Aaron Rowand filed for free agency this week.

Aaron Ryan Rowand Age: 30 Position CF 2007 Salary: $4.

Count the Phillies as a team not interested in filling their third base need with Alex Rodriguez.

There is speculation that free-agent center fielder Aaron Rowand, who has many Royals fans drooling about potentially roaming Kauffman Stadium, will wind up costing $84 million over six years.

It is too early to know what free-agent players will return to the Phillies, but one thing is certain: all the coaches who helped the Phillies win the NL East and reach the playoffs for the first time in 14 years will be back.

Curt Schilling won a world championship in Arizona.

The Phillies, according to a source, are not optimistic they'll re-sign All-Star center fielder Aaron Rowand, who is weeks away from free agency and seeking a humungous payday on the heels of a career year in 2007.

The Phillies already have talked about making runs at Curt Schilling and Mariano Rivera when the free-agent signing period begins next month, a team source told the Courier Times.

If the Phillies are to land a starter, Pat Gillick said, a trade is more likely than a free-agent signing.

Alex Rodriguez, who played in Seattle when Phillies' GM Pat Gillick was the general manager in 2000, has until the 10th day after the World Series to opt out of his $252 million contract.

The last time Charlie Manuel smiled this much, his players were drenching him with Bud Light and cheap champagne after the Phillies clinched the National League East and earned their first playoff appearance in 14 years.

The Phillies and Charlie Manuel have agreed to a two-year contract with a team option for the 2010 season, according to a report in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Philadelphia Phillies told manager Charlie Manuel in the final week of the regular season that it would like him to return in 2008.

The blackout at Coors Field was caused by a cranky computer.

A loss in Colorado tomorrow night would end the Philadelphia Phillies eventful season.

Despite Adam Eaton's big contract, the Phillies can't afford to pitch him in the playoffs.

With their 10,000th franchise loss just a memory, the surging Philadelphia Phillies celebrated their unlikely NL East title at City Hall on Monday amid thousands of delirious fans.