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Ryan Madson is a former reliever. He pitched for the team from 2003 until 2011. Madson started his career as a starting pitcher but become a strong arm for the bullpen. In 2011, he was actually the Phillies closer and shocked everybody. He saved 32 games in 34 opportunities.
Everyone was expecting Madson to come back after the 2011 season. Being a Madson fan myself, I was hoping he would continue to wear Phillies pinstripes. His agent at the time was Scott Boras who is known to be greedy. He was asking for more money than the Phillies were willing to spend. I thought Madson would have picked the fans and his team over money. Instead he chose money and took a deal with The Cincinnati Reds.
It must have been bad karma to take the money because Madson suffered an arm injury that required him to get Tommy John surgery. He never threw a single pitch for the Reds and was traded to The Los Angeles Angels. He never pitched for them either as he never fully recovered.
Now Madson has chosen to go separate ways with Boras. Maybe he has finally realized that money isn’t everything. Could he return to the Phillies?
It would be a risk as Madson has been having setbacks. However, the Phillies do need relievers in their bullpen. They could test him out at Spring Training and see if he has anything left to offer. Also, the theme so far seems to be bringing back familiar faces as manager Ryne Sandberg is bringing back former coaches. Why can’t Ryan Madson come back?
If Madson is ready to come back the baseball the Phillies should give him a shot. It seems that he has put the issue of being greedy behind him and just wants to get back into the game. He could help the bullpen significantly if he is healthy. As a fan I am hoping it could be a possibility.
Rebekah Milsted is a Philadelphia Phillies writer for www.Rantsports.com. Follow her on Twitter and Google+
