Evan Phillips signs 3-year, $35 million deal with Braves
· Yahoo Sports
One of the best relief pitchers on the market is leaving the Los Angeles Dodgers. Veteran Evan Phillips signed a three-year, $35 million with the Atlanta Braves, the team announced Thursday.
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Phillips, 32, is coming off a season in which he posted a 3.46 ERA over 26 innings with the Dodgers.
#Braves Sign Evan Phillips: pic.twitter.com/2ozx27CQUG
— Atlanta Braves (@Braves) November 12, 2026
While Phillips experienced an abbreviated year, it was an encouraging performance. Phillips tossed just 5 2/3 innings in 2025 due to an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery. He didn’t return to the majors until July and showed that his stuff had not diminished following that procedure. Phillips’ fastball averaged a career-high 96.7 mph and he posted his highest strikeout rate since 2022.
He also improved as the year went on. After posting a 6.15 ERA in July, he managed a 2.61 ERA in August before dropping that to 2.16 in September and October. In the playoffs, he threw three scoreless innings for the Dodgers.
Prior to his 2025 Tommy John surgery, Phillips had established himself as one of the best relievers in baseball. From 2022 through 2024, he posted a 2.21 ERA over 179 innings. That performance made Phillips the sixth-best reliever in the sport over that period, according to fWAR. During that same period, Phillips proved himself as a closer, picking up 44 saves.
He could jump back into a closing role with the Braves. With the team’s long-time closer Raisel Iglesias on the free-agent market, Phillips could be called upon to close things out in Atlanta next season. Iglesias, however, could once again opt to return to the team on a short-term deal. That’s exactly what the veteran did last offseason.
Even if Iglesias returns, Phillips should help. The veteran has a decent track record of being one of the most effective relievers in the game. While his 2025 Tommy John surgery threatened to end that run, Phillips showed enough in 2026 to suggest his arm still has plenty left in the tank.