Phillies sign Jeanmar Gomez to minor league deal

The Phillies have signed Jeanmar Gomez to a minor league deal, Ken Rosenthal reports.

This might be a good time to point out that Gomez is only 26 -- I heard "Phillies" and mentally added about six years. Gomez's two seasons in Pittsburgh were successful, all things considered. He didn't strike anyone out but posted respectable ERAs in the low threes, thanks to his ground-ball tendencies and also probably to the Pirates' defense. That those two seasons didn't net him a big-league deal despite his youth is telling.

In any case, if Gomez does end up pitching for the Phillies (who actually have a pretty interesting bullpen and could use him as starting depth instead), he's not likely to have the success there that he had in Pittsburgh, since the Phillies' defense and ballpark are less favorable. Still, I wish him luck, and I'll remember him fondly -- as mop-up guys go, he was a good one.