Phillies announce trade, roster moves as free agency begins
MLB free agency is officially underway and with that, the Phillies announced several roster moves.
- Right-handed pitcher Devin Sweet was acquired from the Detroit Tigers for cash considerations. He was added to the 40-man roster.
- Right-handed pitcher John McMillon was claimed off waivers from the Miami Marlins.
- Right-handed pitcher Alan Rangel was selected to the 40-man roster.
To make room for the three pitchers on the 40-man, the Phillies outrighted the following players: right-handed pitchers Yunior Marte, Luis Ortiz, and Freddy Tarnok, along with left-handed pitcher Kolby Allard and infielder Rodolfo Castro. All five players cleared waivers and have elected free agency.
Sweet, 28, spent all of 2024 with Triple-A Toledo in the Tigers organization as a multi-inning reliever. He pitched in seven MLB games with the Seattle Mariners and Oakland Athletics in 2023.
McMillon, a former two-way player in college, pitched in 10 games as a reliever for the Miami Marlins in 2024, posting a 1.50 ERA.
Rangel, 27, who signed a minor league deal with the Phillies in July, currently has a 2.61 ERA while pitching for Naranjeros de Hermosillo in the Mexican Pacific League. He ended last season with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, posting a 4.30 ERA in 10 games. He could be one of the many depth starting pitching options for the Phillies in 2025.
Speaking of depth starters, Allard filled in nicely for the Phillies when his name was called. The Phillies could have retained him in arbitration, but that was unlikely since Allard was out of minor league options.
Castro was acquired at the trade deadline in 2023 in a deal that sent Bailey Falter to Pittsburgh. He did not play well when he was on the roster and missed significant time in 2024 due to injuries.
Ortiz, who appeared in only one game for the Phillies in 2024, is recovering from Tommy John surgery and will miss most of 2025.
Marte was the most significant MLB contributor out of the five cuts from today. In 63 appearances with the Phillies from 2023 to 2024, Marte posted a 5.79 ERA. He was also out of minor league options.
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Signing Soto will kill any chance of the average family being able to afford to attend a Phillies game.
There should be a $100M cap with no future monies allowed. How do you billionaires keep your money, It's not fair for the smaller market teams either, they just wind up being minor league teams for the big market teams.
Because sports don’t rotate drafting criteria, the same teams keep getting to pick the best players being drafted. Because of this the big market teams have to trade or sign free agents for huge amounts to keep a quality team on the field.