Aaron Rowand and Jayson Werth

Last year must have been a bittersweet one for Aaron Rowand. On the one hand, he had hit the jackpot when he signed a $60 million, five-year deal with the Giants after finishing 2007 in Philadelphia - a deal that probably would not have been possible when the national economy went south the following year. On the other hand, although the San Francisco center fielder does have a World Series ring from the '05 White Sox, he did have to watch from the outside as his former National League team won the 2008 world championship.

While Rowand was extremely popular in Philly, the Phils' front office certainly had no regrets. Rowand's replacement, Jayson Werth, had an excellent season hitting .273 with 24 home runs in just over 400 at-bats. Rowand hit just .271 last year with 13 home runs. And Werth came much cheaper. Even after his solid '08, Werth signed a two-year deal for only $10 million.

This year, Werth and Rowand, are having solid years. The latter is hitting around .300 in the leadoff spot. Werth has been maddeningly inconsistent at the plate but with his recent spurt is batting about .270 and is on pace to surpass 30 home runs. They both strike out too much but are excellent in the field. So again, they are equally productive, but the Phillies are getting Werth at a fraction of the cost.

But irony is lurking. If the Fightin's don't win their division, they are going to be in a real dog fight for the wild card. And if the Giants don't overtake the Dodgers in the Western Division, San Francisco is shaping up to be one of the primary wild card contenders. Either way, Rowand could end up playing a key role in preventing his old teammates from repeating.