Philadelphia Phillies Release Chad Gaudin

. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

We’re expected to get a heated competition for the final two spots in the Phillies’ starting rotation.  One man who will not take one of those spots is Chad Gaudin. The team announced earlier today that they released Gaudin after he failed his physical.

The Phillies signed Gaudin to a minor league contract in January hoping that he could serve as a long reliever and spot starter.

“We didn’t feel comfortable with the exam yesterday, so we decided to let him go,” general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “It hurts. The roles he could fill as a long guy that can sit around for 10 days and not pitch, then pitch as a starter … all those things you’d like a veteran guy to do. We’re going to have to find out if that guy’s in our camp.”

Gaudin was certainly not going to be the team’s savior, but having a strong long reliever on hand can certainly help a team’s chances. While the 2013 Phillies had no shortage of problems, their long relief certainly didn’t improve matters.  A rotating cast of characters which included Jeremy Horst, Raul Valdes, and Chad Durbin all struggled, and regularly turned small deficits into much larger ones.

Without Gaudin, candidates for that role include holdovers Joe Savery and Luis Garcia as well as new acquisitions Brad Lincoln or Kevin Munson. It’s also possible that if Kyle Kendrick, Roberto Hernandez, or Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez do not win spots in the starting rotation, they might be called upon to serve in that capacity.