According to Jesse Rodgers of ESPN, the Phillies have signed veteran pitcher Brandon Kintzler to a minor-league deal. The contract is set to be worth $3M if he makes the Phils’ roster with $1M in incentives. Just for some added spice, Mark Feinsand noted that Kintzler opted to sign with the Phillies over his former team, the Marlins, due to a chance at making more money. His previous contract was worth $3.25M.
This comes shortly after the Phillies traded RHP Johan Quezada to the Cardinals in exchange for cash considerations, and of course the signing of Chase Anderson.
Kintzler is a former all-star (2017) and has been around the bigs since 2009 after spending six years working his way up the minors. Now 36-years-old, he’s coming off of two very impressive seasons. Phillies fans know this all too well after conceding two games to him right at the start of the shortened campaign.
In 2020, he posted an ERA of 2.22, and in the year before that, one of 2.68 for the Cubs. His FIP stood at 5.00 last year which is a little concerning, but during that two-year run, he saved 13 of 17 possible opportunities and posted a 1.11 WHIP across 81.1 innings.
Unlike Quezada, he also got a full body of game time under his belt in 2020, while the minor league season was put on hold. Not only that, but he was beyond impressive.
Tom Krosnowski of Pin Stripe Alley posted a really in-depth look into Kintzler’s game this past week, expanding on why his low strikeout percentage isn’t the cause for concern that many may perceive it to be:
Kintzler will compete for a regular spot in the rotation when Spring Training arrives and while it may not be a blockbuster move, this is a smart one. The Phillies offered ‘incentives’ to attract Kintzler to the City of Brotherly Love.
Worst case scenario, it doesn’t work out and the incentives, which one would assume will have a lot to do with whether or not he makes the roster, it’s no big loss. If he can continue to battle Father Time and save games in the way he did for Chicago and Miami over the last two years, then it’s worth squeezing as much Juice as possible from the older fruit.
Photo by Jeff Robinson/Icon Sportswire
