Philadelphia Phillies: Projecting the 2012 Phillies' Bullpen Ladder

There is an old saying that goes, "every team is only as strong as its weakest link."

This is the case in all sports and all teams. For the Philadelphia Phillies, a team with a great amount of talent but as observed in the 2011 NLDS, quite a few flaws as well, their weakest link was partially caused by a lack of bullpen depth.

For the Phillies, who, in the past, 2008 to be exact, had the best bullpen in MLB, the opposite could be said of the 2011 team. Suffering injuries to all three of their closer options, the Phillies were forced to start an inexperienced pitcher at both the closer and set-up positions. Although the experiment worked at first, both of the young arms burned out by September, giving the Phillies few options in the bullpen.

Although the bullpen cannot be solely blamed for the 2011 postseason failure, it is a contributing factor. In 2008, the Phillies won the World Series with their excellent bullpen, and in 2012, they are going to need a bit of a bullpen redux in order to hope to do it again.

Long Man: Kyle Kendrick RHP or Joe Blanton RHP

As much as I would love to see the Phillies go out and pick up a legitimate fifth starter, the money just isn't there. Unless Roy Oswalt comes back, which isn't likely, one of these guys is going to get the job presumably, and the other most likely will find a role as long man in the bullpen.

The spring competition will most likely pit Joe Blanton and Kyle Kendrick against each other to battle for the final spot in the rotation. Both pitchers have shown glimpses of a good season, but recently, it has become difficult to rely on either of them consistently. 

Kendrick has been given chance after chance after chance to prove that he can be a big league starting pitcher. Maybe it is because of his stellar rookie campaign in which Kendrick went 10-4 that has the Phillies organization still believing in him. Whatever it is, the team and Ruben Amaro seem to think that Kendrick has the talent to return to his rookie year stats and that it is just his confidence which has betrayed him in the recent past. Getting Kendrick back on the right track gives the Phillies options as a spot starter or more likely as the long man in the bullpen, seeing as, right now, his contract would be tough to trade, meaning the Phillies are stuck with him for a few more years.

Blanton, as opposed to Kendrick, has been a starter and a solid one at that. He will never rise to the talent levels of Roy Halladay or Cliff Lee, but Blanton gave the Phillies a pretty good fifth starter. Unfortunately, an early injury in 2011 sidelined him for most of the season. When Blanton was ready to come back, rookie phenom Vance Worley had stepped into the role and Blanton found himself in the bullpen.

While both Blanton and Kendrick have worked in the long man role, I have an odd feeling it will be Blanton who starts the season there. Although Kendrick has had more success in the bullpen than as a starter, for some reason, he performs well in spring training and manages to win the role every opportunity he gets. Even if Kendrick wins the starting job and Blanton wins or, rather, loses to get the long man role, don't be surprised if these two swap jobs at any point during the season.

Short Reliever #1 Lefty Specialist: Mike Gonzalez LHP

Getting Gonzalez, a free agent pitcher currently with the Rangers, won't be easy, but judging from Ruben Amaro's past, I wouldn't be surprised if he took a long, hard look at this reliever and lefty specialist this offseason.

In 2011, Gonzalez earned $6 million, and after a stellar season with the Rangers, he will probably look to command more than that in 2012 and beyond. 

For the Phillies, who are currently trying to fund new contracts for Jimmy Rollins, Ryan Madson and a contract extension for Cole Hamels, money may be tight. However I think that with the money saved from the Phillies most likely not re-signing Raul Ibanez, Ross Gload, Brad Lidge and Roy Oswalt, some of that money should go towards funding a contract for a big-name bullpen guy. Gonzalez, who earned half of Lidge's $12 million salary, could be this guy. That money alone could fund a contract for the lefty, who held left-handed hitters to a .214 batting average in 2011.

Gonzalez, who formerly pitched for the Braves, could be the guy the Phillies need. A lefty specialist, such as the Phillies had in Scott Eyre in 2008, is important and will be necessary to supplant the crop of young pitchers the Phillies are going to have in their bullpen.

Short Reliever No. 2: Mike Stutes RHP

In 2011, Stutes got his chance to start the season with the Phillies—a chance he made the most of.

With Brad Lidge, Jose Contreras and Ryan Madson on the DL, Stutes found himself as the set-up man for the Phillies. The duo of he and Antonio Bastardo was an unexpected surprise for the Phillies, as both young pitchers had excellent first half starts subbing in for the closer and set-up man.

