Braves Sign Evan Phillips To Three-Year Deal

Key Points:

• The Atlanta Braves signed right-handed reliever Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35 million contract, with salaries of $11 million in 2027 and 2028, and $13 million in 2029, marking their first major offseason move.
• Phillips, originally drafted by the Braves in 2015, has emerged as an elite bullpen arm with the Dodgers, posting a 2.31 ERA over 210 2/3 innings since 2022 and demonstrating strong performance both in the regular season and postseason.
• Coming off Tommy John surgery in 2025, Phillips showed improvement late last season and is expected to strengthen a Braves bullpen undergoing transition, especially with Raisel Iglesias entering free agency.
• The Braves’ bullpen now features Phillips alongside Robert Suarez and promising arms like Dylan Lee and Ray Kerr, enhancing their high-leverage pitching options while increasing payroll commitments toward luxury tax thresholds.
• Beyond bolstering the bullpen, the Braves face offseason challenges including finding a shortstop, addressing left field struggles, and potentially moving on from costly contracts for Sean Murphy and Jurickson Profar, with trade and free-agent activity expected before the impending lockout.