Phillies add a couple of interesting players on minor-league deals originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Phillies‘ biggest move of the week was agreeing to a one-year deal with outfielder/second baseman Whit Merrifield, which is pending a physical, but they’ve continued to add depth in the days since pitchers and catchers reported to spring training.
They’ve reportedly agreed to minor-league contracts with outfielder David Dahl, a former All-Star and first-round pick of the Rockies, and Ricardo Pinto, a pitcher who made 25 appearances for them in 2017 and excelled in the Caribbean Series held in Miami earlier this month.
David Dahl has a minor league agreement with the Phillies pending a physical.
— Joel Sherman (@Joelsherman1) February 17, 2024
The left-handed-hitting Dahl debuted with Colorado in 2016 and looked like a budding star, hitting .297/.346/.521 from 2016-19 and making the NL All-Star team in 2019. Injuries changed the trajectory of his career. He didn’t play at all in the majors in 2017 and was limited to 19 minor-league games because of a stress reaction in his rib and later a back injury. He had two more IL stints in 2019. He struggled through the abbreviated 2020 season with a right shoulder injury, then was non-tendered by the Rockies that December.
Dahl, 29, has bounced around since, signing free-agent deals with the Rangers, Brewers, Nationals, Padres and Dodgers. He’s performed at Triple A for all of those organizations, hovering around .300 with power, but appeared sparingly in the bigs. In 328 major-league plate appearances over the last four seasons, Dahl has hit .199/.236/.303.
It’s a low-risk move by the Phillies to add a depth outfielder with upside. Once upon a time, Jayson Werth was a 27-year-old former first-round pick who’d dealt with injuries, hadn’t really established himself and was looking for a reset with his fourth organization. Most low-risk deals don’t turn out like Werth, and who knows if Dahl is even around in a few months, but it’s worth a shot.
Dahl is out of minor-league options. So are Phillies reserve outfielders Jake Cave and Cristian Pache. Their four-man bench, if fully healthy, would appear to be Whit Merrifield, Edmundo Sosa, Garrett Stubbs and another outfielder. It will be sorted out in spring training.
Pinto, now 30, is a right-hander from Venezuela the Phillies originally signed in 2011 when he was 17. He pitched in their minor-league system from 2012-17 and carried a 7.89 ERA in 25 appearances with the big club in 2017.
Pinto started twice for Venezuela earlier this month in the Caribbean Series, a tournament which featured the champions of pro baseball leagues in the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Panama, Nicaragua and Curaçao. He allowed just one run in 10⅔ innings with 14 strikeouts and was named MVP of the tournament after leading Venezuela to its first title in 15 years.
