Three quick things for you this afternoon:

1) Chase Utley will be on MLB Hot Stove tonight on the MLB Network from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Philly area media just talked to him on Saturday, so I don't expect much new news to come out of the appearance. Still, it is probably worth checking out, if only to confirm that his right hip is still attached to his body.

2) Catcher Carlos Ruiz has reconsidered his decision to pull out of the World Baseball Classic and will now compete for team Panama.

3) Word from D-Backs beat writer Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic is that Arizona has some interest in veteran righthander and former Phillies closer/set-up man Tom Gordon. Flash called the Phillies earlier this offseason to express a desire to return to the club, but he was informed that there likely would not be a roster spot for him. The Phillies declined to pick up Gordon's option after their World Series run.

4) Whenever anybody strikes up a conversation with me about my blog (stop laughing - it happens more than you would think), I inevitably face two questions: 1) Couldn't you find a better picture? and 2) What the $@##$% is up with the palm trees? Well, hopefully both of those questions will soon be rendered moot. Earlier this week I had a photo session with famed Daily News portrait photographer Yong Kim. That means the wretched mug shot that currently accompanies this site will soon be no longer. I have been told I look like I am on my way to a fraternity formal. I have been told I look constipated. But thanks to Yong, I will soon have a new photograph for people to make fun of. We spent about two hours in the studio, give or take 115 minutes. I ultimately settled for my own version of Blue Steel. I hope you all like it. Oh, and the palm trees -- we started this site during spring training last year. So the palm trees were actually relevant for the first couple of month's of this blog's existence. After that? Well, let's just say I am looking out the window of my apartment right now, and I don't see no stinking palm trees. So I'm hoping the palm trees will be replaced by a big wheel of Gouda. Shoulda, woulda, Gouda. That's all, folks.

Ryan Howard has been working out in Clearwater, Fla., since Jan. 5, he said tonight on Comcast SportsNet's "SportsNite" program. He also talked about his salary arbitration situation with the Phillies.

Howard asked for $18 million while the Phillies offered $14 million. If the sides cannot agree on a contract, the case will to go arbitration. Howard said he was hopeful of a deal without arbitration. "Maybe we'll be able to get something worked out," he said.

He was asked about the possibility of a long-term deal with the Phillies. "That would be beautiful," Howard said. "That would be beautiful. That would be something we would want to see happen." 

Well, this should just about settle any talk about Adam Eaton's role, or lack thereof.

Asked today whether Adam Eaton had any chance at establishing himself as the Phillies' No. 5 starter, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said, well, no.

"Based on what we've seen, it is a four man competition," Amaro said, "and he is not involved in that competition."

The four men who are involved: Righthanders Kyle Kendrick, Carlos Carrasco and Chan Ho Park, and lefthander J.A. Happ.

Amaro didn't say what, exactly, will happen with Eaton. The veteran is entering the last year of a three-year contract and is guaranteed $8.5 million. But the Phillies have made it clear that he is not part of their plans. Amaro didn't completely rule Eaton out of the team's plan, but left a definite impression that he is moving on.

"We just think the other four guys give us a better chance to win," Amaro said.

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Add Ty Wigginton to the list of names the Phillies have investigated as potential additions to the team. Wigginton, who can play either corner outfield or corner infield position, plus second base, hit .285 with 23 home runs last season in just 386 at-bats for the Astros.

The Phillies have spoken with a number of free agents with experience at third base, including the Giants' Rich Aurilia, and are expecting Jason Donald to work out at third and second during spring training.

It appears the Phillies are determined to protect themselves in case third baseman Pedro Feliz's back injury - he had surgery in November - continues to be a problem.

"We're trying to give ourselves a little depth to make sure we are covered in case we have relapses with Pedro or Chase," Amaro said.

That said, the Phillies sound very pleased with Utley's progress from hip surgery. Utley said yesterday he hopes to start running on hard ground and swinging the bat within the next two-to-three weeks. He said he is more optimistic now than he was two months ago about being ready for Opening Day. That said, the Phillies insist they wil treat him with extreme caution.

