Phillies avoid arbitration, sign Durbin to 1 year deal

Ruben Amaro has been busy this offseason but he still has some work left to do. The Phillies still have 4 unsigned players who are facing arbitration, which is fewer than the 7 they had last season, and none expect to be too difficult to sign. In fact, Amaro has already taken care of one of the four.

According to Todd Zolecki on Twitter, Chad Durbin and the Phillies have agreed to a one year, 2.125 million dollar contract. This is a small raise for Durbin, who earned 1.65 million on his one year deal last year. Durbin has been a solid bullpen piece for the Phillies as he can pitch a solid 7th inning in a close game or go multiple innings if necessary. With the likely departure of Chan Ho Park, Durbin became just a little more valuable to the Phillies.

Signing Durbin leaves the Phillies with 3 players facing arbitration: Joe Blanton, Carlos Ruiz and Shane Victorino. With arbitration figures being exchanged by players and clubs tomorrow, I would expect all three to be signed in the coming days.