Phillies' pitching to-do list
Ruben Amaro Jr. watched enough games go bad in 2012 that it’s extremely unlikely he doesn’t address the bullpen. The Phillies lost 16 games in 2012 that they led after seven innings.
WHAT PHILS WILL DO:
Ruben Amaro Jr. watched enough games go bad in 2012 that it's extremely unlikely he doesn't address the bullpen. The Phillies lost 16 games in 2012 that they led after seven innings.
Even though a lot of young re- lievers learned on the job and im- proved in doing so, Amaro will add a couple veteran arms. Perhaps he flirts with Ryan Madson for the second straight year and settles on Mike Adams. But just as with last winter, a second new arm could be as important as the first. It's honestly a crapshoot with sec- ond-tier relievers, so, Godspeed, Rube.
WHAT PHILS SHOULD DO:
Mike Adams pitched this year, and thus, is the safer bet, but Ry- an Madson might have something to prove and probably would come cheaper since he's coming off Tommy John surgery.
Put Madson back in the eighth- inning role he dominated in Phila- delphia and you've solved a big problem in the bullpen. Since Mad- son can't be overworked coming off surgery, continue to give Anto- nio Bastardo, Justin De Fratus and Phillippe Aumont late-inning opportunities, too, hoping one of them develops further.
As mentioned above, a second free-agent arm could be as crucial as the first. Ideally, the Phils should find a versatile veteran ca- pable of pitching multiple innings, a la Chad Durbin in 2008. They might be served best by trading for a younger, more durable arm — someone who also has some ex- perience as a starter — instead of hoping to get lucky on the free- agent market.
— Ryan Lawrence