Phillies sign veteran reliever Hector Rondon to minor-league contract
The former closer had success with the Houston Astros as recently as 2019, although his average fastball velocity has declined in each of the last two seasons.
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In their pursuit of pitching depth, the Phillies landed three right-handers on Tuesday, including a former closer.
Hector Rondon, who has 92 saves in eight major-league seasons, agreed to a minor-league contract with an invitation to spring training. The Phillies also signed Bryan Mitchell and David Paulino to minor-league deals.
Rondon, 32, posted a 7.65 ERA last season in 23 appearances for the Arizona Diamondbacks. But he had a 3.46 ERA in the last two full seasons, 2018 and 2019, with Houston and was the division-winning Astros’ closer in 2018 until they acquired Roberto Osuna at the trade deadline.
Of the 315 relievers who have worked at least 50 innings since the start of the 2018 season, Rondon ranks 23rd with an average fastball velocity of 96.8 mph. But his heater has cooled in recent years, declining from an average of 97.2 mph in 2018 to 96.7 mph in 2019 and 95.6 mph last year.
Neither Paulino nor Mitchell has pitched in the majors since 2018. Paulino, 26, has a 5.48 ERA in 16 career appearances for the Astros and Toronto Blue Jays; Mitchell, 29, has a 5.15 ERA in 64 games (20 starts) for the New York Yankees and San Diego Padres.
Last year, the Phillies took similar minor-league-contract fliers on experienced pitchers. But none of them — Drew Storen, Bud Norris, Anthony Swarzak, and lefty Francisco Liriano — wound up making the team out of summer camp.