Phillies Sign Williams to One-Year Deal

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Looks like the Phillies have opted for the cheaper option between free agents Jerome Williams and Kyle Kendrick for next year’s starting rotation.   This story was reported by Todd Zolecki and also rehashes other rotation options like Miguel Gonzalez.

http://m.phillies.mlb.com/news/article/99171332/phillies-sign-right-hander-jerome-williams-to-one-year-deal

68 thoughts on “Phillies Sign Williams to One-Year Deal”

  1. Williams probably isn’t a terrible insurance policy. He fits the profile of Lannon/ Hernandez of the last 2 years. Cheap 5th starter who can hopefully eat some innings. At the very least he’ll probably serve at a long reliever for this team.

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      1. I like the signing. It was funny that they were able to trade Hernandez and actually get something of value, and then they signed a guy off waivers who came in, physically looked just like Hernandez and pitched like him too. So it was sort of like getting a couple of minor leaguers for free and the contract gives them insurance on the back end of the rotation with some upside and, if he pitches okay but they don’t need him later in the year, they can try to flip him for some minor league talent just as they did with Hernandez last year.

        But I think we have to be realistic about his upside. If we are really lucky, he’ll pitched like a solid 4, but if he’s a true 5 and eats innings and keeps them in games, he’ll be worth the salary, especially as the team experiments with young pitchers in the rotation – having that back up guy who just comes in and pitches competitively with little fanfare can extremely be useful. And, yeah, it makes it easier for them to jettison Kendrick and his salary, which I am sure is going to happen and needs to happen.

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  2. Personally I think he stinks but had a good month. Did he really change something? Regardless, its a one year deal for not much money and that’s rarely bad.

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    1. For what it’s worth, I recall that Williams attributed his resurgence to Chooch and to getting predictable and extended work; but mostly he said it was Chooch.

      For a guy who didn’t play regularly in the majors until he was about 28 and couldn’t hit a lick for a few years, Ruiz has had an astonishing career and he’s still going strong. He’s played to about a 21 fWAR and bWAR (over $100 million of contract value, even though he’s only been paid $23 million to date) and, frankly, I think those numbers significantly underestimate his defensive value in calling a game.

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    2. It does seem like SSS. His BABIP went down and his HR rate went down by half. His other peripherals didn’t change.

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    1. There isn’t the middle of the lineup help available needed to fix what is wrong with this team so the era of mediocrity would continue regardless of this low risk signing. Mediocrity is actually generous. This team can only hope mediocre for the next couple of years.

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      1. Next years free agent class is pretty stacked. Baring some unseen extensions we could pull a 2009 Yankees and add some big name talent to pair with Crawford, Nola, Giles, Diekman, Franco, and Asche

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            1. They’re this year, he’s referring to next year above. Add Upton and Heyward to next year’s list too, at least at the moment.

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            2. I’m aware the guys are listed this year. I could have listed several more pitchers of comparable quality to Liriano. The point is, if you want to use $$ to sign a plus player who can contribute 4 or more years into the future, those guys are just as available now as they will be next year. Lester won’t even cost a draft pick. Rather than patch and fill with 3 or 4 elderly vets as we’ve done each of the past several years, spring for one really good player with a future horizon that extends beyond 2016. You are unlikely to add as many impact FA as the Phillies need to compete in one off-season. That’s why I’d bank one this winter. The presence of that guy, in addition to Cole and hopefully a great young pen will make it that much easier to sign the FA you want next winter.

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        2. Why wait? There are good pitchers available in this FA market and actually signing one of them will make it easier to sign one or two next season. People argue that this is a waste season upcoming, which is true, so why spend the money, but the Phillies are going to spend the money. Might as well spend it on somebody who is actually star quality and can help going forward. Over the past several seasons, we have spent a ton of money on mediocre old players who have zilch chance of ever helping a future PHillies contender. Of these guy, Hernandez is the only one we flipped for realistic prospects. We can use a ‘Thome signing’ about now.

