The Phillies have signed 30-year old righty swinging outfielder Luis Montanez to a minor league deal. Montanez played in 36 games for the Cubs last year and he was 12 for 54 (.222 avg, .615 OPS) with 6 runs scored, 1 homer and 9 RBIs. He has now played in 129 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 68 for 305 (.223 avg, .586 OPS) with 31 runs scored, 5 homers, 32 RBIs and 1 stolen base. Montanez will be a big time longshot to win a job on the Phillies’ bench next spring.

The Phillies have signed 31-year old righty swinging infielder Hector Luna to a minor league deal. Luna played in 113 games in AAA-ball for the Red Sox last year and he was 119 of 421 (.283 avg, .799 OPS) with 61 runs scored, 14 homers, 58 RBIs and 6 stolen bases. He last played back in 2010 with the Marlins. Luna has played in 311 games in his first six years in the majors and he is 194 of 732 (.265 avg, .705 OPS) with 99 runs scored, 13 homers, 86 RBIs and 23 stolen bases. The Phillies will likely stash Luna in AAA in 2012.

The Phillies have re-signed 33-year old switch-hitting shortstop Jimmy Rollins to a 3-year deal, with a vesting option for a fourth year. Rollins played in 142 games for the Phillies last year and he was 152 of 567 (.268 avg, .736 OPS) with 87 runs scored, 16 homers, 63 RBIs and 30 stolen bases. He has now played in 1,636 games in his first 12 years with the Phillies and he is 1,866 of 6,858 (.272 avg, .761 OPS) with 1,080 runs scored, 170 homers, 725 RBIs and 373 stolen bases. It was really smart of the Phillies to lock up Jimmy Rollins as he has been such a huge part of their success.

The Philadelphia Phillies have signed 29-year old lefty starting pitcher Dontrelle Willis to a 1-year deal. Willis pitched in 13 games (all starts) for the Reds last year and he was 1-6 with a 5.00 ERA and a 1.52 WHIP. The Phillies are looking to use Willis out of the bullpen as a lefty specialist and it might work out pretty good. Lefty batters only hit .127 with a .369 OPS against Willis last year. Willis has now pitched in 205 games (202 starts) in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 72-69 with a 4.17 ERA and a 1.43 WHIP.

The Phillies have dealt 30-year old righty swinging outfielder Ben Francisco to the Blue Jays for 26-year old lefty reliever Frank Gailey. Francisco played in 100 games for the Phillies last year and he was 61 of 250 (.244 avg, .704 OPS) with 24 runs scored, 6 homers, 34 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. He played in 225 games in his three years with the Phillies and he was 136 of 526 (.259 avg, .752 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 17 homers, 75 RBIs and 13 stolen bases. The Phillies should have no problem replacing Francisco as they have a lot of depth in the outfield right now. Frank Gailey pitched in 45 games (0 starts) in A+AA-ball last year for the Blue Jays and he was 5-6 with 2 saves, a 3.41 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. He has now pitched in 175 games (1 start) in his first five years in the minors and he is 23-15 with 5 saves, a 2.45 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP. Gailey has given up 245 hits while whiffing 293 batters in his first 304 1/3 innings in the minors and he has only walked 69 batters, so he has been impressive. Still, he hasn’t advanced much in the minors, so chances are he won’t help the Phillies any time soon.

The Phillies have signed 29-year old lefty reliever David Purcey to a minor league deal. Purcey pitched in 33 games (0 starts) for the Tigers, A’s and Blue Jays last year and he was 1-2 with a 5.61 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP. He has now pitched in 87 games (0 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 6-12 with 1 save, a 5.38 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. Purcey will get a shot next spring to make the Phillies’ bullpen.

The Phillies have signed 27-year old lefty swinging catcher Steven Lerud to a minor league deal. Lerud played in 73 games in AA-ball for the Orioles last year and he was 44 for 228 (.193 avg, .571 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 5 homers and 30 RBIs. He has now played in 650 games in his first 8 years in the minors and he is 473 of 2,142 (.221 avg, .665 OPS) with 247 runs scored, 53 homers, 270 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. The Phillies better hope that they don’t need Lerud at the major league level, because he just can’t hit. They probably signed him because he works well with young pitchers in the minor leagues.

The Phillies have signed 32-year old righty starter/reliever Dave Bush to a minor league deal. Bush pitched in 17 games (3 starts) for the Rangers last year and he was 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He has now pitched in 210 games (187 starts) in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 56-69 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Bush will get a shot to win a job in the Phillies’ bullpen next spring as a long man. This could turn out to be a good signing for the Phillies as Bush has a lot of experience at the major league level.

The Phillies have re-signed 26-year old lefty starter/reliever Ryan Feierabend to a minor league deal. He pitched in 28 games (23 starts) in AAA-ball for the Phillies last year and he was 10-8 with a 5.39 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors back in 2008 with the Mariners. He has pitched in 25 games (19 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 2-11 with a 7.22 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. He will likely spend all of the 2012 season in AAA-ball unless the Phillies suffer a lot of injuries at the major league level.

The Phillies have signed 31-year old lefty swinging outfielder Laynce Nix to a 2-year deal. Nix played in 124 games for the Nationals last year and he was 81 for 324 (.250 avg, .750 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 16 homers, 44 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 607 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 409 of 1,673 (.244 avg, .718 OPS) with 211 runs scored, 64 homers, 226 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. This was another solid signing for the Phillies as Nix will give them solid power off the bench. He could also platoon with a righty swinger at an outfield slot for the Phillies. This was another solid move for the Phillies.