Phillies' free agency: The great unknowns

The most uncertain spot on the team is the bullpen, where the only players under contract are closer Brad Lidge, setup man Ryan Madson and righthander Danys Baez, who struggled in 2010 and was left off the postseason roster. The Phillies have a number of young arms under their control who will compete for spots, including postseason-roster members David Herndon and Antonio Bastardo.

Durbin, an under-the-radar signing who has played a big role for the team over the last three seasons, does not have a good read on his chances of returning.

"My gut says it's 50-50," said the 32-year-old workhorse, who has posted a 3.62 ERA in 226 innings since joining the team in 2008.

For at least the next week, most of these Phillies will watch the Giants play the Rangers in the World Series and wonder about what might have been. They were heavy favorites to win their third straight National League title, but ended up losing to a San Francisco squad that trumped them in both pitching and opportunism. They struggled on offense throughout the year and found themselves pummeled by injuries to their veteran lineup.

"Sometimes, a wakeup call is a good thing in the long run," Romero said.

At some point, the Phillies will be able to appreciate the vast amount of good they accomplished during a trying campaign. In the meantime, disappointment and questions are all that remain.

For more Phillies coverage and opinion, read David Murphy's blog, High Cheese, at http://go.philly.com/highcheese. Follow him on Twitter at

http://twitter.com/HighCheese.