Philadelphia Phillies

Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt... What is and what isn't with the best 1-2-3-4 of the decade?

They're not going to win 80 games. They're not going to have the top three Cy Young vote getters. They're not all going to stay healthy.

They're not all going to win 20 games or make 30 starts. In fact, I bet they don't all make 25 starts.

They will be good enough to win the NL East. They will be very difficult to beat in the playoffs.

Ever since last season, there have been rumors of an Albert Pujols for Ryan Howard swap between the Cardinals and the Phillies. Since Albert Pujols did not get a contract extension done with the Cardinals this offseason, St. Louis may want to get something out of their star first basemen, instead of having him walk. The Cardinals want to avoid being "Lebron'd" in other terms. The Phillies would benefit greatly from this trade, gaining the best first basement in baseball, and losing a power-hitting, strike-out machine Ryan Howard.

The Philadelphia Phillies have proved to be the class of the National League in recent years.  Their successes have included two World Series appearances (one title) and four straight NL East crowns.  As of late, they've done everything possible to keep the proverbial "window" open for as long as possible.  With winning comes more money; money that the Phillies have spent more and more freely.

The Phillies played two games on Saturday in split squad action.  Kyle Kendrick started against the Rays in Clearwater and Vance Worley took the mound against the Pirates in Bradenton.

Just a day after the Philadelphia Phillies agreed to a contract extension with the manager that has led them to four consecutive National League East pennants, the team has agreed in principle to sign its general manager, Ruben Amaro Jr., to a contract extension.

Hot on the heels of the Cliff Lee acquisition, the Philadelphia Phillies entered spring training as favorites to reclaim the National League crown. With Lee joining Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels, Roy Oswalt, and Joe Blanton, the Phillies should have the rotation locked down.

Unfortunately for the Phillies, the team isn't without questions as it prepares for the regular season. Turnover in the bullpen, spring training injuries, and the loss of key players and coaches during the off-season has left the team with several potential headaches to sort out.

The Philadelphia Phillies announced earlier today that they have inked manager Charlie Manuel to a two-year extension that will keep him at the helm through the 2013 season.

While the exact terms have not been released, both mlb.com and phillynews.com expect Manuel to earn between $7 million and $8 million for the 2012 and 2013 seasons.

About a month ago, an enormous percentage of the Philadelphia Phillies faithful were making bold proclamations about World Series appearances and World Series wins.

With the semblance of an amazing starting pitching staff, there was not much reason to think anyone was being completely unrealistic. 

Optimistic?  Perhaps. 

Completely unrealistic?  No.

On December 15th, 2010, the Philadelphia Phillies signed Cliff Lee and in the minds of baseball enthusiasts all around the world, Lee's signature was the kiss of death for the division rival Atlanta Braves.

However, a lot has changed since December 15th—most importantly, Chase Utley's knee.

On January 18, Ryan Madson woke up to some pretty good news.

No, he was not the recipient of a new contract.

No, his wife was not expecting another child.

And no, most certainly, the Phillies had already signed Cliff Lee back in December.