Polanco the Latest Top Candidate at 3rd

Several reports popped up Wednesday evening stating that the Phillies have elevated their pursuit of Placido Polanco, to fill their void at third base.

In the past three seasons with Detroit combined, Polanco has been a .310 hitter. His season average over those three seasons was 9 homers, 65.7 RBI and 92.3 runs scored. By comparison, departed Phils third baseman Pedro Feliz has hit .256 over the past three seasons and has averaged 15.33 homers, 70.7 RBI and 55.3 runs. Feliz is roughly 6 months older than Polanco, but both are age 34.

Other teams are interested in Polanco also. Teams interested in Polly include former Phillies GM Ed Wade's Houston Astros. The Astros, also rumored to be in the mix for free agent Brett Myers, may continue to lengthen their list of ex-Phillies (Mike Bourn, Chris Coste, Jason Michaels, Geoff Geary & Yorman Bazardo).

Other options for the vacant third base spot are still the same list of usual suspects...Adrian Beltre, Mark DeRosa and Miguel Tejada.

Beat reporter Scott Lauber of Delaware's The News Journal doesn't think the Phillies will get a deal finalized before next week's winter meetings (link here). PhoulBallz blogger ME thinks I don't believe a Polanco deal will necessarily get done. Remember two weeks ago when Mark DeRosa was just about locked into being the Phillies' new third baseman, as per media reports? Yeah, so do I. No deal! Stay tuned.

**Mid-morning update...Sports Illustrated's Jon Heyman is reporting that he expects a deal to be completed today, with the Phillies signing Polanco for 3 yrs/$18 million.**

**Late morning update...NBC 10's John Clark is at Philadelphia International Airport and says Placido Polanco arrived in town around 11am, to participate in a physical examination and to sign a contract with the Phillies. Clark spoke to Polanco, who is excited to return to the team and is ready to play third base. Polanco spoke of his appreciation of manager Charlie Manuel also. Official word from the team is expected today.**

**Evening update...Placido Polanco passed his physical today, and the Phillies held a press conference to announce the return of the spectacularly skulled second baseman, who will be playing third base for the National League champions. Welcome back, Polly.**

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Lidge Shaky, T-Mac Honored in Trenton

TRENTON, NJ- Brad Lidge made his second rehab appearance for the Double A Reading Phillies on Thursday night and it didn't go as well as the veteran reliever or the team had hoped. Lidge struggled with his command and turned in a rather poor outing for the club that entered the night in a playoff race, 1 game behind division rival Trenton for the Wild Card spot in the Eastern Division. On the disabled list since spring training with a strained right rotator cuff, Lidge experienced an elbow strain when he was working back from that issue in late May. In his outing against the Yankees affiliate in Trenton, Lidge displayed difficulty with his control as he threw three wild pitches, hit two batters, walked another and gave up a single, all while letting up two earned runs on 28 pitches in 2/3 of an inning. After the disappointing performance, Lidge was composed and focused on some positive aspects, having reached 89 and 90 MPH on scouts' radar guns, according to some reports. ...

A Letter to This Guy

Dear Cardinals fan, When a homerun ball is hit in your direction, do not close your eyes and raise both hands far above your head, leaving your face/chest/neck/head defenseless. Jayson Werth long balls to the cranium are probably not very comfortable. Next time, let the guy in the pajama pants behind you take a crack at it. He may not know how to dress well, but he keeps his eyes open in the face of killer shots from World Champion outfielders. Love, PhoulBallz.com PS- Stay hot.

Kendrick & LaGrossa- Second Phils/Survivor Marriage

On Saturday, Phillies pitcher Kyle Kendrick married 3-time Survivor contestant and former Flyers employee Stephenie LaGrossa. The couple exchanged vows in front of 105 guests at the Silverado Resort in Napa, California. Their special day featured many personalized aspects, including cocktail hour snacks modeled in the fashion of mini Philly cheesesteaks, as well as the couple's two dogs, Bebe and Champ, serving as flower girl and ring bearer during the ceremony. The pets wore a white dress and a tuxedo, respectively. Kendrick is now the second Phillies pitcher to marry a former contestant of the CBS reality competition program, as lefty Cole Hamels wedded Heidi Strobel, who appeared on the sixth season of Survivor, in 2007. _________________________________________________________________ Be sure to follow PhoulBallz.com on Twitter, for updates, stats and info, by clicking HERE . Photos- People.com

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