Relief pitcher Evan Phillips signs three-year deal to return to Atlanta Braves
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ATLANTA — The Atlanta Braves signed relief pitcher Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35-million contract on Thursday, bringing the right-hander back to his original team after he made a promising return from Tommy John surgery this season with the Dodgers.
Over his last 14 appearances in the regular season, Phillips had 19 strikeouts and a 1.46 ERA in 12 1/3 innings. He made five scoreless appearances in the playoffs for the Dodgers, who beat the Braves in the National League Division Series before losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series.
Over the last five years, Phillips has a 2.31 ERA, the best in the NL and fourth-best in the majors among those who pitched in at least 200 games. Fellow Braves relievers Robert Suarez (2.66) and Dylan Lee (2.84) rank fourth and seventh in the NL during that span. Phillips, who joined the Dodgers in 2021, has not allowed a run in 17 career postseason appearances, winning the 2024 World Series.
Tarik Skubal fit in nicely after joining the Dodgers via trade, but the impending lockout could complicate things.
He underwent elbow ligament replacement surgery in June 2025 and missed the subsequent postseason, when the Dodgers won their second consecutive World Series, and the start of this season.
Phillips, 32, will make $11 million in 2027 and 2028 and $13 million in 2029. The Braves, in their announcement of the signing, said Phillips agreed to donate 1% of his salary to the team’s charitable foundation.
With closer Raisel Iglesias a free agent, the Braves were in the market for late-inning reinforcements. Phillips appeared in 31 games for the Dodgers in 2026, posting a 3.46 ERA in 26 innings with 33 strikeouts. He made his season debut right before the All-Star break.
Phillips was drafted by the Braves in the 17th round in 2015 and made his major league debut in 2018. The native of North Carolina was traded to the Baltimore Orioles for starting pitcher Kevin Gausman less than a month later.
