Phillies news and rumors 2/19: Club signs two pitchers to minor-league deals
With David Buchanan back in the organization after nearly a decade away, the Phillies gave another minor-league deal to another (vaguely) familiar face over the weekend.
Ricardo Pinto, who was in the organization from 2011-17 and pitched for the big-league club in the final of those seven seasons, signed a minor-league deal with an invite to Spring Training, as first reported Friday by Phillies Spanish-language broadcaster Oscar Budejen. Pinto had a 7.89 ERA in just under 30 innings for the Phillies in that 2017 season.
Since then, he’s spent time in the White Sox, Rays, Giants and Tigers organizations, as well as Korea, Taiwan, Mexico and Venezuela. Most recently, Pinto was named MVP of the Caribbean Series, allowing one run in 10 2/3 innings while punching out 14.
The club also agreed to a minors deal with Austin Brice, a right-hander whose seven MLB seasons have come with the Marlins (two stints), Reds, Red Sox and Pirates. His best season was 2019, when he posted a career-low 3.43 ERA in a career-high 44 2/3 innings.
He didn’t make an MLB appearance last season, spending the entire year in Triple-A with the Diamondbacks and, mostly, Twins organizations. The results weren’t great — a 6.92 ERA in 37 appearances — but like with Pinto, there’s zero risk in a flier.
“He was pretty good in the cage today,” manager Rob Thomson said of Brice. “Kind of a little three-quarter (delivery), really heavy ball, and secondary stuff’s good. I’d heard — I didn’t hear this from Austin — but that he got away from his changeup last year, and he threw a couple of them in the cage today and they’re really good. So he’s an interesting guy.”
Must-read Phillies content
- Bryce Harper arrived at camp on Sunday, which means cameras, eyeballs and content. Phillies Nation‘s Destiny Lugardo has some of it: Harper, as he does, believes he can do more than simply man first base, and yes, he indeed wants an extension — that he might not get, at least now.
- Whether or not Harper gets that contract, Phillies owner John Middleton doesn’t want him to worry about his future with the club, the Philadelphia Inquirer‘s Scott Lauber writes.
- More from Lauber: Trea Turner is set this spring on improving his defense, which graded among the league’s worst last season.
- MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki wrote about Nick Castellanos embracing the Phillies’ high expectations and the thing Castellanos is looking to improve most from his 2023 season.
- The aforementioned Buchanan is looking to “complete [his] story” in his second stint with the club, as he told Alex Coffey of The Inquirer.
- And some even better reporting by Coffey:
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