Will Venable to Phillies: Latest Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

Will Venable didn’t have to wait long to find a new team. One day after the Cleveland Indians announced they released the 33-year-old outfielder, he reportedly agreed to a minor league deal with the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday, per MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki and CSNPhilly.com’s Jim Salisbury.  

The Phillies confirmed the deal on Twitter.

In 135 games with the San Diego Padres and Texas Rangers in 2015, Venable hit .244 with six home runs, 33 runs batted in and 16 stolen bases.

The Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Matt Gelb posited Venable could be a good platoon option in right field with right-handed bat Tyler Goeddel. Historically, Venable is a much better hitter against right-handed pitching than he is against lefties, per Baseball-Reference.com:

Despite his struggles over the past two seasons, Venable can still be a valuable member of an MLB outfield, especially if he’s splitting time and not playing every day.

He ranked 25th in FanGraphs’ baserunning metric among hitters with at least 350 plate appearances in 2015. Not only is Venable a threat to steal, he can also advance an extra base on base hits on occasion. In addition, he will help Philadelphia defensively, especially given his ability to play all three outfield positions.

The Phillies almost certainly aren’t going to be a playoff contender in 2016. PECOTA projects them to win an MLB-worst 66 games, per Baseball Prospectus. Adding Venable won’t make them contenders overnight, but he’ll add depth to the outfield and provide security in the event Goeddel struggles in the majors.

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Grady Sizemore Re-Signs with Phillies: Contract Details, Comments and Reaction

The Philadelphia Phillies liked Grady Sizemore so much they decided to bring him back.

On Thursday, the team announced it re-signed the 32-year-old outfielder to a one-year, $2 million deal, per Yahoo Sports’ Jeff Passan:

According to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo, Sizemore’s deal can be worth up to $5 million if he cashes in on various potential bonuses:

Sizemore is the classic case of what could’ve been. In eight years with the Cleveland Indians, he was a three-time All-Star and won two Gold Glove Awards and a Silver Slugger Award. One of the most dynamic players in the league between 2005 and 2008, he was a true five-tool player.

Then injuries derailed Sizemore’s career. He appeared in 210 regular-season games between 2009 and 2011 and failed to play at all in 2012 and 2013.

Sizemore spent parts of the 2014 season with the Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies. After a rough 52 games with the Sox, he arrived in Philly, where he played in 60 games, hitting three home runs, driving in 12 runs and boasting a slash line of .253/.313/.389.

Hardball Talk’s D.J. Short was a bit underwhelmed that the Phillies viewed re-signing Sizemore as a top task in the offseason:

On the contrary, Rotoworld’s Matthew Pouliot thinks re-signing Sizemore could be a low-risk, high-reward proposition:

Holding onto Sizemore will do nothing to dispel the notion that Philadelphia has become a haven for aging/oft-injured stars.

However, the team isn’t making a massive financial commitment to the outfielder, and in time, he could grow into a serviceable bat in the lineup with average to above-average defense.

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Jimmy Rollins Injury: Updates on Phillies Star’s Hamstring and Return

Jimmy Rollins left Monday night’s game against the Pittsburgh Pirates after suffering an injury on a triple in the bottom of the fourth inning. According to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com, the Philadelphia Phillies shortstop strained his left hamstring:

Although the curtain is closing on the 2014 regular season, Rollins believes that he’ll be back before the year is over, targeting sometime a little over a week away for his return, per Ryan Lawrence of the Philadelphia Daily News:

Matt Gelb of The Philadelphia Inquirer thought that, all things considered, Rollins has played above expectations in 2014:

Coming back before regular season is out carries major financial weight for both Rollins and the Phillies. Gelb wrote in December 2013 that an $11 million vesting option would be wiped out if the 35-year-old finished the season on the disabled list. The option could come back in play, however, if a doctor finds him ready to go for the 2015 season.

With Philly cemented in last place in the National League East and holding no hope of making the playoffs, it will be interesting to see how Rollins’ recovery is handled. There’s no reason to rush him back to the field, and the team would possibly save money if it kept him on the shelf.

It adds a little intrigue into what is an otherwise dull road to the finish in Philadelphia.

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