          I am not impressed that the young talent moving up through our minors is going to turn things around because, if we are brutally honest, we have a slightly below average level of quantity/quality of talent moving through the system. We’ve certainly got Crawford, Franco, Nola, Quinn, Biddle, Imhof but really, how many organizations can’t boast that or better?

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          1. ‘We’ve certainly got Crawford, Franco, Nola, Quinn, Biddle, Imhof but really, how many organizations can’t boast that or better?’….well I guess if you go by BA or BP org prospect rankings…maybe 20 or so.

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            1. No, our org ranked #22 coming into this season according to BA. They also had us under-represented in their current listing of top-20 prospects by league, so looking at their rankings are not going to say 20 teams have lesser prospects moving through the organization than we do. How do you look at the rankings and come up with the figure of 20 teams with less promising farms than we have? That seems implausible. Nobody gives us an above-average number of top-100 prospects.

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            3. I wasn’t expecting preciseness, but your statement says that there are only 9 minor league organizations which are stronger than ours. I just don’t think that is close to true. I’d say perhaps twice that many.

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            4. We mis-communicated…..I agree with you…..there are about 20 better then the Phillies….sorry for the disconnect.

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      2. The 1 guy that could be that person is Tomas. That’s 1 reason the Phils should be all in on him. A potential young power hitter on the open market.

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        1. IMHO, I think Ruben will surprise the Philly faithful soon with another Cuban’s addition. Not cigars either.
          One silent zillionaire partner financially persuaded Ed Wade 10 years ago to bring in a future HoF first base slugger to open the ‘Bank’ and now may be persuading this GM, also for the latest Cuban.

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        2. Yes, he would make the farm look quite a bit better as would the maturation and plus performance from Encarnacion. We really haven’t had any breakout LA talent since Franco.

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        3. Mlbtraderumors mentioned Philly as a front runner for Tomas. I do not think Ruben will be outbid on Tomas. He is desperate for young talent and adding a young cuban OF prospect with crazy power potential may be a good start to turning this thing around. That is if Tomas can hold a respectable average tap into his power consistently. If we grab Tomas and he can be a good every player the reward is great. Tomas, Nola, Crawford, Giles, Franco and a maybe a few other guys like Quinn or Cozens can become the next core group. IF we trade Hamels and Byrd we could get a couple more names on that list. However, if Tomas is a bust we are stuck with a guy who may get a contract over $100mil. That is frightening. If Ruben passes on Tomas and he becomes a star that is also frightening. Hopefully the scouts we have watching him can determine if he will make enough contact to succeed and ruben can make a well informed decision.

          Side note I would love to see Ruben take a shot on some more players who have maybe had a disappointing season or an injury. The Mets gave Byrd a chance and he flourished. They then traded him (along with C John Buck) to the pirates for their #11 and 15 prospects. That’s a pretty good return since the pirates farm is pretty deep and considering Byrd and Buck were rentals. We flipped Hernandez last year for a nice return. Buy low and sell high on players and pick up some prospects in the process. We may not land any studs, but you never know. We would also build some prospect depth and create more options going forward. With the current state of our team there is plenty of playing time available. We may need 2-3 more OFs if we move Revere, Brown, Byrd, or any combination of the three. We need some additional rotation help as well. We could pick up a reliever or two to compete with the younger guys and generate some value. Take some fliers on guys and see what happens.

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          1. The bigger risk is not signing guys like Tomas. Whether it’s draft/international 16-year olds/Japan/Cuba the Phillies have been serious under-spenders in the acquisition of new talent over the past decade, just as they have recently been over-spenders in the acquisition of 35+ year-old major league talent. The only way you build a new contender is to reverse those priorities. I doubt it is possible to replace Hamels with equivalent or greater talent measured 4 or 5 years from now. Few teams trade a Hamels and win the trade. That is why such trades are made almost exclusively by teams who have to cut salary. I know… the argument is that Hamels is our biggest trade chip, so he must be traded. That is hardly an argument that we will win the trade if we trade Hamels. Hamels is 30. His age is not the problem. We have a lot of salary and positions tied up in guys who are 35 or more, not playing well, or both. That is the problem. That you can’t get a ton for them in trade and that you have to send along $ to move them, also isn’t a valid argument for trading Hamels. The PHillies are going to have to spend to improve. They don’t necessarily have to spend a ton more than they have been spending, but they do have to stop wasting big money, like the $28 mill they dumped on Burnett. That is $$ that could help a rebuild.

