Liberty Ball

The Phillies made a low risk move to try to shore up their bullpen yesterday when they signed former closer Antonio Alfonseca to a one year deal for the league minimum of $300k.  If Alfonseca plays on the major league roster, his salary will more then double to $700k.  Alfonseca’s last good year was with the Braves in 2004 and that was sandwiched between three seasons that range from mediocre to poor. 

At the very best, Alfonseca could become a seventh inning, secondary setup man for the Phillies although it’s more likely that he ends up being the 25th pitcher and he’ll see more mop up time then anything.  Regardless, he’s a nice guy to have around in the event some goes down to injury.