The Zo Zone

From Jim Salisbury ...

Pedro Feliz passed his physical and officially became a Phillie today.

"I'm excited to be in Philadelphia and be part of this team,"' the 32-year-old third baseman said at a news conference at Citizens Bank Park. "It's good to be part of a team that won a division championship last year. I think this is a team that can do it again."'

Feliz signed a two-year contract worth $8.5 million earlier this week. The deal includes and option for a third year.

Feliz spent the first eight years of his big-league career with the San Francisco Giants. He has hit at least 20 home runs in each of the last four seasons and has had 84, 81, 98 and 72 RBIs in the same span. He is a career .252 hitter with a .288 on-base percentage.

Feliz is a strong defensive player. He joins Gold Glove shortstop Jimmy Rollins, second baseman Chase Utley and first baseman Ryan Howard in what assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. called the best infield in the majors.

"It's great to be in the infield with Rollins, Utley and Ryan," Feliz said. "It's going to be a lot of fun. I'll give 110 percent. I hope everything goes well."'

Feliz will wear uniform No. 7.

(Check out Salisbury's full story in Friday's Inquirer.)

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Ryan Howard talks about being in a video game -- MLB '08: The Show.

OK, so you probably were hoping the Mets would sign Freddy Garcia or Kyle Lohse at the last minute to bolster their rotation.

You could have lived with that.

You might have even liked that.

But then the Mets trade for two-time Cy Young award winner Johan Santana and people start to panic. But the Phillies think everybody should relax. They remain confident they can still play with -- and beat -- the Mets.

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The ladies love Shane Victorino.

And who knew he could sing? He made an appearance earlier this week on Raw. Check out the video.

The Mets have acquired Johan Santana from the Minnesota Twins.

That's kind of a big deal.

The Mets' rotation includes Santana, Pedro Martinez, John Maine, Oliver Perez and either Mike Pelfrey or Orlando Hernandez. Not bad, huh? The Phillies counter with Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Kyle Kendrick, Jamie Moyer and Adam Eaton or Chad Durbin or Travis Blackley. And let's not forget the Braves' rotation of John Smoltz, Tim Hudson, Tom Glavine, Chuck James and Mike Hampton.

Edge: Mets.

Jim Salisbury writes about the trade in today's Inquirer.

It seems most people like the Pedro Feliz move.

I think it could be a nice pick up for a few reasons:

1) Feliz is a definite defensive upgrade over Wes Helms and Greg Dobbs, and that's important with one of the worst pitching staffs in the league last season. You want a third baseman that won't be giving up extra outs.

2) While he is no Mike Lowell, Feliz should be an upgrade offensively. Feliz has averaged 21 home runs and 84 RBIs the past four seasons playing in pitcher-friendly AT&T Park. The Bill James Handbook 2008 said AT&T Park had a 79 home run index over the last three seasons, meaning it's 21 percent more difficult to hit a homer there than other NL ballparks. That's the second-lowest number in the NL, and currently the lowest considering the Nationals no longer play at RFK Stadium. (Citizens Bank Park had a 133 home run index, which is the highest in baseball.) Feliz can be frustrating to watch at the plate. He takes some crazy hacks in some critical situations. He has a career .288 on-base percentage, so I'm already sensing the angry e-mails and posts to this blog. But he had a .708 OPS last season. Phillies third basemen had a combined .688 OPS last year, which ranked last in the NL.

3) This gives Charlie Manuel more flexibility. Think how many times last season Manuel had to burn two positions players late in the game -- typically Abraham Nunez and Michael Bourn for Helms and Pat Burrell -- for defensive purposes. Because Feliz is the team's best defensive option at third, this allows Manuel to keep an extra player on the bench for a crucial pinch-hitting situation.

Expect an official announcement from the Phillies sometime later this week.

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This should make Phillies fans throw up in their mouths a little.

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We Should Be GM's honored me with a Check Your Head feature. Thanks, guys. Check it out. (And I love the picture of Risque, by the way. Totally hot.)

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Talked to the Morning Show folks today on Sports Radio 950. Listen to the podcast here.

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Bill Chuck sends along some "lasts" for Mike Lieberthal, who just announced his retirement. Chuck is the creator of Billy-Ball.com and, with Jim Kaplan, is the author of the book, “Walk-Offs, Last Licks, and Final Outs – Baseball’s Grand (and not so Grand) Finales” to be published by ACTA Sports, in March, 2008.

Click the link below to read them.

