By Tim Kelly, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The Phillies added three veteran minor league free agents with closing experience this offseason hoping that perhaps one or two of them could make a difference on the Major League roster. Andrew Bailey made the Phillies early this season and has performed pretty reliably in the Phillies bullpen. Ernestro Frieri did not make the Phillies Opening Day roster and was released very early in the season and he has yet to land with a Major League organization. Edward Mujica accepted a minor league role and made the International League All-Star team.
Pitching for the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, Mujica was named an All-Star and combined with nine other relievers to lead the International League to a 4-2 victory over the Pacific Coast League. However, on Thursday, the day after an International League All-Star appearance, Mujica was released by the Phillies. Mujica earned the save in the game and afterwards asked for his release from the Phillies organization. He was granted it.
Mujica was 0-3 with a 3.69 earned run average and 23 saves for the IronPigs this season. Despite pretty solid numbers for the IronPigs, the Phillies opted for other relievers such as Colton Murray, Severino Gonzalez and Edubray Ramos in recent days when the team needed relief help. The reason was that those players occupied a spot on the 40-man roster, and adding Mujica could cost the team a player they hope to keep long-term.
Mujica is a Major League veteran in whom the Phillies had interest in the past. Finally signing Mujica in 2016 as a minor league free agent, Mujica hopes he will have a better chance to join a Major League team by becoming a free agent. The Phillies were not obliged to release Mujica, but granted it to him as a professional courtesy. The Phillies will now need to find a new Triple-A closer.
