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Nick Carfardo of the Boston Globe always seems to come up with league-wide baseball news that nobody else seems to find.
Carfardo writes in today's column that the Phillies are in on Mark Mulder:
Mulder is looking for a creative contract as he makes his comeback attempt. He may have to agree to a minor league deal first, with incentives if he makes the major league club. Mulder has worked out for the Giants, Padres, Diamondbacks, Angels, and Phillies over two sessions. In the second session, Mulder, who hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2008, improved his velocity from 88 to 92 miles per hour. It’s a long road back, but the fact that Mulder’s shoulder is showing no signs of discomfort could mean he’d be a good back-end option for someone. The Red Sox have inquired, but probably won’t pursue him.
The velocity is pretty decent for someone who has been out of baseball since 2008. Since the Phillies won the World Series that year, we are all well aware how long ago that was.
Another report contradicts Carfardo's report about Mulder being willing to take a minor league contract. The Belleville-News Democrat of Southwestern Illinois reports that Mulder is hoping that someone will give him a guaranteed major league contract, a "somewhat ridiculous" notion for someone who has not pitched in the major leagues in so long. In this offseason of inflated contracts, I suppose it is worth asking for, but a minor league deal with incentives is more likely for Mulder.
