Phillies Decline Options

Polly, Contreras and Wigginton shown the door. Could one or maybe all of them be back with the Phightins?

On Monday, the Phillies declined the 2013 options of three players: IF Placido Polanco, IF/OF Ty Wigginton, and RHP Jose Contreras, making them free agents.

Not a lot of surprises here. Polanco, who hit .281/.330/.356 with 13 homers in three seasons in his second go-round with the Phillies, struggled to stay on the field for much of 2011 and 2012. This season, he had a .629 OPS in 90 games, and at times seemed unable to hit the ball out of the infield.

While his defense at third base was superb, his bat was a serious liability, and certainly not worth the $5.5 million he would have been owed in 2013.

Wigginton, who saw time at first, third and left field in 2012, had 11 homers and a .688 OPS in 125 games in his first season with the club. All things considered, he was a decent player that had enough versatility and enough pop in his bat to make somewhat of a difference on the field. He's probably more well served being a bench player -- something the Phillies sorely need -- and it wouldn't surprise me if the Phillies brought him back in 2013 on half his 2012 salary.

Contreras, who was a revelation out of the bullpen in 2010, unfortunately could not stay healthy over the last two seasons, thanks to a series of elbow injuries that kept him off the field.

When he was able to pitch, he struck out more than a batter per inning and proved to be one of the most reliable relievers on the team. But thanks to the youth movement in the 'pen plus his injury history, his $2.5-million salary in 2013 was not a sound investment.

Although they are now free agents, it is possible that one or more of these players will re-surface on the Phillies as bargain-buys in 2013. Given the right circumstances (and health), all three players could provide some value at the right price.

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