The Phillies have come to a two-year, $8.5 million contract agreement with free agent third baseman Pedro Feliz.

The deal includes a club option for 2010.

ESPN.com first reported that the contract is pending a physical. The Phillies said this afternoon that nothing has been finalized, but they have had discussions with Feliz's representation.

So, what does that mean?

A deal is done.

So if Feliz is in, somebody has to go. Who? Here's a look at the position players on the 25-man roster:

Catcher: Carlos Ruiz and Chris Coste.
Infield: Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Jimmy Rollins, Wes Helms, Greg Dobbs and Eric Bruntlett.
Outfield: Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, Geoff Jenkins, Jayson Werth and So Taguchi.

Feliz's arrival would seem to put Wes Helms back on the trade block because there's no way Greg Dobbs doesn't make the team. They need lefthanded bats off the bench. Eric Bruntlett? He's the only guy capable of playing shortstop and second base, so they need him. The only way I see Helms making the team is if they somehow keep 11 pitchers. I'm not sure that's happening with Pat Gillick saying recently that they need an extra arm because Kyle Kendrick, Jamie Moyer and Adam Eaton are only six-inning guys. So Helms seems to be the odd man out.

Stay tuned.

Phillies pitchers and catchers report to Clearwater in 18 days.

I can smell the grouper sandwiches at Frenchy's already.

I talked on the phone last week with Phillies outfielder Geoff Jenkins. I could have used the opportunity to ask him about possibly platooning in right field this season with Jayson Werth or trying to replace Aaron Rowand's bat or adjusting to a new team or whatever, but I thought I'd ask him mostly non-baseball related questions. Believe me, there's plenty of time in spring training for that other stuff.

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Mike Lieberthal has retired after 14 years in the majors, 13 of them with the Phillies.

Phillies fans booed Lieberthal late in his career with the Phillies, but I can say there aren't many nicer guys. He always made himself available after a game, no matter how bad or how ugly.

Pat Gillick remains hopeful the Phillies and Ryan Howard can come to a contract agreement before a salary arbitration hearing next month in Florida.

I'm still betting against it.

I still think there's too much of a difference of opinion between the Phillies, who offered $7 million, and Howard, who wants $10 million. And like I wrote in previous posts and stories, Howard has not agreed to a contract each of the previous two seasons. And last season he took a lower offer to send a message to the Phillies. Howard has shown he will stick to his guns, so unless the Phillies approach the $10 million range, I think they're headed to a hearing.

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Phil Sheridan and Bob Ford offer their take on Riffing with the Writers.

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Jimmy Rollins said last year the Phillies were the team to beat. He said in November he thinks the Phillies will win 100 games.

I think Rollins believed what he said in January.

I think he was just having fun in November.

Nevertheless, the media just fell in love with it and asked some teammates about it yesterday at Citizens Bank Park. It's fun to talk about, but I don't think Rollins really meant it. But I'll have to ask him when I see him next month in Clearwater.

Maybe he'll tell me to take a long walk off a short pier. He wouldn't be the first athlete to tell me that.

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I hopped on the radio yesterday with Harry Mayes and Jamie Yannacone (aka The Fanatics) at Sports Radio 950. Listen to the podcast here.

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Abraham Nunez signed a minor-league contract with the Brewers.

I found this on the Major League Baseball Players Association web site:

Question: What is the record between players and owners in salary arbitration cases?
Answer: Since 1974, and including 2006, arbitrators have ruled on behalf of the players 199 times and clubs 269 times. Although the number of players filing for salary arbitration varies per year, the majority of cases are settled before the arbitration hearing date. For example, since 1990, 1,764 cases were filed and 198 were heard, which means approximately 88 percent of the players filing for arbitration reach new agreements before a hearing.

I would bet the Phillies and Ryan Howard are headed to a hearing. The Phillies have offered $7 million to Howard, while Howard is seeking $10 million. That $3 million difference is huge, and I feel insurmountable. Based on what? History. In the last two years, the Phillies never came to a contract agreement with Howard and ultimately renewed his contract on their own.

Howard clearly will stick to his guns, even if it costs him money. That's what happened last year. The Phillies made two offers to Howard: $900,000 for a renewal and a higher amount for an agreement. Howard thought the higher amount wasn't fair and declined. He basically sent the Phillies this message: I think the agreement figure is so unfair, I would rather decline and make less money than accept what I consider to be a poor offer.

