Dec. 17 -- CHECKING THE PAYROLL

BY SCOTT LAUBER

A week ago, Ruben Amaro Jr. sat in a suite on the 31st floor of the Bellagio and vowed that he was ready to make a few moves if only the parties he was dealing with would say, "Yes."

He wasn't kidding.

Over the past seven days, the Phillies, under Amaro's stewardship, have traded for backup catcher Ronny Paulino, re-signed left-hander Jamie Moyer, reached a preliminary agreement with right-hander Chan Ho Park and signed free-agent left fielder Raul Ibanez. In a hectic flourish, they fortified their starting rotation, added a potential piece to the bullpen and replaced Pat Burrell in left field.

So, what's left?

Well, before spring training begins, Amaro hopes to balance the bench with another right-handed hitter, perhaps pick up another reliever and unload Adam Eaton. But, really, most of his heavy lifting is finished. Primarily, the rest of the Phillies' offseason will be dominated by one word: arbitration. The Phils have eight arbitration-eligible players, including Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels, and while I wouldn't expect them to receive a long-term contract (really, there's no rush, since Howard can't become a free agent until 2011 and Hamels is under the Phillies' control through 2012), it's entirely possible that Jayson Werth, eligible for free agency after 2009, will get a multi-year deal.

In that spirit, I thought we'd take a look at the 2009 payroll to see where the Phillies stand before they begin to negotiate their arbitratin cases. Keep in mind, the Opening Day payroll last season was a club-record $98 million. It will be considerably higher in 2009.

Under contract: Brett Myers ($12 million), Brad Lidge ($11.5 million), Chase Utley ($11 million), Adam Eaton ($8.5 million), Raul Ibanez ($8.5 million), Jimmy Rollins ($7.5 million), Geoff Jenkins ($6.75 million), Jamie Moyer ($6.5 million), Pedro Feliz ($5 million), J.C. Romero ($4 million), Chan Ho Park ($2.5 million), Scott Eyre ($2 million), Matt Stairs ($1 million), Eric Bruntlett ($800,000), Clay Condrey ($650,000).

Arbitration eligible (2008 salary): Ryan Howard ($10 million), Joe Blanton ($3.7 million), Jayson Werth ($1.7 million), Ryan Madson ($1.55 million), Chad Durbin ($900,000), Cole Hamels ($500,000), Shane Victorino ($480,000), Greg Dobbs ($440,000).

Non-arbitration eligible (2008 salary): Kyle Kendrick ($445,000), Carlos Ruiz ($425,000), Ronny Paulino ($423,500), Chris Coste ($415,000), J.A. Happ (390,000).

OK, so the Phillies already are committed to about $88.2 million. Even if they're able to dump Eaton, they'll almost certainly have to eat most of his salary. The arbitration-eligible players made a total of $19.27 million last season, and a conservative estimate is that their combined raises will approach $20 million. That would push the payroll toward $125 million.

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Talked on the phone with Dobbs last night, and like most people, he simply raved about Ibanez's character and work ethic. Dobbs always was on the bubble for the Mariners' final roster spot in 2005 and 2006, a tenuous position that often grew frustrating. Early in his career, Ibanez had been there, and he spent considerable time reassuring Dobbs that he'd make his mark, either with Seattle or elsewhere.

"I felt fortunate to be a teammate of his in Seattle," Dobbs said. "Even as a young player, I'd go to him with whatever was on my mind. When I was the 25th guy on the team, he helped keep me motivated, kept pushing me forward to believe that I wouldn't be in that spot my whole career. He helped me keep the faith. He reinforced in me that he went through the same thing in his career. His biggest blessing was getting traded to Kansas City, and in a way, my career has mirrored his. I'm nowhere near the at-bats that he's gotten, but I got picked up by Philadelphia and it kind of restarted my career.

"He's a very special teammate for me, personally. He had a very positive, and substantial, impact on me. He's a great person, and in this game, that's probably the best compliment you can get. One of the things about leaving Seattle, for me, was I knew I'd miss being around Raul. Once the season ended, there were some rumblings surrounding Pat [Burrell]. In my mind -- and I'm a little subjective -- if Pat wasn't going to come back, and it's bittersweet because I got to see what kind of teammate Pat is, but I can't think of a better guy to replace Pat than Raul. It won't be easy because Pat was 'Pat The Bat.' But Raul is a level-headed guy, and he's just going to be himself. He plays hard, hustles, and he produces. He's one of the most professional hitters I've ever been around."

(Thanks to Finger Food for the photo illustration; AP photo below).