Philadelphia Phillies: 10 Things They Still Need to Do Before Spring Training

The Phillies appear set to go for the 2012 season after another aggressive offseason. This winter, we’ve already seen an upgrade in the closer position and bench, as well as retaining the team leader in Jimmy Rollins.

With most of their pieces in place, they appear poised for another championship run.

They aren’t quite done, though, as there still are a few things they need to do before heading from their homes around the world to Spring Training in Clearwater, Fla.

Some of these would not only help 2012, but they could help the team prepare for future seasons beyond this upcoming one.

It’s all part of keeping that championship contention window open for as long as they can.

Sign Hamels to an Extension

There is every indication that Ruben Amaro Jr. would like to extend Cole Hamels' tenure as a Phillie for years beyond next season, but it's best to get it done before reporting to camp.

Amaro usually hammers out his extensions with his own players in mid- to late January, doing so in years past with guys like Carlos Ruiz, Shane Victorino, Ryan Madson, Jayson Werth, Ryan Howard the first time and the infamous Joe Blanton contract.

We've seen this offseason why we should not take it for granted that a player will return to his expected original team with Albert Pujols, so get it done. 

Sign Victorino to an Extension

With all the talk of needing to sign Hamels, do not forget Shane Victorino. The Flyin' Hawaiian was the most steady hitter from the 2011 lineup, and has been named to two of the past three All-Star games.

Victorino helps the team in a number of ways, as he has increasingly grown into a five-tool player as his power develops. He patrols the outfield of Citizens Bank Park with relentlessness and has already collected three Gold Gloves in his four seasons as a starting center fielder, falling short this past season after not hitting as many home runs as Matt Kemp.

Victorino is one of only a few Phillies hitters you can say is still in his prime.

He is a major factor in the Philadelphia community as well, being a past nomination for the Roberto Clemente award.

We've seen that teams will freely overpay Phillies' outfielders in the recent past when they hit the open market with guys like Werth and Aaron Rowand, so do not let the Flyin' Hawaiian fly away from outside the Citizens Bank Park outfield.

Add to Minor League and Organizational Depth

The depth does not necessarily have to take place at the major league level, but adding some possible major league-ready players to the organization is key. These types of players usually fill out the Triple-A lineup but are adequate ball players.

It may be an afterthought, but it can go a long way in helping a team. Look at Wilson Valdez's 2010 season as an example of where this becomes useful. These players are good pieces to turn to in the case of a short-term injury, a need for extra depth on the 25-man roster when the schedule dictates or filling in for bereavement-type cases.

Who knows? Maybe they find a niche when given a shot and become valuable pieces.

Remember, Howard is coming off a very serious injury, Placido Polanco is recovering from double hernia surgery, Shane Victorino has spent five stints on the DL the past five seasons and Chase Utley is dealing with a chronic knee injury.

Looking at the current group, it could use a few more bats and maybe an arm or two. They brought back Dave Bush, but a need for another potential starter or long man could become exigent should Kyle Kendrick need to step into the rotation for an extended period of time. Guys they've used in the past, such as Rodrigo Lopez and those type of league veterans, will suffice.

Aside from signing them as free agents, a good place to look would be non-tendered players or those placed on waivers. Greg Dobbs is a former waiver pickup.

Again, these players are just for depth, just in case anything happens like it did to the 2010 infield.

This is something they can collect throughout the offseason, but do not neglect it.

Get Howard Healthy

It goes without saying how much of a piece the "Big Piece" is to the lineup, being a steady run producer in the cleanup spot. Despite what Ruben Amaro says, it appears doubtful that Ryan Howard will be ready for the regular season, much less Spring Training.

Having Howard healthy would allow the Phillies to go into Spring Training having most of their players' roles determined. Laynce Nix, Ty Wigginton, John Mayberry Jr. and Jim Thome would know what to more accurately expect for their playing time at first base with Ryan Howard back, and they can work at other positions (except Thome).

