In a move that caught the attention of Phillies fans this morning, the team re-signed left-hander Tim Mayza to a major league contract. This decision comes hot on the heels of Mayza exercising his opt-out clause from a minor league deal just yesterday. To make room on the 40-man roster, the Phillies returned right-handed Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley to the Marlins after he cleared waivers.
Mayza, now 34, is stepping into his ninth major league season, having spent the bulk of his career with the Blue Jays. His journey has been a rollercoaster.
After debuting in 2017 and navigating some early career turbulence, Mayza bounced back from an injury-plagued 2020 season to become a reliable arm in Toronto’s bullpen. Between 2021 and 2023, he posted an impressive 2.67 ERA and a 3.20 FIP over 155 innings.
However, his performance was notably split; against lefties, his ERA was a stellar 0.67, but against right-handers, he was far less dominant, with a 4.19 ERA and a 3.96 FIP.
The 2024 season, however, was a tough one for Mayza. His ERA soared to 6.33 over 50 appearances, despite a 4.50 FIP suggesting some bad luck was in play.
His strikeout rate also dipped to a concerning 14.4%. A midseason trade to the Yankees offered a glimmer of hope, as he managed a 4.00 ERA and a 3.94 FIP in 18 innings, though his strikeout rate remained below average at 16.2%.
Heading into 2025, Mayza found himself in a precarious position. He secured a big league deal with the Pirates but spent much of the season sidelined by a lat strain.
Between stints with Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, where he was claimed off waivers, Mayza pitched just 15 innings, posting a 3.78 ERA and a 4.16 FIP. Encouragingly, his strikeout rate improved to 20.3%, which convinced the Phillies to bring him back on a minor league deal for spring training.
Despite a 5.40 ERA over 8 1/3 spring innings, his strikeout rate surged to 27.0%, earning him a spot on the roster for 2026.
On the flip side, Zach McCambley, a third-round pick by the Marlins in 2020, found himself returning to Miami. Originally drafted as a starter, McCambley transitioned to a relief role in 2022, climbing the minor league ranks with a solid 2.90 ERA and a striking 33.1% strikeout rate over 62 innings in 2025.
However, his control issues surfaced during spring training with the Phillies, where he walked more batters than he struck out in 7 1/3 innings. This inconsistency led to the Phillies deciding to move on, sending him back to the Marlins.
McCambley now returns as a non-roster player, but he remains a potential bullpen option for Miami later in the season.