By Matt Rappa, Sports Talk Philly editor 
The hot stove is burning hotter and hotter ahead of the Winter Meetings getting underway on Sunday. And while the Philadelphia Phillies will be be among the most active teams this offseason, others will equally explore all available options to improve their club.
On Friday, four former Phillies received invitations to Major League camp on a minor-league contract: utility player Andres Blanco, southpaw reliever Hoby Milner, catcher Cameron Rupp, and former club catching prospect Tuffy Gosewisch.
Blanco, 34, signed with the Atlanta Braves, and will earn $850,000 "if in the majors," per Fancred's Jon Heyman. The 10-year veteran did not play in the majors last season, after slashing .257/.320/.422 with 46 doubles, 15 home runs, and 62 RBI spanning four seasons and 301 games with the Phillies from 2014-2017. Blanco joins fellow former Phillies utility player Pedro Florimon and former Phillies pitching coach Rick Kranitz as new members of the Phillies' division rival.
Milner, 27, was outrighted off the Tampa Bay Rays' 40-man roster on Nov. 26. The left-hander has since accepted his assignment to Triple-A Durham, given he could not elect free agency, per the Tampa Bay Times Marc Topkin. Milner appeared in 47 games in red pinstripes in parts of the 2017 and 2018 seasons, before being dealt to the Rays for cash considerations this past July. The Dallas, Texas, native has a career 3.03 ERA spanning 38 2/3 innings.
Rupp, 30, inked a deal with the San Francisco Giants, and will earn $750,000 "if in the majors," per Heyman. Also a Dallas, Texas, native, Rupp joins his four organization since being released by the Phillies last March (Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners). The five-year veteran last appeared in the majors with the Phillies in 2017, a season in which he hit just .217, albeit producing 14 home runs in 88 games.
Gosewisch, 35, signed with the Milwaukee Brewers, the team announced. He will likely compete with fellow former Phillies catcher Erik Kratz for a roster spot. The Phillies drafted Gosewisch in the 11th round of the 2005 draft, and would trade him to the Toronto Blue Jays seven years later for cash considerations. Gosewisch never played in the majors with the Phillies, although he debuted at age 29 with the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2013.
It is always good to see former Phillies still being able to find a place on another team's roster. Even though Blanco, Milner, Rupp and Gosewisch received just min0r-league deals with spring training invitees, they still are given at least one more chance at the major leagues before their respective careers come to an end.
