Counting Down To Spring Training: Phillies Look to Sort Out Pitching

The offseason sure has flown by, has it not? In just 16 days, the Philadelphia Phillies training camp will open in Clearwater, Florida.

The two nagging questions involve the last bullpen spots (to replace J.C. Romero for 50 games) and the fifth spot in the rotation. There's that Ryan Howard arbitration story too, but let's try to get away from that story right now.

The four pitchers competing for the fifth spot in the rotation—J.A. Happ, Kyle Kendrick, Chan Ho Park, and Carlos Carrasco—will be battling it out all through camp, trying to win that spot. Some sources say Chan Ho Park has a big chance of landing the spot, largely due to the fact that he came to the Phillies just for the opportunity to start again. In fact, the Korean pitcher is skipping the World Baseball Classic to work for the fifth spot.

Happ and Kendrick are the next two popular picks for the rotation.

But the fifth slot is not the only job the four pitchers will be competing for. With Romero leaving an open spot in the bullpen and Mike Zagurski behind on his rehab from Tommy John surgery, one of the three who lost out on the rotation could swoop in for Zagurski's spot in the pen.

Romero's spot is a bit different. With his absence, there is only one experienced left-hander left in the pen with Scott Eyre. And out of the four competing for the rotation, J.A. Happ is the only lefty.

This leaves the question, will the Phillies reach out to free agency for a left-handed reliever?

Joe Beimel is the biggest name on the market, yet with Romero only missing 50 games, his price may be too much for the Phillies to handle. Smaller names like Randy Flores, Kent Mercker, and Will Ohman are also possibilities.

As of right now, the Phillies have nine pitchers who are essentially locked on the team: Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton, Jamie Moyer, Brad Lidge, Ryan Madson, Scott Eyre, Clay Condrey, and Chad Durbin. The fifth starter will make it 10, which leaves two spots in the bullpen, since the Phillies are likely going to go with 12 pitchers and 13 batters on their 25-man roster.

So as we head into the final moments of the offseason, watch for a bullpen signing. It may come as quiet news, but whoever it is will likely fill one bullpen spot.

Other than that, we'll just have to wait until Spring Training to figure out who the other reliever will be and who that fifth starter will be.

But do not worry, it is only 16 days away...

Sources: Phillies.com