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Phillies sign veteran pitcher Billingsley

Many of the Phillies' offseason moves, via trade and free agency, have addressed starting pitching. They added another arm to the mix Thursday when they signed veteran righthander Chad Billingsley to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.

Many of the Phillies' offseason moves, via trade and free agency, have addressed starting pitching. They added another arm to the mix Thursday when they signed veteran righthander Chad Billingsley to a one-year, $1.5 million contract.

Billingsley, 30, has not pitched since 2013 after undergoing Tommy John surgery in April of that year. He also underwent right flexor tendon surgery in June 2014.

His deal includes performance bonuses. Lefthanded reliever Cesar Jimenez was designated for assignment to make room for Billingsley on the Phillies' 40-man roster.

"As has been the case throughout this offseason, we have attempted to create as much starting pitching depth as possible at both the major- and minor-league levels," Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. said in a statement.

"Given Chad's track record, we feel he is an excellent candidate to bounce back as a productive starting pitcher."

Billingsley had spent his entire professional career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The former first-round draft pick won double-digit games in six consecutive seasons, from 2007 to 2012. He went 16-10 with a 3.14 ERA in 2008.

@jakemkaplan