse) Hamels to Toronto in a trade for Halladay. The odds of this happening would appear to be small.

3. The Phillies Might Have Trouble Signing the "Super-Sub" Back-Up. According to this report in the Daily News, GM Ruben Amaro ran into a problem trying to upgrade his bench after last season because that type of free agent wants more playing time. So, the Jays' Mario Scutaro might want to go where he can play more, as would the Cards' Mark DeRosa. DeRosa poses something of a risk because he just underwent wrist surgery.

4. It's Unclear How Much the Phillies Will Spend for the 2010 Roster. According to the prior linked article, they already have about $94 million allocated to 11 players. The 2009 payroll was about $130 million, with $20 million allocated to players who weren't on the team -- Adam Eaton, Geoff Jenkins and, yes, Jim Thome. They also free up $10 million, because that's what Brett Myers made in 2009. They'll end up giving raises to Joe Blanton and Shane Victorino, both of whom are arbitration eligible. Where it gets interesting is that Eric Bruntlett, Clay Condrey, Chad Durbin, Jack Taschner and Tyler Walker all are arbitration eligible. Given how many clubs might not offer arbitration to middle-of-the-roster players, it would stand to reason that the Phillies might decline to arbitrate with this five-some and upgrade at each position through a glut of good free agents. While Condrey pitched well two years ago, Durbin has been solid if not spectacular and Walker filled in well this year, the Phillies might be better off by getting better and younger arms to supplement the top four of Brad Lidge, J.C. Romero, Ryan Madson and now Chan Ho Park.

5. The Phillies' Hot Stove. Great stuff from the High Cheese Blog of the Daily News about all things Phillies. Yes, the Phillies exercised their $9 million option for Cliff Lee for 2010. Could Chone Figgins or Mark DeRosa be the next third baseman of the Phillies? Will the Phillies offer arbitration to Joe Blanton, who might get an award of as high as $7 million? What was the actual 2009 payroll? And much more.