Brett Myers
The problem with making Myers the closer three starts into last season was that it took him from around 200 innings to around 70 (actually 68.7), and whomever was going to pitch those 130 innings, knowing the Phillies, was likely to be someone not as good as Myers.

The good thing about making Myers the closer is that it fits him in terms of personality and stuff. The question is can Myers make an adjustment this big two years in a row. He did have an excellent spring.

Bottom line: All other things being equal, a good starter is always more valuable than a good reliever.

Chase Utley
Remember when Utley couldn't hit lefthanders? .318 with a .927 OPS last year. Remember when Utley supposedly wasn't really a middle infielder? By the modern defensive metrics, he's better at his position than any other Phillie, including Jimmy Rollins.

Utley's four batting averages: .266, .291, .309, ,.332. Last four on-base percentages: .308, .376, .379, .408.

Utley is clearly the Phillies' best player, and his teammates include the last two NL MVPs. Utley would have won it last year had he not broken his hand in July. This year he's on the short list of top contenders.

He's 29 now, and this relentless improvement has to slow down soon. Probably.

Ryan Howard
Howard now has 1,700 career plate appearances, which is less than two-and-a-half full seasons' worth. He has 127 home runs and 348 RBIs. His career OPS is better than Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Mike Schmidt and almost everybody else.

He could not, in the past, have been described as a well-conditioned athlete. That's apparently changed some, which may improve his defense and cement his status as a team leader.

Funny how we haven't heard much lately about the horrible chilling effect arbitration would supposedly have on the huge guy's relationship with the Phillies.

Brad Lidge
The Phillies have made a huge investment in this guy, installing him as their closer and moved Brett Myers back to the starting rotation.

Lidge had torn cartilage in his right knee surgically repaired Oct. 1. He injured the same knee on his first throw off a mound this spring Feb. 23, and had arthoscopic surgery two days later. He'll be on the disabled list until April 5.

The Phillies knew about the knee problem when they acquired him from Houston in November. They also knew about the damage done to Lidge's psyche by Albert Pujols with his ninth-inning, game-winning, save-blowing home run in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS, when the Astros were an out away from the World Series.

Baseball people generally seem to agree the Phils had to make this deal anyway. They thought that about Freddy Garcia, too.

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Mike Gross is a Sunday News sports writer. E-mail him at mgross@lnpnews.com.