Nick Nelson has a new home. After spending the last three seasons in the Phillies organization and electing free agency back in October, Nelson is heading to Japan.
The right-handed reliever has agreed to a one-year deal with the Hanshin Tigers of Nippon Professional Baseball. Nelson’s agency, Beverly Hill Sports Council, announced the signing on Thursday on Instagram. Nelson will receive $1 million plus incentives, per his agency.
Nelson appeared in five games for the Phillies over the last two seasons. He spent most of 2024 in the minors with the Lehigh Valley IronPigs. The 29-year-old made 34 appearances for Lehigh Valley last season, including five starts. He finished the minor-league schedule with a 6.13 ERA across 54 1/3 innings.
Most of Nelson’s time with the big-league club came in 2022, when he took on a multi-inning role out of the bullpen. Nelson made 47 appearances that year, finishing 68 2/3 innings with a 4.85 ERA. He made one appearance during the 2022 postseason, tossing a scoreless eighth inning in Game 3 of the World Series.
Nelson, who added a knuckleball to his repertoire in 2024, joins a pair of other recent Phillies depth options to find new homes. Darick Hall and Cristian Pache recently signed with new organizations, too. Hall signed a minor-league deal with the Pirates. Pache signed a minors pact with the Diamondbacks.
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