Phillies Baseball

The Phillies added some depth to their infield on Tuesday by signing former Atlanta Brave and San Diego Padre second baseman Marcus Giles to a Minor League contract.

With Chase Utley and Pedro Feliz recovering from off-season surgery, the Phillies needed a veteran infielder to fill the void left at second base and third base in case home grown prospects Jason Donald and Brad Harman cannot hit Major League pitching.

Giles played for the Braves from 2001-2006 before playing for the Padres in 2007. He signed a Minor League contract with the Colorado Rockies prior to the 2008 season but was cut by the team before the regular season began.

He is a career .277 hitter with 76 homeruns, 333 RBIs, and 70 stolen bases. If he is not on the 25-man roster with the Phillies by July 1st he can be released by the team at his request.

The 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies have signed free agent right handed reliever Gary Majewski to a Minor League contract and have invited him to Spring Training.

2008 was Majewski’s fifth season in the Majors. He posted a 1-0 record with a 6.53 ERA in 37 appearances with the Cincinnati Reds.

For his career Majewski is 9-13 with a 4.61 ERA over 240.1 innings pitched in 229 games.

He will compete for a spot in an already strong Phillies bullpen for the 2009 season. The Phillies bullpen was the best in the National League in 2008, en route to the team’s first World Series title since 1980.

The bullpen posted a National League best 3.22 ERA.

The 2008 World Series Champion Philadelphia Phillies announced on Monday that they have come to an agreement on a one year contract with free agent pitcher Chan Ho Park and have resigned free agent pitcher Jamie Moyer to a two year deal.

Park’s deal was announced early Monday morning and is worth $2.5 million but could reach $5 million after incentives.

Park spent the 2008 season as a reliever with the Dodgers. He went 4-4 with a 3.40 ERA. He also made five starts, going 1-0 with a 2.16 ERA.

Park will be given the opportunity to battle for the fifth and final spot in the rotation with Kyle Kendrick, Adam Eaton (if not traded by Spring Training), Carlos Carrasco (who posted a 1.72 ERA in six starts at Triple-A in 2008), and J.A. Happ.

The other four spots belong to Cole Hamels, Brett Myers, Joe Blanton and Jamie Moyer.

It was announced on Monday afternoon that Moyer had resigned with the Phillies for two years after posting a 16-7 record in 2008.

He won the NL East clinching game for the Phillies for the second season in a row on September 27th and helped lead the team to its first World Series title since 1980.

Moyer allowed three runs or less in 14 straight starts in 2008 from June 6 to August 21. He has 246 career wins and since being acquired by the Phillies in 2005, the team has gone 46-28 in his starts.

He is 35-21 in 74 starts with the team.

It was reported early on Friday morning that the Phillies and free agent outfielder Raul Ibanez have agreed to a three year, $30 million deal.

This signals the end of Pat Burrell’s tenure in Philadelphia.

Ibanez, after passing a physical, will become the Phillies everyday left fielder, replacing Burrell.

Ibanez hit .293 with 23 homeruns and 110 RBIs in 2008 for the dismal Seattle Mariners. He is familiar with outgoing GM Pat Gillick from their days together in Seattle.

He also posted a .358 on-base percentage and a .472 slugging percentage in 2008.

He spent the previous five years in Seattle. Ibanez is a left handed hitter that will be added to an already potent left handed hitting lineup.

Ibanez drew interest from the Mets, Angels, Cubs and Braves.

He is one of only five outfielders in the Majors to drive in 100 runs or more in each of the past three seasons.

The other four outfielders are Magglio Ordonez, Bobby Abreu, Carlos Beltran and Carlos Lee.

The Phillies have reportedly agreed to a contract with veteran right handed reliever Mike Koplove.

The deal has yet to be announced by the team but has been reported by multiple sources close to the situation, including the Daily News and the Inquirer.

Koplove has spent the majority of his career in the Majors with the Arizona Diamondbacks but spent the 2008 season in the Dodgers organization.

He was 2-1 with a 3.46 ERA in Triple-A.

For his career, Koplove has pitched 254.2 innings over a span of seven Major League seasons with the DBacks and the Cleveland Indians.

He is 15-7 with a 3.82 ERA in 222 relief appearances for his career.

Koplove will be sent to Triple-A Lehigh Valley but will receive an invitation to Spring Training and could crack the Phillies bullpen at the start of the season.

He more than likely will be battling with veteran reliever Clay Condrey for the final spot in the bullpen for 2009.