According to a report by the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Andy Martino, Phillies pitcher J.C. Romero is being sued by Robert Eaton, with whom Romero reportedly had an altercation during a game in Tampa Bay last June.

Eaton, 26, of New Port Richey, Florida, has filed a lawsuit in Pinellas County, alleging that Romero struck him after a game against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field. Eaton alleges that Romero caused him serious and permanent injury that resulted in his failing a physical, effectively barring him from enrolling in firefighters school. The lawsuit is reportedly for $15,000.

The incident allegedly occurred while Eaton was seeking an autograph from Romero. Eaton claims that he yelled out, “How about you get me some juice?”, in order to get Romero’s attention. The statement was a reference to Romero’s 50 game suspension earlier in the year after it was found that he had used a banned substance.

Charges were not pursued by the St. Petersburg police or the state attorney’s office because of conflicting accounts by several witnesses. Eaton, however, stands firm on his version of events.

“It happened, and it affected my life,” Eaton told the St. Petersburg Times.

When prompted for a reaction by Martino, Romero did not want to discuss specifics.

“I’m trying to put it behind me,” he said. “When something changes, I’ll talk to you.”

Scott Mathieson, who many people thought would compete this Spring for a spot in the Phillies’ bullpen, was among the first group of players to be reassigned to the club’s minor league camp. Mathieson was named the Phillies’ top right hand pitching prospect by Baseball America in 2005, but he has had two Tommy John surgeries since making his major league debut on June 17, 2006.

He has since battled back and routinely hit the high 90s while pitching with the Reading Phillies last season. Despite his recent success, GM Ruben Amaro Jr., manager Charlie Manuel and pitching coach Rich Dubee indicated early on that they believed that Mathieson still needed a lot of innings against live hitters before making it back to the big league club.

“He’s a guy we didn’t feel was going to be ready to go in April [for us] and be refined enough in his secondary stuff to be able to compete for a job at the big league level,” Amaro said. “He’s just a guy who needs to go out there and pitch.”

There is a good chance that Mathieson will see time in Philadelphia at some point this season, it just won’t be in April. Also not making the Opening Day roster are Phillipe Aumont and J.C. Ramirez, both of whom came to the Phillies this past offseason in the trade with the Seattle Mariners for Cliff Lee. Outfielder Tyson Gillies, also part of that trade, was part of the group reassigned to the minor league camp. This comes as no surprise as none of these prospects were expect to make the big league club this Spring.

“I’m leaving on a good note,” Aumont said. “I got some experience. I’ll go down there, get that pitch count up and get my arm ready for the season. I’m actually excited about it. It was all at once (the new delivery). It was kind of shaky a little bit at the beginning, but I guess that’s why the Minor Leagues are there.”

Here are the other cuts:

LHP Yohan Flande
RHP Drew Naylor
RHP Jesus Sanchez
LHP Joe Savery
LHP Bill White

C Tuffy Goeswisch
C Kevin Nelson
C John Suomi
SS Freddy Galvis
OF Quintin Berry

After what has been quite a lengthy absence, we here at Hot Stove Philly have returned. As tends to happen from time to time, life got in the way of our more enjoyable, and unfortunately less lucrative, pursuits.

Nevertheless, life has calmed down somewhat, and with that, we are able to focus more of our efforts to doing what we love to do, namely comment on Philly sports.

Our return is not without its changes, however. Hot Stove Philly will now be a Phillies focused sports site. That’s not to say we won’t ever comment on the goings on at the Wachovia Center or Lincoln Financial Field, but the primary concern will be what is happening within the friendly confines at One Citizens Bank Way.

The reason for this are simple. We are better at providing insight and analysis on baseball than we are at the other sports and while there has been a dramatic increase in the number of Phillies blogs with their recent success, we believe that we will be able to provide you with the best content possible with a singular focus on the Fightin Phils.

So we hope that you will continue to once again enjoy the insight and analysis that you came to enjoy in months past as we chronicle what is hopefully another run deep into the MLB playoffs.

It’s official, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com. Roy Halladay is a member of the Philadelphia Phillies and will be introduced at a 5 PM press conference. The Phillies are expected to announce his contract extension that will keep him in Philadelphia until 2013, as well as the news that they have traded Cliff Lee to the Seattle Mariners for three prospects.

