The decision not to pursue a new contract with Myers wasn't surprising. Though Myers had triumphant times in a Phillies uniform - he made three opening-day starts, saved a division-title-clinching game, and swung the bat memorably in the 2008 playoffs - he had just as many that were tumultuous.
Most notable, he was charged with assaulting his wife, Kim, in Boston in June 2006. The charges were dropped.
Myers had other scrapes with controversy, including a highly publicized verbal altercation with a reporter in 2007. Late this summer, he missed a rehabilitation start in the minor leagues after he said he injured his left eye when he fell out of his family's Cadillac Escalade. Earlier this week, two days before the Phillies lost the World Series to the New York Yankees, he was involved in another tempest after a wisecrack directed at teammate Cole Hamels was taken the wrong way. The two friends later laughed off what they said was a misunderstanding and had dinner together.
Though no one in the organization would explicitly say it, there were indications that the team had just had its fill of Myers, the club's top draft pick in 1999. The Phils might have put up with Myers' dramatics had he maintained the effectiveness that helped him win 25 games and post a 3.82 ERA in 65 starts over the 2005 and 2006 seasons, but a number of factors hurt his performance, especially the last two seasons, and exhausted the team's patience.
Myers filled a void at closer and saved 21 games in 2007, but struggled in returning to the rotation in 2008. He accepted an assignment to the minors and came back to play an important role in a second-half run that preceded a World Series title. This season, he suffered a hip injury and missed three months while recovering from surgery.
