Phillies GM Matt Klentak continues to add bullpen help so far this offseason and follows up claiming righty reliever Dan Otero off waivers with the signing lefty specialist James Russell. The Phillies and Russell agreed to terms on a minor league contract that includes an invite to Spring Training and don’t be surprised if he makes the 25-man roster.
The 29-year old had an off year in 2o15 with the Cubs posting an ERA over five and simply couldn’t consistently get batters out. 2015 looks like an anomaly because Russell in the previous three years had posted ERA’s of 3.25, 3.59, and 2.97. Also 2015 was the fewest games Russell has appeared in his career and it breaks a four year streak of appearing in at least fifty games. Looking at some saber metric statistics, Russell’s ERA+ was only a 75, which is another career low for him, but his FIP at 3.90 wasn’t bad for him. Russell’s down year in 2015 doesn’t worry me one bit and though it’s a small signing, it will definitely help the team.
With Mario Hollands coming off Tommy John Surgery and no real timetable for his return, James Russell will have a high chance of cracking the 25-man roster out of Spring Training. This move adds more depth to the bullpen for sure and we will probably see similar moves like this throughout the offseason.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
