Looks like Andy Phillips is parting ways with the Charlotte Knights. According to the IL transaction report, he filed for free agency yesterday. I think that means it was his choice. He wasn't released, he chose to become a free agent. I assume he must have a contract that allows him to become a free agent if he's not called up by a certain time. That's not uncommon with veteran players who sign minor league contracts; Nick Green had a clause like that when he signed with Scranton last year.
Presumably, Andy has something else lined up, or he wouldn't give up his current job. I wonder if it might be the Reds. They liked him enough last year to sign him, call him up, and then reclaim him off waivers when they lost him to the Mets. Edwin Encarnacion, Cincinnati's starting third baseman, has been on the DL most of the season, and rumor has it that he's had a serious setback, meaning he's not coming back any time soon. The Reds had been using Adam Rosales and Jerry Hairston, Jr. at 3B, but neither has been very good. Rosales is a butcher on defense, and is not hitting his weight. Hairston made two errors last night that cost the Reds the game. There's the pride of Rice University, Paul Janish, but the Reds seem reluctant to use him as an everyday player. (I'm not sure why; he's a defensive wiz, and is hitting better than Rosales on the rare occasions he gets to play.)
Andy Phillips would be a defensive upgrade on Rosales and Hairston, and has more pop in his bat than Janish. (The Reds desperately need power hitting.) And he'd be really cheap, which is important for a team like the Reds in an economy like this.
I don't have any inside info. Just speculating. But it sounds like a perfect match to me. ;-)
Labels: Andy Phillips
