The Phillies have agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million deal with left-handed starter John Lannan.
Lannan is a “low-risk, high-reward” move for Ruben Amaro, who said that was the type of player he was pursuing for his fifth starter. Kyle Kendrick will most likely be the fourth starter in the rotation now.
Lannan, 28, has a 42-52 record and 4.01 ERA in his six Major League seasons, all with the Nationals. Last year, Lannan went 4-1 with a 4.43 ERA in six starts.
Lannan’s history against the Phillies is almost infamous. Lannan is 3-13 against the Phillies with a 5.53 ERA in 19 career starts.
But the stat that really stands out are the 11 times Lannan hit a Phillies batter. The most famous was when he plunked Chase Utley in Lannan’s Major League debut on July 26, 2007, breaking his hand. On the next pitch, Lannan hit Ryan Howard and was immediately ejected.
“I don’t think he was trying to hit me,” Utley said after that game. “It kinda got away from him. He’s a young guy. He hit two guys in a row. I don’t think he was throwing at us.”
TTB 