Eskin: If I Were in Charge of the Phillies

The Phillies were built to win a championship this year and they failed. If I were the GM, I’d have a lot of work ahead of me. For starters, if I were in charge, I’d blow the team up. Here’s how: Resign Ryan Madson: We have three really good starters -- Roy Halladay, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee. I’d keep them and re-sign Madson as my closer. It’ll cost $13 to 14 million, which may not be easy to squeeze out of an inflating payroll, but it has to be done. I’d also be thinking long and hard about how I’m gonna add more depth to the bullpen. Beef Up the Bench: The Phillies bench is terrible. We need power in the lineup. I’d bite the bullet on Placido Polanco and get a better third baseman. Resign Jimmy Rollins for two years and an option year. I don’t want to get into a problem later with another guy getting too old and too costly. I’d sign players like Detroit and St. Louis did this year that could actually help you when they come off the bench. In my book, Ben Francisco is done...