Every real sports fan knows that the offseason is the perfect time for speculation and improvement (aka "playing GM"). Unfortunately, not every fan's team makes moves in the right direction. Some teams move backwards, some just shuffle players around but don't improve. But unless a team wins a championship, the offseason is every fan's time to dream about what could be.
This offseason, the Phillies made (and didn't make) a few moves to help improve the team. The outfield was crowded, 3rd base was open for the taking and the starting pitching was in need of an upgrade. Let's look at how each move turned out:
—Acquired pitcher Brad Lidge and infielder Eric Bruntlett from the Houston Astros for pitcher Geoff Geary, outfielder Michael Bourn and third baseman Mike Costanzo.
Aside from nearly blowing out his knee on the first pitches of the spring, Lidge has been perfect. 1-0 with a 0.43 ERA, 12 saves and 24 Ks in 21 innings. As much as Myers has sucked, Brad allowed Brett to return to the starting rotation. He hasn't been much of an upgrade over Kyle Lohse (actually he's a downgrade. Myers is 2-5 with a 5.76 ERA, while Loshe is 3-2 with a 4.71 ERA), but you have to think Brett will come around and win 15 games this year.
Bruntlett filled in for Rollins. Some people might say he "filled in nicely" but he simply filled in. He had a few costly errors and is only hitting .237, but he wasn't terrible. No one expected him to replace Rollins' MVP-esque productivity, but Bruntlett wasn't too impressive, either.
Geary is pitching well, sporting a 1-1 record and 1.47 ERA in 19 games. Good middle relief is hard to find, so Houston has to be pleased with Geoff. The Phillies' bullpen is 13-7 with a 2.84 ERA and has converted 14 of 20 save opportunities in 152 innings. Those numbers place them in the top 5 in the MLB, so I doubt they miss the other Geoff much.
Michael Bourn got off to a hot start and had some of us here in Philly wondering he was the better guy to start instead of Jayson Werth. Not anymore. After resigning for another year, Werth is hitting .260 with 9 HR, 26 RBIs, 22 Rs and has swiped 7 bags already. Bourn is hitting .214 with 3 HR, 8 RBI, 19 Rs, and 21 steals. I'll trade those extra 14 steals for a 40 point increase in average and 6 extra HRs.
Conclusion: With Mike Costanzo yet to see the majors, I'd say this whole deal was a great move for the Phils. They added a lights-out closer by moving a replaceable reliever (see below) and the weaker of the two "extra" outfielders on their roster.
—Signed outfielder Geoff Jenkins to a two-year contract; signed pitcher Chad Durbin to a one-year contract.
Jenkins has been a starter with Victorino being banged up and against RHPs. He's batting .286 with 2 HR, 8 RBIs and 13 Rs and has really been a great glue guy. He's done what was expected of him while certainly providing a veteran presence in the clubhouse.
Durbin is 1-1 with a 2.08 ERA in 20 games. He's Geoff Geary. Except Geoff Geary makes $1.125MIL and Durbin makes $900k. And now we've got Lidge. So far, so good. The Phils are getting a reputation as a team that makes comebacks. The bullpen is really keeping the team in those games, allowing the potent offense to turn a close game into a W for the Phils.
Conclusion: Free agents have filled some holes in the roster and have delivered as best as the club could have realistically hoped. Jenkins is on his career pace (except for HRs) and Durbin has done a great job filling the gap that Geary left.
—Signed third baseman Pedro Feliz, who had been with the San Francisco Giants, to a two-year contract with a club option for 2010.
The three-headed monster at 3rd, Wes Helms, Abraham Nunez and Greg Dobbs, was the most glaring position in need of an upgrade. Maybe that's because the rest of the infield is filled with All-Stars and MVPs. Regardless, I was cautiously excited to see Feliz come play the hot corner.
Excited at his excellent defense and his offensive upside, cautious because we saw the same situation with David Bell in 2003. Pete Happy has delivered and then some. A .252 AVG doesn't sound too hot, but with 7 HRs and 20 RBIs, he's made his hits count. And they've come at crucial points, tying or putting the Phils up late in the game.
Conclusion: Great move so far. The Phillies don't need a guy to bat .300 from the 7 spot and Pete's power is what really has made the difference, offensively. Between him and Werth, the Phils only have Ruiz and the pitcher as weakspots in the lineup. And after committing 2 errors in the first 7 games, he's had only 2 more in 40+ games.
—Agreed to terms with pitcher Rudy Seanez on a one-year contract.
Rudy is 2-3 with a 2.89 ERA in 18+ innings of work. He's been a good vet and has been a decent arm out of the bullpen. And according to espn.com he makes $0 this year. What a steal! Seriously, if you're not important enough for espn.com to update your player photo, you're not really an impact player. Still, he's been more good than bad, and that's all we're asking for.
Conclusion: Though he's not really the one responsible, the Phils' bullpen is pitching well. He's part of the bullpen, so I'll give him the same credit I'd give Madsen or Durbin. Not a wasted move, but not too important of a move, either.
—Agreed to terms with pitcher Kris Benson on a minor league contract.
Riiighhhht. What's goin' on with Kris? We want to at least be able to gawk at his wife. He's been throwing in the minors (58 pitches in 4+ innings in an extended spring training outing) and has gotten his fastball up to the mid-80s, so I guess that's better than nothing. We're still waiting on this project. But adding insult, espn.com has updated his player photo, and he hasn't even pitched for the Phils' MINOR league team, let alone in the Big Show.
Conclusion: Everyone knew this was a long-shot and so the fact that he's yet to pitch in even a minor league game can't be held against him. But I'm pissed. HDTV was made for people-watching, and I'm lacking eye-candy.
DID NOT sign Johan Santana.
I know it's early. And it's convenient to look at numbers with the Mets recent slide, but let me point a few digits out that you should be paying attention to: 5-3, 3.36 ERA, 58 K and 15 BB in 67 IP. Here's what our lefty has done so far: 5-3, 2.61 ERA, 65 K and 21 BB in 72 IP. Pretty comparable, right? Except, of course, that Santana makes just under $17MIL this season while Hamels is pulling in $500k.
Conclusion: Even with Cole's new contract, he'll cost less than Johan, he's younger and is looking like he could be just as talented. If Hamels can stay healthy (and get resigned), he'll make the Phillies brass look like geniuses for passing on Santana.
It appears, as of right now, that the Phil's acquisitions (or lack of) have met, if not exceeded, expectations. Though the NL East is a logjam, the Big Guy is starting to come around, and we can only imagine Brett Myers will come around and at least finish as a .500 pitcher. It might take more to win the division, but if it requires a mid-season move, I have confidence that the team will make intelligent moves. They have proved that point so far this season.
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Then there's the Phillies. You have to love this team. As far as character and overall likability, this current Phillies team surpasses even the '93 team. Conniesmack even pointed out how common it is to see other Philadelphia athletes wearing Phillies gear. That shows much appreciation the city has for this team. Howard, Utley, Rollins are perennial all-stars that even Philly faithful can't find a reason to complain about them(except for maybe that increasing number of R Ho strikeouts). Burrell's hot start has him in good graces with the CBP faithful again, also. On top of the hot start and solid play, this team throws in some personality as well (ask 
