Red Sox sign Brandon Phillips to minor league deal
The Red Sox signed middle infielder Brandon Phillips to a minor league contract, providing the team with some much needed depth.
On Wednesday, June 27, the Boston Red Sox announced they had signed infielder Brandon Phillips to a minor league contract. Phillips has not played for any team during the 2018 season. But adding some middle infield depth at this stage of the season makes sense. Dustin Pedroia is still suffering from inflammation in his surgically repaired left knee. And the team is still running Eduardo Nunez and his 69 wRC+ out there. Pedroia has yet to resume baseball activities.
Phillips hasn’t had an above average season with the bat since 2011 when he posted a wRC+ of 121. The good news is he hasn’t been too far below league average in the half dozen years since. He has posted wRC+’s between 90 and 101 in 5 out of 6 of them. At this stage of his career, he’s likely not much better than an average defender. He has amassed just -0.3 total UZR in his last three seasons. But he’d be an upgrade over Eduardo Nunez as an everyday player if Pedroia doesn’t make it back.
Speaking of Pedroia, is this bad news on that front?
Chances are this is precautionary depth. If the team was certain Pedroia was headed for the 60 day DL, Brandon Phillips wouldn’t be the move they would make. Instead, we’d see a trade for an above average second baseman from a non-contending team. No, this likely means that they still expect Pedroia back on the field at some point. So they wanted to hedge their bets as much as their financial constraints would allow. And, honestly, Brandon Phillips is likely about as good as you can hope to get for that purpose.
Plus, while Pedroia may have no timetable for a return at this point, Phillips wouldn’t be ready for major league action right away either. He hasn’t played competitive baseball at any point this season. That means he’s likely headed for extended spring training to get up to speed, before joining the Pawtucket Red Sox for games. That process might take a week or two, at which point we may well know Pedroia’s fate. So this signing is almost certainly your normal mid-season depth pick up and not a harbinger of some kind.
Next: Jackie Bradley breaking out of his slump?
At 36 years old, Brandon Phillips may well have seen his last day in uniform at a major league park. If the Red Sox are relying on him down the stretch, more than one thing has gone very wrong. Perhaps he will join the bench as an Eduardo Nunez replacement should he, too, need a DL stint for his knee. Until then, this move is more likely to end up a bit of random baseball trivia.