Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
Philadelphia Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro made it a point not to bring back the exact same lineup in 2009 after winning the World Series in 2008. He succeeded in that goal by replacing the departed Pat Burrell with Raul Ibanez in left field. The strategy worked as the Phillies won their division and made it all the way to the World Series, eventually losing to the New York Yankees.
During this offseason, expect the mantra to be very similar to last winter. The one position in the lineup that likely will roll over is third base. The team declined their $5.5 million option on Pedro Feliz and will try and find an upgrade in the free-agent pool. If they fail to do so, they can always bring Feliz back to the team.
After eight seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies, 29-year-old pitcher Brett Myers will reportedly be playing for a new team in 2010. According to Jim Salisbury of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Myers has been told by Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., that he will definitely not be a Phillie next season. The report also states that Myers wasn't given a specific reason that he won't return.
Myers has spent his entire professional career in the Philadelphia organization after being selected in the first round in the 1999 draft. He went 73-63 with a 4.40 ERA and added 21 saves during his time in Philly.
NEW YORK -- Cole Hamels may still have to fight a public perception that he's not ready to pitch a possible Game 7 of the World Series, but his manager apparently has no qualms about giving him the ball.
Phillies manager Charlie Manuel isn't saying whether Hamels would pitch that game, but he said on Tuesday at Yankee Stadium that he is convinced that the flap over a Hamels comment following Game 3 was overblown or misunderstood.
"He came in and talked to me [Monday] night, and we sat in there for 10 or 15 minutes and we talked about some of the things that were said, and I felt very good about it, really," Manuel said. "I know Hamels. I've been a Hamels guy ever since I seen him pitch in Lakewood and when I first came to work here. I never, ever -- I want you to listen to this -- never ever questioned his mental toughness because he's just as tough as anybody on our team."
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
Before the season started, I was rough on Derrek Lee. I named him the biggest bust on the Cubs for this coming season and included him on the list of "five guys to lose" your fantasy league. I even predicted Mike Fontenot would hit more home runs than Mr. Lee. Obviously, it sounds outlandish now, in hindsight, as Lee clubbed his 35th home run Tuesday night. In the process, he established a new career high in RBI with 109. His OPS is the second-highest it's ever been -- trailing only his insane 2005 season when he did an Albert Pujols impersonation.
Matsuzaka has a 2.38 ERA and 10 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings in his return, further strengthening his case to be the fourth starter in Boston's playoff rotation when the postseason begins next month and showing how formidable the Red Sox can be when their pitching is rolling.
After two days of waiting and wondering, the Phillies seem to have settled on a plan for struggling closer Brad Lidge.
The right-hander, who has blown 10 saves this year, will pitch mostly in low-leverage situations with occasional save chances possible, manager Charlie Manuel said before Thursday night's game against the Nationals.
Manuel left the door open for Lidge to close again in a full-time role if he gets himself straightened out, but made it clear that for now he'll mostly get work in mop-up situations when the Phillies are either way ahead or behind.
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the Roto Rush is your double espresso shot of fantasy baseball advice every weekday.
By now we all know of the greatness of San Francisco pitcher Tim Lincecum. He's the best pitcher in baseball this season, with a 2.34 ERA, 1.02 WHIP and 233 strikeouts in 200 1/3 innings. But there's another hard-throwing young kid in the Giants organization that, like Lincecum, has a shot to be one of the league's best very quickly. He's a guy you want to burn that No. 1 waiver priority on, in case he sticks in the rotation for the rest of the season. He is Madison Bumgarner.
This is all we know for sure: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brett Myers is having difficulty returning from hip surgery because of a swollen eyeball. Nobody knows WHY his eyeball is swollen, it just is. His story keeps changing, reports come in and get rearranged, and all we're left with is an incomplete pitching staff and a pretty funny image in my mind of Brett Myers looking like Sloth from The Goonies.
Tonight's Dugout hopes to find the answer, after the jump.
On Saturday here at FanHouse I wrote about Phillies pitcher Brett Myers having to miss his first rehab start following hip surgery in May due to a swollen eye. An injury that Myers first claimed he suffered while playing catch with his son. He then later admitted he suffered the injury falling on his face as he got out of his truck early Saturday morning.
Since then plenty of rumors have circulated as to how Myers really got hurt, including a story about Myers and his wife getting into some kind of altercation while out that night. Well, it turns out there that while something happened that night, according to the police there were no signs Myers had been struck.
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher Brett Myers hasn't made a start for the Phillies since back on May 27 due to hip surgery but he was scheduled to make his first rehab start for the team's Single-A affiliate in Clearwater on Saturday night. I say he was because due to an eye injury, Myers is not going to be making that start tonight.
As for how Myers happened to hurt his eye, well, the story keeps changing. Myers originally said he suffered the eye injury while playing catch with his son, and he got clocked in the face by an errant throw. Now it's hard to believe a professional baseball player would have trouble catching a ball thrown by a small child, so it's no surprise that a few hours later new details emerged.
Footprints in the Snow is FanHouse's look at the paths to be forged by MLB teams this winter as they look ahead to 2010.
After eight seasons with the 
NEW YORK -- 
Starting Five is our wrapup of the previous day's baseball action with a quick nod to what is ahead.
After two days of waiting and wondering, the 
Poppin' out of the box scores and right into your cubicle, the 
This is all we know for sure: Philadelphia Phillies pitcher 
On Saturday here at FanHouse I wrote about Phillies pitcher Brett Myers having to 
Philadelphia Phillies pitcher 
