Atlanta improved. San Francisco improved. Pittsburgh improved.
The Phillies improved more. Sure, it would have been nice if Amaro had been able to pry reliever Heath Bell from San Diego. That didn't happen. What did happen was that the best team added the best available player without taking any pieces from the big-league roster.
In 2015, if Jonathan Singleton is winning his second MVP award and leading the Astros to the World Series, we may look back on this from a different perspective. That's the risk, and it's a risk that prevents some GMs from making bold moves. Amaro knows the risks and makes them, anyway.
"We're giving away a lot of very, very good quality talent," Amaro said Sunday after Pence scored the winning run in the 10th inning against the Pirates. "Do they become major-league players? Some of them will. Some may become impact players that might bite us."
The risks are worth taking because of the possible reward. Barring alien invasion or another apocalyptic event, the Phillies will be in the postseason. They will run Roy Halladay, Lee, Cole Hamels and possibly Roy Oswalt at their opponents. Those opponents - could be the Braves, the Giants, the Brewers or the Bucs - will throw some outstanding pitching at the Phillies.
Two years in a row, the Phillies have been eliminated in series in which their lineup went cold. They will have to hit, at least a little, to win another championship. Their pitching is better than ever, and now, with Pence, so is their lineup.