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Amaro did not rule out Carlos Carrasco as an option for the bullpen should he lose out on the No. 5 spot in the rotation. But he did say that, ideally, Carrasco will head back to the minor leagues and continue to refine his skills as a starter rather than crack into the big leagues as a reliever.

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One other worthy note: Catcher Lou Marson looks to still be a year away from contending for a big league roster spot. Amaro said he expects Marson to head back to the minors after spring training. He did not rule out keeping three catchers. But the third catcher would likely be new acquisition Ron Paulino.

A small bit of news yesterday as Phillies general manager said that lefthander Mike Zagurski is behind a bit in his rehab, and that his status for Opening Day is now questionable. Zagurski was expected to be one of a handful of candidates to replace J.C. Romero in the bullpen during his 50-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. I was asked yesterday on Daily News Live to handicap the Phillies' options, so I figured I would expand on that here.

We're assuming that the Phillies keep 12 pitchers, five of them starters:

First, the definites: Closer Brad Lidge, right-handed set-up man Ryan Madson, lefthander Scott Eyre, and righthander Chad Durbin are all in.

That leaves three open spots. For the sake of the argument, let's assume the Phillies don't add another reliever, and Clay Condrey gets a deinite spot. That leaves two open spots. Here are the candidates:

1) Clay Condrey, RHP - Provided the Phillies don't add another free agent arm, it would seem that Condrey has a spot locked up.  He entered spring training last year as a question mark to even make the squad, but he spent all season on the roster and ended up posting a respectable 3.26 ERA in 69.0 innings. That said, opponents hit .302 against him, with six home runs. Condrey was solid in September, allowing just one earned run in his final 8 2/3 innings of the season.

2) Chan Ho Park, RHP - Park wants to compete for the final spot in the Phillies rotation. But right now, we're projecting him as more of an insurance policy in case young lefthander J.A. Happ or young righthander Kyle Kendrick rattle the Phillies confidence in them in spring training. Last season was Park's first as a full-time reliever, although he did pitch well in five spot starts. As a reliever, he posted a 3.84 ERA in 70 1/3 innings. Opponents hit .274 off of him, compared to just .234 in his five starts. The Phillies seem sincere in their desire to give Park an opportunity to start. But if Park does indeed win the job, the Phillies will likely be forced to bring in another veteran arm.

3) Kyle Kendrick, RHP - Kendrick lost his spot in the rotation late last season. Whether he is able to win it back depends in large part on his progress in developing a secondary pitch beyond his go-to sinker. Phils GM Ruben Amaro has mentioned Kendrick's name as a possible bullpen fit if he does not win the No. 5 job, but Kendrick has never done it before.

4) J.A. Happ, LHP - He made the postseason roster as a reliever last season and pitched fairly well in his lone appearance in the NLCS. That said, the Phillies view him as a starter.

5) Carlos Carrasco, RHP - David Price, Jonathon Pappelbon, Joba Chamberlain. All were top-shelf starting pitching prospects who broke into the big leagues as relievers. While it may not be ideal, it wouldn't be the biggest shock in the world if Carrasco winds up breaking onto the Phillies in such a manner. He'll compete for the fifth spot in the rotation, but we're projecting him as a definite underdog behind Kendrick, Happ and Park.

6) Veteran to be named later - Last season, the Phillies added righthander Rudy Seanez at the beginning of the regular season. Seanez went on to spend the entire year in the club's bullpen. If Park ends up winning a starting job, the Phillies will be in the market for another Seanez. Who knows. It may even be Seanez himself.

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Here's our coverage from today's paper, where we get Amaro's thoughts on Ryan Howard's contract situation.

The Phillies have reached a multiyear deal with Jayson Werth, although exact terms of the deal are yet unknown. SI.com is reporting that it is a 2-year, $10 million deal, with $3 million this season and $7 million in 2010.

Werth was eligible for free agency after this season. He had asked for a $4 million salary in arbitration, while the Phillies had offered $3 million. Werth made $1.7 million last season, when he produced the best season of his five-plus year career, hitting .273 with 24 home runs and 67 RBI.

Werth still must fly to Philadelphia to take a physical.

