Pitcher Kevin Correia considered Phillies in offseason

CINCINNATI (AP) Right-hander Kevin Correia considered signing with the Phillies in the offseason, but they couldn't work out a deal. A few months later, he's in their rotation.

And if he does well, he could be there for a while.

The 34-year-old pitcher signed a one-year deal with the Phillies on Monday to fill the opening in their rotation. If the last-place team trades some of its pitchers in July, Correia could stick around for the rest of the season.

That was part of his thinking when he agreed to a deal that pays him $650,000 while in the major leagues and $150,000 if he's in the minors. He can earn $400,000 in bonuses based on starts in the majors: $100,000 each for five, 10, 15 and 20.

''Obviously the business side of baseball is such that guys get moved,'' he said, standing in front of his locker in the visiting clubhouse at Great American Ball Park on Tuesday before a game against the Cincinnati Reds. ''I got traded last season.

''This is a good opportunity, but it's also a good city to play in. It's a great sports city to go play in. It's a place I've always looked at and I admire the organization and how things are run. So I'm happy to be here no matter what the situation is.''

Correia is scheduled to start Friday in Pittsburgh. He takes the spot of right-hander Severino Gonzalez, who was 2-2 with an 8.69 ERA in five starts when he was sent to the minors on Sunday.

Correia pitched for San Francisco's Triple-A team in Sacramento this season, going 0-1 with a 3.58 ERA. He was released on May 29 after exercising an opt-out provision in his contract, hoping another team would be willing to sign him as a starter.

''I felt I was at the point where I was ready to pitch at the major league level, so I was hoping to get the opportunity to do that,'' he said.

Correia has pitched for the Giants, the Padres, the Pirates, the Twins and the Dodgers. Last year, he went 2-4 with an 8.03 ERA in three starts and six relief appearances for the Dodgers. The Phillies were one of the teams that contacted him about a deal in the offseason.

''It's definitely a team I thought I might end up with,'' Correia said. ''It kind of worked out to where things just didn't fall into place. It's just a different route to getting here, but I'm glad I'm here now.''

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