Could Jose Contreras’s career be over?

The Philadelphia Phillies have been dealt a blow, as the injury that Jose Contreras suffered on his throwing elbow is, indeed, grave. The 40-year-old veteran has pitched well this season and has been unlucky, and the poor luck has continued in the worst possible way.

Contreras will be out for the season with a UCL and flexor tear, and an injury of this ilk befell him last year. It was a huge setback to his late career renaissance in the bullpen with the Phillies, and this latest injury could cost him his career.

The former Chicago White Sox starter is definitely out for the season, and there is a good chance that the injury costs Jose Contreras his MLB career.

In a post earlier today, I noted the injury to Contreras and wrote that, if serious enough, the injury could cost him his career:

"He is 40 years old and should retire at the end of the year, but it’s never fun to watch a player leave the game after a long time due to an injury. It’s better to watch someone to go out on their own terms.Contreras is still a quality reliever and has been unlucky this season with his 5.27 ERA. His 2.66 FIP shows just how bad Contreras’s luck has been, as he has struck out 9.9 batters per nine and walked just two per nine. He usually sets down about 8.2 per nine and walks three per nine, so peripherals are not a problem for the veteran."

I hope Jose Contreras goes out on his own terms, even though it isn’t likely and the news is more grim than all of us expected or hope. I mean, this was the absolute worst possible outcome.

When the White Sox won the World Series in 2005, Contreras was a big part of it and was worth 3.5 WAR that year in a breakout season. He didn’t have the best peripherals, but he worked through 204 innings and finished with a 3.61 ERA. Contreras was lucky, but he had a solid year and finished with a 4.20 FIP that was right there with his 4.21 xFIP.

A year later, the Sox starter would have a career year and finish with a 4.2 WAR season. One of the better pitchers in 2006, Jose Contreras had the second of five straight solid starting campaigns before his first full season with the Philadelphia Phillies in 2010 which would coincide with him no longer being a starter and turning into a reliever.

In any case, Contreras pitched 196 innings in that 4+ WAR year and finished with a solid strikeout rate and groundball rate. He had a 4.10 FIP that season.

In his first year as a reliever with the Phillies, Contreras continued to pitch well and was a key cog in the team’s bullpen. He struck out nine batters per nine and walked just 2.5 to post great peripherals in 56.2 innings of work. Jose Contreras was a little unlucky and finished with a great 3.27 FIP (3.34 ERA, 3.29 xFIP). He was worth 0.8 WAR that year which is certainly something to be proud of for a reliever.

I hope this doesn’t end up spelling the end for Contreras’s career, because it stings watching a good player have to go due to injury. He has pitched 1,168 innings in 292 appearances and exactly 175 starts in his career. I’ll miss him and will remember the role he played in those mid-2000’s White Sox teams.