The Phillies didn’t land a starter at the trade deadline, but they still found a way to add to the pitching staff - and they had to beat out some real competition to do it.
Philadelphia’s push for starting help ahead of the deadline came up empty. The club reportedly made that search a priority, but it wasn’t willing to pay every asking price, and it also wasn’t interested in adding someone who would simply fill innings.
If the Phillies were going to make a move, the arm had to be an upgrade over what they already had in Andrew Painter and Aaron Nola. When that kind of deal never materialized, they stood pat and leaned on those two instead.
So far, that approach has paid off.
Still, the Phillies did make a late addition to the staff through free agency, signing Nestor Cortes to a Major Leauge deal. And according to Francys Romero of BeisbolFR, they weren’t alone in chasing him. The New York Yankees, Boston Red Sox and Chicago White Sox all showed interest after Cortes threw for scouts at Miami Dade College.
That matters. New York is sitting atop the American League Wild Card race with an 8.5-game cushion.
Boston isn’t far behind at No. 2 in the AL Wild Card picture, holding a six-game advantage. And Chicago, surprisingly, leads the AL Central by four games with a 66-60 record.
Those are all teams with postseason positioning that looks far steadier than Philadelphia’s.
The Phillies, by contrast, are in a tighter spot. They hold the No.
2 Wild Card position in the National League, but their cushion is only 1.5 games. Even so, Cortes chose them.
“Nestor Cortes is signing with the Phillies for the remainder of the 2026 season, per sources. Cortes worked out yesterday at Miami Dade College in front of scouts, and several teams showed interest, including the Red Sox, Yankees and White Sox.”
What made Philadelphia the winner here isn’t known yet. No contract terms have been reported, so it’s unclear whether the Phillies offered more guaranteed money, something beyond the 2026 season, or simply laid out a role that appealed to him more than what the other clubs had in mind.
Either way, the move gives Philadelphia another veteran arm at a time when that can matter. Cortes has experience both in the rotation and in the bullpen, and while his results have been better as a starter, that kind of flexibility can help a pitching staff that has worn down at points this season.
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