According to ESPN's Jayson Stark, only a physical stands in the way of Placido Polanco becoming the Phillies' next third baseman. According to multiple sources familiar with the club's thinking, the two sides are closing in on a three-year, $18-million deal , pending a physical.

The 34-year-old infielder arrived in Philadelphia on Thursday morning to take that physical, and told NBC-10 TV's John Clark that he's "excited to join a championship team."Before Wednesday, the Phillies appeared to be locked in on three potential free-agent third basemen -- Polanco, Adrian Beltre and Mark DeRosa. But talks intensified with Polanco's agents Wednesday, a day after his old team, the Tigers, declined to offer him arbitration.

Polanco is a Type A free agent, so the decision not to offer him arbitration means the Phillies could sign him without losing their first-round draft pick.

Polanco played for the Phillies from 2002-05. And their mutual familiarity appeared to be a major force driving their pursuit.

Although Polanco has won two Gold Gloves at second base since the Phillies traded him to Detroit, he played 95 games at third as a Phillie. So the club seems to have no reservations about moving him back to third. And Polanco told NBC-10, "I feel very comfortable playing third base."

The Phillies declined the option on third baseman Pedro Feliz last month to see if they could find a righthanded-hitting offensive upgrade who could help balance their left-leaning lineup. They envision Polanco hitting second behind Jimmy Rollins, a move which would drop Shane Victorino lower in the order.
Polanco batted .337 at Citizens Bank Park as a Phillie, with more walks (23) than strikeouts (20). And it's his plate discipline that appeals most to the defending NL champs. Polanco has never struck out 50 times in any season in his career. Feliz, on the other hand, had a 618-217 career strikeout-walk ratio, and the Phillies were looking to add more contact to a strikeout-prone lineup.