The Phillies decided to drop this news seven minutes before the Sixers tipped off last night:

No surprise with Herrera, who remains arbitration eligible. They didn’t want to play him last year, but didn’t have a choice, because the other four non-domestic abusers they tried in center field weren’t any good. Adam Haseley? Nope. Scott Kingery? Nope. Mickey Moniak? Nope. Roman Quinn? Nope. So Odubel, who did say and do the right things, got his job back, and proceeded to finish with a .260 average and .726 OPS, numbers that were better than 2019 but didn’t reach the marks he averaged from 2015 to 2018. And even then, he was a frustrating player who committed brain farts and whatnot.

As for McCutchen, he had a $15 million club option but just turned 35 and isn’t the player he once was. Injuries, inconsistency, etc. There might be something left in the tank, but not at that price, and the Phillies need a difference maker in left or center, because those positions weren’t producing this season. Obviously they had to remake the outfield this offseason, and so nobody should be surprised by the Herrera or McCutchen moves.

Cutch gets a $3 million buyout and will be a free agent. Herrera gets a $2.5 million buyout and will stay under team control for the time being. He’ll likely be non-tendered.