By FRANK WARD
DailyPhiladelphian.com Editor

Jayson Werth is far from playing his way to another city next season. If anything, he’s playing his way back to Philadelphia for the foreseeable future.

A year removed from his first all-star appearance, Werth has started 2010 on a tear that Phillies outfielders have rarely seen. In 31 games thus far, the man is hitting a team-high .349 (NL rank-3) with 38 hits, 7 home runs (7th), and 26 RBI (6th). He was just named National League Player of the Week for May 3-9.

The first legit player to hit behind and protect Ryan Howard in the line-up is scheduled to hit free agency after the season. The thought of a line-up without Werth is scary and Ruben Amaro Jr. will do everything in his power to keep the long-bearded, blue collar outfielder in red pinstripes.

The Phillies can keep Werth in a couple different scenarios. The bottom line is to keep Werth within the budget the Phillies set aside for their outfield. And, thanks to the imminent arrival of stud prospect Dominic Brown within the next year, it is possible.

Jayson Werth would love to pound a couple pitchers after signing a new deal with the Phils. If Ruben Amaro gets the deal done, the beer is on us at DailyPhiladelphian.com.

First, you have to figure that the Phillies want to keep the outfield payroll at about the $24.5 million range they are paying this year. Shane Victorino is hauling in $5 million in the first year of a three-year extension. Meanwhile, Raul Ibanez is raking in about $12 million, and Werth is being ripped off at a $7.5 million salary.

Werth is set to earn about double his current salary. A better player than the Mets Jason Bay, you have to think he’ll do better than Bay’s four-year, $66 million deal signed last winter. If Bay averages $16.5 million a year, you have to figure Werth gets $17-18 million a year.

The three ways to keep Werth are to:

• Trade Victorino, as our friend Micah at otrsportsonline.com pointed out today
• Trade Ibanez and pay most of his salary
• Keep everyone and underpay Werth in Year 1 and overpay in year 4

Would Shane Victorino be the odd man out of the Phillies resign Jayson Werth?

Let’s look at the salary figures for the next two years and then consider the possibilities.

2011: Victorino-$7.5 million; Ibanez-$12 million; Brown-$400,000 = $20 million
2012: Victorino-$9.5 million; Brown-$500,000 = $10 million

As it stands, you have $5 million to play with next year if you keep everyone, and $15 million to play with in 2012. Paying Werth $17 million in 2012 is not an issue with only $10 million committed to the outfield. An outfield budget of $27 million two years from now is comparable to the $24.5 million this year.

The problem comes next year. You have to figure Werth needs at least $13 million next year, if not $15 million. Adding his salary would balloon the OF budget to $33 million. That’s not going to happen.

Sure, Jamie Moyer and Brad Lidge both could come off the books, freeing up $18 million. However, you then need to replace Moyer and Lidge. Plus, you’ll likely need to throw some of that money at Jimmy Rollins to extend his deal. Oh, and Roy Halladay will eat up $10 million more than he is this year. However, using lesser priced rookie starters could help save $3-5 million needed to pay Werth.

Therefore, you have to make Werth’s contract work within current budget parameters.

Dominic Brown's cheap rookie salary could be key to keeping Jayson Werth in red pinstripes.

Trading Victorino would free up $7.5 million to give Werth. With just Ibanez and Brown making $12.5 million total, you suddenly have $12 million to pay Werth and stay within the $24.5 million budget of 2010. It says here the Phils would come up with the extra million to keep Werth if they deal Victorino.

Dealing the Flyin’ Hawaiian is not the ideal situation, and something Amaro would think twice about. Sure, with Rollins and Polanco hitting 1-2 in the lineup, Victorino is seemingly a hitter without a spot in the 0rder. Still, the team knows what he brings to the team in terms of speed and defense.

Phillies fans want a curtain call to Jayson Werth's first years in Philly. Will the team oblige?

Trading Ibanez is the most likely scenario, if the Phillies can find a buyer. Nobody will take his $12 million-plus salary. Not for a streaky hitter like Ibanez who usually has a 50-game tear each year with mediocrity the other 100 games each season.

However, would a team be willing to pay $5 million for Ibanez? You bet. That means the Phillies need to eat the rest of his $7.5 million salary. Going with those figures, the Phils would be on the hook for $15.5 million before Werth. That basically leaves $10 million for Werth in the first year of his “new deal.”

You need to figure a way to get him at least another $3 million in 2011.

Would he take it as a deferred amount? Would the Phillies find a way to come up with that money by counting on a Kyle Kendrick or Andrew Carpenter to take Moyer’s place?

As you can see, keeping Werth is not a sure thing. Nor is it far from a possibility.

With some ingenuity and maneuvering, Werth will still be in the Phillies lineup protecting Howard next year. As Amaro has shown is his pursuit of Halladay, he’ll do whatever it takes to make his team better within the confines of his salary budget.

Amaro, if you want people to stop complaining about Cliff Lee, find a way to keep Jayson Werth in Philly.