The Philadelphia Phillies are looking to build a more reliable bullpen for the upcoming season than the group that has let them down in critical moments of late.
After acquiring Jhoan Durán at the trade deadline in July, the Phillies had their closer locked in. They traded Matt Strahm, a solid lefty setup man, and signed Brad Keller to a two-year contract after his excellent year with the Chicago Cubs. Plus, they acquired Kyle Backhus from the Arizona Diamondbacks to backfill Strahm’s role.
The Phillies’ latest addition didn’t have anywhere near the year Keller just did, but he’s another righty who’s pitched intermittently in the majors for the last five years.
As the club announced on X, the Phillies have signed right-hander Zach Pop to a one-year contract for the upcoming season. As of Monday afternoon, the guaranteed salary on Pop’s deal was not yet known.
Pop, 29, has already pitched for four major league teams: the Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and New York Mets. He made 58 appearances for the Blue Jays last year, but only five combined for the Mariners and Mets this year, allowing 11 earned runs in 6 2/3 innings.
The Blue Jays let Pop go in April, starting a run of four organizations in the span of four months. He finished the season on a minor-league deal with the Chicago Cubs, for whom he did not pitch at the big-league level, then elected free agency on Nov. 6.
Pop’s sinker-slider combination has looked nasty at times, but hasn’t translated to major league results since 2022, when he put up a 2.77 ERA in 39 innings.
Pop is out of minor-league options, but the fact that he signed a major league deal does not inherently guarantee him a spot in the bullpen at the end of spring training. He’ll be one of many interesting arms in the mix, many of whom have had similar ups and downs.
Did the Phillies find a gem in the rough? They won’t know the answer until they see their new righty compete during spring training.
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