The Phillies have signed 30-year old righty reliever/starter Zach Miner to a minor league deal. Miner pitched in 27 games (3 starts) in AA+AAA-ball for the Tigers last year and he was 2-0 with a 2.79 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP. Miner last pitched in the majors in 2009 with the Tigers. Miner has pitched in 157 games (35 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 25-20 with 1 save, a 4.24 ERA and a 1.46 WHIP. If he’s healthy, Miner could help the Phillies out of the bullpen in 2013.

The Philadelphia Phillies have acquired 24-year old lefty swinging CF Ben Revere from the Twins for 25-year old righty starting pitcher Vance Worley and 23-year old righty starting pitcher Trevor May. Revere played in 124 games for the Twins last year and he was 150 of 511 (.294 avg, .675 OPS) with 70 runs scored, 0 homers, 32 RBIs and 40 stolen bases. He has now played in 254 games in his first three years in the majors and he is 275 of 989 (.278 avg, .642 OPS) with 127 runs scored, 0 homers, 64 RBIs and 74 stolen bases. Revere will take over as the Phillies’ starting CF and leadoff hitter. Vance Worley pitched in 23 games (all starts) for the Phillies last year and he was 6-9 with a 4.20 ERA and a 1.51 WHIP. Worley pitched in 53 games (46 starts) in his three years with the Phillies and he was 18-13 with a 3.50 ERA and a 1.35 WHIP. Trevor May came into the 2012 season as the Phillies’ #1 prospect according to Baseball America. May pitched in 28 games (all starts) in AA-ball last year and he was 10-13 with a 4.87 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP. Revere didn’t come cheap to the Phillies, but he is going to really upgrade the team in 2013 and beyond, both offensively and defensively.

The Phillies decided not to tender 28-year old lefty swinging outfielder Nate Schierholtz a contract for the 2013 season, making him a free agent. Schierholtz played in 37 games for the Phillies last year and he was 18 of 66 (.273 avg, .698 OPS) with 5 runs scored, 1 homer and 5 RBIs. He played in 114 games overall last year for the Phillies and Giants and he was 62 of 241 (.257 avg, .728 OPS) with 20 runs scored, 6 homers, 21 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. The Phillies shouldn’t miss Schierholtz too much in 2013, but at the same time, he won’t have a hard time finding a new job this winter.

The Phillies have re-signed 33-year old lefty swinging infielder Pete Orr to a minor league deal. Orr played in 35 games for the Phillies last year and he was 17 of 54 (.315 avg, .772 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 0 homers, 7 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. He has now played in 81 games in his first two years with the Phillies and he is 38 for 150 (.253 avg, .616 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 0 homers, 11 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. Orr will have a good shot to win a bench job for the Phillies next spring.

The Phillies have signed 33-year old righty swinging catcher Humberto Quintero to a minor league deal. He played in 43 games for the Royals last year and he was 32 of 138 (.232 avg, .598 OPS) with 7 runs scored, 1 homer and 19 RBIs. Quintero has now played in 422 games in his first 10 years in the majors and he is 284 of 1,213 (.234 avg, .590 OPS) with 87 runs scored, 16 homers, 113 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Quintero is going to have a really good chance to break camp as the Phillies’ backup catcher when the 2013 season begins, thanks to the suspension of Carlos Ruiz for the first 25 games of the year.

The Phillies have signed 24-year old righty starter/reliever Brandon Erbe to a minor league deal. Erbe pitched in 5 games (3 starts) in Rookie+A-ball for the Orioles last year and he was 0-1 with a 7.71 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He has now pitched in 152 games (121 starts) in his first 8 years in the minors and he is 30-49 with 1 save, a 4.57 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP. Erbe will likely begin the 2013 season in AAA-ball for the Phillies.

The Phillies have signed 29-year old righty swinging 3B/OF Josh Fields to a minor league deal. Fields played in 133 games in AAA-ball for the Dodgers last year and he was 158 of 490 (.322 avg, .880 OPS) with 96 runs scored, 13 homers, 71 RBIs and 9 stolen bases. He last played in the majors in 2010 for the Royals. He has now played in 217 games in his first five years in the majors and he is 167 of 713 (.234 avg, .724 OPS) with 95 runs scored, 34 homers, 107 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Fields will get a shot to win a job on the Phillies’ bench next spring.

The Phillies have re-signed 30-year old switch-hitting infielder Michael Martinez. Martinez played in 45 games for the Phillies last year and he was 20 for 115 (.174 avg, .461 OPS) with 10 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. He has now played in 133 games in his first two years with the Phillies and he is 61 of 324 (.188 avg, .512 OPS) with 35 runs scored, 5 homers, 31 RBIs and 3 stolen bases. Martinez will have a good shot to win a bench job for the Phillies next spring despite the fact that he can’t hit a lick.

The Philadelphia Phillies only have three free agents heading into this winter. Here is who I seeing staying and leaving out of this trio:

Brian Schneider: 35-year old lefty swinging catcher Brian Schneider only played in 34 games for the Phillies last year and he was 20 for 89 (.225 avg, .637 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 2 homers and 7 RBIs. He lost his backup job to Erik Kratz when he was injured. VERDICT: LEAVING

Mike Fontenot: 32-year old lefty swinging infielder Mike Fontenot didn’t stick with the Phillies at the major league level the whole year in 2012. He played in 47 games for the Phillies last year and he was 28 for 97 (.289 avg, .683 OPS) with 13 runs scored, 1 homer and 5 RBIs. VERDICT: LEAVING

Juan Pierre: 35-year old lefty swinging outfielder Juan Pierre really turned in a rock solid year for the Phillies in 2012. He played in 130 games for the Phillies last year and he was 121 of 394 (.307 avg, .721 OPS) with 59 runs scored, 1 homer, 25 RBIs and 37 stolen bases. VERDICT: STAYING

The Phillies have declined 37-year old righty swinging 3B Placido Polanco’s option for the 2013 season valued at $5.5 million bucks. They instead have bought him out for a cool $1 million bucks. Polanco played in 90 games for the Phillies last year and he was 78 for 303 (.257 avg, .629 OPS) with 28 runs scored, 2 homers and 19 RBIs. He played in 688 games in his seven years with the Phillies (two stints) and he was 776 of 2,685 (.289 avg, .739 OPS) with 365 runs scored, 51 homers, 281 RBIs and 31 stolen bases. Polanco was injury prone last year and that made this decision a very easy one.