Philadelphia Phillies Relief Pitcher Jose Contreras Likely Done His Career

The Philadelphia Phillies were dealt another blow to their 25-man roster on Friday night when relief pitcher Jose Contreras suffered what turned out to be a devastating injury.

Contreras completely tore his UCL ligament and his flexor pronator. Factoring in that Contreras is a 40-year old man who had surgery on that elbow last season, his career may very well be over. At the very least, he won’t be pitching again in 2012.

Contreras was the only reliever on the 2011 team that had been signed for ’12 as well, and many believed it was foolish for GM Ruben Amaro, Jr. to give a multi-year contract to a pitcher as old as Contreras. Contreras had really struggled so far in 2012, posting a 5.27 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched. His strikeout to walk ratio was phenomenal, as he had K’d 15 batters and walked just three.

In his 10-year major league career, Contreras is 78-67 with a 4.55 ERA in 1,168 innings pitched. He debuted with the New York Yankees in 2003, earned MVP votes as a member of the Chicago White Sox in 2005 and made the All-Star team in 2006, and filled in admirably as a setup man for the Phillies in 2010.

Last year, Contreras pitched just sparingly, putting up a 3.86 ERA with five saves in 14 innings pitched. In his two-year deal with the Phillies, Contreras made $5.5 million but gave the Phillies just 27.2 innings on the mound. He has a team option for the 2013 season at $2.5 million with a $500K buyout, and at this point, it’s very likely the Phillies will decline the option and Contreras will retire.