When the Phillies agreed to terms with utility infielder Andres Blanco, the club needed an additional roster spot to add Blanco back to the roster. After the club added infielder Richie Shaffer, the team released reliever Phil Klein, who is headed to play in Asia. So, the Phillies needed to open one more roster spot. That spot was that of reliever David Rollins.
Rollins has had a tough offseason thus far. After spending the last two seasons with the Seattle Mariners, the reliever finished the season at Triple-A Mariners affiliate Tacoma. That soon changed and kept changing.
Rollins has dealt with the following moves:
September 4:
The Chicago Cubs claimed Rollins on waivers from the Seattle Mariners
November 22:
The Texas Rangers claimed Rollins on waivers from the Chicago Cubs
December 2:
The Phillies claimed Rollins on waivers from the Texas Rangers
December 14:
The Phillies designated the contract of Rollins for assignment
Granted, if Rollins has not been able to fit on four teams' 40-man rosters, that leaves only 26 more teams to not claim Rollins. Should Rollins clear waivers, the Phillies can outright his contract to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
The addition of veteran left-handed pitcher Sean Burnett may have made the Phillies feel comfortable attempting to slip Rollins through waivers.