Whew. Now we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief. The rumor mill can stop spinning, at least for a day.

The Phillies are expected to announce that Halladay has been acquired for minor leaguers Kyle Drabek, Michael Taylor and Travis d’Arnaud. Likewise, they are expected to announce that they have acquired pitching prospects Phillippe Aumont and J.C. Ramirez, as well as outfielder Tyson Gillies, from the Mariners.

The blogosphere went into an online frenzy around 2 PM Wednesday after it was learned that one of the players in the deal (as of this time it is unknown who) failed his physical. Shortly thereafter those hoping that at least part of the deal would fall through, keeping Lee in Philadelphia, had their final hopes and dreams dashed when it was reported that despite the failed physical, the deal would still go through, and the final nail in the coffin came at 2:54 when the Phillies officially announced that Lee wa.s headed west.

Here’s my take on the deal, as a whole:

This is a really good deal. All indications pointed to Lee’s desire to test free agency after this season in hopes of a C.C. Sabathia type of contract, something the Phillies were never going to get involved in. They do not believe in giving pitchers long term contracts, and I think that is a really wise move. And even if what Lee’s agent is saying is true (that Lee never told the Phillies that and that his plan all along was to work out a deal with the Phillies), GM Ruben Amaro Jr. could not take the chance of losing Lee, especially not when he had an opportunity to lock up Halladay.

Sure, losing Lee stings, but that should immediately be soothed by the knowledge that a) the Phillies have acquired the best pitcher in baseball, b) they signed him well below market value, which will enable them to still make other moves, and c) they have acquired the best pitcher in baseball.

Yes, they gave up a lot to get Halladay, including one of the organizations “untouchable” prospects in Drabek and a guy that maybe should have been untouchable in Taylor. But prospects are an unknown quantity, particularly pitchers, and they received three highly valued prospects in return for Lee. yes, it’s entirely possible that all three of those players never make it to the major leagues, while it seems much more likely that Drabek and Taylor will at least make it to the big leagues soon. But it’s also very likely that Drabek and Taylor don’t amount to much, and equally as probable that Aumont is the next big thing. Who knows.

What we do know is that so far in his career, Roy Halladay has been one of, and very often the, best pitcher in baseball, playing in the toughest division in baseball.

So yea, the Phillies gave up a lot, but that’s what you do when a once in a lifetime opportunity arrives on your door.

NOTE: Photo courtesy Susan Lulgjuraj of the Atlantic City Press (my hometown paper) via Twitter

Update: SI.com’s Jon Heyman is reporting that the deal is done and it involves the Phillies, Blue Jays and Mariners. Heyman is awaiting confirmation that Cliff Lee is the player being traded to Seattle, but that is the most likely scenario.

CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury is reporting that the Phillies are in negotiations with Roy Halladay over a possible contract extension. Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer is reporting that Halladay and his agent have checked into an area hotel room.

A source also told Salisbury that Halladay is expected to undergo a physical exam with the Phillies medical staff later this week.

I’ll give you a moment to catch your breathe and compose yourself…..

OK, glad to have you back.

It is unclear, according to Salisbury, who the Phillies would trade away IF this deal were to actually happen, but there has been rampant speculation all day that one of those players could be Cliff Lee.

In an article written Monday on Foxsports.com, Ken Rosenthal wrote that while he had no proof that a deal was in the works involving the two former Cy Young award winners, “but I’ve got a hunch.”

Rosenthal went on to explain that the Phillies are unlikely to be able to re-sign Lee after this season, regardless of whether they acquire Halladay, because all indications point to Lee wanting to test the free agency market in search of a contract in the neighborhood of $C.C. million.

So why not trade Lee, keep Joe Blanton and a top prospect or two, and let some other team partially deplete their farm system in order to acquire Halladay, who the Phillies really wanted more in the first place?

Seems like a fair deal.

In my opinion, if the Phillies can land Halladay for J.A. Happ and Domonic Brown, or even those two plus Blanton, then do it. To have a rotation of Halladay, Lee and Cole Hamels could be historic.

That being said, I’d rather have Halladay on a multi year deal then neither of them after 2011.

