AFTER THE STING wears off and everybody gets a couple of nights' sleep, the quiet pride in the accomplishment of making it to a second consecutive World Series will envelop Phillies' general manager Ruben Amaro Jr., and all of them. They should be given some time to enjoy it, too - especially the general manager who is just finishing his first season. Because it was Amaro who brought Raul Ibanez here and it was Amaro who brought Cliff Lee here. They were huge moves, winning moves, and the general manager deserves an opportunity to bask in the whole thing for a good little while.
Rich Hofmann: Phillies should start building for next year, starting with acquiring Halladay
OK, time's up.
What to do to this roster for the 2010 season is the subject that will consume Phillies fans for the next 3 months - and you can spin it any number of ways. Retooling the bullpen is an annual adventure for most teams and it is for this team. Fortifying the bench, especially with a reliable righthanded bat and possibly with somebody whom manager Charlie Manuel can trust enough to give middle infielders Jimmy Rollins and especially Chase Utley an occasional rest, is also a priority.
But if you watched this World Series . . . if you watched this streaky Phillies lineup go cold against the Yankees . . . if you watched it and weighted it all, it is not hard to come up with a different priority list.
And so, you wonder if it isn't time to reopen the Roy Halladay conversation.
We all remember how it went down in July. Toronto general manager J.P. Ricciardi very publicly shopped Halladay, his ace, whose contract expires after the 2010 season and who wants to win a championship, something likely to elude the Blue Jays for a while. Halladay turned into a municipal obsession in Philadelphia, but Amaro would not part with the wagon-load of talent that Ricciardi demanded. Instead, he made the Cliff Lee deal and was celebrated as hitting the perfect balance between present and future, fortifying his team without gutting his farm system.
A couple of things have happened since then. First, Ricciardi has been fired, replaced by Alex Anthopoulos. Second, the Phillies have just lost a World Series because the other team revealed itself to have the better pitching.
It all just makes you wonder. Could Halladay be on their radar again?