Phillies Sign John Lannan

The Phillies are moving to finalize their pitching staff this morning. They signed setup man Mike Adams to a two year deal worth $12M to sure up their shaky bullpen to start the day off. Now they have signed John Lannan to a one year deal worth $2.5M as they look to replace Vance Worley in the rotation, according to Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly. Worley was traded to the Twins as a part of the deal that netted the Phillies center fielder Ben Revere, leaving the Philadelphia rotation at least one man short.

Lannan was the odd man out in the National’s rotation last season, starting just six games for the NL East Champions and spending the majority of the season in AAA. The Nationals non-tendered the 28 year old sinker ball specialist this off-season, making him a free agent.

The Phillies have been seeking a low risk starters to follow the excellent core of Cole Hamels, Cliff Lee, and Roy Halladay in the rotation and the durable Lannan would seem to fit the bill. Between AAA and Washington he has managed 180 innings in all of the last four seasons while providing close to league average ERAs. He lacks any significant strikeout ability, but with a career 53% groundball rate, he should be a stable cog at the back of the Philadelphia talented, if top-heavy, rotation.

The Phillies could still pursue another starter this off-season, but with Kyle Kendrick in house and this deal for Lannan, the Phillies may turn their attention to other issues.