PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies spent the last 48 hours doing what contenders do in late December: adding another plausible inning here, revealing another clue there, and reminding everyone that winter roster-building is often less about fireworks than it is about avoiding the moment in July when you realize you’re one arm short.
The most concrete move came Monday, when the Phillies signed right-hander Zach Pop to a one-year deal to compete for a bullpen job in spring training. Pop is 29, a sinker-heavy righty, and the kind of pitcher teams keep taking chances on because the path is easy to envision: ground balls, quick outs, and a role that can grow if his command holds. MLB.com lists Pop at 8–6 with a 4.88 ERA over 163 relief appearances, with 126 strikeouts and 55 walks in 162 1/3 innings in the majors.
The recent snapshot is rougher. Pop pitched only 6 2/3 innings in 2025, appearing briefly for the Mariners and Mets, and finished 0–1 with a 14.85 ERA, allowing four homers and 15 hits in that small sample. That’s not so much a warning label as it is the context: this is a depth signing, the type that can look irrelevant on December 23 and important on June 23.
Pop is also out of options, which matters in the practical roster math of March. MLB.com noted that being out of options could give Pop a real chance to grab one of the bullpen spots because the Phillies can’t simply slide him to Triple A without exposing him.
The Pop signing also lands in a bullpen that has been reshaped in the last week. The Phillies’ two-year, $22 million deal with right-hander Brad Keller became official late last week, adding an arm who reinvented himself in 2025 with the Cubs, posting a 2.07 ERA across 68 appearances. Keller explained his choice in terms that sounded less like salesmanship and more like someone who has learned what meaningful games feel like.
“Once you get a taste of that, that’s what you crave every single year,” he told reporters on Monday.
All of it is happening against a financial backdrop that’s harder to ignore now. Major League Baseball’s finalized competitive balance tax numbers pegged the Phillies’ 2025 luxury-tax bill at about $56.1 million—a franchise record and one of the largest payments in the sport. That doesn’t mean the Phillies are suddenly bargain-hunting. It does help explain why a lot of their work has come via targeted adds and shorter-term commitments rather than a winter of open-ended spending.
Bryce Harper will play for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Reuters reported Tuesday. Harper hit .261 with 27 homers and 75 RBIs in 132 games in 2025.
All of it is happening against a financial backdrop that’s harder to ignore now. Major League Baseball’s finalized competitive balance tax numbers pegged the Phillies’ 2025 luxury-tax bill at about $56.1 million—a franchise record and one of the largest payments in the sport. That doesn’t mean the Phillies are suddenly bargain-hunting. It does help explain why a lot of their work has come via targeted adds and shorter-term commitments rather than a winter of open-ended spending.
Bryce Harper will play for Team USA in the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Reuters reported Tuesday. Harper hit .261 with 27 homers and 75 RBIs in 132 games in 2025.
"Put the colors on my chest for the 1st time when I was 15. No other feeling like it," Harper wrote on an Instagram post. "I'm excited to announce I will be representing Team USA this year in the WBC."
And the offseason’s unresolved center of gravity remains unresolved: J.T. Realmuto. There hasn’t been a new public development in the last 48 hours, but the posture remains clear. MLB.com has reported the Phillies have made Realmuto an offer, and Dave Dombrowski has expressed optimism about re-signing him. Even the Pop signing coverage noted the Phillies are still trying to bring Realmuto back.
So this is where the Phillies sit as December turns: adding bullpen options (Pop), installing a higher-leverage arm (Keller), watching Harper expand his baseball calendar, and leaving the biggest roster question—catcher—open for now.
And the offseason’s unresolved center of gravity remains unresolved: J.T. Realmuto. There hasn’t been a new public development in the last 48 hours, but the posture remains clear. MLB.com has reported the Phillies have made Realmuto an offer, and Dave Dombrowski has expressed optimism about re-signing him. Even the Pop signing coverage noted the Phillies are still trying to bring Realmuto back.
So this is where the Phillies sit as December turns: adding bullpen options (Pop), installing a higher-leverage arm (Keller), watching Harper expand his baseball calendar, and leaving the biggest roster question—catcher—open for now.
It’s not a winter of noise. It’s a winter of layers.
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