"The Phillies have officially signed Dontrelle Willis to a one-year deal. Willis passed his physical Thursday afternoon.

A starter throughout his career, the 29-year-old lefthander will move to the bullpen. In 13 starts for the Reds last season, Willis went 1-6 with a 5.00 ERA but held left-handed hitters to a .127 average. In 10 of the 13 starts, he allowed three earned runs or less.

"Dontrelle, I believe, is at a point in his career where he is ready to make the transition to being an effective reliever," general manager Ruben Amaro said in a statement released by the team. "Because of his experience, past success and overall positive energy, we feel this will be an opportunity to benefit both him and the team, especially with the success he has had against left-handed hitters, both recently and over the course of his career.""