In early February, it’s impossible for a Major League Baseball team to have too many pitchers. Those pitchers, along with their catchers, will report to spring training in Florida and Arizona next week if they haven’t already arrived. For a Philadelphia Phillies team that desperately wants to win a championship after a series of near misses,
every pitcher coming to major league camp has the chance to raise the club’s ceiling if they made notable strides over the winter. On Tuesday, it was reported that the Phillies brought in one more arm to compete for a roster spot, adding to the intrigue of what is sure to be a very different group compared to last year. According to a report from Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Phillies agreed to terms with Daniel Robert,
a member of their staff from last year, on a minor-league contract with a non-roster invite to spring training. Robert, 31, made 15 major league appearances for the Phillies last year and allowed six earned runs to go with 15 strikeouts in 13 innings. For Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he allowed seven earned runs in 18 2/3 innings, striking out 19 batters and walking just five.
The Phillies added closer Jhoan Duran at the July trade deadline after experimenting with Jordan Romano early in the year in a ninth-inning role that worked out disastrously. Since free agency began, the Phillies let Romano walk and traded Matt Strahm to the Kansas City Royals, while bringing in Brad Keller, Jonathan Bowlan, Zach Pop, and Kyle Backhus. It’s pitchers like Pop, Backhus, Chase Shugart,
Trevor Richards, and Tim Mayza whom Robert will have to beat out to win a spot on this Phillies pitching staff coming out of spring training. If not, he could head to Triple-A and await his turn, or his deal may include an opt-out to pursue other opportunities either after spring training or sometime early in the regular season.
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