Righthander Chad Durbin signed a 1-year deal worth $1.65 million. He had asked for $1.95 million and the Phillies had offered $1.35 million.

The signing leaves only first baseman Ryan Howard from a group of arbitration-eligible players that intially numbered 10.

UPDATED: Jan. 23, 2009, 4:14 p.m. to include new deals for Jayson Werth and Chad Durbin.

Doesn't it seem like just eight years ago that the Phillies had a $42 million payroll that ranked in the bottom 10 in the majors? Wait. . .it was eight years ago. But times have changed. Now, the Phillies could very well find themselves in the Top Five in all of baseball in payroll, according to our projections for 2009.

Based on our calculations, the Phillies payroll could range anywhere from $132 million to $137 million, largely depending on how much they wind up signing Ryan Howard for.

While everyone calculates payroll differently, for comparison's sake, we'll use USA Today's figure from last year, because the newspaper keeps a comprehensive database of all salaries.

Last year, the New York Mets had the second-largest payroll in the game at just under $138 million. The Red Sox had a payroll of $133 million. Now, both those numbers will likely rise. But the Phillies are now in the neighborhood that supposed big boys New York and Boston both inhabited just one year ago.

A few caveats. . .

1) Our projection includes a final installment of $3 million paid to Jim Thome as part of the trade that sent him to the White Sox. When comparing Opening Day payroll, most sources like the USA Today do not include such pay-outs.

2) High Cheese is assuming Adam Eaton is not on the Opening Day roster. Like caveat No. 1, many sources would not factor his salary into "Opening Day Payroll." So if you take Eaton and Thome away, the Phillies' payroll would likely max out somewhere around $125 million.

3) We did not factor in J.C. Romero's suspension, which I project will shave $1 million off their final payroll. Romero's suspension will cost him about $1.24 million in salary, and his replacement likely will only cost the Phillies somewhere around $200,000 (I'm assuming a young player like Kendrick or Andrew Carpenter takes that spot).

So, for accounting purposes, the payroll should be over $130 million. For technical purposes it will likely be under that.

Anyway, here is the forecast:

STARTING PITCHERS (FIVE ROSTER SPOTS, $28.8 MILLION)
Brett Myers, $12 million

Jamie Moyer, $6.5 million

Joe Blanton, $5.475 million

Cole Hamels, $4.35 million

J.A. Happ, $400,000 or Kyle Kendrick, $500,000

RELIEVERS (SEVEN ROSTER SPOTS, $26.285 MILLION)

Brad Lidge, $11.5 million

Ryan Madson, $4 million

J.C. Romero, $4 million

Chan Ho Park, $2.5 million

Scott Eyre, $2 million

Chad Durbin, $1.635

Clay Condrey $650,000

POSITION PLAYERS (EIGHT ROSTER SPOTS, $53.675 - $57.675 MILLION)

1B Ryan Howard, $14 million or $18 million

2B Chase Utley, $11 million

LF Raul Ibanez, $8.5 million (includes $2 million bonus)

SS Jimmy Rollins, $8.5 million (includes $1 million bonus)

3B Pedro Feliz, $5 million

OF Jayson Werth, $3.0 million

OF Shane Victorino, $3.125 million

C Carlos Ruiz, $550,000

RESERVES (FIVE SPOTS, $10.175 MILLION)

OF Geoff Jenkins, $6.75 million

3B Greg Dobbs, $1.15 million

OF Matt Stairs, $1 million

IF Eric Bruntlett, $800,000

C Chris Coste, $475,000

ALSO:

RHP Adam Eaton, $8.5 million

Jim Thome, $3 million

TOTAL ESTIMATED PAYROLL: $130.435 million*

*This number includes estimated raises for players and also factors in a $14 million salary for Ryan Howard.

The gap between the Phillies and slugger Ryan Howard is bigger this year than it was last year, when the two sides took their $3 million difference into the court room. There, Howard was awarded a record $10 million. This year, he is seeking $18 million, which would make him among the game's highest paid players.

