Phillies sign A.J. Burnett; Cole Hamels to miss opening day

CLEARWATER, Fla. A calm day in overcast Florida quickly became hectic for the Phillies on Wednesday.

First, staff ace Cole Hamels said bicep tendinitis has delayed his offseason throwing program and will force him to miss opening day, weakening an already wobbly rotation. Hamels said the discomfort began in his shoulder.

Shortly afterward, reports emerged that the Phillies and free-agent starter A.J. Burnett had agreed to a one-year contract. Fox Sports reported the deal is worth $16 million. Burnett, 37, considered retirement after spending the last two years in Pittsburgh. If he returned to the mound, he wanted to play close to his home in Monkton, Md. The Phillies did not officially announce Burnett's signing on Wednesday.

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Hamels' injury looms larger than Burnett's signing. Hamels insisted Wednesday that he'd be ready sometime in April. But the 30-year-old is coming off of a career-worst 8-14 season in which he tied a career high by starting 33 games. In other words, age and arm strain may not be the best recipe for a bounce-back year.

"It was cranking back up on top of the weightlifting I was doing. I think it was just getting into the exercises too fast, too soon," Hamels said. "It's not of any pain and discomfort. It's just the building up of muscle. You can't just go run a marathon right off the bat. You have to build up to it."

With Hamels out, 35-year-old Cliff Lee will become the No. 1 starter with Burnett slotting in at the two spot. After that is Kyle Kendrick and Roberto Hernandez with the No. 5 spot is up for grabs.

Despite his age, Burnett has been surprisingly durable the last two years, making 61 starts and throwing 393 1/3 innings in that span. He also posted a 3.41 ERA

If, in fact, he is only on the books for 2014, that could make him attractive bait at the trade deadline should the Phillies be sellers.

If Hamels, Lee and Burnett are healthy for an extended period of time, the addition could be big for the Phillies' slim playoff hopes.

And with the signing, Phillies general manager Ruben Amaro's offseason looks a little better. He didn't overpay anyone, at least not egregiously. The longest deal he made was with Carlos Ruiz -- three years, $26 million.

Still, the Hamels news intially makes Burnett a necessary replacement arm, not a boost to the rotation. And that's not a good thing.

Contact Chris Branch at cbranch@delawareonline.com.