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The Phillies’ Search For Pitching Depth

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The Phillies acquired arguably the best pitcher in baseball earlier this offseason. As Spring Training approaches, Roy Halladay starts training every morning at 7 am and his team is considering some less formidable options in an attempt to add depth. Here are the details, from a pair of beat writers:

Amezaga Worked Out For Four Teams

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Super-utility man Alfredo Amezaga worked out for four teams last week, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports.  He had microfracture knee surgery in July, but has been on a conservative rehab program.  The Marlins non-tendered him after the season.

Amezaga's agent has suggested his client has at least ten suitors.  A return to the Marlins hasn't been ruled out, with the Dodgers, Cubs, and Reds also linked at various points.

Nationals To Sign Tyler Walker, Chuck James

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The Nationals officially signed Tyler Walker to a one-year deal that will pay the reliever $650K if he's in the majors and $120K if he's in the minors.  They also added lefty Chuck James on a minor league deal.

Walker, 34 in May, posted a 3.06 ERA, 6.9 K/9, and 2.3 BB/9 in 35.3 innings for the Phillies last year.  He tossed an additional strong 19.3 innings in the minors.  Despite Walker's efforts, the Phillies outrighted him in November and he elected free agency.

James, 28, had rotator cuff and labrum surgery in November of '08 and was subsequently non-tendered by the Braves.  He missed all of 2009, but Rosenthal says Nats assistant GM Roy Clark saw James throwing 88-90 on Saturday.  James was once serviceable, logging a 4.05 ERA over 280.3 innings for the Braves in 2006-07.

Walker and James join a long list of Nationals pitching acquisitions this winter: Jason Marquis, Matt Capps, Brian Bruney, Eddie Guardado, Doug Slaten, Ryan Speier, and Joel Peralta.

Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reported the two deals and MLB.com's Bill Ladson and CBS Sports added the value of Walker's contract.

Rays Sign Matt Bush

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The Rays signed pitcher Matt Bush to a minor league deal, tweets Marc Topkin of the St. Petersburg Times. 

Bush, now 24, was the first overall pick by the Padres in the 2004 draft.  A shortstop at the time, Bush's signability pushed him past Stephen Drew, Jered Weaver, and Jeff Niemann on Kevin Towers' list.  He was arrested on felony assault charges weeks after the draft, resulting in a suspension.  Injuries hampered his progress, and the Padres converted him to pitching in May of '07.  He had Tommy John surgery later that year.

Bush was charged with assault again in February of '09, and the Padres designated Bush for assignment and traded him to the Blue Jays.  The Jays released him in April, and more incidents surfaced in June.

Marlins Targeting Bullpen Help

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The Marlins "don't particularly fancy" free agents John Smoltz and Joe Nelson, writes Clark Spencer of the Miami Herald, but they're eyeing a slew of others.  Spencer names Kevin Gregg, Chan Ho Park, Seth McClung, Kiko Calero, Mike MacDougal, Derrick Turnbow and Jose Veras as relievers on the radar.

The Marlins will be bargain-hunting, of course.  Year after year the Fish manage to turn up quality relief seasons from guys signed for nothing.  In 2009, it was Calero, Brian Sanches, and Brendan Donnelly.  Still, you have to wonder if offering arbitration to Calero would've been a wise move.

Yankees To Hire Kevin Towers

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The Yankees will announce the hiring of former Padres GM Kevin Towers before spring, tweets Bob Nightengale of USA Today.  ESPN's Buster Olney had been predicting this since October.

Towers planned to meet with the Yankees, Mets, Mariners, and Red Sox during the Winter Meetings, reported MLB.com's Corey Brock.  Towers later told Tim Sullivan of the San Diego Union-Tribune that he wanted to see how an American League team was put together.  Click here to download Towers' Padres trade history, compiled by Brendan Bianowicz.

Phillies Sign Jose Contreras

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The Phillies officially signed righty Jose Contreras to a one-year, $1.5MM deal today.  GM Ruben Amaro Jr. said he'll be stretched out in Spring Training as a starter but is best suited for the bullpen.  Enrique Rojas of ESPN first reported the agreement on Friday.

Contreras, 38, posted a 5.42 ERA with 7.0 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 in 21 starts for the White Sox before getting traded to the Rockies in late August.  Contreras pitched well as a reliever in his brief stint for Colorado.

Hisanori Takahashi Seeking Major League Deal

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Japanese lefty Hisanori Takahashi seeks a big league deal as he attempts to transition to MLB, reports ESPN's Jerry Crasnick.  Crasnick names five interested teams: the Orioles, Dodgers, Mets, Red Sox, and Giants.  Takahashi, 35 in April, is willing to pitch as a starter or reliever.

Last year for the Yomiuri Giants Takahashi posted a 2.94 ERA, 7.9 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 1.0 HR/9 in 144 innings. Takahashi's '08 numbers: 4.13 ERA, 6.9 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, and 1.18 HR/9 in 122 innings.  By numbers alone Takahashi could be considered a command guy who might have trouble keeping the ball in the yard and exceeding 150 innings.

Back in November, Patrick Newman of NPB Tracker profiled Takahashi.  He earned about $1.3MM in '09 and is represented by Peter Greenberg.  Takahashi doesn't throw very hard or shut down lefties, but is known for his screwball.

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