Oswalt leaves game early, could be out a while

We may need to get used to only having three aces on the Phillies for a while. Roy Oswalt, who was forced to leave his start against the Cardinals on Thursday night due to back soreness, will miss at least his next start and will have an MRI on Monday.

Oswalt discussed his condition with the Phillies beat reporters after the game and sounded very negative, hinting that he may not be able to throw another pitch. With a history of back problems, it could be only a matter of time before Oswalt decides that the pain he is going through simply isn't worth it anymore. With a contract that has a mutual option after this season, Oswalt might decide to just walk away from the Phillies. Luckily, he's a fighter and I'd be willing to bet he's going to do everything he can to be healthy by October.

What this all means is that we should get used to seeing Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick on the mound for the Phillies. With Joe Blanton still out until at least the All Star break, the Phillies will be forced to trot Worley and Kendrick out 2 out of every 5 games for at least the next month. While the three aces are still very good, the Phillies rotation suddenly looks very thin. Hurry back, Oswalt, and let's hope you still have a few good pitches left in you.
(Photo by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images)

Jayson Werth booed, then cheered, in return to Philadelphia

In one of the greatest mixed messages ever, Phillies fans first booed Jayson Werth in his return to Philly, then gave him a standing ovation:

Yeah, the guy sold out for more money, but it's hard to blame him. Thanks for a few good years, Werth. Now I hope you never get a hit in Philly again.

Jamie Moyer suffers a possibly career-ending injury

While he isn't a Phillie anymore, the news is still sad: while pitching winter ball in the Dominican Republic, Jamie Moyer has suffered another elbow injury. Early reports from Moises Alou, the general manager of Moyer's Domican team, are that the injury could end the career of the 24 year MLB veteran.

Given his status as a free agent, Moyer decided to pitch in a winter league to test out his arm and show that he can still pitch in the majors. While it's still early and we don't really know the true extent of his injury, given his age, it's doubtful that Moyer would continue rehabbing if he had a major setback in his comeback attempt.

If his career is indeed over, what a sad way for the Old Man to go. While it was going to be tough seeing him pitch for another team next year, no fan of the Phillies or any team in baseball wanted to see things end like this for a guy like Jamie Moyer.

Forget the Yankees, Cliff Lee traded to the Rangers

That didn't take long. After trade talks between the Yankees and Mariners fell apart, the Rangers have swooped in and grabbed former Phillie Cliff Lee. The Rangers had to give up quite a package, including top prospect Justin Smoak and three other minor leaguers, but they ended up with the best pitcher that is going to get dealt this season.

While some Phillies fans might still be upset that Lee didn't end up coming back to Philly, having him dealt to the Rangers is probably the next best thing as the deal keeps him out of the NL and away from the hated Yankees. While the Rangers do get that much closer to a World Series contender, the chances the Phillies will actually ever face Lee are very slim.

Bottom line, Cliff Lee was never coming back to the Philly. The Phillies may have had some talks here and there with Seattle about Lee but they could never have matched the package that the Rangers ended up offering to the Mariners. What you can get upset about as a Phillies fan, though, is the fact that the Mariners just got more for Lee than they had to give up to get him before the season. Ruben Amaro looks pretty bad for not holding out and getting more in return for a hot commodity like Cliff Lee.

Former Phillies finding new homes for 2010

With the recent signing of Jose Contreras, the Phillies roster appears set for the 2010 season. While I have some work to do to update my How They Were Built: Phillies post, I figured now is as good a time as any to look at which Phillies from 2009 won't be returning to the team.

Listed below are all of the players who were on the Phillies MLB roster in 2009 that will be with new teams in 2010 and how they got there:

Arms:
Clay Condrey: Twins, Free Agency (1 year deal)
Scott Eyre: Retired
Cliff Lee: Mariners, Trade
Rodrigo Lopez: Diamondbacks, Free Agency (Minor league deal)
Pedro Martinez: Unsigned free agent
Brett Myers: Astros, Free Agency (1 year deal)
Chan Ho Park: Unsigned free agent
Steven Register: Blue Jays, Free Agency (Minor league deal)
Jack Taschner: Pirates, Free Agency (Minor league deal)
Tyler Walker: Nationals, Free Agency (1 year deal)

Bats:
Paul Bako: Unsigned free agent
Eric Bruntlett: Nationals, Free Agency (Minor league deal)
Miguel Cairo: Reds, Free Agency (Minor league deal)
Pedro Feliz: Astros, Free Agency (1 year deal)
Matt Stairs: Padres, Free Agency (Minor league deal)

The only possible player from this list that might come back to the Phillies is Pedro Martinez. There are some grumblings that the Phillies want to bring back Pedro for the right price but it's not known whether the team can actually afford him.

Let me know if I'm missing anyone!

Another ex-Phillie joins the Astros: Brett Myers

Former Phillie and current Astros GM Ed Wade sure loves former Phillies players. Entering this offseason, Wade already had Michael Bourn and Jason Michaels on the roster of and he had since added Pedro Feliz. So, when the Phillies decided to part ways with Brett Myers, it became clear that Houston would be his next logical destination.

Pending a physical, the Astros have agreed to sign Brett Myers to a one year, 5 million dollar contract. Houston will likely give Myers a chance to earn a spot in the starting rotation but could also use his help in the bullpen should he falter. Myers is only 29, so he should have some solid seasons ahead of him, but I don't think anyone will miss him too much here in Philadelphia.

