The Philadelphia Phillies are wasting no time in reshaping their bullpen ahead of the 2026 Major League Baseball season, officially announcing the signing of right-handed reliever Zach Pop to a one-year contract. The move, revealed on December 22, 2025, adds yet another intriguing arm to a relief corps that’s undergone significant transformation over the past several weeks.
Pop, 29, brings with him five years of big-league experience, having pitched for the Miami Marlins, Toronto Blue Jays, Seattle Mariners, and New York Mets. While his 2025 campaign was marred by injuries and inconsistency—he made only five appearances at the major league level, splitting time between Seattle and New York—the Phillies are betting on a bounce-back from a pitcher who once showed flashes of dominance.
"We’re excited to add another experienced right-hander to the mix," Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said in a statement released by the team. The club did not disclose the financial terms of the deal, but Pop joins a 40-man roster that now stands at 39 players, giving the Phillies flexibility for further moves.
Pop’s 2025 season was, by all accounts, a tough one. After starting the year with the Blue Jays, he was shut down in March due to elbow discomfort and released in early April. He then signed a minor league deal with the Mariners, earned a call-up, but struggled mightily—allowing 11 earned runs on 15 hits, including four home runs, in just 6 2/3 innings. After being designated for assignment, he elected free agency and joined the Mets, but made only one appearance before being DFA’d again in July. He finished out the year on a minor league deal with the Chicago Cubs, but did not pitch for them at the major league level before electing free agency in November.
Despite the recent struggles, Pop’s career numbers tell a more nuanced story. Over 163 MLB games, he’s posted an 8-6 record with a 4.88 ERA, striking out 126 and walking 55 in 162 1/3 innings. He’s best known for his sinker-slider combination—a repertoire that, at its peak, has made him a groundball machine. In 2025, his groundball rate sat at 54.5%, driven by a sinker that averaged a lively 96.4 mph. He added a cutter to his arsenal in 2024, which he throws about 20% of the time, complementing his primary pitches with a bit more unpredictability.
Pop’s best stretch in the majors came in 2022. He opened that season with Miami, posting a 3.60 ERA in 18 appearances before being dealt to Seattle in a four-player trade. With the Mariners, he allowed just four earned runs across 19 innings, backed by impressive underlying numbers: a 39.3% chase rate, a 2.5% walk rate, and a 5.6% barrel rate. In total that year, he went 4-0 with a 2.77 ERA over 35 games, striking out 25 and walking just four in 39 innings.
But since then, things have been rocky. In 2023, his ERA ballooned to 6.59 in 15 games for Toronto. He managed to lower it to 5.59 in 58 games during the 2024 season, pitching 48.1 innings with 33 strikeouts and 19 walks. Yet, 2025’s injury woes and performance struggles saw his numbers reach a career-worst 14.85 ERA in his limited major league action.
Pop’s journey to Philadelphia has been circuitous. Originally a seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 MLB draft, he was traded to the Baltimore Orioles in 2018 as part of the deal that sent Manny Machado to Los Angeles. Pop was then selected by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft and immediately traded to Miami, where he made his MLB debut in 2021. After parts of two seasons with the Marlins, he was sent to Toronto in 2022, where he pitched until his release this past spring.
The Phillies’ bullpen has seen an overhaul this offseason. In addition to Pop, Philadelphia has acquired right-hander Jonathan Bowlan from the Kansas City Royals in exchange for Matt Strahm, a move reportedly prompted by internal friction. They also traded for left-hander Kyle Backhus from the Arizona Diamondbacks and made the free agent signing of Brad Keller—coming off an excellent year with the Chicago Cubs—official. These new faces join a group anchored by closer Jhoan Duran, acquired last summer from the Minnesota Twins. Other returning or newly acquired relievers include Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks, Jean Cabrera, Moisés Chace, Yoniel Curet, Seth Johnson, Max Lazar, and José Alvarado, who returns after missing significant time last season due to a suspension for violating MLB’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
Pop’s addition is not without risk, but the Phillies are clearly hoping his sinker-heavy, groundball-inducing style will play well in Citizens Bank Park. As a pitch-to-contact arm, Pop is most effective when living at the bottom of the zone, inducing soft contact and letting his defense work behind him. The Phillies’ infield defense will be key to maximizing his value, especially given his tendency to keep the ball on the ground.
One wrinkle in Pop’s situation: he is out of minor league options. That means if he fails to make the opening-day roster, the Phillies will have to pass him through waivers to send him to the minors. With five years of MLB service, he can refuse a minor league assignment and opt for free agency. This puts a bit of pressure on both Pop and the Phillies’ coaching staff to get him right during spring training.
Pop will be in direct competition with several other arms for one of two open bullpen spots. Candidates include Rule 5 Draft pick Zach McCambley, who must remain on the MLB roster all season or be offered back to Miami; recently acquired right-hander Yoniel Curet; left-hander Tyler Backhus; and returnees Nolan Hoffman, Seth Johnson, and Max Lazar, among others. With six bullpen spots already locked up, Pop’s experience and lack of options could give him a slight edge, but nothing is guaranteed.
Meanwhile, the Phillies’ offseason work isn’t done. The club is reportedly still trying to re-sign free-agent catcher J.T. Realmuto, a key piece of their recent postseason runs. The front office, led by Dombrowski, has made it clear that upgrading the bullpen is a priority, especially after some high-profile late-inning collapses in recent years.
For now, Zach Pop joins a crowded and competitive bullpen picture in Philadelphia. Will he rediscover his 2022 form and become a key contributor? Or will the struggles of the past two seasons persist? Those questions will be answered in Clearwater come spring training, where Pop’s high-octane sinker and battle-tested resolve will be put to the test.
With the ink barely dry on his new deal, all eyes will be on Pop as he attempts to carve out a role on a Phillies squad hungry for bullpen stability and postseason glory.
