The Philadelphia Phillies have had a lot of drama in the offseason. However, one player hasn’t been involved in any of it. Outfielder Shane Victorino has been active in his community causes and recently hosted his annual toy drive for Christmas. With Victorino appearing in the news for the right reasons, it made me think of something. This is another guy the Phillies would be wise to re-sign before the 2012 season begins. As a Phillies fan, I hope it is settled as soon as possible.

Victorino is in the final year of his three year contract. In my opinion, he was the offensive MVP for the team in 2011. Victorino brings a lot to the table. He is an excellent defensive outfielder. He has speed on the base paths. He can hit at the plate. Victorino has been one of the biggest bargains for the Phillies over the past few years. His production in relation to his salary is among the best in baseball. Not only that, but he is a vocal leader of the team. Along with Jimmy Rollins, Victorino brings a solid personality to this team. That is pretty valuable.

Victorino is a hard worker that paid his dues before his big chance with the Phillies. It is safe to say he has made the most of those chances. I hope the team can find a way to give Victorino a deal that works for both sides. It is clear that he wants to play in Philadelphia and it is clear that Philadelphia wants him. There is no reason something can’t be worked out.

Anyone in Philadelphia can tell you how great Victorino is. He has great character on and off the field. He’s the kind of player that embodies what Philadelphia fans look for in athletes that play here. With any luck, he will have another great year at the plate and on the field. He will no doubt have a great year continuing his work off the field. Hopefully, his great year will be rewarded with a new deal.

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The Philadelphia Phillies have won five consecutive division titles, two National League pennants and one World Series championship during the past five years. But, even rich kids have wishes.

Those who don’t take baseball, themselves or this piece that seriously will understand its message. As for the others, Jacob Marley will be visiting you once again this year.

Here are three wishes that the Phillies are expressing to Santa this Christmas:

Three Christmas wishes: Number 3 – Papelbon’s smooth transition

Stoppers are key to their team’s in-season progress and playoff hopes.

By inking former Boston Red Sox closer Jonathan Papelbon to a long-term deal, they also bid adieu to Ryan Madson. Curiously, he had just assumed the stopper’s role in 2011 and saved 32 games. Current advice from Scott Boras was likely the element that caused the Phillies to seek a new late-inning mound man.

Papelbon averaged 37 saves per year in his six full seasons as Boston’s closer. The 31-year-old comes to Philadelphia with a 2.33 ERA and a 1.018 WHIP (Walks + Hits per innings pitched), dual marks that inspire strong confidence.

So, the Phillies are wishing that he makes the mental adjustment needed to handle life in the National League.

Three Christmas wishes: Number 2 – That the big three keep on rolling

Last season’s four aces: Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt never reached their overly hyped goals. But that wasn’t because of the efforts that Halladay, Lee and Hamels put forth.

Oswalt’s back issues basically derailed his season and any hopes he had of returning to the team in 2012.

Moving on to the future, the Phillies are wishing that their remaining three aces stay healthy. If so, they are nearly certain to continue to produce historically great numbers.

This franchise, as well as most other franchises, have never had three starting pitchers of this caliber who are in the prime of their careers.

Three Christmas wishes: Number 1 – Playoff potency

Some have raised a red herring about the Phillies 2011 offense.

Their incomplete point is this: The Phillies offense was one of the best in baseball after a certain point, the All-Star break, last season. Really?

Every rational baseball fan knows that the Phillies lineup wasn’t the best when the playoffs arrived and that’s when it needed to be. That legitimate point reveals something else that every baseball fan knows, statistics can be used to make almost any claim.

The Phillies number 1 Christmas wish is that their offense is potent in September and October.

When a team’s lineup warms in September and sizzles in October, playoff series against the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Braves, Washington Nationals, Miami Marlins, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, Arizona Diamondbacks or any other team can generally be won. Then, the Fall Classic can be directly addressed like it was when they beat the Tampa Bay Rays in 2008.

Merry Christmas Santa and all the best to Mrs. Claus and your team in the North Pole.

Sean was born in the Philadelphia region and has written professionally for over two decades. Read his Sports Blog: Insight and follow him on Twitter @ SeanyOB

More from Sean O’Brien and the Yahoo Contributor Network:

When Baseball Cards were King

Rounding out the Phillies 2012 lineup

Jim Thome’s impact on the Phillies now and then

When Phillies’ legend Richie Ashburn played the game

Now that Rollins has signed, what is Victorino’s Phillies’ future?

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The Philadelphia Phillies offense was uneven last season. It was inconsistent for the first few months, steady for most of the way after the All-Star break and then went silent again by the time the playoffs arrived.

General manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. has targeted his bench in an effort to improve the team’s overall offense. That’s where the addition of Jim Thome comes into play.

The Earl of ‘Toemay’

Ed Wade’s free agent acquisition of Thome in December 2002 electrified the baseball world. That watershed decision happened for a number of reasons, including generating interest in the 2004 opening of Citizens Bank Park.

The big money deal was a signal to the fans that the team was prepared to spend money to try and build a winner.

