Phillies sign Ryan Hanigan to minor-league deal

The Phillies have signed catcher Ryan Hanigan to a minor-league deal, according to a club announcement. The deal will guarantee $1.25 million if Hanigan makes the major-league team and includes $375k in incentives based on games started, according to a major-league source.

Hanigan is likely to serve as a primary backup option behind Cameron Rupp in Philadelphia, though the Phils also added ex-Red Sox backstop Bryan Holaday on a non-guaranteed deal earlier in the off-season. Philadelphia appears to be bridging the gap behind the plate before the eventual promotion of top prospect Jorge Alfaro.

Hanigan, 36, hit just .171/.230/.238 with one homer in 35 games in his second and final season in Boston. Originally acquired in a trade for Will Middlebrooks before the 2015 season, Hanigan posted a .219/.298/.294 line in 89 games with Boston over two years.

Hanigan is a veteran of 10 major-league seasons with the Reds (2007-13), Rays (2014) and Red Sox (2015-16), and has not produced much offensively over the last few years. He joins Nick Hundley (Giants), Jarrod Saltalamacchia (Blue Jays), Josh Thole (Diamondbacks) and Kurt Suzuki (Braves) as backup catchers to sign this week.