Word came out of the Winter Meetings last night that the Phillies have found the last player for their bench in 2010.
Ross Gload was signed to a 2 year deal, according to MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki.
Gload has a career .283 BA over eight seasons with the Cubs, Rockies, White Sox, Royals and Marlins. In 2009 with the Fish, he hit .261 with 6 home runs and 30 RBI in 230 at-bats. He also pitched an inning against the Tampa Bay Rays.
By signing Gload, it appears that the Phillies have rounded out their bench for next season. Gload will be the 5th member of the bench, joining outfielder Ben Francisco, catcher Brian Schneider and infielders Greg Dobbs and Juan Castro.
While this may be the last move the Phillies make, they’ll also likely invite Matt Stairs back on a Minor League deal to spring training and see if he can make the club again. I’m sure he’d like to play more regularly, but at this point in his career, it’s all about being part of a winning team.
So far, it appears as if Ruben Amaro has done what he can to upgrade the Phillies bench. Others can still be signed to keep the competition level up in spring training, but I’d be surprised if Amaro makes any more moves with the bench. He can now move on to shoring up the pitching for next year.