Like Scott Eyre yesterday, Myers deserves thanks for all he did in '08. He was with the organization since 1999 so he was here for the good and the bad and always gave everything he could on the field. While we could have done without some of his off the field stupidity, Myers should get a nice round of applause if/when he pitches for the Astros in Philadelphia this season.

Chris Coste is now dead to us

Scratch Chris Coste off your list of favorite former Phillies, he has gone to the dark side. Coste, who spent 3 plus years with the Phillies before being waived and playing for the Astros last season, has signed with the New York Mets.

There is no guarantee that Coste will actually play any games with the Mets, however, as he was only given a spot on the 40 man roster and not given a guarantee that he would be on the 25 man roster. There is also no word as to whether the Mets expect Coste to play catcher or first base.

It's hard to say if Coste signing with the Mets is an indication of how desperate Coste is to play or how bad the Mets are going to be next season. Losing Coste to the dark side hurts because he is such a good guy, I guess we will always have 2008.

Dodgers acquire Thome, Garland for postseason run

In a late August splash, the team with the best record in the National League acquired a slugger we are all familiar with in Philadelphia: Jim Thome. Thome, who is a shell of his former self, was traded from the White Sox to the Dodgers on the final day that players can be added and still be eligible for the postseason roster. Thome, who was tradable because he cleared waivers, is basically just an all-or-nothing, strike out-or-home run hitter now, slugging 23 homers with the Sox while batting .249 with 116 strikeouts in 345 at bats.

While the Dodgers have now added some pop to their lineup, the odd thing about the trade is the fact that Thome really has no position. Thome has played only 4 games at 1st base in the last four years with Chicago, basically making him exclusively a DH. His defense is atrocious at 1st base and the Dodgers already have James Loney at that position, so where is he supposed to play? Perhaps Thome is now the Dodgers version of Matt Stairs, a lefty power bat that will swing for the fences once every game.

The Dodgers also added former Diamondback Jon Garland on Monday. Garland is hardly a difference-maker, with his 8-11 record and 4.29 ERA, but he figures to give the Dodgers some rotation depth.

While neither Thome or Garland are significant enough additions to swing the entire National League, things just got a little tougher for the Phillies in their quest to return to the World Series. While the Phils are still the best team overall in the NL, the Dodgers did everything in their power on Monday to try to close the gap. Time will tell if it was enough.

Phillies re-sign Old Man Moyer

The old man will be back. Right on the heels of the Chan Ho Park signing, the Phillies agreed to a two year deal with Jamie Moyer. Moyer is 46 and can barely throw faster than his age but he was an extremely valuable member of the Phillies Championship rotation. Not only did he win 16 games for the Phils last season, he also served as a mentor for the rest of the pitching staff. Having Moyer around is basically like having a second pitching coach.

While one might question how effective Moyer will be at the end of the deal when he is 48 years old, we should all know by now that Moyer's pitching style isn't one that should degrade. For 2009, he will slot in as the 4th pitcher in the rotation behind Cole Hamels, Brett Myers and Joe Blanton and will hopefully leave Park out of the mix. I would look for Carlos Carrasco, J.A. Happ or Kyle Kendrick in the 5th spot of the rotation.

This signing likely completes the Phillies pitching rotation and will be the last big move of the Phillie offseason. They may still look for some complementary parts but they won't be signing any other everyday players. Your 2009 Phillies will look nearly the same as the 2008 version, not that that's a bad thing!

Rod Barajas? Seriously?

(AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)

Rod Barajas hit two home runs, one of them a grand slam, for the Blue Jays to lead them to a 6-3 victory over the Phillies. No, that's not a typo, that's the same Rod Barajas who stunk it up as a catcher for the Phillies last season. He finished with 5 RBIs on the game, just three shy of what Jayson Werth did on Friday. I guess Barajas didn't like getting booed by the Philly crowd.

Highlights of Barajas' ridiculous game via Comcast SportsNet:

Former Phillie Gavin Floyd loses no-hit bid in the 9th inning

(AP Photo/M. Spencer Green)

Former Phillie pitching prospect Gavin Floyd was always known as a guy full of potential and great stuff, but he was never able to put it all together on the mound. After suffering through a terrible 2006 season where he started 11 games for the Phillies and posted an ERA of 7.29, Floyd was shipped to the White Sox in the deal that brought Freddy Garcia to the Phils. Floyd looked like his usual terrible self for most of last season, but he looks like he may have finally harnessed his ability in 2008.

Floyd entered tonight's game against the Minnesota Twins with a 2-1 record and an ERA of 2.61 and proceeded to flash the potential we all waited for in Philadelphia. He pitched the best game of his career, no-hitting the Twins through 8 1/3 innings. He didn't exactly dominate the game as he walked three batters and even allowed a run in the 4th inning on a sacrifice fly, but he still looked quite impressive. Floyd left the game in the ninth inning after giving up his first hit of the game to Joe Mauer, but the White Sox held on to beat the Twins 7-1.

Gavin Floyd might be a guy the Phillies want back especially given the way Freddy Garcia's Phillies career went. Of course, he could just as easily slip back into the bad habits and mind-numbingly frustrating performances he displayed as a Phillie.