Grady Sizemore‘s next stop in his attempted career resurrection has taken him to the Philadelphia Phillies. The three-time MLB All-Star signed a minor league contract with the organization and will report to the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs on Thursday, per MLBRosterMoves:
According to CBSSports.com’s Jon Heyman, Sizemore will have the option to opt out in July:
By now, most fans are aware of the 31-year-old’s career trajectory. He was one of the most exciting players in the league with the Cleveland Indians from 2005 to 2008. Sizemore ran into injuries in 2009 and never fully kicked the problem.
The Boston Red Sox took a flier on him this year, but in 185 at-bats, he hit a meager .216 with two home runs and 15 RBI. The Red Sox designated him for assignment on June 17.
FanGraphs’ David Cameron joked about the Phillies needing another player 30-plus years old with a checkered medical history:
Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report echoed the sentiment, calling the move typical of general manager Ruben Amaro:
The last-place Phillies aren’t exactly in a position of strength, though. When Sizemore was designated for assignment by the Red Sox, Ace of MLB Stats compared his slash line with that of Domonic Brown, who has started 73 games for Philadelphia:
At the very least, signing Sizemore, especially to a minor league deal, carries very little risk. Last year, nobody thought Scott Kazmir would be a viable starting pitcher for the Indians and then he went on to win 10 games and earn a nice contract with the Oakland Athletics in the offseason.
Sometimes, teams catch lightning in a bottle with oft-injured former All-Stars.
Maybe Philadelphia is the right place at the right time for Sizemore and he returns somewhat to the player he was in his prime. If it doesn’t work out, the Phillies have little invested financially and can let him go later in the year.
Read more MLB news on BleacherReport.com