On the eve of a possible arbitration hearing, the Phillies and Seranthony Domínguez agreed to a new contract.
The team announced Thursday that they have signed their top right-handed reliever to a two-year contract with a club option for 2025.
The deal buys out Domínguez’s last two seasons of arbitration eligibility and also gives the Phillies the option to have Domínguez for one additional season as the 2025 club option covers his first year of free agency.
Steve Adams of MLB Trade Rumors reports that the deal guarantees Domínguez $7.5 million over two years. He’ll make $2.5 million in 2023 and $4.25 million in 2024. The club option for 2025 is worth $8 million with a $500,000 buyout if the Phillies do not pick it up. If Domínguez is still pitching at the level he was at in 2022 in 2025, the decision to pick up the option would be a no brainer for the Phillies.
Domínguez, 28, was excellent in his first full season back following an extended absence after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He went 6-5 with a 3.00 ERA across 51 innings during the regular season in 2022 and reemerged as a trustworthy late-inning arm for Rob Thomson and the Phillies. He also pitched to a minuscule 1.69 ERA with 18 strikeouts and one walk over 10 2/3 innings in the postseason.
In other Phillies camp news, they have invited catchers Jack Conley, Cody Roberts and Aramis Garcia to spring training. Conley and Roberts are both catchers in the Phillies minor league system while Garcia spent time last season with the Cincinnati Reds. With J.T. Realmuto, Garrett Stubbs and non-roster invitee Vito Friscia leaving for the World Baseball Classic, expect to see these three behind the plate pretty often during spring training exhibitions.