The request is a monster. Not only is it the third-highest arbitration request ever (behind Roger Clemens' $22 million in 2005 and Derek Jeter's $18.5 million in 2001), it would make him among the highest-paid players in the game - at least in terms of 2009 salary - period.

An interesting note: Jeter was represented in 2001 by Casey Close, who is also Howard's agent.

If Howard wins, he will earn the second-largest annual salary amongst major league first baseman, behind only the Yankees Mark Teixeira, whose average annual salary is $22.5 million. Howard would earn more annually than Albert Pujols ($14.285).

The Phillies are offering $14 million. There is little optimism at this point within the club that it will be able to avoid another arbitration hearing with Howard.

According to the Associated Press' salary database, only five players earned more than $18 million last season: Alex Rodriguez ($28 million), Jason Giambi ($23.4 million), Derek Jeter ($18.929 million) and Carlos Beltran ($18.62 million).

Ten players currently have contracts whose average annual value is $18 million or greater:

Alex Rodriguez, NYY 2008-17 $27,500,000

CC Sabathia, NYY 2009-15 $23,000,000

Johan Santana, NYM 2008-13 $22,916,667

Miguel Cabrera, Det 2008-15 $19,037,500

Derek Jeter, NYY 2001-10 $18,900,000

Carlos Zambrano, Cubs 2008-12 $18,300,000

Andruw Jones, LAD 2008-09 $18,100,000

Vernon Wells, Tor 2008-14 $18,000,000

Barry Zito, SF 2007-13 $18,000,000

Ichiro Suzuki, Sea 2008-12 $18,000,000

Torri Hunter, LAA 2008012 $18,000,000

UPDATED: After doing some research, I've added Torri Hunter to the list, who signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Angels last offseason. Not sure why he wasn't on the AP list.

Source: Associated Press

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More arbitration fun:

Joe Blanton is in the fold at one year and $5.475 million.

That means, besides Howard, only two arbitration-eligible Phillies remain unsigned: right fielder Jayson Werth and righthander Chad Durbin.

Durbin should be a relatively low-maintenance process, and the Phillies don't seem too concerned that Werth's contract will drag out.

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Phillies centerfielder Shane Vicotorino has avoided arbitration by agreeing to a 1-year, $3.125 million contract.

Victorino is among the team's most popular players and emerged as a postseason hero with a grand slam off Milwaukee's CC Sabathia in the NL Division Series and being on the receiving end of a pitch near the head against the Dodgers that led to the benches clearing and helped spark the Phillies.

Victorino replaced Aaron Rowand in centerfield and hit .293 with 14 home runs and 58 RBI in 146 games.

Teams and their arbitration eligible players are to exchange salary figures today.

The Phillies are hoping to reach deals with outfielder Jayson Werth and pitcher Joe Blanton within the next 48 hours. That, of course, leaves the most difficult case, that of first baseman Ryan Howard.

Earlier today, the team announced a 3-year extension with righthanded reliever Ryan Madson.

Ryan Madson will take a physical either tonight or tomorrow, according to one source, at which point the Phillies will announce the new three-year deal that they have reached with the right-handed reliever. The physical, a formality, should be scheduled soon with team doctor Michael Ciccotti.

The Phillies now have the entire back end of their bullpen - Madson, J.C. Romero and closer Brad Lidge - signed through the 2010 season.

I still don't have concrete confirmation on the exact terms of the deal, but it is in the neighborhood of the three-year, $12 million deal he reportedly turned down just a couple of days ago.

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Phillies lefthander J.C. Romero is eligible for the World Baseball Classic, despite his 50-game suspension from Major League Baseball, a league spokesman said today. Romero announced his intention to play for his native country of Puerto Rico before he tested positive for a performance-enhancing drug and put up a vehement public defense. But assuming Romero passes drug testing conducted by the International Baseball Federation, he will be eligible to play in the WBC.

At the time of the announcement of Romero's suspension two weeks ago, officials from the Phillies and Major League Baseball were unsure of the ramifications a positive drug test conducted by MLB would have on the World Baseball Classic.

Romero is eligible to play in spring training games. His suspension is for 50 regular season games.

Official rosters for the WBC are scheduled to be released today.