The prodigal son returns

The Phillies have reached a agreement with free agent pitcher Adam Eaton. The three-year deal worth $24.5 million includes a club option that could bring the value of the deal to $33 million dollars. The Phils originally drafted Eaton with the eleventh pick in the 1996 draft. Eaton never made it to the majors with the Phillies due to a four-player trade with the San Diego Padres. Assuming the Phillies don’t trade Jon Lieber, Eaton completes the Phillies rotation that also includes Brett Myers, Cole Hamels, and Jamie Moyer.

After this signing I feel rather under whelmed. I understand that the Phillies were never realistically going to attempt to sign big ticket pitchers like Jason Schmidt or Barry Zito, but Adam Eaton, seriously.

Eaton is considered to have a lot of “potential”. He has spent time on the DL with a finger injury, but when healthy has the ability to be a strong contributor to the Phillies pitching staff. His up side is a player who will have a sub 4.30 ERA while striking out about a batter an inning. His down side is that he is an injury risk that could be $24 million dollar bench warmer.

This signing could be a feather in Pat Gillick’s cap or a complete disaster. To me Eaton’s current situation is comparable to the St. Louis Cardinals signing of Chris Carpenter before the 2004 season. Carpenter was recovering from an injury and had previously displayed a lot of “potential” with the Blue Jays. That signing worked out great for the Cards who got a legitimate ace for a reasonable price. As for whether Eaton will follow in the steps of Carpenter or take another trip to the trainer’s room keep your fingers crossed.

Source:
Phillies make it official, sign Eaton
by Ken Mandel / MLB.com