Amaro

THE BULK of the work is finished, with a third baseman (Michael Young), a centerfielder (Ben Revere), a setup man (Mike Adams) and a fifth starter (John Lannan) all outfitted in Phillies red before Christmas. But Ruben Amaro Jr. isn't finished with his offseason shopping, even if he did allow the possibility of going to spring training in 2 months with the current roster. "It's very possible that we have the answers internally," Amaro said of what would appear to be a glaring need for a reliable, productive, veteran bat for the outfield.

MICHAEL YOUNG has played more games than any player in the history of the Texas Rangers organization. He holds several other club records and has called Arlington home ever since he was traded from Toronto as a minor leaguer 12 1/2 years ago. Young knows no major league existence other than one that starts and ends with wearing the red, white and blue of the Rangers. But after approving a trade on Saturday, Young will step into a different shade of red in 2 months when he reports to Clearwater, Fla. Despite joining a new team in a new league, Young should meld right into the veteran-laden Phillies team.

HE OBTAINED Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee (twice). He traded for Hunter Pence to save one season and traded him away with an eye to the future in another. He reclaimed Pedro Martinez in midseason and parlayed a return to the World Series. Midseason, he signed his homegrown ace pitcher to a contract that may prove a bargain when the numbers for Zack Greinke are announced in the coming days. And Thursday he obtained Ben Revere, a 24-year-old centerfielder who may become every bit as good as Michael Bourn is, and for a fraction of the cost.

NASHVILLE , Tenn. - Ruben Amaro Jr. is about 2 weeks away from the 3-year anniversary of what's likely the defining move of his tenure as Phillies general manager. In December 2009, Amaro ended his long, calculated pursuit of Roy Halladay by trading for the longtime Toronto ace. But in doing so, he made a companion deal with Seattle that sent Cliff Lee out west. Despite Halladay's prowess, the trade wasn't very popular with a fan base that saw Lee beat the Yankees twice in the World Series just 2 months earlier.

NASHVILLE - Ruben Amaro Jr. slipped into a sixth-floor suite at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel that doubles as the Phillies' headquarters this week and insisted there was no rush. Less than an hour earlier, Angel Pagan had agreed to a four-year, $40 million contract with San Francisco, and another Phillies outfield target was eliminated. "We move on," Amaro said. On the first day of baseball's winter meetings, the general manager said he still prefers to add a centerfielder via free agency and not trade.

NASHVILLE - At one point during Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr.'s afternoon meeting with the media at the winter meetings, the idea of John Mayberry Jr. returning next season as the starting centerfielder was raised. Before a line forms at the top of the Walt Whitman Bridge or an angry mob shows up carrying torches at One Citizens Bank Way, you should know that Mayberry in center field is no better than Plan Z for Amaro, who said he went into this offseason with 10 Plan B's. Which Plan B comes to fruition between now and opening day in Atlanta remained a mystery on Monday as the winter meetings officially opened inside the vast Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville, where holiday tourists, Tommy Lasorda, and John Kruk frequently crossed paths.

NASHVILLE , Tenn. - About an hour after the latest free-agent outfielder on his radar committed to a home without a Philadelphia-area zip code, Ruben Amaro Jr. found a comfortable seat inside the Phillies' suite at the Opryland Hotel. He leaned back on the couch and answered questions with ease. He didn't look like an anxious general manager in the wake of his latest swing and miss at a free-agent centerfielder. Looks, of course, can be deceiving. "I hope we'll make [our fans]

Ruben Amaro Jr. and the Phillies will be in a different place this week, and I don't just mean Nashville, site of baseball's winter meetings at the sprawling Opryland Hotel. Since Amaro took over as general manager from Pat Gillick after the 2008 season, he has always shown up at these annual gatherings as one of the highest heads on baseball's totem pole. Before he made a single transaction, he was the general manager of the World Series champion Phillies. A year later, he showed up as the GM of the National League champion Phillies.

The carousel started last week when, after reportedly visiting both Philadelphia and Atlanta, B.J. Upton tapped 139 characters on his iPad. "I'm really blown away by the love other cities are showing me right now," Upton tweeted last Thursday. "Can't wait to see how this pans out. #intrigued" The modern hot stove is reduced to a hash tag, and the sentiment extends beyond Upton's 64,000 Twitter followers. The Phillies and Braves have both identified Upton as a priority, possibly their top target.

The best free agents were signed in April and July, and there is a veritable lack of star power in baseball's open market. Yet as 30 general managers convene in California this week, there will be talk of big numbers. The payouts from TV contracts are larger than ever. Fewer free agents will cost draft picks as compensation. There are new caps on amateur and international spending. It could yield a booming free-agent market and one that moves quickly. That is the dilemma Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. could face when he earnestly applies his winter strategy at this week's GM meetings, which run Wednesday to Friday in Indian Wells, Calif.