Evan Phillips was among the five arbitration-eligible players the Los Angeles Dodgers had for the 2026 season, but he ended up being the only one they chose to non-tender.
The Dodgers could have kept Phillips under team control by tendering him a contract that was projected to be around $6.1 million, but they instead made him a free agent.
Phillips is currently recovering from Tommy John surgery that he underwent in June, so he is expected to miss around half of the 2026 season, and he was in his final year of arbitration.
The Dodgers have interest in bringing Phillips back, which would likely come on a more team-friendly deal than his arbitration projection, but they have also set themselves up to face competition to sign him.
One of those teams interested in Phillips appears to be the Boston Red Sox, according to Tim Healey of The Boston Globe:
The Red Sox inquired with free agent reliever Evan Phillips, who had Tommy John surgery in June.
Phillips had a delayed start to the 2025 season because of right shoulder trouble that prevented him from pitching in the 2024 World Series against the New York Yankees.
Further examination of Phillips’ injury revealed he sustained a small tear in the back of the rotator cuff in his right shoulder. After he managed to make a recovery from that, the right-hander pitched in just seven games before it was determined he needed Tommy John.
Phillips joined the Dodgers organization in August 2021, when he was claimed off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays, and since then, he became one of the top relievers in baseball.
Since the start of the 2022 season, Phillips has posted a 2.14 ERA and 0.92 WHIP in 184.2 innings for the Dodgers, striking out 10.33 hitters per nine innings while walking just 2.29 per nine.
Phillips was the Dodgers’ primary closer during the 2023 season when he saved 24 games, and added another 18 in 2024. His best season came in 2022 when he threw 63 innings with a 1.14 ERA.
Evan Phillips started throwing program
Phillips started his throwing program in early November, as things have progressed well so far for him.
Despite his progress, a return in the second half of the 2026 season remains the most likely scenario, but the timeline could be accelerated to around June, given that he doesn’t need to stretch out his arm as a starter would.
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