The Phillies haven't been to an arbitration hearing since 2001 with Travis Lee. They won that case. In fact, I think the Phillies have never lost an arbitration hearing. So they clearly seem to do their homework. Did Howard shoot to high? Or did the Phillies shoot too low?

I think we'll find out next month.

The Phillies and Ryan Howard exchanged figures for salary arbitration.

They're $3 million apart.

The Phillies have offered Howard $7 million for the 2008 season.

Howard is seeking $10 million.

The Phillies and Howard can continue to negotiate until their arbitration hearing, which will be scheduled sometime next month. If the two parties go to arbitration and Howard wins, he could tie Alfonso Soriano for the highest salary ever paid to a player in arbitration. Although it should be noted that Los Angeles Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez currently is seeking $12.5 million from the Angels. If Rodriguez goes to arbitration and wins his case, that would be the highest salary paid in arbitration.

Phillies utility infielder Eric Bruntlett is the only other Phillies player still eligible for arbitration. The Phillies have offered him $550,000. Bruntlett is seeking $800,000.

Today the Phillies are expected to exchange salary figures with Ryan Howard and Eric Bruntlett for potential salary arbitration hearings next month.

How close or far apart will they be?

It will be interesting to see.

I'm talking more about Howard than Bruntlett, obviously. Howard could make more than $7 million this season. The Phillies and Howard did not agree on a contract last year, which was why the Phillies renewed him for $900,000. It was a record for a player with one-plus seasons of major-league service time. It also equalled the record-setting total for a player not eligible for salary arbitration. Albert Pujols received $900,000 from the St. Louis Cardinals in 2003, when he had two-plus years of service time.

But Howard didn't see it that way.

"They had their side. I had mine," Howard said last March. "It is what it is. That's the decision that was made. That's what they wanted to give me. If they felt that it was fair, that's what they felt. "

The Phillies talked with Howard's agent, Casey Close, about one-year and multiyear deals, but never came close to an agreement. So the Phillies basically put two one-year offers on the table: the $900,000 deal for a renewal and a higher figure for an agreement. Howard, who made $355,000 in base salary in 2006, thought the higher figure wasn't enough, so he might have sent the Phillies a message by rejecting the agreement and opening the door to a renewal at the lower amount.

Players not eligible for salary arbitration basically are at the mercy of their team. Howard had one year and 145 days of big-league service time last year. Players typically need three years of service time to become eligible for arbitration, but Howard qualified as a "Super Two" player this year. That means Howard is eligible for arbitration for the next four seasons before he becomes a free agent after the 2011 season.

"The bottom line is this, frankly, we like to pay players what they're worth, and if he continues to perform the way he's performed, we have no problem getting into an arbitration setting with him," Phillies assistant general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said last March. "That's just part of the process. It's not a concern of ours. At this particular moment, we didn't get to the finish line with this particular deal. Can we do it in the future? Perhaps. "

How much could Howard be looking for?

The Phillies signed Chase Utley to a seven-year, $85 million contract extension during his first year of arbitration eligibility. Close told Baseball America last year that "I think it's safe to say that it will be a number that exceeds that. "

A smart bet? Howard wants to exceed Pujols' seven-year, $100 million extension.

"You're looking for whatever is fair," Howard said. "You're looking for something you feel comfortable with, something that feels fair. It just didn't feel that way. "

That was the second consecutive year Howard had not come to an agreement with the Phillies.

"I did the same thing last year, and I don't think it really burned any bridges or did anything like that, but you want to try to get it done," Howard said. "But right now the whole contract situation is done. I'm getting paid to put on a uniform, and that's what matters. Now, you just go out and try to help the team win a championship. "

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Kyle Kendrick and Chris Coste both are looking to keep themselves in the big leagues this season. I think it goes without saying that the Phillies really, really, really need Kendrick to pitch well this season, right?

The Phillies announced they have avoided salary arbitration with closer Brad Lidge and righthander Ryan Madson.

Lidge will make $6.35 million this season.

Madson will make $1.4 million.

Both pitchers have performance bonuses in their contracts.

Now that Lidge and Madson are signed, Ryan Howard and Eric Bruntlett are the only remaining Phillies eligible for salary arbitration. I don't expect the Phillies to come to an agreement with Howard before the parties exchange salary figures tomorrow with MLB. The Phillies certainly hope to avoid salary arbitration with Howard, who could make around $7 million next season.

The Phillies haven't been to arbitration with a player since Travis Lee in 2001.

Ryan Howard, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson and Eric Bruntlett filed for salary arbitration yesterday.

