1:46pm: Philadelphia has announced the signing, noting that lefty David Rollins was designated for assignment to clear roster space. Rollins continues to traverse the majors via the waiver wire this winter; he has already moved from the Mariners to the Cubs, then on to the Rangers, before landing in Philadelphia.
12:54pm: The Phillies have agreed to a one-year, $3MM to bring back utility infielder Andres Blanco, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). Blanco, 32, has spent the past three seasons in the Philadelphia organization.
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The veteran utilityman has revived his career since landing with the Phils as a minor-league free agent. While he wasn’t a big part of the 2014 team, he made his way back to the majors for the first time since 2011.
Blanco ended up returning on another minors pact in the ensuing offseason, cracking the roster out of camp. Nobody foresaw the career-year that ensued. Ultimately, Blanco slashed a robust .292/.360/.502 with seven home runs over 261 plate appearances in 2015.
That surprise performance led the Phils to tender Blanco, which netted him a $1.45MM payday. While he wasn’t quite able to keep up the offensive output in 2016, he still provided a sturdy .253/.316/.405 batting line in his ninety games.
Blanco’s new contract recognizes both his useful bat and his defensive versatility. While metrics were more favorably inclined toward his glove earlier in his career, Blanco remains capable of playing anywhere in the infield and has been trusted with spot duty in the corner outfield as well.
Good move
I agree! Blanco is a great clubhouse guy and gets the job done when asked. He can also mentor the Phillies young Hispanic players and teach them some English and culture. He used to be the teams translator for the Hispanic players.
I had the chance to play with him in our first year of pro ball in Florida!! He is a great leader and mentor for the young guys.
One of the lowkey better bench players out there. Paying $3M for what many teams cheap on and fill with a prospect is the move of a team trying to contend.
NL East goes through Philly, now.
Good move. I’d like to see them sign a veteran left handed 5th outfielder and I’m happy with the off season.
Daniel Nava?
If they sign anyone to fill out the roster I hope none of their young
Players will be blocked from playing time. They need to figure out what they really have so they can get competitive and sign a couple of free agents to fill in the holes.
So where will David Rollins land now?
Good move