Lefthander Rodriguez signs with Braves, not Phils

YOU CAN cross one reclamation project off the list of potential Phillies starters this season. According to multiple reports, veteran lefthander Wandy Rodriguez has agreed to a minor league deal with the Braves after a similar one with the Phillies was scuttled due to a failed physical.

Rodriguez, once one of the most consistent starters in the National League, has battled injuries in recent years, including a forearm strain that limited him to 12 starts in 2013 and a knee injury that preceded his being designated for assignment 2 months into last season.

From 2009-12, Rodriguez averaged 199 innings with a 3.47 ERA (114 ERA+) and excellent rate stats (7.6 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and 0.9 HR/9). The soon-to-be 36-year-old lefty was traded by the Astros to the Pirates in July of 2012.

Assuming Cliff Lee is healthy and Cole Hamels is not traded, the Phillies will enter the year with Aaron Harang as their No. 3 starter. Harang, who signed a 1-year, $5 million deal earlier this month, is coming off a season in which he made 33 starts for the Braves, posting a 3.57 ERA with 7.1 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and 0.7 HR/9 in 204 1/3 innings.

Harang will be 37 this season. Heading into spring training, the Phillies will follow Harang with righthander David Buchanan and one of a host of veterans who will compete for the final spot in the rotation, including Jerome Williams, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez and Kevin Slowey.

Jonathan Pettibone could factor into the equation if he has recovered from a shoulder injury that has hampered him for the last year.

Blog: ph.ly/HighCheese