MLB Philadelphia Phillies: 5 Players Who Must Be Kept Happy at All Costs

The Philadelphia Phillies are currently in the midst of the greatest era of baseball to ever be played in this city by a pro sports team. Five consecutive NL East Division titles, two National League pennants and one World Series title have led to happy times in the City of Brotherly Love.

Citizens Bank Park is filled beyond capacity night after night by the loudest and most loyal fans in America. Players like Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee came to Philadelphia to play in that type of atmosphere.

Here are five Philadelphia Phillies who must be kept happy at all costs.

Cole Hamels

Who else did you expect to see on this list other than "King" Cole Hamels of the Philadelphia Phillies? The youngest of the (now) three aces and one of the 10 best pitchers in MLB is set to crash the free agent market in 2012.

Mark Buehrle and C.J. Wilson received ridiculous contracts this winter from the Miami Marlins and Los Angeles Angels, respectively. Hamels is much better than Buehrle and Wilson.

And he happens to be a World Series MVP as well.

Hamels was 14-9 with a 2.79 ERA in 2011 and was Philadelphia's best pitcher at times. Hamels has proven that he has the mental toughness to combine with his devastating stuff to request big bucks from the Phillies.

Ruben Amaro Jr. is a smart guy (who loves pitching), and he knows that he must re-sign Hamels at all costs. A 27-year-old lefty who throws in the mid-90s, is homegrown and brought the first World Series to this city in 25 years needs to be paid accordingly.

Pay the man, Ruben. Pay the man.

Domonic Brown

Domonic Brown was the Phillies top-rated prospect by Baseball America for the past few years (2009-2011) but no longer qualifies after his MLB service. Many looked at Brown to be the next star in Philadelphia, after Jayson Werth left for his ridiculous contract from the Washington Nationals.

Well, Brown seemingly forgot how to hit, and breaking his wrist didn't help matters either. The Phillies acquired Hunter Pence from the Houston Astros, and John Mayberry Jr. had a breakout season despite limited playing time.

Now the "untouchable" Brown seems like an afterthought.

Not so fast my friend. This is still the same player whose tools translate so well to the big leagues that the Phillies were unwilling to include him in trades for Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay or Roy Oswalt. Brown has above-average speed, power and a cannon for an arm.

He still has time to work out his problems, as he is only 24. The Phillies have a myriad of players who are getting older and have fat salaries, and they are counting on a guy like Brown to lock down an outfield spot in 2013.

Philadelphia must keep Brown happy at all costs, as he is still a valuable piece to the Phillies puzzle moving forward.

Antonio Bastardo

Antonio Bastardo not only has one of the coolest names on the Philadelphia Phillies, but he also was arguably their best player before the All-Star break. His numbers were mind-boggling (just over 1.00 ERA) and he would have been selected had he pitched enough innings.

The Phillies invested a ton of money (most ever) for Jonathan Papelbon to close games for them in the foreseeable future; but Bastardo is the lone lefty out of the bullpen at the moment. Bastardo is no situational lefty, though, as he was just as effective pitching against righties as lefties.

Bastardo's salary is incredibly manageable, and he continues to get better each season. He can throw in the mid-90s and he has a solid slider as well. Bastardo has electric stuff that had many in Philadelphia wondering if he was the closer of the future.

Plenty of reason to keep the guy happy.

Shane Victorino

If you look at the picture above, you can probably tell that Shane Victorino of the Philadelphia Phillies is a happy guy by nature. The "Flyin' Hawaiian" is a fan favorite and was the best position player for the Phightin' Phils for the majority of last season.

His production at the plate declined at the end of the season, but he causes havoc on the basepaths and is one of the best defensive outfielders in all of baseball. The Phillies have Victorino signed through 2012 at a club-friendly three-year deal worth $22 million.

Hunter Pence and Victorino have the potential to form a terrific tandem in center field and right field for at least the next five years, but does Victorino fit into the Phillies' plans financially?

Ruben Amaro Jr. has stated multiple times this offseason that the Phillies need to "get younger," and Victorino is one of the few Phillies regulars that is still young and productive.

Roy Halladay

Roy "Doc" Halladay has been everything Phillie Nation hoped he would be and so much more. An NL Cy Young Award, a perfect game, a no-hitter in his first ever playoff start make it pretty easy to like the guy.

His hard-working attitude that will do whatever it takes to win is what Philadelphia loves about Halladay. The Phillies signed Halladay to a three-year extension through 2013 at $20 million per season.

They also have a vesting option that most assuredly will be picked up in 2014 as well. $20 million isn't chump change, but Halladay certainly could have gotten more had he wanted to test the free agent market.

He didn't feel that was necessary and went to the city and team that he believed gave him the best chance to win a championship. The Phillies told Halladay that they had a club policy of not signing pitchers for longer than three years and then sign Cliff Lee to his five-year mega-deal worth $125 million ($25 million per season.)

The Phillies luckily have the Doc under control for the foreseeable future, but they'd better continue to do everything they can to boast a competent lineup that will give Halladay a run or two in the playoffs.

They owe him that much. Can't a brother get one run?