The Phillies have announced as official the signing of left-handed starting pitcher Matt Moore to a one-year contract worth $3 million.
Moore, 31, pitched in Japan last year. He was an All-Star with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2013 but struggled in the majors with San Francisco and Texas in 2017 in 2018. A knee injury limited him to just two starts with Detroit in 2019. He made 15 starts in Japan last season and recorded a 2.65 ERA and a 1.118 WHIP in 85 innings.
Moore joins the Phillies on a major-league contract. That indicates the Phillies are confident he will be in their starting rotation in 2021. The team did not have a lefty make a start last season.
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Spring training begins in Clearwater, Florida in two weeks. The top three spots in the Phillies' rotation are set with Aaron Nola, Zack Wheeler and Zach Eflin. Moore figures to hold down the next spot with Spencer Howard, Vince Velasquez and non-roster invitee Ivan Nova competing for the fifth spot.
The Phils will likely add more candidates to the competition as camp gets closer. There are still quite a few starters remaining on the free-agent market. One such pitcher is veteran right-hander Chase Anderson. Fansided's Robert Murray reports that Anderson has a deal with the Phillies.
Anderson is a seven-year big-league vet who spent four seasons with the Brewers, two with the Diamondbacks and 2020 with the Blue Jays.
He had a 7.22 ERA this past season, though much of the damage done against him came in two relief appearances against the Yankees (10 runs in 5⅓ innings).
MLB
From 2014-19, Anderson went 53-40 with a 3.94 ERA and 1.26 WHIP, starting 160 games. He is not known for going deep into games, completing six innings in only 59 of those 160 starts.
He is a flyball pitcher. More than 40 percent of his career balls in play have been in the air, a rate just south of Vince Velasquez'.
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