Amaro checks another item off wish list
A busy Saturday morning sees the Phils add two pitchers to the staff: set-up reliever Mike Adams and back-end starter John Lannan.
Amaro checks another item off wish list
Ryan Lawrence, Daily News Staff Writer
First, the Phils agreed to terms on a two-year contract with one of baseball’s best set-up men, righthander Mike Adams.
But a busy Saturday morning continued when they also plucked former Washington Nationals starter John Lannan off the free agent market, too.
According to multiple reports, begining with CSNPhilly.com, the Phils have come to terms on a one-year, $2.5 million deal with Lannan, a lefthander who is the odds-on favorite to assume the rotation spot vacated by Vance Worley. The 28-year-old Lannan is 42-52 with a 4.01 ERA in 134 career games, all starts, from 2007 to 2012.
After the Nationals added Gio Gonzalez and Edwin Jackson to their healthy stable of starters last winter, Lannan was pushed out of the rotation and spent most of 2012 in Triple A. Lannan went 4-1 with a 4.13 ERA in six starts with Washington in 2012.
Lannan’s addition to the Phillies is hardly surprising. With an eye on still adding a high profile bat to the lineup and a proven, trustworthy arm to the back of the bullpen, Ruben Amaro Jr. said he was looking for a “low-risk, high-reward” type guy.
“Or somebody’s who’s come back from an injury or someone like that who can battle for that fifth spot,” Amaro said. “A lot of teams have had some success looking for that guy late in the season and finding that productive guy. So that’s one possibility.”
In choosing an inexpensive option for the rotation, the Phils were able to instead spend a reported $12 million on Adams. The 34-year-old Adams has a 2.28 ERA in 358 major league games with the Brewers, Padres and Rangers.
He will take over the eighth-inning job the Phils desperately needed in 2012. Of the 363 2/3 innings Adams has pitched in his career, 228 of them have come in the eighth inning. In that eighth inning work, Adams has a 1.82 ERA with 237 strikeouts and 63 walks.
With Adams and Lannan in the fold, Amaro’s last big chore is to find an everyday, proven outfielder.
Nick Swisher and Cody Ross are the most attractive outfield bats on the free agent market. Michael Cuddyer and Alfonso Soriano are two veterans who could come available in a trade.
After spending less than $14 million on the foursome of Adams, Lannan, third baseman Michael Young and centerfielder Ben Revere, the Phils should have ample salary left to acquire one of those bats.
Wishlist or Death Wish? Its been a terrifying tailspin since about mid- September 2011. Last offseason was a nightmare,Halladay inexplicably turned into a RH version of John Lannan and now Rube backs it up with Lannan himelf. 20 games out by the all star break. Book it. Rube is in way over his head.
— argonne
We are really stuck now in the OF. I agree we need a power bat. Ross is the best option and to get him they will need to overpay with a three year deal. Mayberry and Nix are nice reserve outfielders, but I do not like counting on Ruff and Brown on the corners. I hope they both fulfill their potential, but I hate having to count on it, especially for a contending team. I would feel better with Ross on the team.— gtnestro- I like every move Amaro has made this off-season, & I'm happy to start the season with what we have. A lot of people are writing off this team as "too old". I think that all the post-season play for all these years, caught up with them. Now, we have a fully rested veteran team that knows how to win big games. I'll take our team over any other team in the NL east. Good job, Ruben.— Philsfan56
- Wow. Drunk on Kool Aide. You sir (or madam) are what's known as an "enabler". You really believe our Phillies are better than the Nationals or even the Braves at this point in time? While I wish you were right, you (in my opinion) epitomize the type of fan that the "big spender" Amaro is counting on to put fannies in the seats; that being the blind believers in his Royal Smugness, the "great and powerful" Amaro.
- Ross is horrible, just horrible. I'd rather take my chances with Ruf and he chokes, go get a vet at the deadline. The dude has play in over a 150 once in his 10 yr career, only 3 times greater than 130 games in a season. Last year his 22 HR and 81 RBI's were his second highest total in each catagory for a season for his entire career. You add to that his lack of speed and a 262 life time avg, you have a lifetime 4th outfielder who can have his moments. No way should the Phils commit 25plus million for this dude.— LGbalsac
- Hmm, Nationals sign Dan Haren, we sign John Lannan. Seems these teams are picking up speed in the opposite direction they are moving in...— bobcitydoc
- I like Amaro's moves as well. Of course, the real determinant of next season is whether Halladay, Howard, and Utley bounce back. I think they will, and the Phils will be hard to beat. Of course, in Philadelphia, one must always be ready for disappointments.— doc35
- Great additions, IMHO. First, Adams. Yahoo's FA tracker writes about Adams, "From 2008-11. Pitcher A: 242 2/3 innings, 266 strikeouts, 1.71 ERA, .179/.234/.275 opponent triple-slash. Pitcher B: 258 1/3 innings, 254 strikeouts, 1.71 ERA, .189/.227/.271. Pitcher A was Mike Adams. Pitcher B was Mariano Rivera. The next-best ERA among pitchers with at least 240 innings was 2.37." He is coming off surgery to correct a nerve issue that causes a loss of feeling in the throwing arm. Great low-risk, high reward signing, especially at $6M per year for two years, with a difficult vesting option. Next, Lannan. John Lannan is actually is pretty decent pitcher, though most of us Phillies fans would never know it, unless you lived near DC. (The Phillies positively OWNED Lannan.) He isn't on anyone's FA tracker system because he spent most of last season at AAA. That wasn't his fault. After the Nats traded for Gonzalez, added Jackson, got 3/4 time out of Strasburg, and a full season out of Jordan Zimmerman, Lannan was the sixth man on a five man rotation. Again, great low-risk, high reward signing. At $2.5-M for one year as a bridge to 2014 when, hopefully, one of the Baby Aces can step up and show something, it's a great signing. Next, I'd sign Cody Ross for three years @ 5M per season. Yes, paying Cody Ross $15M for three years is a bit long, both in terms of money and length, but given the money teams have been throwing around this winter, teams need to overpay to get the player they want. I don't see Nick Swisher as an option. The Phillies will void their first-round draft pick--the highest draft pick in about a decade--if he signs with the Phillies. I see that as a non-starter.— Squonk64
- Yes Im hoping Brown stays healthy and gets his shot in RF. Im aware little has happened in past 2 years to warrant this. I also feel that this guy has top talent. Brown, Ruf and Revere make Phillies lots younger. Top questions for '13. Can Young do decent job at 3rd? We know he can hit. Are Halladay, Adams, Utley healthy enough? Will talent of Ruf and Brown emerge? Think this is last year of Manuel's contract.— Don w