Stay tuned. This is a story that updates ever few minutes.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro Jr. has repeatedly said that the team’s top priority this offseason, now that they have bolstered their bench and replaced third baseman Pedro Feliz, is to sure up a bullpen that bruised and battered for much of last season.

Brandon Lyon and J.J. Putz are both players that the Phillies were said to have had serious interest in coming into this week’s baseball Winter Meetings in Indianapolis.

Both players have since signed with other teams (Lyon with Houston, Putz with the Chicago White Sox). Scott Eyre and Chan Ho Park were integral parts of the Phillies run to the World Series last season (and particularly Eyre, who was invaluable in the team’s 2008 World Series victory), and yet negotiations with both teams appear to be at a standstill. Indications from Amaro are that there is a good chance the Phillies will move on from both players and replace them with younger talent, most likely players currently in their farm system.

So what gives?

The Phillies are said to be aggressively pursuing Roy Halladay in a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays; much more aggressively than Amaro lets on.

Amaro may be telling the media that the chances of the Phillies acquiring, or even pursuing Halladay, are highly “unlikely,” but according to sources close to the situation, as well as a number of executives from other teams, the Phillies are pursuing Halladay above all else right now.

A source that I talked to said that the Phillies, behind the scenes, are pushing very hard for the trade, that the Blue Jays really like J.A. Happ and that Halladay himself is putting a good deal of pressure on Toronto to get the deal done. The final roadblocks appear to be finding a third team to take Joe Blanton from the Phillies (who would then send a valued prospect of their own to Toronto) and a contract extension with Halladay.

That is why the Phillies’ lack of aggression on filling the holes in their bullpen are telling. It seems that they are waiting to see how things go with Halladay before commiting serious money to their bullpen. Lyon is receiving $5 million a year from Houston and Putz is getting $3 million from Chicago. If they had signed one or both of those players, then that would virtually eliminate any chance of being able to afford Halladay’s $15.75 million salary in 2010. The Phillies will have to get approval from team ownership as it is to acquire Halladay even if they trade Blanton.

There are a couple more roadblocks still to overcome, but both the Phillies and Halladay have a mutual desire to be on the same team. Time will tell.

The Houston Astros have been very busy during this year’s baseball Winter Meetings, signing relievers Latroy Hawkins and Brand Lyon on Wednesday.

Today they announced the signing of former Phillies third baseman Pedro Feliz to a one-year deal worth $4.5 million.

He batted .266 with 12 homers and 82 RBIs in 2009, his second season with the Phillies.

FoxSports.com MLB reporter Ken Rosenthal is reporting that the Houston Astros have signed reliever Brandon Lyon to a three-year deal worth $15 million, pending a physical.

The news comes on the heels of a trade between Houston and the Florida Marlins that sent reliever Matt Lindstrom to the Astros for right-hander Robert Bono, infielder Luis Bryan and a player to be named later.

Both additions are seen as replacements to closer Jose Valverde, who did not accept arbitration and is not expected to be back, and Latroy Hawkins, who signed with the Brewers earlier in the day.

This is all newsworthy to Phillies fans as they were reportedly aggressively pursuing Lyon to bolster the bullpen as a setup man and possible backup should closer Brad Lidge break down again. However, it has since come out that that may not have been the case, and that the Phillies may have only had preliminary discussion with Lyon.

ESPN’s Jayson Stark reported earlier Wednesday that the Phillies were pursuing reliever Fernando Rodney as aggressively as they were Lyon, who was seen, at the time, as the Phillies top relieving target.

The Phillies are also interested in veteran John Smoltz, and met with his agent, Keith Grunewald, Wednesday morning. According to Andy Martino of the Philadelphia Inquirer, the two sides have maintained contact throughout the Winter Meetings, but no formal offer has been, as of yet. Smoltz could fill the need in the bullpen or as a back end of the rotation starter.

The signing of Lyon could also put added emphasis on re-signing Chan Ho Park and Scott Eyre, with whom the Phillies have been in contact but do not appear to be making much progress.

We will have more for you tomorrow as the Winter Meetings wrap up. Stay tuned.

Tuesday’s blockbuster trade between the Yankees, Diamondbacks and Tigers has seemingly taken New York out of the running for Blue Jays’ pitcher Roy Halladay.