Big news? Not really. It's more of a formality than anything. Totally, totally expected. The interesting part comes tomorrow, when the Phillies and those four players submit salary proposals to MLB.

How far apart will the Phillies' number be compared to Howard's number?

The Phillies renewed Howard's contract before last season for $900,000 -- Howard was not happy about it -- after they could not agree on a multiyear extension. Howard could make around $7 million this season, his first as an arbitration eligible player. Could the Phillies and Howard agree to a multiyear extension before a hearing? I'd bet against it -- remember Howard can not become a free agent until after the 2011 season, so the Phillies feel no reason to rush into anything -- although I suppose they could come to an agreement on a one-year deal.

The Phillies typically come to agreements with players before they go to arbitration, but they might not find negotiations as easy with Howard. Beginning next month salary arbitration cases will be heard, if the team and player have not yet come to a contract agreement. At that point, a panel picks the salary it thinks the player deserves.

Either way, Howard will be a multi-millionaire.

The Phillie Phanatic is the top mascot in sports, according to people who make rankings of such things.

Here's the top 10:

1. Phillie Phanatic
2. San Diego Chicken (San Diego Padres)
3. Mr. Met (New York Mets)
4. Racing Sausages (Milwaukee Brewers)
5. Benny the Bull (Chicago Bulls)
6. Rally Monkey (Los Angeles Angels)
7. Sourdough Sam (San Francisco 49ers)
8. Rowdy (Dallas Cowboys)
9. Rally (Atlanta Braves)
10. Miles (Denver Broncos)

OK, a few problems with this list. First, Mr. Met is terrible. He has a baseball for a head. Cool! He might be recognizable, but only because he's in New York. Second, I've been covering the Phillies for five years. That means I've been to Atlanta about 15 times and covered about 45 games at Turner Field. I swear to God I have never seen Rally until today, and he was darn near impossible to find on Google. Third, the Racing Sausages should be higher. And I don't just say that because I'm from Milwaukee. OK, I do.

Former Phillies pitching coach Johnny Podres died yesterday.

He was 75.

I never met Podres, but anytime anybody in the Phillies' organization mentioned his name it carried a certain magical quality to it. He certainly had a special knack with pitchers, and he certainly seemed to have a special way at getting his point across. I know a few years ago when everybody else had failed trying to turn around former Phillies prospect Gavin Floyd, the Phillies asked Podres to try to tutor him. They seemed to consider him their only hope.

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Frank Fitzpatrick wrote about Podres in a June 27, 1995, story for The Inquirer.

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Curt Schilling blogs about Podres.

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Lefthander Matt Smith has signed a minor league contract with the Phillies with an invitation to major league spring training. Smith will be rehabbing from Tommy John surgery during the spring.

Don't ask me how I find this stuff.

This comes from the Phillies:

Individual tickets for Phillies spring training games go on sale Sunday at noon. The schedule features 16 games at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater, Fla., as well as two exhibition games at Citizens Bank Park against the Toronto Blue Jays on March 28 (7:05 p.m.) and March 29 (1:05 p.m.).

Games in Clearwater begin Feb. 26, against Florida State University (7:05 p.m.) Other opponents include the New York Yankees, Cleveland Indians, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, Pittsburgh Pirates, Minnesota Twins, Tampa Bay Rays and Detroit Tigers.

Fans have the option of purchasing Spring Training Three Packs (until Saturday), Spring Training Travel Packages and Spring Training Full Season Plans – all on sale now. More info, as well as schedule and ticket prices, is available at www.phillies.com.

TO PURCHASE TICKETS:

Online: www.phillies.com
By Phone: Call 215-463-1000 or 727-467-4457.
In Person: The Bright House Networks Field main ticket office and the Citizens Bank Park First Base Gate Sales Lobby (adjacent to Robin Roberts statue), noon – 4:00 p.m.
Group Tickets: Call 727-467-4457 and ask about Party Suites, Diamond Dugout and the Hot Corner Cafe.

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Clemens Files Defamation Lawsuit Against Steroids

I'm supposed to be on vacation right now.

What does a baseball writer do when he's not writing about baseball? I mostly scan ebay for rare Transformers. (They're not dolls, by the way. They're action figures.) So after I finish combing the Internets for that mint Optimus Prime I've so desperatley been searching for, I pretty much only have time to sleep and eat. But because I'm kind of addicted to the blog and there's not much happening at Citizens Bank Park these days -- I can't believe they haven't traded for Johan Santana yet! -- I thought I'd link to some of the Phillies bloggers out there.

