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Phillies cut Lidge, Oswalt, but both may return

The Brad Lidge Era has ended for the Phillies. Maybe. The man who knelt and raised his arms to the heavens after the final out of the greatest baseball moment in Philadelphia in the 21st century was given his walking papers on Monday.

Brad Lidge, due $12.5 million in 2012, got a $1.5 million buyout from the Phillies. (Ron Cortes/Staff file photo)
Brad Lidge, due $12.5 million in 2012, got a $1.5 million buyout from the Phillies. (Ron Cortes/Staff file photo)Read more

The Brad Lidge Era has ended for the Phillies.

Maybe.

The man who knelt and raised his arms to the heavens after the final out of the greatest baseball moment in Philadelphia in the 21st century was given his walking papers on Monday.

How far, or even whether, he will walk remains a question.

Ditto for Roy Oswalt, the "Little Roy" component of the Phillies star-studded rotation, who was also released on Monday. As with Lidge, he might well return.

"We will remain in contact with representatives for both players about the possibility of bringing them back for the 2012 season," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement. "Brad and Roy both made significant contributions to the Phillies over the past several seasons."

The determining factor, of course, will be money. The Phillies declined team options for both pitchers.

The team opted out of Oswalt's $16 million contract for 2012 by giving the 34-year-old year old a $2 million buyout.

Lidge, due $12.5 million in 2012, got a $1.5 million buyout.

Both immediately indicated a desire to stay with the hitting-challenged team that came up short in the 2011 National League division series.

Lidge's agent, Rex Gary, told MLB.com the former closer is open to returning, even if in a different role.

"He clearly would be open to coming back," Gary said. "This is with every awareness the Phillies are going to sign [Ryan] Madson, or somebody else, to close."

Even after the Phillies were eliminated from the NLDS by the St. Louis Cardinals on Oct. 7, Lidge wanted to return.

"Obviously, this team, this organization, these fans are pretty tough to walk away from, no matter what," he said at that time. "I'm not sure what's going to happen. I'm not sure what's out there. The way the season ended, I felt pretty good about the way I was throwing."

Lidge, who will be 35 on Dec. 23, went 0-2 with one save and a 1.40 ERA in 25 appearances in 2011, when he missed most of the season with, among other things, biceps tendinitis. In four seasons with the Phillies, he was 3-11 with exactly 100 saves and a 3.73 ERA.

In the glory year of 2008, his first here, Lidge earned the nickname "Lights Out" by converting all 48 save opportunities, including the final game of the World Series against the Tampa Bay Rays.

He was 1-1 with 12 saves in 12 opportunities and a 1.77 ERA in the postseason, but also was known for losing Game 4 of the 2009 World Series against the New York Yankees.

Oswalt was 9-10 with a 3.69 ERA in 23 starts this season. The three-time all-star righthander was acquired in a trade with the Houston Astros on July 29, 2010. He was 16-11 with a 2.96 ERA in 35 starts for the Phillies, but his career here became questionable when he endured back problems in mid-season.

But agent Bob Garber said that no longer is a concern.

"We've solved his back issue after he went to the right doctor," Garber told MLB.com. "I think that issue is behind him, hopefully. He knows how to manage his back a lot better than he has in the past."

In August, the 34-year-old was undecided about 2012, but the apparent easing of his back problem changed his mind.

"I'd love to play," he told reporters at the end of the season. "I'll play for any team in the big leagues. . . . I feel like I can compete. I still feel like I've got good enough stuff to compete. I don't want to leave and then regret it later, more than anything."

"Roy would like to test the free-agent market," Garber said. "It's the first time he's had a chance to do that. But we'll continue talking to the Phillies about something on more than a one-year basis."