Lost amid the Eagles celebration was an under-the-radar signing by the Phillies that could pay dividends in 2023.

According to Jon Heyman of the New York Post, the Phils inked veteran utility man Josh Harrison to a one-year, $2 million contract. It’s the kind of contract that tells you they expect him to be on their 26-man roster to start the season.

The agency representing Harrison basically confirmed Heyman’s report in a tweet:

And as one fan points out…

Harrison, 35, is a two-time All-Star who has played 12 seasons in the majors, mostly for Pittsburgh, but with stops in Detroit, Washington, Oakland, and with the Chicago White Sox.

The most interesting of note is the parts of two seasons he spent with the Nationals. The Phillies had signed him to a minor league contract heading into the pandemic-shortened 2020 season, but he was one of the last cuts in camp and rather than take a minor league assignment, he chose free agency and signed with the Nats.

While there, under the guidance of hitting coach Kevin Long,, Harrison put up numbers that exceeded his career averages.

Harrison’s career slash line is .272/.318/.398 with a .716 OPS and an OPS+ of 96, meaning overall, his offensive numbers have been slightly below league average (the average MLB player has an OPS+ of 100).

However, in the two seasons he was with Long in Washington, Harrison posted a slash line of .291/.363/.431 with a .794 OPS and an OPS+ of 118.

Of course, Long is now the Phillies hitting coach, and Harrison marks the fourth former National who has excelled at the plate under Long’s tutelage that is on the 2023 Phillies roster, joining Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, and new addition, Trea Turner.

Yet, despite this talk about his offense, the Phillies could view Harrison as a late inning defensive replacement as well:

Harrison plays mostly second and third but has experience in left field and can fill in at shortstop as well. He’s a right handed hitter and projects to be one of the 13 hitters the Phillies will start the season with when they go to Texas at the end of March.

With Harper sidelined for at least the first 10-12 weeks of the season, the Phillies expect to have a starting eight of J.T. Realmuto, Rhys Hoskins, Bryson Stott, Alec Bohm, Turner, Schwarber, Brandon Marsh, and Nick Castellanos. Garrett Stubbs is the backup catcher and Edmundo Sosa is a utility infielder who has no minor league options. That’s 10 hitters. These leaves three open spots (including a “DH” although the Phillies will likely rotate that role rather than commit to a regular guy in that spot).

Darick Hall should have the inside track to one spot as he has left-handed power and could fill that role in the lineup against righties until Harper returns. That leaves Harrison, Dalton Guthrie and recently acquired Kody Clemens to battle for the final two spots.

Guthrie seems likely to make it since he’s really the only other option to play centerfield, meaning it’ll be between Harrison and Clemens for the final bench spot. Harrison has more experience and versatility and is widely considered a good clubhouse presence. Not to mention, Clemens has a minor league option available, so he can be sent down and recalled as needed.

Harrison played last season for the White Sox and, because of all their injuries, saw plenty of action. He garnered 425 plate appearances in 119 games. He posted a mediocre slash line of .256/.317/.370 with a .687 OPS and an OPS+ of 94.