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5:50 p.m.: The Angels have officially announced the move.
5:30 p.m.: Angels and Outfielders Brett Phillips He has agreed to a one-year major league contract that will earn him $1.2 million.
Phillips, 29 as of May, has attended a major league game every past six seasons and has spent time with the Brewers, Royals, Rays and Orioles. Although he has never been a major threat at bat, he has brought value to those clubs with his defense and speed. His best season to date was his 2021 with the Rays, in which he hit 13 home runs and he stole 14 bases. He struck out 38.7% of his at bats, but he walked 11.3% of those. He finished his year with a .206/.300/.427 batting average and his wRC+ of 103. He also performed well at Globework, where he was considered worth 2.3 wins over his replacement by FanGraphs.
Unfortunately, his game’s flaws were exposed a little more in 2022. His already incredibly high strikeout rate saw him rise to 41.8% and his walk rate dropped to his 7.1%. Last year his batting line was .144/.217/.249 and his wRC+ was an unsustainable 38. He was drafted by the Rays in August, leading to a trade to the Orioles, among other frustrating seasons. They kicked him off the roster in August, but Phillips reached free agency at the end of the season.
Phillips certainly has some flaws, but it also has a lot of good attributes. Statcast places sprint speed in the 88th percentile, outfield jumping in the 99th percentile, and arm strength in the 97th percentile. That speed could be more useful this year with new rules designed to encourage stolen bases. The defensive shift limit might boost him at bat, as it was shifted in his 88% of his at-bats last year.
The Angels may consider implementing Phillips in a part-time role off the bench for a pinch runner and defensive replacement. The primary outfield should consist of: Mike Trout adjacent to the center hunter renfro When Taylor Ward in the corner Shohei Ohtani He is the designated hitter in most games. The club also has Mickey Moniak When Joe Adele As an outfielder option on a 40-man roster, however, both have struggled so far at the major league level and each has an option year left, so they could be sent to the minors as a deep roster if they don’t do well. a bigger role.
Phillips is the latest in a series of moves the Angels have made to better support their star players.Despite years of Trout, Ohtani and other stars, the club has failed to live up to expectations due to shortcomings elsewhere in the roster, and injuries in particular have taken its depths. When tested. Club signed Tyler Anderson help them turn, Carlos Estevez Strengthen the bullpen. On the position player side, they traded Renflow and Geo Urscera while signing Brandon Drury And now Phillips.
Phillips has no choice and must either stay on the roster or be appointed. But he only has a little over three years of his MLB service time, and with a solid campaign to the Halos, he could be retained for future seasons via arbitration. The deal brings their salary to about $206 million, according to Roster Resource calculations, and his $221 million, according to competitive balance tax calculations. The salary is a franchise record, topping him last year at $189 million, according to Cot’s Baseball Contracts. CBT’s figure is about $12 million below the lowest luxury tax threshold, which this year makes him $233 million.
Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal First to report Phillips and the Angels have reached an agreement. New York Post’s John Heyman We added $1.2 million in salaries initially.
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