Phillies moves: Oswalt to the DL, Romero released

The Phillies announced a flurry of moves today, none of which is too surprising:

-Roy Oswalt has been placed on the DL. Despite not getting an MRI until Monday, the Phillies decided to stash Oswalt on the disabled list. That certainly isn't a good sign. Like I said yesterday, your Phillies rotation now features Vance Worley and Kyle Kendrick. Scott Mathieson was recalled to take Oswalt's spot on the roster.

-J.C. Romero has officially been released. After being DFA'd last week, Romero went unclaimed by the rest of the league, so the Phillies released him. So long, J.C. Don't be surprised if another team signs him in the next few days.

-Brian Schneider, who hasn't played for the Phillies since May 11th, was activated from the disabled list and will resume his role as backup catcher. Dane Sardinha was sent to the minors.

With the addition of Oswalt to the disabled list, the Phillies now have four players on the DL: Oswalt, Joe Blanton, Jose Contreras and Brad Lidge. It's unclear when Oswalt will be back but the other three should be back sometime around August.

Phillies designate J.C. Romero for assignment

Due to the doubleheader yesterday, the Phillies needed to call up a pitcher to take the mound on Saturday against the Mariners. Enter Vance Worley, who was recalled from Lehigh Valley. To make room for Worley, the Phillies made a somewhat surprising move and designated J.C. Romero for assignment.

What makes the move surprising is that the Phillies could have easily sent David Herndon down to the minors without having to shake anything up. DFAing Romero makes sense based on how poorly he has pitched this season but it also leaves the Phillies with just one lefty out of the pen. The plan in the long run could be to call up Mike Zagurski or acquire another lefty to be a LOOGY behind Antonio Bastardo.

As for Romero, he now has 10 days to wait and see if he will be claimed. If he goes unclaimed, he could be sent to the minors. I could easily see another team taking a chance on Romero, who isn't too far removed from being an effective pitcher, so don't be surprised if we've seen the last of him in a Phillies uniform.

J.C. Romero has returned to the Phillies

In a move that was expected ever since the deal with Dennys Reyes fell through, the Phillies have re-signed J.C. Romero. Romero, who became a free agent after the Phillies declined his one year option worth 4.5 million, signed a one year deal worth somewhere around a million bucks to return to Philadelphia.

While the Phillies could probably do better than Romero as a lefty option out of the pen, for the right price, he should slide nicely back into his bullpen role. The Phillies 'pen appears to be just about completed, although there seems to be something holding up the a re-signing of Chad Durbin, the long-reliever that is the last missing piece.

Phillies decline 4.5 million dollar option on Romero

The Phillies season just ended a few days ago and we already have our first offseason move: the team has declined their 4.5 million dollar club option on relief pitcher J.C. Romero, making him a free agent. Given his fading numbers over the last few seasons, it was a no-brainer move for the Phillies to not bring back Romero at that price tag, though there is still the possibility that he re-signs with the club at a smaller dollar amount.

Romero, who spent the last 4 years with the Phillies, was a key part of the bullpen in the 2008 World Series run. Over the last two seasons, he has dealt with injury problems and issues with his command, making him far less reliable. If they don't bring him back, the Phillies are likely counting on Antonio Bastardo or Sergio Escalona to take Romero's role out the bullpen.

This should be a relatively quiet offseason for the Phillies, who don't have a lot of money to spend or holes to fill. With Jayson Werth likely gone, the team will try to find a cheaper right handed outfielder, but beyond always needing more bullpen help, the Phillies don't have any glaring needs. Of course, there are those ever-present Cliff Lee rumors....