Back where his career started
Evan Phillips is going back to the organisation that gave him his start. The free-agent right-hander has agreed a three-year, $35 million contract with the Atlanta Braves, the club confirmed this evening.
The circle is a long one. Atlanta drafted Phillips in 2015 and handed him his major league call-up in 2018, before trading him to the Baltimore Orioles. He later made his name in the Los Angeles Dodgers bullpen, where he appeared 31 times in 2026.
The money is structured with a bump at the end: $11 million in each of the next two seasons, then $13 million in 2029. In announcing the deal, the Braves added that the 32-year-old has pledged 1% of his salary to the team’s charitable foundation.
no renewal
Free for 2 weeks.
A postseason record that stands out
The number Atlanta will like most is a zero. Across 17 playoff appearances and 18 1/3 innings, Phillips has never allowed a run. Five of those scoreless outings came in the postseason this year.
His health is the other question, and he went a long way to answering it in 2026. Elbow ligament surgery had ended his 2025 campaign, and before that he had missed the Dodgers’ 2024 World Series run after hurting his arm in the National League Championship Series, so he was a member of that championship team without making the Fall Classic roster. Activated before the All-Star break this season, he went 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 26 innings.
A possible answer at closer
The timing matters. Atlanta’s All-Star closer Raisel Iglesias is a free agent, and Phillips brings 47 career saves to the table if the Braves need someone to finish games.
Over nine major league seasons he is 19-14 with a 3.37 ERA in 281 appearances, only one of them a start.
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