4:30pm: Jon Heyman of CBS Sports reports that Mujica’s contract comes with a Major League base salary of $2.5MM, though he of course needs to make the club to earn that sum (Twitter link).
11:02am: The Phillies announced that they have signed free agent right-handed pitchers Andrew Bailey and Edward Mujica to minor league contracts. The deals include invitations to attend major league camp as non-roster invitees.
Bailey, 31-year-old, tossed 8 2/3 innings for the Yankees this season but allowed eight runs in that time. He’s spent the past two years in the Yankees’ minor league system, battling back from shoulder injuries that have halted the former Rookie of the Year and American League All Star’s career. Bailey notched a tidy 2.57 ERA with 10.8 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in 35 innings across four minor league levels this season as he worked his way back to the Majors.
Mujica, meanwhile, is coming off of a rough year in which he posted a 4.75 ERA with 5.7 K/9 and 1.3 BB/9 across 49 appearances. In May, the reliever was traded from the Red Sox with cash to the Athletics for a PTBNL/cash. Unfortunately for Oakland, they did not get the Mujica of old.
Love these signings, low-risk high reward veterans. Two arms that can easily bounce back to their old forms and bolster the phillies bullpen at virtually no cost. Curious to see how Mujica turns out since his best days were back in the NL with STL. If Bailey can stay healthy, I think he should perform well, given that hes not around the pressures of Boston or NY anymore. Should also provide leadership for a rather inexperienced and young bullpen.
with almost no veterans in the pen other than David Hernandez, alot of guys like these looking for a comeback shot are liking the Phils- seems like they will have about 30 mediocre right handers to sort through in spring training.
When you realize how barren and ineffective the Phillies’ bullpen was throughout last year this rash of signing veteran relievers is a very savvy move by Klentak in multiple ways. One, if these guys bounce back from sub-par years they can be flipped over the summer for prospects and the team can continue to replenish the farm system. Two, if they don’t show they’ve got anything left in the tank it’s no big deal to dump them and find another replacement. As long as they sign small, short-term deals they’re perfect for where the Phillies need to go as they aren’t likely to contend in 2016 anyway.
These guys are available because no one wants them. You can only keep so many on your Major League and AAA roster and keeping a lot of them means you’re blocking younger players and the team isn’t developing long-term bullpen solutions.
protecting young arms.
nice moves by Klentak.
As long as it doesn’t continue like this for
More than 3-4 years
This isn’t low risk high reward.
These two absolutely stink and it’s been a long time since they showed anybody anything.
Quite a fall for Mujica, but it’s been a long time coming. 2 year, $9.5M deal with Sox 2 years ago and he was horrible without fail. Now relegated to a MiLB contract with the Phillies.
So he fell on hard times with Boston amid the entire bullpen (and team for that matter) playing poorly. Im sure pitching coach Juan Nieves didnt do much to get him back on track seeing as though he lost his job with the team. I dont exactly see how this isnt the epitome of low risk high reward? MiLC for two respectable veteran arms that could potentially improve/lead a young bullplen if they make the big league squad. And if they happen to stink, then the Phils dump both of them and move on. But to have two once proven bullpen arms on MiLC’s stuffed away in AAA in hopes of a resurgence is not a bad move by Klentak.
Nieves’ staff won a World Series in Boston. He was a fall guy for a sup par rotation last year.
Mujica went on to Oakland after finally being DFA’d last year.and was just as bad if not worse in a lower pressure environment.
Case and point: http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/11493214/v181314883/must-c-clutch-angels-take-lead-on-pujols-grand-slam
Well when you have names like Porcello, Kelly, and Masterson who all had been dominant starters not too long before they joined Bostons staff, and they all happen to struggle badly with Boston, it leads me to believe Nieves was part of the equation. I also don’t agree that it was “Nieves’ staff” as much as it was the leadership and bulldogs Lester, Lackey, and Peavey that won for them in ’13. Oakland also doesn’t provide then winningest clubhouse and his situation there wasn’t much better than it was in Boston in terms of team chemistry and a winning team. Funny how his best year came with the best team that he’s been on: 2013 Cards. However, not saying that he can’t turn it around and help out a non-contending Phillies squad in 2016.