The Reds got an excellent closer on a reasonable contract when they agreed to an $8.5-million, one-year contract with ex-Phillie Ryan Madson. What did Madson get? He received the opportunity to close for a very good young team where he has the chance to rack up saves before hitting the free-agent market again next year.

Madson came close to doing a $44-million, four-year deal with the Phillies earlier this winter, as everyone knows by now. But Madson's agent Scott Boras wanted to make it clear that Madson did not reject that proposal, as has been suggested in some places on the blogosphere, and in fact informed the Phillies he was ready to sign back with the Phillies for that $44-million deal he said was proposed. "He told the Phillies he would accept it, and the Phillies decided not to execute it,'' Boras said by phone.

Phillies GM Ruben Amaro has denied that the deal fell apart because club president Dave Montgomery wouldn't approve it but declined to get into the specifics of how it blew up. Word was, the sides were discussing relatively minor items such as incentives when Amaro raised the idea of needing to go to Montgomery, though Amaro has since said that Montgomery knew all along where things stood and was not the reason the deal didn't go down. The Phillies ultimately signed Jonathan Papelbon for $50 million over four years shortly after the deal with Madson blew up.

The Phillies at some point tried to re-engage Madson about returning on a much lower deal, but after being under the impression he had a deal with his old team for $44 million Madson never re-entered serious talks with his old team.

In any case, the Reds were the beneficiary of the deal that blew up, getting the improving reliever who saved 30 of 32 chances in his first year with the bulk of the closing time. He went 4-2 with 62 strikeouts in 60 2/3 inings.