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            1. Its not like they spent on Burnett instead of spending on international talent. They opened up their wallet and spent extra on Burnett thinking he would help them win. It was a good gamble and we all applauded it at the time. 18 losses later, the move doesn’t look as good. Revisionist history is always easy. I’m fine if Burnett comes back for another year because that’s 200 innings covered and he seems to be a good guy in the clubhouse and with the young guys. RAJ definitely needs to sign Tomas if the scouts decide that he can play. I think Texas will be the toughest competition for him. He’s young enough that he can still be here when the team becomes good again in a few years. Time for a Japanese pitcher next…

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            2. Haven’t the Phils been one of the bigger spenders the last 4 or 5 years? Gamboa, Encarnacion, Mecias and Pujols come to mind

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            3. The Phillies have been among probably the top dozen spenders for the under-23 international talent the past two seasons. Prior to that, not so much.

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            4. From the two Korean pitcher’s fiasco in 2001, thru 2011 (Tocci signing), the Phillies were on a modest budget in the international market.
              With the results of the thriftiness now showing.

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  5. How good would Jorge Soler look patroling the outfield for the Phillies ??? He was signed for 9 years at 30 million, talk about a bargain. Personally I would rather have him @ that cost then Thomas for over 100 million.

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    1. If I recall accurately, while the bidding process was ongoing, almost everyone on this site was all over Soler and wanted desperately for the Phillies to be in that mix; the same was true of Cespedes. The days of the great, high profile international free agent bargains may be coming to a close (that’s not to say you still can’t find hidden gems, just as you would in the draft). Like many other teams, the Phillies took a traditional and careful approach early on in the process and that cautious approach has definitely hurt them.

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      1. I’m not saying that Tomas would be a bad signing at $100 million, because I really don’t feel I know enough about him to make that statement. For all I know he could be worth every cent of that. But I am saying that there is an enormous amount of risk associated with such a signing and, if they sign him for that amount, even with all of their resources, the Phillies cannot afford to be wrong.

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    2. Well, yeah, everyone would rather have a Soler at that price, but his success is part of what has pushed the market higher. The Phillies thought that $30 mill was too rich for their blood and that the MLB Phillies were good enough that they didn’t have to go after talent like that. Well, now we know how short-sighted that was. TV revenue is rising across baseball. More teams are spending. As with chintzing on the farm for a decade, the Phillies saved some pennies on development over the past decade, now they are going to have to make up for that, spending 10x what it would have cost to do the right thing at the proper time. You don’t rise from the basement to contention by not spending. Changes in the rules have reduced the ways that teams can get ahead by spending. That means the bargains are gone as more and more teams try to get an edge. The Phillies can either choose to play the game at market rates or they can languish in the cellar for a few extra years. There simply is no way to quickly climb from cellar to the pennant without taking some spending risks. Money spent on ‘sure thing’ aging vets, like the $28 mill dumped on Burnett is a sure loss in the long term. All it can do is buy you a few extra wins in two awful seasons. Or, at Burnett’s age, it can buy you no extra wins, as it did in 2014. All players are a risk. The over-35s are as big a risk as the kids and the Cubans and they have zilch future.

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    3. That one is weird. Technically the Cubs signed him to a deal before he was eligible for FA. The original deal got “torn” up, other teams were in but the original deal with the Cubs is what happened.

      If I remember correctly they were in on Cespedes too, but that was a blind bid and I think it was reported that the A’s were the only ones to give a short enough contract that he could hit FA for a second contract. My guess is the Phillies put in a 6-7 year contract offer.

