3 thoughts: If Madson accepted arbitration?

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Three quick thoughts on a Sunday morning ...

1. Imagine the bullpen the Phillies would have if free-agent Ryan Madson accepted salary arbitration?

Ryan Madson setting up for Jonathan Papelbon?

Wow.

We realize the chances of this happening are very slim, but its not impossible. Madson has already seen two closer marketsPhiladelphia and Texasdry up. Suppose agent Scott Boras were to advise Madson to stick it out for one more year in Philadelphia then go back on the free-agent market next winter. That could add up to a dream bullpen for the Phils in 2012.
The Phillies offered arbitration to Madson, Jimmy Rollins and Raul Ibanez (see story).

In the end, its unlikely that Boras would advise this strategy. Madson is coming off a season in which he saved 32 games and he is being marketed as a closer. If he comes back to the Phils, it would be as a setup man and that could impact his value as a closer next winter. But you never know. Boras actually has a history of having some of his free agents accept one-year arbitration deals. Greg Maddux did so in Atlanta in Dec. 2002 and Kevin Millwood did it the following year in Philadelphia.

Madson made 4.5 million in 2011. After his strong 2011, he could possibly double that in arbitration in 2012. Thats a lot to pay for a setup man, but, hey, the Phillies remain in a go-for-it mode, and, like we said, that would be one heck of a 'pen.

As far-fetched as all of this sounds, its fun to talk about.

2. We keep hearing how wonderful it is that Major League Baseball and the Players Association struck a new Basic Agreement before the old one expired. Dont get us wrong, its a great thing for the game. But lets not over-analyze the reasons that the game is about to extend its run of labor peace to 21 years. The harmony between these two old warring factors boils down to this: The goose is goldenbaseballs revenues are up to 7 billionand both sides are smart enough not to kill it.

3. And finally, a little trivia in honor of the Eagles hosting New England on Sunday afternoon:

What do Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and Phillies catcher Brian Schneider have in common?

E-mail Jim Salisbury at jsalisbury@comcastsportsnet.com

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