Although Stutes excelled in the role during the first half of the season, the pile up of innings got to him and led to a sudden burnout. The young reliever's arm seemed to lose some of its speed and accuracy, as Stutes stumbled during the final months of the season.

For a rookie, Stutes was cast into a very consuming and difficult role. I think his best chance of success is not as a set-up man, but as just a man in the bullpen. Stutes has a lot to offer to the Phillies as a RHP, and as a guy who isn't used every day, I think his arm would be ready to last an entire season. The contributions he can make to the bullpen would be very important, as, without Danys Baez and J.C. Romero, Stutes will be needed that much more.

Short Reliever No. 3: Justin DeFratus RHP

I am completely for giving someone a shot, and I think that Justin DeFratus is a guy that the Phillies could take a chance on without too much of a risk.

DeFratus, who made his major league debut in 2011, pitched well in his short stint with the Phillies. As a September call-up, DeFratus got a chance to pitch in five games. At a time when Bastardo and Stutes were struggling and the Phillies desperately needed relief help, DeFratus was solid. In four innings pitched, he gave up one hit and one earned run. He also had three walks and three strikeouts.

Although this is such a small body to work with, I think it is enough for the Phillies to give DeFratus a serious look come spring training. With help needed in the bullpen and most of it expected to come internally, DeFratus looks like a guy who could fill one of the voids and contribute nicely to the Phillies' pen.

Short Reliever No. 4: David Herndon RHP

David Herndon will be in the Phillies' bullpen in 2012. Why? I don't know, but with his 2011 salary a meager and incredibly affordable $425,000, he doesn't look to be going anywhere anytime soon.

After the Phillies chose to part ways with Baezs and Romero, Herndon somehow got to keep his job in the bullpen. Despite a handful of horrible outings, which had fans calling for his head, Herndon stayed with the team. Down the stretch, he found a bit of consistency and managed to finish the season with an acceptable and solid 3.32 ERA.

Although Herndon is not the best pitcher in the Phillies' bullpen, he is only 26 and has a lot of room to improve. His success as a major league pitcher is yet to be seen, but for a Phillies team that is going to have a lot of tough free-agent decisions, Herndon is a cheap commodity in which they really don't have much to lose.

Set-Up Man: Antonio Bastardo LHP

As a lefty in the bullpen, Bastardo, who has both closed and set-up in the past, looks to be very important in returning to this role. With more innings under his belt and more experience, Bastardo is most likely the Phillies answer for a new set-up man.

There aren't many good options for the Phillies at set-up except for Bastardo, so he will be expected to perform up to the level he did when he closed in 2011. If Bastardo can return to this form, it is a no-brainer that he will get the job But not only will he get it, he will give the Phillies a great set-up man and someone who with a newly-developed variety of pitching and can face both lefties and righties with success.

Just like Herndon, Bastardo only commands a very modest $419,000. He is a cheap and talented option in the bullpen, and because of his low salary, the Phillies have money to spend elsewhere. He gives the Phillies a great addition to their bullpen and helps them to bolster a somewhat rocky bullpen. With most of last year's starters looking to not return, Bastardo will be very important to the Phillies success. 

Closer: Ryan Madson RHP

Even with the desire to re-sign Jimmy Rollins, the Phillies' top priority has to be to bring back closer Ryan Madson.

With the most likely departure of Brad Lidge and the health uncertainty of Jose Contreras, Madson is the Phillies best and, really only, option to close from inside the organization. Losing Madson would be of great detriment to the Phillies pen, which is already weak and is going to likely be starting a lot of rookies and young guys at the back end of the pen.

If Madson and the Phillies cannot agree on the deal, the Phillies will be forced to find closer help elsewhere. In a market that features Heath Bell and Jonathon Papelbon, this wouldn't be impossible but it would certainly not be favorable. The Phillies like Madson, and their willingness to part with Lidge shows that they want him to be the closer of the future.

Madson, in his first opportunity as the Opening Day closer, had a great season. Despite an injury that saw Bastardo take the closing reins, Madson had a 2.37 ERA and converted 32 of his 34 save opportunities. He is a veteran presence in the Phillies bullpen, and his importance to the overall success of the team is vital and cannot be understated.

Investing in a new contract for Madson would be the best offseason move the Phillies should make.