Fixing a broken link in the bullpen, the front office absorbed the $6.5 million commitment to Pat Neshek, but now the Philadelphia Phillies will probably concentrate on signing a free agent and/or moving a regular for a left-handed bat with power.

The New Alignment:

When you are between your starting point and your destination, you make temporary plans to keep your options open.

In the shadow of the Bank, a few blue-collar workers enjoyed happy hour at their local bar in South Philly. Soon, the diamond and the seats at the ballpark will wear a snowy blanket in the dead of night. But, eventually, the winter’s silence along Ashburn Alley will end, and the first signs of life will appear. Truck day! Yes, they will load the equipment behemoth with balls, bats, gloves and other necessary items for the interstate drive to Bright House Field in Clearwater.

The coworkers talked about the veteran presence of Pat Neshek in the relief corps and Howie Kendrick in the dugout. And they especially liked Jeremy Hellickson returning to head the rotation and provide an example for their young staff. In other words – among the healthy moundsmen – only Hellickson and Jerad Eickhoff were working six innings or more per outing in September, while Jake Thompson, Alec Asher and Adam Morgan had much shorter appearances. Why? Inconsistency.

Batting around the reasons, they eliminated pen auditions and a shortage of work for the relievers because those hurlers – except for Hector Neris – had struggled to get three outs, pitched too often, and lacked effectiveness. In fact, the call to the bullpen in the final month was the beginning of a loss. And one beer drinker questioned if the starters had been on an innings count or near a shutdown like Vince Velasquez. No, the only thing manager Pete Mackanin stated was the inconsistency of Thompson and Asher, while he neglected to even mention Morgan.

Discussing next year’s pen, the men spent the next hour trying to figure out the five arms they expected to see besides Neris and Neshek. For starters, the coworkers felt Edubray Ramos, Jeanmar Gomez and Joely Rodriguez will have a leg up on the competition, while Michael Mariot must earn a spot during Spring Training. And they believed they’ll also see “four or five” non-roster invitees again this March.