After claiming Jerome Williams off waivers in August, the Philadelphia Phillies have re-signed the journeyman right-hander to a one-year, $2.5 million deal, the team announced on Tuesday. This deal also has incentives that could see his pay total reach as high as $4 million based on how many innings Williams pitches, sources have told Chris Cotillo of MLB Daily Dish.
Williams was bounced around in 2014, as he began the season on the Houston Astros before being designated for assignment and released on July 8th. Just a few days later, Williams was signed to a minor league deal by the Texas Rangers but was also designated for assignment before being claimed by Philadelphia.
He had all kinds of trouble with the Astros and Rangers, going a combined 2-5 with a 7.97 ERA in 28 appearances (two starts). Since coming to the Phillies, Williams had a resurgence of types and went 4-2 with a 2.83 ERA in nine starts. It was good enough to earn himself a new deal.
He has pitched for seven major league squads in his nine-year career and also made a stint in the Chinese Professional Baseball League. Overall, his record is 48-54 with a 4.40 ERA as he should serve as a formidable back of the rotation starter for a Phillies club that is desperately looking for pitching. They will try to retain Cole Hamels, they have question marks in Cliff Lee and A.J. Burnett due to injury/age and even if all three of them do pitch, they still need a few more starters, which Williams should take care of.
Williams is getting up there in age, currently 32 and will be 33 when the 2015 season starts, but will have low expectations because of his 2014 season. It will be a pleasant surprise for the team if he can perform at a high level and stay healthy.