The Philadelphia Phillies have been busy this offseason-and for the most part, they’ve made moves that signal a clear intent to contend. Re-signing Kyle Schwarber to a five-year deal locks in one of their most reliable power bats, and trading for young right-hander Yoniel Curet from the Rays adds a promising arm to the pipeline. But not every move is a headline-maker, and their latest addition falls more into the “depth piece” category than anything else.
On Thursday, the Phillies signed veteran right-hander Trevor Richards to a minor league deal. It’s a low-risk move that adds bullpen insurance, but expectations should be tempered.
Richards, now 32, has been around the block-literally. He’s pitched for eight different MLB organizations over his eight-year career, including stints with the Marlins, Rays, Brewers, Blue Jays, Twins, Diamondbacks, Cubs, and Royals. That kind of journey tells a story in itself: teams have seen flashes of value, but long-term staying power has been elusive.
To be fair, Richards has had his moments. His best season came back in 2021, when he posted a 7-2 record with a 3.50 ERA and a sharp 0.96 WHIP across 53 appearances.
He struck out 78 batters in 64 1/3 innings that year, splitting time between the Rays, Brewers, and Blue Jays. He was effective, efficient, and at times electric-especially when his changeup was working as a genuine out pitch.
But since then, consistency has been the issue. Richards has bounced between teams and struggled to lock down a defined role.
In 2025, he spent most of his time in Triple-A across three different organizations-Arizona, Chicago (Cubs), and Kansas City. Over 38 minor league games, he posted a 5.19 ERA and a 1.40 WHIP, giving up 30 earned runs in 52 innings.
While he did strike out 55 batters, he also issued 19 walks and never quite found his footing. His brief major league stint didn’t offer much redemption either: five appearances, a 7.94 ERA, and a 2.29 WHIP.
So why take a flyer on Richards?
Well, despite the recent struggles, there’s still one thing that jumps off the page: his strikeout ability. Over his big league career, Richards has racked up 616 strikeouts in 565 2/3 innings.
That’s a 25.3% strikeout rate-comfortably above the league average of 22.7%. For a Phillies bullpen that ranked third-to-last in strikeouts last season (just 505 total), that kind of swing-and-miss potential is worth a look, especially on a minor league deal.
But there are hurdles. Richards’ fastball velocity has been trending in the wrong direction.
It sat at 93.4 mph three seasons ago but dipped to just 91.4 mph last year. That’s a notable drop, especially for a reliever who relies on mixing speeds and keeping hitters off balance.
Without that extra gear, his margin for error shrinks.
For the Phillies, this is a classic "see what he’s got" move. Richards isn’t being brought in to anchor the bullpen.
He’s a depth arm with a history of missing bats, and if he can rediscover some of that 2021 form-or even just provide a few quality innings at Triple-A-he becomes a useful piece. If not, the cost was minimal.
In a winter where the Phillies have largely made smart, aggressive moves to bolster their roster, this one is more of a long shot. But every bullpen needs a few of those, especially over the grind of a 162-game season. Whether Richards can make the most of this opportunity remains to be seen-but for now, he’s got a shot, and sometimes that’s all a journeyman needs.