On Monday, the Philadelphia Phillies made waves by signing catcher Carlos Ruiz to a massive, 3-year contract, but general manager Ruben Amaro, Jr. is apparently staying busy even in the wake of that move.
Phillies announce signing of Reid Brignac to minor league deal with big league camp invite.
— Jim Salisbury (@JSalisburyNBCS) November 19, 2013
The Phillies have signed middle infielder Reid Brignac to a minor league deal, and he should provide organizational depth (at worst) and/or compete for a big league job as a utility man. Fans would recognize Brignac’s name as a former prospect/player of the Tampa Bay Rays, where he was drafted in 2004 and played through the 2012 season. However, the 27-year-old isn’t exactly known for his bat.
For his career, Brignac has a .221/.262/.311 slash line (.573 OPS) in 814 plate appearancs, and his lack of power (11 MLB home runs) is a major knock on him as a player. However, he is potentially a valuable glove at either middle infield position, and it would be helpful for the Phillies to have a guy behind Jimmy Rollins and the injury-prone Chase Utley who has some legitimate experience.
I’m almost positive that Phillies fans won’t love this move, but I think it’s a solid, no-risk play by Amaro, and if he hits at all (i.e. his 1.4 fWAR season in 2010), this move becomes a steal.