Phillies Add Bryse Wilson on Minor League Deal, but Fans Remain Skeptical
The Phillies are doing what most teams do in December-stocking up on pitching depth. While the front office hasn’t made a splash that shakes up the big-league roster just yet, they’ve been quietly loading the minor league system with arms. One recent addition, though, drew a little more attention than usual: right-hander Bryse Wilson.
The news broke Friday evening, right around the time the Blue Jays were locking in submariner Tyler Rogers. Jon Heyman reported that the Phillies had signed Wilson, but without immediate clarification on whether it was a major or minor league deal. That lack of detail had some Phillies fans bracing for the worst.
Turns out, it’s a minor league contract. Crisis averted-at least for now.
A Name That Rings a Bell, But Not for the Right Reasons
Wilson isn’t a stranger to the spotlight. Phillies fans might remember him from his standout performance in the 2020 NLCS, when he was a rookie with the Braves and dominated the Dodgers in a surprise playoff start. But that feels like a lifetime ago.
Since breaking into the majors in 2018, Wilson has logged 163 appearances (57 starts) with a career ERA of 4.82. And while he did post a strong 2.58 ERA over 76 2/3 innings with the Brewers in 2023, that season looks more like the outlier than the standard. Every other year, he’s finished with an ERA north of 4.00-including a rough 2025 campaign with the White Sox, where he put up a 6.65 ERA in 47 1/3 innings.
Fan Reaction: Let’s Just Say It Wasn’t Warm
Once the signing hit social media, Phillies fans made their feelings known-and they didn’t hold back.
One user summed it up with biting sarcasm: “6 ERA! Sounds like a Phillies reliever already.”
Another chimed in with, “This moves the needle… backwards.” And then there was the fan who simply dropped a screenshot of Wilson’s 2025 Baseball Savant sliders-mostly short, mostly blue, and mostly not what you want to see if you're hoping for a bounce-back year.
The skepticism is understandable. The Phillies’ bullpen in 2025 was, at times, a rollercoaster without a safety harness. The relief corps finished the season with a 4.27 ERA-10th-worst in the majors-and that was actually better than their 4.38 mark in the first half.
There were some brutal stretches, with names like Jordan Romano (8.23 ERA), José Ruiz (8.16 ERA), Carlos Hernández (5.26 ERA), and Joe Ross (5.14 ERA) all contributing to the collective struggle. So when fans see a 6.65 ERA next to Wilson’s name, it’s hard not to flinch.
What Wilson Brings-And What He Doesn’t
At 27, Wilson still has time to figure things out, and the Phillies are clearly hoping they can tap into whatever magic he found in Milwaukee. But even during that strong 2023 season, the advanced metrics told a more tempered story: a 4.00 expected ERA (xERA), a 4.13 FIP, and just 7.16 strikeouts per nine innings. For his career, he’s averaged just 6.50 K/9.
That doesn’t scream “high-leverage reliever.” What it does suggest is a depth piece-someone who can eat innings, maybe make a spot start if needed (he made five for the White Sox this year), and possibly help stabilize the back end of a bullpen if everything breaks right.
But Phillies fans have seen this movie before, and they’re not exactly lining up for a sequel.
The Bottom Line
This is a low-risk move, and in December, that’s often what teams are doing-taking fliers on arms with some track record and hoping to catch lightning in a bottle. Wilson has shown flashes, and the Phillies are betting they can help him rediscover that form.
Still, after a season where bullpen meltdowns were all too familiar, fans aren’t giving the front office the benefit of the doubt just yet. If Wilson does make it back to the bigs in 2026, he’ll have to earn every bit of trust from a fanbase that’s still nursing some bullpen scars.