It’s a tradition unlike any other. Every year, no matter who is in charge, the Phillies go after a 35 or 36-year-old, over-the-hill player who fills a spot on their roster. The long lineage of such studs as A.J. Burnett, Aaron Harang, and Joaquin Benoit, could be continued with Angel Pagan.

Pagan, who is in possession of one of the great baseball names, will turn 36 this season. Jon Heyman reported that both the Phillies and Blue Jays have their eyes on Pagan. But the question is: Why?

He’s old, but he’s coming off of a solid season on which he played in 129 games and hit .277 with a .750 OPS. Curiously, he also hit for his career-high in home runs (12) last year, at age 34. The Phils signed two new guys for the corners (Michael Saunders and Howie Kendrick) while their reigning All-Star is in centerfield. So Pagan would likely be a bench player.