Philly Sports Jabronis
By Todd Zolecki, Phillies.com
PHILADELPHIA — The Phillies need outfielders, and they believe Grady Sizemore can help in some fashion in 2015. They announced Thursday they have signed him to a one-year, $2 million contract.
Sizemore hit .253 with nine doubles, two triples, three home runs, 12 RBIs and a .701 OPS in 176 plate appearances with the Phillies, who signed him to a Minor League contract in June. He was hitting .306 with an .817 OPS through his first 130 plate appearances with the Phillies, but cooled off considerably in the season’s final month.
Sizemore started just nine games in September and hit .098.
It is the first of what could be many moves in the outfield.
Several sources have said the Phillies are serious players for free-agent Cuban outfielder Yasmany Tomas. He could command $100 million, but the Phillies have the money to spend, and with no outfield prospects knocking on the door, it is something that makes sense for them.
Right fielder Marlon Byrd had the best season of any Phillies outfielder, posting team-highs in home runs (25) and OPS (.757). But the Phillies are going to try to trade him for younger pieces, which they tried to do without success in July.
Domonic Brown hit just .235 with 22 doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, 63 RBIs and a .634 OPS in 144 games this season. His OPS ranked 139th out of 147 qualified hitters in baseball. His .641 OPS as a left fielder was the lowest of any left fielder since Chuck Knoblauch’s .582 OPS for Kansas City in ’02. Brown’s future with the organization is uncertain, but he is relatively young, and some in the organization still believe he can rekindle the stroke that landed him on the 2013 National League All-Star team.
Center fielder Ben Revere hit .306, and .323 from July 2 through the end of the season, but posted just a .686 OPS overall. His OPS ranked 123rd out of 147 hitters. The Phillies would like to upgrade in center field if possible, but options are slim.
Sizemore is expected to be a fourth or fifth outfielder who will play every outfield position. He played 28 games in left field, 12 in right and seven in center for the Phillies in 2014.
The Phillies also avoided arbitration with left-hander Cesar Jimenez, agreeing to a one-year contract for the 2015 season.
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Jerome Williams made enough of a positive impression on the Phillies that they are bringing him back next season.
The team announced Tuesday evening that they signed Williams to a one-year, $2.5 million contract, which includes performance bonuses. Williams, 32, went 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA in nine starts with Philadelphia this year.
“He did a nice job,” Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said. “We feel he has some upside. He’s got some versatility. He’ll be given every opportunity to be part of our rotation, but he has some versatility to pitch in the middle [of the bullpen] somewhere if not.”
Williams went 2-5 with a 6.71 ERA in 28 appearances (two starts) last season with the Astros and Rangers before the Phillies claimed him off waivers in August. He is 48-54 with a 4.40 ERA in his nine-year career, so should the Phillies expect some sort of regression to his career averages?
“We looked at the metrics on that,” Amaro said. “A lot of it will depend on him. The way that he performed, it was clear that he had changed his overall approach. If he maintains that approach we believe he can give us the depth we need. One of our priorities is trying to create some more starting pitching depth.”
Cole Hamels and David Buchanan are the only starting pitchers under contract or team control who finished the 2014 season healthy.
Cliff Lee finished the year on the disabled list with a left elbow injury, although Amaro said Lee is scheduled to begin his throwing program next month. The Phillies expect him to be ready by Spring Training.
A.J. Burnett has a $15 million mutual option, which the Phillies are certain to decline. But even if they do, Burnett has a $12.75 million player option, which he has until five days following the World Series to accept or decline. Burnett has vacillated between pitching again and retiring.
“I’m really kind of neutral on it,” said Amaro, asked if he would be surprised if Burnett turned down that much money. “I knew what it took to get him back and pitching this year. I would assume that he’d want to pitch again. I don’t have that information, but my inclination is that he’s going to want to pitch. He’s a competitive guy.”
Other pitchers on the 40-man roster include Kyle Kendrick, who will become a free agent; Jonathan Pettibone, who had right shoulder surgery in June; andMiguel Alfredo Gonzalez, who became a reliever because of concerns about his ability to stay healthy as a starter.
But Amaro said Gonzalez will enter Spring Training competing for a job in the rotation.
“We’re going to give him every opportunity to be in our rotation,” Amaro said. “We have to try to create as many opportunities for starting pitching as we possibly can. We’re not going to be able to go through a season with five or six pitchers. It’s probably going to take seven to 10 pitchers.”
But can Gonzalez hold up?
“He personally feels more comfortable being in the rotation,” Amaro said. “Whether or not he can provide that remains to be seen. But after speaking with him it was very important to him to be prepared mentally and physically for this offseason to get stretched out.”
