Francoeur signs minor league deal with Phillies
Eight others also sign minor contracts
THE PHILLIES signed nine players to minor league contracts, including Jeff Francoeur, and invited them to spring training.
The non-roster invitees are:
* Andres Blanco: The 30-year-old infielder batted .277 in 25 games for the Phils last season.
* Brian Bogusevic: The 30-year-old outfielder has played 299 major league games over four seasons with the Astros and Cubs. He batted .236 with 17 home runs, 62 RBI and 22 stolen bases.
* Russ Canzler: The 28-year-old utility man played at Lehigh Valley and Scranton-Wilkes-Barre last season. He has played 29 games in the majors.
* Chase d'Arnaud: The 27-year-old played all three outfield positions, second base and third base last season for Triple A Indianapolis. In 118 games, he batted .250 with 16 doubles, nine triples, two home runs and 23 RBI. He has played 64 major league games with the Pirates.
* Jeff Francoeur: The 30-year-old veteran has played 1,237 major league games (Braves, Mets, Rangers, Royals, Giants, Padres). He has a .262 batting average with 250 doubles, 140 home runs and 619 RBI. He only played 10 games for the Padres last season and 115 games for Triple A El Paso.
* John Hester: The 31-year-old catcher played 71 games for Triple A Salt Lake last season, hitting .261, with six homers and 29 RBI.
* Darin Mastroiani: The 29-year-old outfielder played 21 games in the majors last season and 92 games in Triple A.
* Xavier Paul: The 29-year-old outfielder played 14 games for the Diamondbacks and 81 games for Triple A Norfolk last season. He is a 6-year major league veteran (349 games), and has batted .250 with 12 home runs and 71 RBI.
* Elvis Araujo. The 23-year-old lefthander at Double A Akron and Single A Carolina last season. He was 2-1 with a 3.42 ERA and 11 saves in 43 games. The native of Venezuela is 6-6 and was signed by the Indians as an amateur free agent in 2007.