      That doesn’t say that it wouldn’t be nice to have either, just a reminder to throw out all rules for Cuban prospects, the bidding is different on each and the rules aren’t always followed or straight forward. You are also bidding blind in many cases (Phillies essentially bid on MAG based mostly on game tape and a few innings)

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        1. No clue on price, I would say it is a very good chance they sign him. Every indication is that they really like him and that they will spend for him. The bidding and negotiating seems open, so some semblance of best offer should win. All that being said, everyone is working with partial information here

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    4. Who knows!
      Maybe Ruben will deal Hamels to the Cubs and sign Tomas and you could have them as bookends in the OF with lil’ Ben sandwiched in between.

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  6. I don’t understand why everyone wants the Phillies to try and acquire an outfielder for Cole Hamels. Outfielders are the easiest players to acquire. I want a middle of the order (2nd base, Shortstop (move him or Crawford to 2nd), or Catcher) that I can put in my lineup the next 6-10 years.

    If the Phillies can sign Tomas then outfield isn’t a need anymore.

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    1. That said if the player is a stud center fielder I might pull the trigger. I don’t want a Corner Outfielder for Hamels.

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  7. I know its a cheap contract for Sizemore. just wondering what this means for revere and brown. I would think one of them is gone. especially if they sign Tomas. That’s three left-hand outfielders.

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  8. You would think Sizemore would have waited unless he knew he was going to get significant PT. I think Brown is, for sure, going in a deal for another “change of scenery guy”. Whoever that might be. This shows very little expectation that Dugan or Perkins is a legitimate guy to make the team. I wonder if they continue to move quickly and get Tomas?

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    1. Dugan or Perkins? Are you kidding? Neither one has any shot. They’re not close to being ready. I think Sizemore gave the phillies a discount because they took a shot in him last year. Sizemore really can’t play CF anymore other than as a back up but he’s fine in the corners, a decent 4th OF

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    2. Dugan is not the sort of exceptional prospect who is going to move from AA into a starting major league job. Perkins is a 4th OF, in all likelihood, because he can’t play CF and he doesn’t hit for power and he isn’t speedy.

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  9. None of the OF’s are anywhere near ready for next season at the MLB level.

    If anything the Sizemore signing is an backup in case they cannot sign Tomas.

    What this does indicate is both Brown and Byrd are on the trading block and will be dealt if they sign Tomas.

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    1. I’m very much of two minds on Brown. I think his upside at this point is an average regular, and probably less than that. But his trade value is probably at an all time low now. I think giving him the regular LF job in the hope that he at least rebuilds some trade value is probably the right call.

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      1. I would like to keep Dom Brown, for RF if the Cuban Tomas gets signed for LF.
        Letting go of Brown only gives me thoughts of the Pirates cutting ties with Jose Bautista 6/7 years ago, and then seeing what transpired.

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  10. What is the thought of trading Byrd and moving Brown to RF? He is terrible in Left, seemed marginally better in Right, and maybe that is more comfortable? Getting nothing for him does not really help, and maybe he is, at least somewhat, fixable.

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    1. I think that makes sense. 2015 is the year when we can well afford to give a full chance to guys like Brown and Ruf. You may find you have something of value or you may not, but not to try is just to throw away the potential value.

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      1. Why do two of them have to go? If Sizemore is a regular in the outfield, it will be one more piece of evidence that the organization is lousy at evaluating talent.

        As a 4th outfielder, it is a good signing.

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        1. Because you cannot start 4 outfielders. If you sign Tomas for $12 million per season he will start. So you have as starters Revere/Tomas/?????

          You cannot keep Byrd on the bench at his salary and Sizemore showed in his time here that he deserves a chance to start.

          You trade Brown and get back a reclamation project and trade Byrd for an A ball player but you get relief from his contract which you need to pay for Tomas contract.

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          1. Sizemore doesn’t deserve to start. Not even close. If the Phillies start Sizemore, it will be yet another piece of evidence that their talent judgment is appallingly bad. Mind you, it wouldn’t shock me. That is the elephant in the room – the core failing of the organization.

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            1. Well they did resign him to a one year deal so you have to factor into the equation that the Phillies were impressed by his play here.

