By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Three former Philadelphia Phillies players inked new contracts on Wednesday: first baseman Justin Bour and right-hander Charlie Morton, along with southpaws J.A. Happ and Joely Rodriguez.
Bour signed for one year and $2.5 million with the Los Angeles Angels; Morton for two years, $30 million with the Tampa Bay Rays; Happ also for two year, $30-plus million contract — plus an option for 2021 — with the New York Yankees; and Rodriguez for one year, $1 million with the Chunichi Dragons of Nippon Professional Baseball.
Bour, 30, slashed just .224/.296/.347 with three doubles, one home run, six runs scored and five RBI spanning 29 games and 54 plate appearances with the Phillies last season. The Phillies dealt minor-league southpaw starting pitcher McKenzie Mills to the Miami Marlins to acquire the five-year veteran last August. Mills struggled with his new organization, posting an 0-3 record, 8.10 ERA and 1.560 WHIP over four starts at Double-A Jacksonville.
A strained left oblique limited Bour's availability while with the Phillies, who placed him on waivers in mid-November before non-tendering, or releasing the slugger on Nov. 30.
The Phillies had "ongoing dialogue" and were thought to be "close" on a potential reunion with Happ, 36, however the 12-year veteran ultimately chose to remain in New York, where he went 7-0 with a 2.69 ERA over 11 regular season starts following his July 2018 trade from the Toronto Blue Jays.
When done, Happ’s deal will be 2 yrs at $34M — $17M each season — with a $17M 2021 option based on games started or IP threshold in 2020. So could be 3 at $51M if maxes out #Yankees
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) December 13, 2018
The Phillies were not as interested in a reunion with Morton, if at all, as they were with Happ. The 35-year-old and 2017 World Series champion posted a MLB-best .833 win percentage last season, going 15-3 with a 3.13 RA spanning 30 starts with the Houston Astros.
Rodriguez, 27, went 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA, 25-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.745 WHIP spanning 38 relief appearances and 36 2/3 innings with the Phillies between the 2016 and 2017 seasons. The Phillies designated the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, native in early June 2017, before trading him to the Texas Rangers for a player to be named later or cash considerations. Rodriguez would never play in the majors again. In 33 appearances last season with the Baltimore Orioles' Triple-A affiliate, Rodriguez went 5-3 with a 4.56 ERA, 52-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio and 1.358 WHIP spanning 49 1/3 innings.
