Phillies sign Burnett to one-year deal, Hamels won't be ready for Opening Day

According to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly, the Phillies have agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent starting pitcher A.J. Burnett and that the deal is worth $16 million.

Even though he had a losing record (10-11) last season with the Pirates, Burnett tied a previous career low in ERA (3.30) and struck out 209 batters in 191.0 innings.

Not only did Burnett's K/9 rate of 9.848 set a career best, but he ranked first in the National League in the category. Miami's Jose Fernandez (9.747) and New York's Matt Harvey (9.639) finished second and third, respectively.

In addition, his HR/9 rate of 0.518 was only slightly worse than his career-best rate of 0.517 (2005). The only N.L. pitchers that had a better rate in 2013 were Harvey (0.353), Clayton Kershaw (0.420) and Jhoulys Chacin (0.502).

Burnett will be the team's No. 3 starter behind Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels. That said, Hamels (shoulder tendinitis) is currently behind in his throwing program and won't be ready for the start of the season.

Hamels' bullpen session goes smoothly

Philadelphia Phillies ace Cole Hamels threw a bullpen session yesterday without any problems. It was his first session since he received an anti-inflammatory injection on Tuesday.

"That was the point we were trying to make, taking five minutes off and seeing how it feels when I come back and throw a second time," Hamels said. "I went from the windup and felt good. That's the huge thing, to be able to feel comfortable that you're healthy and nothing is going to nag at every pitch."

The next step for Hamels, who threw a total of 41 pitches yesterday, is to throw 50 pitches in a minor-league game on Tuesday.

It's still unknown if he'll be ready to start for the Phillies on opening night (April 5th).