The Phillies have dealt 25-year old righty reliever Mike Cisco to the Angels for no compensation.  Cisco pitched in 40 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA-ball last year for the Phillies and he was 5-3 with 3 saves, a 1.80 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP.  He pitched in 127 games (47 starts) in his five years in the minors for the Phillies and he was 29-22 with 6 saves, a 2.93 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP.  The Phillies made this move for Cisco’s benefit, which is commendable.

The Phillies have signed 24-year old lefty swinging 1B Austin Gallagher to a minor league deal.  Gallagher will serve a 50-game suspension to open up the 2013 as he tested positive for a banned substance last month.  He played in 105 games in A-ball for the Dodgers last year and he was 106 of 374 (.283 avg, .864 OPS) with 58 runs scored, 15 homers, 74 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  He has now played in 520 games in his first six years in the minors and he is 547 of 1,916 (.285 avg, .790 OPS) with 270 runs scored, 46 homers, 302 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.  Gallagher will likely start his 2013 season in AA-ball for the Phillies.

The Phillies have dealt 27-year old righty reliever Michael Schwimer to the Blue Jays for 22-year old lefty swinging 1B Art Charles.  Schwimer pitched in 35 games (0 starts) for the Phillies last year and he was 2-1 with a 4.46 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.  He pitched in 47 games (0 starts) in his two years with the Phillies and he was 3-2 with a 4.62 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP.  Art Charles played in 64 games in Rookie+A-ball last year for the Blue Jays and he was 50 for 212 (.236 avg, .909 OPS) with 37 runs scored, 13 homers, 34 RBIs and 2 stolen bases.  He has now played in 169 games in his first three years in the minors and he is 140 of 585 (.239 avg, .840 OPS) with 100 runs scored, 28 homers, 108 RBIs and 8 stolen bases.  Schwimer was going to have a hard time winning a spot in the Phillies’ bullpen, so they moved him for a prospect.

The Phillies have signed 30-year old switch-hitting 2B/SS Matt Tolbert to a minor league deal.  Tolbert played in 113 games in AAA-ball for the Cubs last year and he was 79 of 329 (.240 avg, .617 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 1 homer, 13 RBIs and 9 stolen bases.  Tolbert last played in the majors back in 2011 with the Twins.  Tolbert has now played in 247 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 139 of 605 (.230 avg, .607 OPS) with 76 runs scored, 3 homers, 54 RBIs and 17 stolen bases.  Tolbert will get a shot to win a backup job this spring, but he’s probably a longshot.

The Phillies have designated 24-year old righty reliever/starter J.C. Ramirez to a minor league deal.  Ramirez pitched in 45 games (0 starts) in AA+AAA-ball for the Phillies last year and he was 3-4 with 4 saves, a 4.01 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 177 games (127 starts) in his first seven years in the minors and he is 43-51 with 4 saves, a 4.31 ERA and a 1.34 WHIP.  This is not much of a loss for the Phillies moving forward.

UPDATE:  (2/1/2013) - J.C. Ramirez has cleared waivers and he has been outrighted to AAA.

The Phillies have signed 30-year old righty swinging infielder Yuniesky Betancourt to a minor league deal.  He played in 57 games for the Royals last year and he was 49 of 215 (.228 avg, .656 OPS) with 21 runs scored, 7 homers and 36 RBIs.  Betancourt has now played in 1,019 games in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 974 of 3,661 (.266 avg, .682 OPS) with 402 runs scored, 67 homers, 411 RBIs and 30 stolen bases.  Betancourt will have a good shot of winning a bench job this spring for the Phillies.

UPDATE:  (3/24/2013) - The Phillies have released Yuniesky Betancourt.  He played in 17 games for the Phillies in spring training and he was 21 of 47 (.447 avg, 1.025 OPS) with 9 runs scored, 1 homer and 14 RBIs.  He won’t be out of work too long with the way he’s swinging the bat this spring.

The Phillies have signed 35-year old righty reliever Chad Durbin to a 1-year, $1.1 million dollar deal with a club option for 2014.  Durbin pitched in 76 games (0 starts) for the Braves last year and he was 4-1 with 1 save, a 3.10 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.  He has now pitched in 440 games (75 starts) in his first 13 years in the majors and he is 42-47 with 5 saves, a 4.95 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP.  Durbin was really successful in his three previous years with the Phillies, in which he worked in 194 games (0 starts) and he was 11-7 with 3 saves, a 3.62 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.  This was a good signing for the Phillies, as they needed help for the bullpen in 2013.

The Phillies have signed 27-year old righty swinging outfielder Delmon Young to a 1-year, $750,000 deal with plenty of incentives to earn.  Young played in 151 games for the Tigers last year and he was 153 of 574 (.267 avg, 707 OPS) with 54 runs scored, 18 homers and 74 RBIs.  He has now played in 880 games in his first seven years in the majors and he is 955 of 3,358 (.284 avg, .742 OPS) with 396 runs scored, 89 homers, 482 RBIs and 34 stolen bases.  This was a great deal for the Phillies as Young will likely step right into the starting lineup in LF for them in 2013.

UPDATE:  (3/29/2013) - Delmon Young will start the 2013 season on the 15-day D.L. as he continues to recover from ankle surgery.  He will hopefully be back in early May.

The Phillies have signed 31-year old righty reliever Brian Bass to a minor league deal.  Bass pitched in 17 games (13 starts) in AAA-ball for the Astros last year and he was 2-5 with a 5.56 ERA and a 1.79 WHIP.  He last pitched in the majors with the Pirates in 2010.  Bass has pitched in 101 games (4 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 9-7 with 1 save, a 5.16 ERA and a 1.63 WHIP.  Bass will be a longshot to make the Phillies’ bullpen this spring.

The Phillies have signed 30-year old righty swinging outfielder Joe Mather to a minor league deal.  Mather played in 103 games for the Cubs last year and he was 47 of 225 (.209 avg, .581 OPS) with 18 runs scored, 5 homers, 19 RBIs and 5 stolen bases.  Mather has now played in 229 games in his first four years in the majors and he is 108 of 493 (.219 avg, .628 OPS) with 49 runs scored, 14 homers, 49 RBIs and 7 stolen bases.  Mather will get a shot to win a job on the Phillies’ bench this spring.

UPDATE:  (3/9/2013) - The Phillies have released Joe Mather.