That has led to rampant speculation that the Phillies are now in the best position to pull off the trade that so nearly happened last July.

When asked about the possibility of acquiring a hypothetical unnamed elite pitcher, GM Ruben Amaro Jr. responded to Philadelphia Inquirer Phillies beat reporter Andy Martino:

“Is there any way possible? I guess there is,” Amaro said. “Is there a likelihood of us getting involved in something that’s that big? Probably not.”

Todd Zolecki of MLB.com said in a piece Wednesday that an in “an informal poll of baseball personnel this week at the Winter Meetings, folks think the Phillies have as good a chance as anybody of getting him.”

“They have the pieces,” one AL executive told him. “I would say the Phillies and Red Sox have the talent to make it happen more than the other teams out there.”

If the trade were to happen, Zolecki says, the price must drop. As we all vividly remember, the Blue Jays wanted Kyle Drabek, J.A. Happ, Domonic Brown and Anthony Gose for Halladay during the team’s negotiations before last season’s July 31 trade deadline.

Another stumbling block to acquiring Halladay is his price tag and the Phillies’ self imposed $140 million team salary cap. Halladay is set to make $15.75 million in 2010 and the Phillies are very close already to that salary cap.

However, that could be where Joe Blanton comes in. When the Winter Meetings started on Monday, there were very loud whispers that the Phillies had put Blanton up on the trading block for potential trade partners to examine. The Phillies were reportedly shopping him in order to free up a serious chunk of money in order to acquire a couple elite relievers for the bullpen. But there could be more to it than that.

Blanton is arbitration eligible this year, and after making a little over $5 million last season, he is set to make between $7-8 million this year. So if the Phillies were able to include him in the deal, it would allow them to part with fewer prospects, perhaps Happ and Michael Taylor instead of Brown, it would provide the Blue Jays with a solid major league ready starter (or two), and it would free up some money so that the team could better afford Halladay.

Halladay has reportedly indicated to Toronto’s brass that if he is not traded before Spring Training, he will refuse to waive his no-trade clause for any deal and they would effectively lose him. That is likely because of what he went through last season and the obvious affect it took on him. In the first six games after the trade deadline, Halladay went 2-4 with an ERA of 4.71. In those four losses, he had an ERA of 6.58.

That could work out in the Phillies favor, as the Blue Jays will be under increased pressure to deal Halladay, who will be an unrestricted free agent after the season. With the Phillies and Red Sox likely the only two teams in serious contention for his services, and the Blue Jays loathe to trade arguably the best pitcher in the majors to their direct competition, the Phillies are absolutely in the best position to land Halladay.

However, it will ultimately come down to Toronto’s asking price. With the acquisition of Cliff Lee to a starting rotation that boasts Cole Hamels, Blanton, Rookie of the Year runner up Happ and likely either Jamie Moyer or Kyle Kendrick,  the Phillies are under no pressure to get this deal done.

In the end, as a cynical Philadelphia fan, I don’t think the deal gets done. But hey, crazier things have happened…..

The Phillies have completed assembling their new look bench with the addition of  former Marlin Ross Gload, erupting in a myriad of bad jokes by sports writers and bloggers alike (see above title).

Gload is likely the final addition to Charlie Manuel’s 2010 bench, which will have a very drastic look than the one that helped win a World Series in 2008. Greg Dobbs is the only bench player left from that team. Gone are Eric Bruntlett, So Taguchi, Geoff Jenkins, Chris Coste and most likely Matt Stairs, although he will probably be offered an invitation to Spring Training on a minor league ocntract.

That squad has been replaced by Ben Francisco, Brian Schneider, Juan Castro, Dobbs and now Gload.

Gload, 33, is a eight year journeyman who has spent time with the Chicago Cubs, Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox, Kansas City Royals, and recently the Florida Marlins. He hit .261 in 125 games last season for the Marlins, and is a career .283 hitter. However, he led the majors with 21 pinch-hits last season, batting .318 with two homers and 15 RBIs in pinch-hit situations. And according to Scott Lauber of the Delaware County Times, Gload is a career “.300 hitter with five homers and 29 RBIs off the bench.”

The deal for the left handed hitting Gload is reportedly for two years.