That's all it takes. Follow these simple instructions, all of them possible if the owners really want a championship and not only are we on our way to the World Series, but most likely as favorites. Impossible you say? Nope, but improbable since it would involve quite a bit of cash and some cajones in the front office.
Move #1: Sign ARod. Yeah, he'll be making too much money, but you have a team on the brink and you need to push it over. Sell him on the stadium adding 50 homeruns to his final total. Sell him on being a savior to a town that lies in New York's shadow. Sell him on the crazy numbers he'll put up here with the offense we have. Then buy him.
Move #2: Sign Bonds. Seems crazy, right? What better platoon partner to Werth? Tell Bonds that his best chance at winning a WS is right here. He'll be in the middle of a monster lineup and we might even be able to get him cheap (2 years/ 15 mil) just to give him a chance to finally win one. You only need to play him against righties which puts him in like 120 games which is perfect for him. People would end up loving him here, that's a fact.
Move #3: Sign Andy Pettite. Tell him that they stabbed Joe in the back in NY and here you can make them regret that move. Tell him winning in NY is easy, but if he wins in Philadelphia, he goes down in history.
All three of these moves just require money and good convincing skills, something that this front office does not have. But it would make us the odds on favorite to win it all and possibly have the best offensive juggernaut in the history of baseball.
JRoll
Utley
Bonds
Arod
Howard
Burrell
Victorino
Ruiz
Werth
Coste
Bruntlett
Roberson
whoever
Hamels
Myers
Pettite
Moyer
Eaton/Kendrick
Lidge
Gordon
Romero
Madson
Happ
Mathieson
whoever
Could you imagine the numbers that lineup would put up? Don't tell me it can't be done. It could. And the windfall of money that comes in with these guys would be ridiculous.