Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports reports that the Phillies have agreed to sign shortstop Ronny Cedeno to a minor league deal with an invitation to Spring Training (Twitter link). Cedeno is a client of Eric Goldschmidt.
Cedeno, who turns 31 next month, batted .242/.287/.330 with three homers and five steals in 288 plate appearances with the Astros and Padres in 2013. His strikeout rate jumped to a career-worst 25.3 percent last season, and his 4.9 percent walk rate was the second-lowest of his career.
In parts of nine Major League seasons with the Cubs, Pirates, Mets, Padres, Mariners and Astros, Cedeno is a career .246/.289/.354 hitter. He has extensive Major League experience at shortstop and second base, and he's also appeared at third base, first base and in the outfield.
I’m sure they asked Cedeno if he can play every position on the field slightly below serviceable including pitcher. That is a must for a backup infielder that can’t hit on the Phillies.
I like this signing, good infield depth
Thinking like this is how this team ended up with multiple seasons of Michael Martinez.
But cedeno is not muchael martinez, he’s no mvp or starter for that matter but theres no hurt in having depth
If I had $1 for every Red Kool-Aide drinking Phillies fan I know, that used the same thinking to justify Michael Martinez in the same way, I would be retired.
With an aged infield everywhere except 3B (assuming Asche wins the job) and especially up the middle, Cedeno will not be “depth”, there is a great chance he plays significant time.
So Cedeno plays average to horrible defense at SS and somewhat more passable defense at 2B. Rollins is a better offensive and defensive SS and has proved to be pretty durable so I assume this is backup for when Utley is injured. Still seams like they should be able to find someone in the minors who is younger, could use the experience and could produce below average defense and offense.
so they’ve got Cedeno AND brignac in camp on minor league deals… Cedeno hasn’t played more than 8 games in a season at the minor league level since 2007… Kind of makes you wonder what they really plan on doing with Freddy Galvis. but I don’t see them using Galvis as a back up SS over cedeno or Brignac.
What value does Galvis have in trade? Another relief pitcher?
I don’t think Galvis has a known value yet. Everyone knows he’s pretty much null with the bat (and on the bases) – over the first two seasons, he’s totaled a -9 (in 2012) and -6.5 (in 2013) in Fangraphs “offense” category. But the defense, which was his bread and butter in the minors, now may be coming into question. In 2012, he logged 450 innings and posted a +9 defensive runs saved (also from Fangraphs). Last year, in just 370 innings in the infield, he posted a -5 defensive runs saved. That’s a significant drop for a guy who’s supposed to be a defensive wizard. And it may be why they are looking elsewhere for utility players (maybe Galvis will be the type of guy who thrives on defense when he’s out there daily – but struggles when you try and plug him in the lineup twice a week).
those numbers are a bit misleading, since over 300 of those 370 innings came at 3B/2B and LF (a position he never played before) and he’s really a natural SS. he only had 26 fielding chances at SS in 2013, so the sample is so small at his natural postion that its really hard to tell if there was any real change at all.
I’m not saying he’s a bad fielder – just that it’s probably hard to value him for outside teams. Just as a breakdown (for 2013), he was -2 DRS at 2B, -1 DRS at 3B, and -2 DRS at SS. I left out his OF numbers (where he was actually +2 DRS) because I see him more as a utility infielder – not an overall utility player. And you’re right – the innings were skewed and the natural position sample size was small in 2013 (167 at 2B, 133 at 3B, and just 67 at 2B). My point was that they aren’t sure what they have (from a trade value perspective) because his numbers have been erratic the first two years.
Which is just another reason why they’d be better served letting him play every day at Lehigh at SS than as a reserve in Philly. He’s played 120 major league games in the field. Just 16 of them have come at SS, and he’s only gotten 10 starts.
Agree. Not only does it give him some more time to re-acquaint himself with SS (not sure it would take long). But it also lets him work on his bat some more. I’m (personally) not convinced he can make it in the bigs with the bat he has now (and nothing – outside of what looks like an outlier in 2011 – has shown that he’ll ever hit more than he did in his big league ABs). While I’m all for defense first – especially up the middle – things will turn real sour, real fast in Philly, if you go from Jimmy (who although the majority claims to hate him, is still average to above average with the bat) to a .640 OPSing SS (no matter how good his glove is).
Yup. I think too they can hedge their bets with Rollins better if Galvis I playing every day at the deadline. I think they also get a better gauge on whether Galvis CAN take over as a bridge to Crawford that way.
I’m hoping that JP starts at Lakewood (A) this year – Clearwater (A+) is probably to much to ask to start the year – and somehow finishes in Reading (AA). While Jimmy isn’t great, his option for 2015 is pretty attainable (needs 440 PA this year and to be off the DL at the end of the year), so, theoretically, they could get by without a bridge from Jimmy to JP.
Yeah, unless he’s benched or gets hurt Rollins will see his option vest by the middle of July. And the DL thing at the end of the season only applies if a mutually agreed upon doctor deems him unable to play at the start of 2015. So a hammy injury at the end of the season won’t affect him, but a torn ACL or something that required surgery would. That option is vesting
The problem with galvis from a value perspective is he hasn’t really logged enough time at the major league level to know exactly how his bat will play. His glove is elite at SS but he only got 67 innings there last year. he was used mostly in LF and at 3B/2B where he’s more of an above average defender.
he’s a guy you’d package with someone but he’s not gonna give you mich back in head to head value. certainly not as much as what he probably brings on the field and as an insurance policy.
This a hedge against injuries to our older veterans
They are probably hoping that with all the guys in camp (Brignac, Cedeno, Galvis, and even Andres Blanco) one of them will turn out a good spring, and thrive in a bench role. When you’re talking about adding the 23rd, 24th, or 25th man to you roster, it shouldn’t be guys you’re essentially handing spots to. It should be people who win jobs in spring training. I’d rather RAJ do this, than go out and sign a utility player to a MLB deal, and then have him produce at the same (or worse) level as one of these MiLB signings.
Another former Cub great
The country “RUBE” promised a big surprise…..I think the BIG surprise is that the Fighting Phils will be Fighting to stay out of last place!
Typical MLBTR Phillies comment. Stop blaming Amaro and start blaming the causers of this – David Montgomery and John S. Middleton.
Do some research.
End of Galvis? Hope so. Could use a spare BP part over his inept bat.
Galvis’s glove more than makes up for his ‘inept’ bat.
You could put a rain barrel out there and it’d get on base more than Galvis.
you gotta be kidding me. sign someone who has a long term future for the team
Like who?
Minor league moves always getting chastised