Bruntlett Leads Players Dropped

The Eric Bruntlett era is over. The Phillies parted ways with their utility man after his two-year stay. Hated by many, I loved his passion and his role as a good team mate and classy guy. We will never forget his unassisted triple play or him sliding home on Carlos Ruiz's game-winning infield single in game 3 of the 2008 World Series. We will also never forget his .217 with a .297 on base percentage in 238 plate appearances in 2008, then hit .171 with a .238 on base percentage in 118 plate appearances this past year.

Also being dropped were relievers Todd Walker and John Ennis, catcher Paul Hoover, and infielder Andy Tracy.

So with the departure of Bruntlett, that leaves a huge whole in the utility role the Phillies hope to fill. In a perfect world, the Phillies sign either Placido Polanco, Adrian Beltre, or Chone Figgins to start at third and are able to get Mark DeRosa to fill the utility role.

And in other news: Pedro Martinez wants to pitch the whole 2010 season. I don't know if the Phillies have interest in him being the #5 starter but I wouldn't mind it. It isn't know whether or not he can go a whole season and be effective and if they can sign him for cheap then I say go for him. He'd be better than Chan Ho Park and Jamie Moyer as starters (I still want Park back in the pen),

Feliz's Option Not Picked Up

The Phillies declined to pick up Pedro Feliz's $5.5 million option today but said they will not rule him out for the hot corner position. Feliz is 34-years old and has shown a dramatic drop in power since coming to Philadelphia. He averaged 20 homers a year in San Francisco but only hit 26 in his two years for the Phillies.

Feliz batted .266 with 12 home runs and 82 RBIs in 158 games for the Phillies this season. With runners in scoring position, he hit a team-best .336. He tore it up in the beginning of the season but fell off drastically and hit a putrid .167 (9-54) in the playoffs this year.

If the Phillies are not going to bring Feliz back, they can look at free agents like Adrian Beltre, Chone Figgins, Mark DeRosa, and Troy Glaus. I would be all for Figgins but his asking price could be high. Beltre would also be a nice choice seeing that he will be can feast on the NL's weak pitching. Bringing back Feliz is also not a bad move.