Source: Willis agrees to one-year deal
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Source: Willis agrees to one-year deal
Matt Gelb
Dontrelle Willis once won Rookie of the Year and finished second in Cy Young voting. He's resurrected a career presumed done at age 26, and now he'll be asked to assume a role he's never filled before.
A major-league source confirmed the Phillies agreed to a one-year deal with Willis, pending a physical. His base salary, first reported by ESPN.com, will be less than $1 million. All of Willis' 13 appearances were starts in 2011 and 202 of his 205 career games are starts, but the source said he'll be reliever for the Phillies.
Willis posted a 5.00 ERA in 75 2/3 innings for Cincinnati in 2011, but the Phillies apparently saw enough to guarantee the lefthander a one-year contract for 2012.
The answer probably lies in his ability to retire lefthanders.
His career numbers against lefties are outstanding, holding them to a .200/.274/.288 slash line. In 2011, those numbers were even better, as lefties hit .127 with a .369 OPS against. He turns 30 in January.
Ruben Amaro Jr. said he wanted to add a lefthanded reliever at the winter meetings and Willis simply adds depth to a unit teeming with promise. The other advantage: Theoretically, if the Phillies needed a starter to slide into the rotation because of injury, Willis presents that backup plan.
The Phillies have now guaranteed contracts to three relievers -- Jonathan Papelbon, Jose Contreras and Willis. Contreras' health is still in question, but he is scheduled to begin throwing in January. Kyle Kendrick was offered arbitration. The remaining three spots in the bullpen will be filled by a handful of young arms. Figure Antonio Bastardo is a lock. That leaves Mike Stutes, Justin De Fratus, Phillippe Aumont, David Herndon, Michael Schwimer and Joe Savery to fight for two spots.
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I am firming up my parade plans now. It's in the bag.— richw38- Willis's career slash line:.244/.378/.665. Valdez: .243/.330/.621. Of course Valdez can relieve as well.— paolibulldog
- Can Dontrelle throw strikes out of the pen to a lefty "close and late" with the game on the line? That is a question he has never had to answer? As a starter he always had control problems. He has appeared in 205 major league games and 202 of them as a starter.— Dull
- Thinking of Dontrelle pressing to throw strikes cold out of the pen gives me the same feeling that DeSean Jackson gets going over the middle for ill timed Vince Young pass. — bearsfriend
- low risk high reward moves are much like hail mary passes --they fail 98% of the time,,, Willis has consistently failed every opportunity he's had with every team since his rookie season and everybody he's played for has given up on him..likely just a waste of $1 million and 5 or 6 losees... problem is that the Rube wastes his time with these meaningless moves like Willis, Thome, Schneider, Nix, wastes $50 milion on a relief pitcher and doesnt make a no-brainer move like getting a bona fide hitter like Aramis for 3rd base for the same price he's paying a closer or likley to pay a good-field, mediocre-hitting shortstop...— warbiscuit
- Ahh, you can't even mix your metaphors correctly. Hail Mary pass is high risk, high reward. I think I'll start calling you DogBiscuit again.
— verve - Could be a very good move gives us a vetern lefty in the pen and gets out lefties which is what we need— srcdaddy1216
Comment removed.- is there a WARBISCUIT APP on the market that can block idiotic rants?— TheLon
- The Reds aren't exactly bowling over anyone with their staff. If they let him walk what does that say to you. Say it ain't so Willis....— dedhed
- Movin on Up, to the East Side. To a Dee lux apartment in the sky.— Wilhelm Von Humboldt
- Not sure I understand the "Jefferson's" reference. Willis was Different Strokes". — John Klink
- Signing Dontrelle Willis is either going to work, or it's not. The Phils didn't break the bank with the deal or make it long term, so there's not a lot of risk but there is a lot of upside potential. If Willis works out, this will be a big time acquisition. Looking at the list of non-tenders, there are a lot of interesting names that will be available at reasonable prices. Let me first say that I'm not aware of the current health issues with any of these guys, but if they are healthy, they should still have a lot of gas left in the tank to help some team. Here are a few names that you wouldn't expect to be reading about just a year ago: 1) Jeff Keppinger (SS, 2B, 3B) 2011 BA .277, Fld % .987. 2) Ryan Theriot (2B, SS) BA .271 Fld % SS -.956 , 2B - .991. 3) Jason Jaramillo (C) 23 games in 2011 - BA .326, Fld % - 1.000. 4) Peter Moylan (R RP) - pitched in 13 games in 2011 before having shoulder surgery - 3.24 ERA with 12 hits and 10 strikeouts in 8.1 innings pitched. 5) Micah Owings - 8-0 record, 3.57 ERA with 56 hits and 44 strikeouts in 63 innings pitched. I don't know if any of these guys would be of interest to the Phils, but they certainly could.— onthebucks
- Micah Owings can hit as well as Willis and Zambrano...the guy really should be a thirdbaseman. — bearsfriend
- It's either going to work or it's not. I knew that. — Claire Voyant
