With their reign of dominance over the National League East division seeming more and more like a distant memory after the last couple of seasons, the aging Philadelphia Phillies are reportedly willing to part ways with shortstop Jimmy Rollins if they can find an interested team seeking a swap.
According to ESPN's Buster Olney, the Phillies are "very willing" to part ways with Rollins, 35, who is due to make $11 million in 2014. According to NBC Sports, Rollins' contract has incentives that include a vesting option for $11 million in 2015 if he reaches 434 plate appearances this season.
Rollins, who has a no-trade clause, has proven to be durable, appearing in 160 games last season, so the odds of him reaching the amount of plate appearances necessary for the option to vest are pretty good.
Rollins has spent his entire 14-year career in Philadelphia, the team that drafted him in the second round of the MLB Draft in 1996. Rollins has a career .269 batting average with 199 homers and 832 RBIs.
PHI has made clear to other teams, as it did during the summer, that it is very willing to move Jimmy Rollins. Has a no-trade clause, tho.
— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) December 16, 2013
In 2013, Rollins hit .252 with six homers and 39 RBIs. It may be tough for Philadelphia to move the shortstop since a team would have to be willing to pump $22 million into the aging player.
The Phillies won the NL East Division title five years in a row from 2007-11, and appeared in back-to-back World Series in 2008-09, winning it all in 2008 when they defeated the Tampa Bay Rays in five games.
The team hasn't had the same success in the past two seasons, as it finished 81-81 in 2012 while missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006 and then followed it up in 2013 with a 73-89 record, in their first losing season since 2002. Their struggles in 2013 led to the firing of manager Charlie Manuel last August.
Rollins won the NL MVP award in 2007 and was on the Phillies World Series-winning team in 2008 while his resume also boasts three All-Star game appearances and four gold glove awards.
Still, his best days are behind him and it may be hard to find a team that would be willing to take on the aging shortstop.
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