And then there was Ryan

The Phillies new first baseman finished fourth in the National League Most Valuable Player award voting during the 2003 season. The 47 home runs that he hit that year fell one short of Mike Schmidt’s franchise record and gave the team a true clean up hitter.

Thome hit 42 bombs in 2004, but his Philadelphia run proved to be short-lived due to arrival of a 24-year-old rookie who had been mashing minor league pitching.

Ryan Howard hit two home runs in 19 games in 2004. He took over at first base for Thome in 2005 when health issues caused the veteran to spend a majority of the season on the disabled list.

Howard’s 88-game performance, during which he hit 22 home runs and had 63 RBI’s, was strong enough to earn him National League Rookie of the Year honors. That performance caused Pat Gillick to easily conclude that the team had to move in a new direction.

Now

The November 2011 free agent signing of Thome had a few things in common with his initial Phillies agreement. He left the Cleveland Indians in both instances and was obtained because he was expected to use his bat to supply left-handed power to the team.

While no longer one of the premiere sluggers in the game, Thome still has the ability to hit the ball out of the ballpark. He spent nearly his entire career as a starter in the field before becoming a designated hitter in 2006, when he was traded to the Chicago White Sox in the Aaron Rowand deal.

The Phillies have brought Thome back this time because they believe that he can fill a different type of need than the one that existed nearly a decade ago. They didn’t have a left-handed pinch hitter with power last season. Now, they are hoping that they do.

Beyond that, their marketing machine knows that his presence will help to sell merchandise in the ballpark that he once helped to open.

Sean was born in the Philadelphia region and has written professionally for over two decades. Read his Sports Blog: Insight and follow him on Twitter @ SeanyOB

More from Sean O’Brien and the Yahoo Contributor Network:

When Baseball Cards were King

Now that Rollins has signed, what is Victorino’s Phillies’ future?

Rounding out the Phillies 2012 lineup

Will the Phillies big three be enough?

When Phillies’ legend Richie Ashburn played the game

Note: This article was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Sign up here to start publishing your own sports content.

PHILADELPHIA — Three men who fatally attacked a man outside a Philadelphia Phillies game in a brawl police say was sparked by a spilled drink have been sentenced to prison terms.

Francis Kirchner, Charles Bowers and James Groves each pleaded guilty in October to voluntary manslaughter and criminal conspiracy in the July 2009 death of 22-year-old David Sale Jr. outside Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies were playing the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kirchner, 30, was sentenced Tuesday to consecutive terms totaling nine to 18 years. Bowers, 37, got consecutive terms totaling five to 10 years. Groves, 48, was sentenced to concurrent terms of two to four years.

Sale and some of his friends were at a bar attached to the Phillies stadium when they had an altercation with the defendants, authorities said. Both groups were told to leave the bar, and the confrontation escalated in the parking lot.

A trial that began in September ended in a mistrial after a prosecution witness identified Kirchner as the person who fatally kicked Sale. Defense lawyers said they weren’t told the witness could identify Kirchner.

More than two dozen of the victim’s relatives and friends attended Tuesday’s eight-hour hearing and spoke about his loss, and many said they did not believe the sentences represented justice.

“I thought I was going to come in and get some sort of closure,” Sale’s father, David Sale Sr., told the Philadelphia Inquirer outside the courtroom. “I am disappointed. I am angry. I am empty.”

Dozens of supporters of the defendants also crowded into the packed courtroom. All three defendants apologized to the family of the victim.

“I’d like to apologize wholeheartedly,” Bowers said. “I know I have to live with the things I could have done and should have done, but, unfortunately, I made a different decision.”

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Three men who fatally attacked a man outside a Philadelphia Phillies game in a brawl police say was sparked by a spilled drink have been sentenced to prison terms.

Francis Kirchner, Charles Bowers and James Groves each pleaded guilty in October to voluntary manslaughter and criminal conspiracy in the July 2009 death of 22-year-old David Sale Jr. outside Citizens Bank Park, where the Phillies were playing the St. Louis Cardinals.

Kirchner, 30, was sentenced Tuesday to consecutive terms totaling nine to 18 years. Bowers, 37, got consecutive terms totaling five to 10 years. Groves, 48, was sentenced to concurrent terms of two to four years.

Sale and some of his friends were at a bar attached to the Phillies stadium when they had an altercation with the defendants, authorities said. Both groups were told to leave the bar, and the confrontation escalated in the parking lot.

A trial that began in September ended in a mistrial after a prosecution witness identified Kirchner as the person who fatally kicked Sale. Defense lawyers said they weren’t told the witness could identify Kirchner.

More than two dozen of the victim’s relatives and friends attended Tuesday’s eight-hour hearing and spoke about his loss, and many said they did not believe the sentences represented justice.

“I thought I was going to come in and get some sort of closure,” Sale’s father, David Sale Sr., told The Philadelphia Inquirer outside the courtroom. “I am disappointed. I am angry. I am empty.”

Dozens of supporters of the defendants also crowded into the packed courtroom. All three defendants apologized to the family of the victim.

“I’d like to apologize wholeheartedly,” Bowers said. “I know I have to live with the things I could have done and should have done, but, unfortunately, I made a different decision.”

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