At least they're keeping busy.

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Phillies Nation sees four roster spots open this spring, and they're all on the pitching staff. The Nation breaks down the candidates.

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From this point on Shane Victorino shall no longer be called the the Flyin' Hawaiian. He shalled be called pu kuni ahi. It sounds like an appetizer. It's not. Balls, Sticks, & Stuff explains.

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We Should Be GMs dissects the infields in the NL East. And, as always, they post some borderline inappropriate pictures to accompany their analysis.

But that's why we love them, isn't it?

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Bugs & Cranks posts video of NBA all-star Dwight Howard taking some hacks in the cage in Clearwater.

My Lord. That swing is so bad he probably couldn't hit a homer on the Wii.

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A Citizen's Blog takes a look at So Taguchi.

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The Good Phight expresses my opinion perfectly: Does anybody really care about the Mitchell Report?

In a total bombshell, Roger Clemens says that Mike Wallace from 60 Minutes has used steroids.

(Somebody clearly had some free time to splice together one of Clemens' statements.)

Phil Sheridan offers his take on the Clemens mess. And it's a mess.

Jayson Werth today avoided salary arbitration with the Phillies and agreed to a one-year, $1.7 million contract, plus performance bonuses.

Werth, 27, hit .298 with eight home runs and a career-high 49 RBIs in 94 games last season. He also set a career high with nine outfield assists.

Werth is the second Phillies player to avoid arbitration, joining outfielder Chris Snelling. The Phillies have four arbitration-eligible players remaining: infielders Eric Bruntlett and Ryan Howard and righthanders Brad Lidge and Ryan Madson.

This just in ...

The Phillies have asked unconditional release waivers on lefthander Matt Smith, which allows them to add outfielder So Taguchi to the 40-man roster. Smith had Tommy John surgery last season and has been on a rehab program throughout the off-season.

Also, pitchers Joe Bisenius and J.A. Happ and catcher Jason Jaramillo will take part in this year’s Rookie Career Development Program, Jan. 10-13.

Last week we looked at the 2008 projections for Phillies pitchers, according to The Bill James Handbook 2008.

Today we look at the 2008 projections for Phillies hitters.

It still looks like this lineup should score plenty of runs, possibly enough to overcome a suspect pitching staff. Most encouraging for Phillies fans is that James predicts a monster season for Ryan Howard. James also likes the progression Carlos Ruiz has made, and expects even better numbers next season.

LINEUP

Jimmy Rollins
2008 projection: .284, 41 2B, 10 3B, 21 HR, 76 RBI, 120 R, 35 SB.

Shane Victorino
2008 projection: .277, 20 2B, 5 3B, 12 HR, 49 RBI, 74 R, 25 SB.

Chase Utley
2008 projection: .307, 45 2B, 4 3B, 26 HR, 109 RBI, 107 R, 10 SB.

Ryan Howard
2008 projection: .303, 31 2B, 1 3B, 53 HR, 144 RBI, 101 R.

Pat Burrell
2008 projection: .256, 29 2B, 1 3B, 31 HR, 104 RBI, 82 R.

Geoff Jenkins
2008 projection: .262, 25 2B, 1 3B, 18 HR, 62 RBI, 54 R.

Greg Dobbs
2008 projection: .279, 17 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 45 RBI, 35 R.

Carlos Ruiz
2008 projection: .282, 33 2B, 3 3B, 12 HR, 69 RBI, 58 R.

BENCH

Eric Bruntlett
2008 projection: .248, 11 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 24 RBI, 31 R, 11 SB.

Chris Coste
2008 projection: .263, 7 2B, 0 3B, 5 HR, 23 RBI, 16 R.

Wes Helms
2008 projection: .270, 17 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 38 RBI, 27 R.

So Taguchi
2008 projection: .274, 16 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 35 RBI, 42 R.

Jayson Werth
2008 projection: .281, 10 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 36 RBI, 35 R.

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The Phillies announced today they have traded outfielder Chris Roberson to the Baltimore Orioles for cash. They also outrighted catcher Pete Laforest to triple-A Lehigh Valley. He will attend major league spring training as a non-roster invitee.

Getting rid of Roberson made sense. He had fallen far off the radar as a prospect, and had no shot to make the team with Pat Burrell, Shane Victorino, Geoff Jenkins, Jayson Werth and So Taguchi in the outfield. It basically clears room on the 40-man roster for the team's recent additions.