The Philadelphia Phillies have signed former Red Sox catcher Ryan Hanigan to a one-year deal worth $1.25 million if he is able to make the roster.
The Philadelphia Phillies have been performing a full rebuild over the past three seasons and it is starting to pay off. The roster, looking stronger than any of the past three seasons, has a good amount of veterans to help out with all of the young talent. The team is not done adding veterans to that roster either. According to Chris Cotillo of SB Nation, the Phillies have signed Ryan Hanigan to a one-year, $1.25 million deal. Hanigan will get the $1.25 million if he makes the Phillies roster, and there are $375,000 in incentives based on starts in the deal.
Ryan Hanigan gets $1.25M base if he makes the Phillies and deal includes $375k in incentives based on starts, source tells SBN.
— Chris Cotillo (@ChrisCotillo) January 25, 2017
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Hanigan, 36, struggled in his second of two seasons with the Boston Red Sox last year. In 113 plate appearances, Hanigan hit .171/.230/.238 with one home run and 14 RBI. The Massachusetts native has only hit three home runs over his past two seasons to go along with only 81 games started. Hanigan will have trouble making the Phillies roster, as he is competing with Cameron Rupp and young prospects Jorge Alfaro and Andrew Knapp for spots. Spring training should be very interesting for the Phillies as they only have two spots for catchers and four competing.
The Phillies catchers were above league standards last season. Led by Cameron Rupp, the catchers on the roster hit a combined .255 last season, which was the ninth best mark in MLB. The Phillies catchers also hit 20 home runs on the season, ranking them 14th in all of baseball. The team will most likely have one of the better catcher corps. in 2017.
That could only get better with the addition of Jorge Alfaro. Alfaro, the number-one catching prospect in all of baseball (according to MLB Pipeline), figures to make a huge contribution in 2017. Alfaro has a power arm and a power bat that should help the Phillies hit more than the 20 home runs they got from their catchers last season.
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The Phillies are improving year by year and it looks like 2017 might be the year they get over the hump. Ryan Hanigan might be a part of the success or he might not. It will be very hard for Hanigan to make this roster that has veteran talent and the best catching prospect in baseball. His will still be a name to watch as spring training comes and goes. He will forfeit his $1.25 million if he does not make the roster. Hanigan should be content with the deal he got with the Phillies but it is time to get to work.