Kuzul

The Philadelphia Phillies saw how easily and quickly valuable trade pieces can be swept up off the market, when the Giants nabbed Carlos Beltran earlier this week, and followed suit by acquiring the next best outfield option in Hunter Pence.

Its hard to disagree with the idea that Pence may have come with an advance ticket to the World Series as the Phillies now have frightening depth at every facet of their lineup, and are looking to continue pursuit of relief pitching on the trade market to even further strengthen their stacked lineup.

Philly will certainly take on the label of World Series favourites after this move, and for the remaining division leaders, haste will have to be made in the next 24 hours to bolster their lineups in an effort to compete with Philly in the offseason.

Here are deals that each division leader will have to make to stand a chance against the herculean roster of Philadelphia in October.

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As each new baseball season rolls around, there’s never a guarantee of what a team will see from its players. Expectations from the season before can be exceeded, met or not met without any certainty and even though some players meet the expectations we have of them on a consistent basis, it is never a surprise to see a team’s most valuable player from the previous five seasons become one of the least valuable as a new one progresses.

Although this uncertainty creates a sense of nervousness in every team at the start of a new season, it makes room for other players who may have offered little value to their team’s success in past years to capitalize on their opportunity to become their club’s MVP.

From young, developing newcomers to seasoned veterans, here is a ranking of who I believe has offered the most value to their team so far in 2011.

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