What it does most is provide one less thing to worry about and have to account for in the duration of Spring Training.

Figure out a Plan for Domonic Brown

It is hard to see what Brown's long-term role with the Phillies will be. It's becoming apparent that his short-term role is the starting left fielder for the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs.

Clearly, John Mayberry Jr. has passed Brown on the organization depth chart. Unless Victorino walks next season and they move Mayberry to center, that would be the only open spot for Brown in the future. It is hard to see this happening and is very unlikely.

So maybe it is time to trade Brown and cut your losses. At one point, they could have gotten Roy Halladay for him, so maybe he still has value.

But do not wait too long until his value diminishes.

Avoid Arbitration with Hunter Pence

No team nor player enjoys going to the arbitration hearings. They may like winning the argument on how much the player deserves, but they do not like the process of having to identify to a player his flaws and why he should not be valued very high. Conversely, the player does not necessarily enjoy having to hear this.

The arbitration process also lingers through February and could end after a team has already to reported to Spring Training. This would cause some uncertainty with how much flexibility a team has with its budget, so it's best to avoid having it linger and requiring the arbitration hearing.

If you recall, Hunter Pence lost to Ed Wade in arbitration last year. Both are with the Phillies now and although Wade may not be directly involved, it would be interesting to see if the man who traded him away a few months ago could create a reasonable case as to why Pence’s value should be lower.

Just get it done before February and save everyone’s time.

Keep an Eye on Ryan Madson

Ryan Madson still has not signed and could remain unsigned for quite some time. Madson originally was seeking a multi-year contract to be a team’s closer, but there does not appear to be a team that is interested in having him fill that role.

Agent Scott Boras will look to pounce on a team that may become desperate to add a closer and cause Madson’s value to increase. If that does not happen, he could decide to simply sign a one-year deal. This is where the Phillies come into play.

If Madson does in fact end up seeking a one-year deal and then reentering the market next season hoping a closer’s job is available, he could benefit from being one injury away from becoming a fill-in Phillies closer again.

This is not very likely, but it is worth monitoring. A bullpen of Bastardo, Contreras, Stutes, Madson and Papelbon could be dominating.

Determine the 2012 Payroll Budget

The sooner this is determined, the better. This would allow the Phillies to see exactly where they stand financially and allow them to go into Spring Training knowing what kind of room they have to make a deal.

Oftentimes in Spring Training, trades are made as teams discover the may no longer need players for certain roles they once figured they did. The Phillies have made moves like this before, getting guys like David Dellucci and Jack Taschner before breaking camp. These are not high-impact players, but they could determine a game or two along the way for you in a championship run.

For the most part, this will be done through the arbitration process, but some smaller figures may need to be determined, such as rookie and minor league contracts.

Figure out what you can and get yourself prepared should anything come up with potential to help the club.

Get Fans' Expectations Up

This has become a Phillies annual. They get the city and area’s expectations up, as well as raise all of Clearwater, Fla.’s expectations. This creates excitement around the club and with that comes more fans.

With more fans comes more money.

One way the Phillies do a good job of this is by opening the sale of single-game tickets. They could easily sell out in a few days, maybe even one.

The expectations get the fans in the seats. It creates and energy around the team especially in those early April weekday evening games; that could be a boost to the team’s performance.

For recent years, the Phillies have become creative with this, doing things such as their “Paint the Town Red Campaign,” and even holding a starting rotation press conference that included their praise of Joe Blanton.

We’ll have to see how many fall for that one again this year.

Get Citizens Bank Park Ready for Baseball

This is the only thing about which someone other than Ruben Amaro has to worry.

Right now Citizens Bank Park has an incomplete ice hockey rink going across the field. It goes without saying that the Phillies would not be able to pursue a championship at home with the state the field is in now.

It may be a very small thing to worry about, or not worry about at all, but when it does it will get the city and the ballpark into baseball mode, as we all make the transition to spring.