              He did well enough to deserve a one year contract with incentives.

              It makes more sense to put him in the outfield as a one year deal and hope that someone breaks out in AA/AAA and pushes for a roster spot later in the year.

              At that point you can flip Sizemore for another prospect and call up the young player or if he falters he plays out his year on the bench.

              In any case, the team is not contending next year so you have to approach it like a rebuilding year.

              If you trae Byrd and Brown you free up roughly $9 of the $12 million needed to sign Tomas and then dump Howard any way possible along with trading Hamels for a haul.

              If you get a AAA OF back for Hamels it makes trading Byrd and Brown even more likely since your OF at the end of the year could be Tomas/Revere/(guy from Hamels trade).

              It is all about roster construction and thinking 2-3 years down the road.

              I doubt the Phillies payroll will be at the $180 million next season given the falling attendance and 89 losses. Look for a radically different team next season.

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            2. I’m neglecting work as it is. There are aspects of your comment I agree with, and aspects I don’t agree with, and aspects which are irrelevant to the question at hand, but your fundamental problem is believing that Sizemore’s performance is such as to make him worthy of a job as a regular outfielder. I don’t have the time for a detailed analysis, but his performance supports no such belief. He is a replacement level player AT BEST.

              I certainly agree that it’s possible that the PHILLIES agree with you – but that doesn’t impress me as an argument in favor of such a role for him being appropriate. It is, frankly, of a piece with the organization’s appallingly bad talent judgment. The organization could fix all of its other problems, but until the talent judgment gets better they will be mediocre at best.

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            3. You are 100% correct and this is what is frustrating me they need changes at the talent evaluation level across the board. Until something changes on that end I lack confidence that a rebuild wil be successful, the organization needs fresh eyes evaluating talent at the major and minor league levels as well as the international markets.

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  11. Brown will get you a reclamation project but the Phillies botched his development by not making a commitment to him.

    Right now it is best for all sides if they just move on. Unless he is a starter than there is no need for him on the roster.

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    1. Which is why he should be a regular in the outfield so he can somewhat rebuild his trade value.

      I don’t think he really gets you even a reclamation project now – at least not one worth having. Good organizations don’t trade players when their value is at their lowest.

      If the team was contending it might be different – then you would need to weigh the need for solid play from your left fielder versus the need to rebuild his trade value. But for a team like the Phillies, playing a guy like Sizemore over Brown would be objectively insane.

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        1. Look, if you really can get a DECENT reclamation project, that is, one that reasonably could become a position regular or starting pitcher, by all means trade him. And then find a left fielder other than Sizemore.

          But you probably can’t get that much for him now, and if you don’t, you shouldn’t trade him.

          Regardless, Sizemore, who should not be a major league regular, has nothing to do with the decision.

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        2. Brown could get you a player like OFer Desmond Jennings, who the Rays expected more from. A similar situation with the Phillies and Brown. Both teams would be hoping for a resurgence from each player.

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          1. There is no way in the world that the Rays would trade Jennings, who, even as a disappointment, is a good player, even up for Brown. OBVIOUSLY if the Rays have a sudden attack of insanity and make that offer, you grab it. Heck, I’d throw in a prospect as well. Quite unlikely to happen, though.

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            1. You never know what another team will do, when they sour on a player.
              Jennings has not been what they envisioned, and though they are going to show patience with Wil Myers, not so with Jennings at this point.
              Jennings does have a better defensive metric over Brown, but he hasn’t been able to play a full season yet and his left knee issue in September was another problem for the Rays. Then again, not wanting or needed to play the last week and half of a season all but over is not a new thing, Jimmy Rollins and the Phillies saw no sense in bringing him back for the last 5/6 games of this season.
              The Rays are looking to move on, but like you mentioned it could take more then just an even up swap.
              But Jennings is in that reclamation category that Brown would fall into if another team is interested in him.

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  12. The whole thing with Brown comes down to him starting on a regular basis next season. If he does great, if not it is best to move on.

    I think a lot hinges on Tomas. If they sign him then there will be a massive amount of trades from the Phillies.

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