According to CSNPhilly.com's Jim Salisbury, the Philadelphia Phillies are showing 'serious interest' in signing 30-year-old right hander Chad Billingsley.
Salisbury writes:
Billingsley, 30, is a former first-round pick of the Dodgers and was a mainstay in that team’s starting rotation from 2008 to 2012 before elbow problems sent him to the sidelines. He made just two starts in 2013 and pitched only a handful of innings in the minors last season.
Billingsley had surgery on his elbow and is healthy now. He lives in the Reading area so signing with the Phillies would be a fit geographically.
In eight Major League seasons, all with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Billingsley is 81-61 with a respectable 3.65 ERA. He was named an All Star in 2009 after starting the first-half of the season (9-4) with a 3.38 ERA in 19 starts.
Fans in Philadelphia likely remember Billingsley the most from his three career postseason starts against the Phillies, two of which occurred in the 2008 NLCS and the third during the 2009 NLCS. All three games resulted in wins for the Phillies, as Billingsley combined to give up 12 earned runs in just eight-and-a-third innings of work.
| Rk | Year | Series | Date | Tm | Opp | Rslt | Inngs | Dec | IP | H | R | ER | BB | SO | HR | BF | Pit | Str | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2008 | NLCS g2 | Oct 10 | LAD | @ | PHI | L,5-8 | GS-3 | L(1-1) | 2.1 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8.00 | 18 | 59 | 36 |
| 5 | 2008 | NLCS g5 | Oct 15 | LAD | PHI | L,1-5 | GS-3 | L(1-2) | 2.2 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 8.49 | 15 | 66 | 36 | |
| 6 | 2009 | NLCS g3 | Oct 18 | LAD | @ | PHI | L,0-11 | 2-5 | 3.1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 5.40 | 14 | 57 | 33 |
Billingsley debuted at the age of 21 on June 15, 2006 against the San Diego Padres. He lasted five and a third, surrendering two earned runs on six hits and two walks. The right-hander struck out three batters, and 61.2%, or 60 of his pitches were thrown for strikes.
If Billingsley joins the Phillies down in Clearwater next month, that would likely mean the end of Kyle Kendrick's career with the Phillies, and end any chance of him possibly re-signing for his ninth season with the team. Kendrick, also 30, has put-up comparable numbers to Billingsley in his career.
Currently, Cole Hamels and Cliff Lee are locked for the first two spots of the rotation. It is presumed Aaron Harang, who recently signed to a Major League deal, will earn the third slot barring any setback. Jerome Williams, David Buchanan, Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez and Billingsley would then compete for the final two positions.
Matt Rappa (@mattrappa) is a contributor to Philliedelphia.com.
