Evan Phillips Signs 3-Year, $35 Million Deal With Braves
Right-handed reliever Evan Phillips agreed to a three-year, $35 million contract with the Atlanta Braves on Thursday, November 12, 2026. He returns to the club that drafted him in 2015 after a Tommy John comeback with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Right-handed reliever Evan Phillips signed a three-year, $35 million contract with the Atlanta Braves, the club announced Thursday, November 12, 2026. The deal ends his run with the Los Angeles Dodgers.
Phillips, 32, will be paid $11 million in 2027 and 2028 and $13 million in 2029. He is a client of Apex Baseball.
It is the Braves' first significant move of the offseason.
Phillips returns to the organization that drafted him in the 17th round in 2015. He made his major league debut with Atlanta in 2018, pitching 6 1/3 innings, before a trade sent him to Baltimore. He later pitched for the Tampa Bay Rays before the Dodgers claimed him off waivers.
With Los Angeles he became one of the league's top relievers. From 2022 to 2025 he logged a 2.14 ERA over 184 2/3 regular-season innings, with 36 holds and 45 saves. He is a two-time World Series champion, in 2024 and 2025.
Tommy John surgery, an elbow reconstruction, derailed his path to a bigger contract. The Dodgers non-tendered him last winter, then re-signed him on a one-year, $6.5 million deal. He returned on July 7.
His comeback started poorly. He posted a 5.27 ERA over his first 17 appearances. From August 21 through the end of the season, he allowed two earned runs in 12 1/3 innings across 14 games, a 1.46 ERA, and struck out 19.
He finished 3-2 with a 3.46 ERA and 33 strikeouts in 31 games. Phillips also made five scoreless postseason appearances for the Dodgers in 2026.
For his career, he is 19-14 with 47 saves and a 3.37 ERA in 281 games for the Braves, Orioles, Rays and Dodgers.
Atlanta's bullpen is changing. Closer Raisel Iglesias, who has held the role for five years, is a free agent. Phillips will join Robert Suarez, signed for $16 million, at the back of the group. Left-hander Dylan Lee is also part of the mix under manager Walt Weiss.
The signing could also help the Braves move pitching prospect Didier Fuentes into the rotation. The 21-year-old made all but one of his 58 appearances in relief this season, going 7-2 with a 2.45 ERA.
