True, that injury soaked era from 2009-2011 which produced a mixed bag of results did indeed exist. There’s that one reason I never minded it. The year before that.

In the winter of 2007 when the Phillies traded Michael Bourne, Geoff Geary, and Michael Constanzo for Brad Lidge and Eric Bruntlett, I recall thinking we gave up nothing for something but that was about it. I was plenty comfortable with Brett Myers handling the 9th if need be and when Lidge entered his presser on crutches, I really was prepared for a serious bust. Well nothing turned into something for the Astros. Michael Bourne in fact became a stellar outfielder. Geary didn’t hang around long and I couldn’t tell you whatever became of Constanzo except that I know he ended up playing in the Orioles system in ’08 as I saw him suit up for Norfolk Tide.

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File under: low risk/high reward. The Phillies have agreed to sign well traveled 33 year old Puerto Rican hurler Joel Pineiro to a minor league deal with an invite to Spring Training. With Roy Oswalt gone and Joe Blanton still a bit of an uncertainty (as in he’s supposedly healthy now but an elbow issue is an elbow issue) it makes perfect sense to go dumpster diving and come up with Pineiro.

Pineiro is a nice addition and one would imagine he could be very much in the mix. He spent most of his career bouncing from the bullpen and the back of the rotation for the Seattle Mariners. His numbers never really that stellar, leave it to pitching guru Dave Duncan to turn him into an impressive mid-rotation starter during a 2 1/2 year stint in St. Louis. In 2010 he signed on with Anaheim where he’d continue to post half decent numbers. However in 2011 he fell back to Earth posting a 5.13 ERA over 145 innings.

Much like Blanton, when healthy Pineiro is a reputable innings eater. In the event Blanton isn’t healthy one would think Pineiro is the guy for the 4th or 5th spot. I like this move. Starting inventory isn’t exactly as deep as I would have preferred and Pineiro was one of the better names one could find without having to risk too many dollars, which the likes of Roy Oswalt will most certainly want.

Ryan Madson agreed to a deal last night with the Cincinnati Reds, thus bringing an end to his Phillies career. Lots of theories and stories have been brought to light since that fateful evening when the Madson deal fell apart. Was Boras trying to play games with the Phillies? Did the Phillies just decide the money was best spent on Papelbon? We’ll never know. What I do know is that it’s time to move on. Ryan Madson went from being a mediocre long man, a lousy starter, to being a premier late inning reliever. The success the Phillies have known the past five years doesn’t happen without him and this Phillies fan salutes him and wishes him luck in the future, except against the Phillies of course.

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I posted a few weeks ago that it was in the best interest of both the Phillies and Jimmy Rollins to continue their relationship. They made each other what they both are today and it is very much a good thing that Rollins is back in business. It showed that this day was coming with the Phils letting the free agent infielders go elsewhere and Rollins letting other teams move on. Who says you can’t go home? The deal appears to be for 3 years/ $33 million with a vesting option for a 4th year.

We find ourselves trying to label various eras of Phillies baseball, be it after players or Whiz Kids or Macho Row. It’s hard not to call this the Jimmy Rollins Era. He’s the guy who plays the stellar shortstop, gets the timely hits, and takes a lot of the fan reaction be it the insane applause for a timely hit or a chorus after a first pitch pop up. Either way, this is our guy and he makes this team go. To just move on to a lessor player while Galvis finished developing would be foolish.

So here we are. Thome, Papelbon, Wigginton, Nix, Willis, Rollins, and oh yeah Brian Schneider! Is it an off season or is there something else working? Either way, the off season in my opinion was going to be judged on if Rollins was retained or not and that the closer role was addressed. Both are important when it comes to protecting the elite starting rotation that the Phillies have. Hard not to be excited for Opening Day now.

Here’s a soundtrack to this fine signing and the return of one of my favorites.

The need for lefty relief, long relief, or a spot starter appears to have been addressed as it’s being reported that the Phillies have come to terms with Dontrelle Willis. His story is pretty well known by now. In 2003, he made a huge splash pitching for the World Series winning Florida Marlins and winning Rookie of the Year. After a bit of a sophomore slump, he bounced back in ’05 to become one of the most dominant pitchers in the game posting a 22-10 record. It was after a trade to Detroit in ’08, where things went bad. He struggled with command, battled anxiety issues, and was up and down from the minors. After signing with Cincinnati last season he spent half the season in Triple-A Louisville and would end up making his return to the big leagues where he would spend the rest of the season.

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