Phillies exploiting Tigers’ bounty of free agents

I’ve dried my tears in the wake of Placido Polanco signing as a free agent with the Philadelphia Phillies.

The three-year, $18 million contract will move Polanco to third and out of the heart’s of Detroit fans.  Afterall, according to the remarks he made during his unveiling this week, he “never wanted to leave,” the Phillies.

Wow.

Not only was that like seeing your ex-wife on TV after an emotional divorce, but that remark makes you think she never loved you.

Regardless, the NL Champions are getting a hell of a second third baseman and I wish them all the best.

The Tigers, on the other hand, are getting payroll room and that’s about it.  Since they passed on offering Polly arbitration, Detroit won’t get any compensatory draft picks from the Phillies.

Polly’s giant head was here, and now it’s gone; leaving in its wake a giant hole on the right side of the infield and after Granderson in the batting order, purportedly to be filled by the wounded Scott Sizemore.

But it looks like the Phillies might not be done picking the bones of Detroit.  Rumor has it the NL East juggernauts are now targeting Type B Free Agent reliever Brandon Lyon.

Detroit offered Lyon and (surprisingly and statistically impressive) closer Fernando Rodney arbitration, but no word yet.

But if Billy Wagner’s $7 million deal with the Atlanta Braves is any indication of the market, chances are they’ll be priced right out of Detroit’s all-of-a-sudden stingy payroll targets for 2010.

Anyone remember 2007?