Rollins, Phillies at a crossroads

There was no inclination, Jimmy Rollins said, to think this was the end. He dressed in black, sat at a table covered by a red Phillies cloth, and set his demand at five years for his next contract in a 21-minute news conference.

He left Citizens Bank Park, ate lunch at Pat's, and sent 96 tweets to fans in a two-hour span. "I'm gonna be me!" Rollins thumbed to one a moment after he sent, "just telling it like it is." He told another, "3 years won't cut it though homie."

Minutes after Rollins left his seat Tuesday, Ruben Amaro Jr. made his own declaration.

"We're still kicking it around as to how far we want to go with Jimmy to keep him here," Amaro said. "He knows our priority absolutely is to keep him in our uniform."

So yes, it had to dawn on some that this could be it. Rollins, smooth as ever, said his gut feeling was that he'd be back in the city that adopted him as its own for 15 years. But certain things must happen first.

"If I was older, I'd take a shorter term," Rollins said. "But I'll be 33 when I get the contract. That means I have a good six years left to perform at a high level and maybe even more."

The line is drawn. Rollins is clearly the linchpin in what promises to be a fascinating winter for a Phillies team with more questions than answers after a milestone 102-win season.

In a wide-ranging postmortem on the disappointing season, Amaro challenged the current players, manager Charlie Manuel, and hitting coach Greg Gross to change the team's offensive approach. The general manager admitted the status of Ryan Howard is very much uncertain until he undergoes surgery for a ruptured left Achilles tendon. And if the team cannot re-sign Ryan Madson, Amaro said, they will pursue a veteran closer through free agency.

But Rollins' status stands as the polarizing issue. The Phillies want their franchise cornerstone back for 2012 and beyond but are reluctant to extend the relationship five years into the future for a shortstop who has missed 95 games in the past two seasons because of leg injuries. Money does not appear to be a sticking point, but the length of the deal is.

Rollins is confident in his abilities, and this may be his final shot at a lucrative contract. He placed the bar high at five years Tuesday because that's how negotiating works. Whether Rollins will actually receive such an offer remains to be seen. So he'll test the market. If there is no deal abundantly more appealing, there should be an accord with the Phillies.

"You are prepared for everything," Rollins said. "You are prepared to get it done here and get it done in Philadelphia if it works out. That would be No. 1. If it doesn't, we'll see what happens on the open market. If everything is the same, I won't go anywhere. If it is something crazy, then it is something that I will think about."

The Phillies have few alternatives to Rollins at shortstop. Freddy Galvis, the 21-year-old Venezuelan named the farm system's top player in 2011, has played 33 games above double A. Amaro admitted the front office is divided on Galvis' readiness.

Free agency offers few options. In reality, Rollins remains a productive option because of the dearth of shortstops across baseball. He hit .268 in 2011, six points above the major-league average for shortstops. His .736 OPS was 41 points above the average and, most importantly, his defense has suffered few warts.

"He still is one of the premier defensive shortstops in the game," Amaro said. "That is probably one of the most important elements that Jimmy brings, along with his personality, is his ability to be so steady. He is about as steady a shortstop as can be."

But the Phillies are aging and Amaro wants to avoid another long-term deal that could go sour in the final years. Rollins has loyalty to Philadelphia but wants assurance.

"I will say that it will be a huge blow for us, but not insurmountable," Amaro said. "If he's not with us, we will make the proper adjustments to replace him."

"It's about the right deal," Rollins said. "The right amount of years for the right amount of money."

No, this wasn't the end. It was just the beginning of the stare down.