Every Major League Baseball team makes a handful of signings during the offseason, and not all of them are for flashy names.
Coming off a second-straight division title, the Phillies’ roster isn’t perfect by any means, but it’s quite strong, especially in the starting pitching department. The bullpen, however, could use some additional support.
Though minor-league deals aren’t the surest way to beef up the bullpen, they sometimes pay off. And the Phillies made an interesting minor-league signing on Wednesday, considering the pitcher they acquired has yet to make his major league debut after 6 1/2 years in the minors.
According to the official Major League Baseball transactions log, the Phillies signed former Athletics ninth-round pick Colin Peluse to a minor-league deal on Wednesday. It is not clear whether the deal comes with an invitation to major league spring training camp.
Peluse, 27, has not had a linear path through the A’s farm system. He made it to Triple-A in 2023 and pitched the full season there, but was then reassigned to Double-A midway through last year and spent all of this past season against that lower level of competition.
However, what he did in Double-A may have intrigued the Phillies enough to pick him up.
In 47 appearances, all out of the bullpen, Peluse had a 2.64 ERA across 58 innings this year. He also had his highest ground ball rate ever, and only gave up three home runs. And it’s worth noting that although Triple-A hitters are typically older, and many have major league experience, the competition in Double-A is often roughly equal, because there are lots of top prospects getting extended run there.
It’s not as though the Phillies expect Peluse to replace free agent Ranger Suárez; in fact, there’s no guarantee he ever makes his major league debut. But he seems to have figured some things out in the last couple of years, and if the A’s weren’t going to give him any opportunities, he rightly thought it wise to pursue those opportunities elsewhere.
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