Dec. 15 -- MOYER RE-SIGNED

BY SCOTT LAUBER

Came here to the Bank to talk to Chase Utley about his rehab from right hip surgery, and learned that the Phillies have re-signed Jamie Moyer to a two-year contract. Both years are guaranteed. Financial terms weren't immediately available.

"For us, to go two years guaranteed, I think it shows our commitment to him," Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a press conference a few minutes ago. "But he's probably one of our best conditioned athletes. His dedication to his craft is as high as anybody on our club. Jamie is going to do whatever he can to play out his contract and be an effective pitcher for us."

We'll hear from Jamie during a conference call at 4:15 p.m., so I'll have much more from him later.

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Regarding Utley: He was in good spirits, even cracking a few jokes during his news conference. Still no word on whether he'll be ready to play by Opening Day, but Utley said he's hoping to play in spring-training games by mid-March. He will go for a follow-up appointment with Dr. Bryan Kelly, his surgeon in New York, in mid-January, and he likely will be able to resume baseball activities (swinging a bat, etc.) until mid-February.

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About Chan Ho Park: Amaro confirmed a tentative deal with Park, who likely won't have his physical exam until January. Amaro and Charlie Manuel said Park will have a chance to compete for the No. 5 starter spot behind Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton and Moyer. That said, I think the Phillies' young pitchers (J.A. Happ, Carlos Carrasco and Kyle Kendrick) will have every chance to win that spot. So, to me, it seems more likely that Park will fit into the middle of the Phillies' bullpen.

Finally, Amaro said the Phillies have made contact with "20 or so" players who weren't tendered contracts last week. So, if the Phillies add to their bullpen or pick up a right-handed hitter for their bench, it could be from that list of players. More on that later, too.