The Phillies have signed 29-year old lefty reliever David Purcey to a minor league deal. Purcey pitched in 33 games (0 starts) for the Tigers, A’s and Blue Jays last year and he was 1-2 with a 5.61 ERA and a 1.78 WHIP. He has now pitched in 87 games (0 starts) in his first four years in the majors and he is 6-12 with 1 save, a 5.38 ERA and a 1.56 WHIP. Purcey will get a shot next spring to make the Phillies’ bullpen.

The Phillies have signed 27-year old lefty swinging catcher Steven Lerud to a minor league deal. Lerud played in 73 games in AA-ball for the Orioles last year and he was 44 for 228 (.193 avg, .571 OPS) with 25 runs scored, 5 homers and 30 RBIs. He has now played in 650 games in his first 8 years in the minors and he is 473 of 2,142 (.221 avg, .665 OPS) with 247 runs scored, 53 homers, 270 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. The Phillies better hope that they don’t need Lerud at the major league level, because he just can’t hit. They probably signed him because he works well with young pitchers in the minor leagues.

The Phillies have signed 32-year old righty starter/reliever Dave Bush to a minor league deal. Bush pitched in 17 games (3 starts) for the Rangers last year and he was 0-1 with a 5.79 ERA and a 1.50 WHIP. He has now pitched in 210 games (187 starts) in his first 8 years in the majors and he is 56-69 with a 4.70 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP. Bush will get a shot to win a job in the Phillies’ bullpen next spring as a long man. This could turn out to be a good signing for the Phillies as Bush has a lot of experience at the major league level.

The Phillies have re-signed 26-year old lefty starter/reliever Ryan Feierabend to a minor league deal. He pitched in 28 games (23 starts) in AAA-ball for the Phillies last year and he was 10-8 with a 5.39 ERA and a 1.42 WHIP. He last pitched in the majors back in 2008 with the Mariners. He has pitched in 25 games (19 starts) in his first three years in the majors and he is 2-11 with a 7.22 ERA and a 1.80 WHIP. He will likely spend all of the 2012 season in AAA-ball unless the Phillies suffer a lot of injuries at the major league level.

The Phillies have signed 31-year old lefty swinging outfielder Laynce Nix to a 2-year deal. Nix played in 124 games for the Nationals last year and he was 81 for 324 (.250 avg, .750 OPS) with 38 runs scored, 16 homers, 44 RBIs and 2 stolen bases. He has now played in 607 games in his first 9 years in the majors and he is 409 of 1,673 (.244 avg, .718 OPS) with 211 runs scored, 64 homers, 226 RBIs and 8 stolen bases. This was another solid signing for the Phillies as Nix will give them solid power off the bench. He could also platoon with a righty swinger at an outfield slot for the Phillies. This was another solid move for the Phillies.