1:35pm: Abad’s deal comes with a $2.5MM salary if he makes the Phillies, per Chris Cotillo of SB Nation (Twitter link). Cotillo confirms that Abad could earn up to $3.1MM, as Heyman reported earlier.
8:10am: Abad has until March 22 to earn a spot on the Phillies’ roster, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports. The deal includes a mutual option for 2019, Sanchez adds (Twitter link), which Heyman tweets is also for a potential $2.5MM.
7:48am: The Phillies have reached an agreement with left-handed reliever Fernando Abad, according to Jon Heyman of FanRag. Abad will receive a non-roster invitation to spring training, as Craig Mish of MLB Network Radio first reported, and will have a chance to earn $3.1MM if he makes the Phillies, per Heyman (Twitter links).
The 32-year-old Abad will join a Phillies relief mix which is light on lefty options, evidenced by the fact that Adam Morgan is the sole southpaw in the club’s projected season-opening bullpen. Abad may stand a solid chance to make the team, then, and if he does, he’ll bring a respectable track record to Philadelphia. The former Astro, National, Athletic, Red Sox and Twin has pitched to a 3.65 ERA with 7.68 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and a 40.7 percent groundball rate across 317 2/3 major league innings. Abad has limited same-handed hitters to a subpar .234/.287/.383 line along the way.
Abad was effective in 2017, his only full season in Boston, where he logged a 3.30 ERA with 7.63 K/9, 2.89 BB/9 and a personal-high 45 percent grounder rate over 43 2/3 frames. He was also tough on both righties (.250/.312/.384) and lefties (.224/.288/.348), though the majority of his work (34 innings) came in low-leverage situations.
Not a bad signing
actually, it is Abad signing
Abad joke.
Does well in mop up time. Not so in others last season.
only thing I was going to post I have abad timing
I’m happy my team is adding veteran bullpen pieces. Neschek, Hunter, Rodriguez, Abad, added with a couple of young hard throwers down there. He’ll make the team as kaplers lefty specialist late in the game.
Good piece to sell at the trade Deadline
What’s with… be a good piece to sell at the trade deadline?
I want players who stay with the franchise. Most of those mid season trades they’ve done haven’t amounted to much.
Stop acting like a small market team.
its not about acting like a small market team; its just common sense to trade a guy whose performed well enough to help a contending team when the Phils are out of contention. Phils got decent talent back from the Rockies just for their two month rental of Neshek, so the Phils management wants to line up a few of those possibilities again. It’s smart baseball if you’d pay attention.
Agreed, it’s a logical way to boost the farm system if you’re out of playoff contention in July. I don’t get the hate
Clearly their second choice, after Watson agreed to sign with the Giants. Oh well.
Good riddance- signed, Red Sox fans
Yeah he earned a groan out of me every time he came into the game
Did was poor-to-mediocre at best. Should have been DFA’d multiple time. I have no idea how he made it through the whole year
Agree with all of the above. Last year’s playoff resume says it all.
Yep A’s fans cringed too when he was pitching for them
He was great in Oakland. Good luck, Fernando…
Wanted to he White Sox to grab him.
Some lh depth, nice…
Now let’s cap off the offseason with a Arrieta signing!!
but Arrieta’s trending downward in every significant pitching category, most alarming being his innings per start. he isn’t going to go deep into games and do the bullpen any favors. cant pay him the 100mil he wants just because he won a Cy two years ago. i hope im wrong about him because I do think the Phils are in the top-5 teams with a shot to sign him, but i dont welcome the move
I’m more concerned about the years he wants than the money. Realistically, I don’t think the Phillies will go over 3 years for him, so I doubt they get him. I just think they have a better shot at competing than people give them credit for, but I think they need a something more reliable with Nola up top the rotation for that to happen.
I have Abad feeling about this…
Solid LOOGY guy they can use out of the pen.
Those that consider this a great move didn’t see him in a Sox uniform. He was so undep undependible that Farrell was forced to only pitch him in mom up situations or when there was no one else. The best I can say it is a low risk situation. Just don’t depend on a high reward.
Those that consider this a great move didn’t see him in a Sox uniform. He was so undependible that Farrell was forced to only pitch him in mop up situations or when there was no one else. The best I can say it is a low risk situation. Just don’t depend on a high reward.