Good morning! Let’s deck the halls with baseball news:
HAPPY HOLADAY: It’s not Halladay. Nor is it Holiday. The Phillies have signed catcher Bryan Holaday to a minor-league contract. The 29-year-old backstop has served as a backup for Boston, Texas and Detroit since 2012. Last year he hit .231/.281/.359. He’s expected to compete with Andrew Knapp for the backup catcher spot.
MONEY’S TIGHT: The Phillies are now 26th in payroll in the major leagues, according to the Associated Press. The payroll of $103.1 million is only in front of small-market teams Oakland, Cincinnati, Tampa Bay and Milwaukee. Only two years ago the Phils’ payroll of $186 million, which ranked third in baseball. And before that, they were hanging out regularly with the Yankees and Red Sox at the top of the payroll rankings.
WHAT’S LEFT: Don’t expect any major moves this winter, as Matt Klentak believes – in talking with Todd Zolecki – that the best course of action are small moves that follow “roster flexibility and payroll flexibility.” A backup outfielder and relief pitcher are the most likely additions.
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