There have been players electing free agency left and right across Major League Baseball over the last few days, including a few from the Philadelphia Phillies.
One guy who is a free agent now is veteran right-handed pitcher Matt Manning, who was traded to the Phillies in July ahead of the 2025 Major League Baseball trade deadline by the Detroit Tigers, per the MiLB transaction log.
Manning is a pitcher who at one point had immense upside. He was selected with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft by the Detroit Tigers. He was among the top prospects in baseball as he worked his way up through the Tigers’ farm system. He eventually made his big league debut with the Tigers in 2021. In four seasons, he had a 4.43 ERA in 50 starts. His best season came in 2023 with a 3.58 ERA in 15 starts.
Manning came over to town ahead of the trade deadline, but was designated for assignment later on in the season to make room for Walker Buehler. He was outrighted down to the minors and now is heading to the open market to look for another opportunity.
At just 27 years old, it seems pretty likely that someone will take a chance on him, but he opted to exit the Phillies organization.
He didn’t appear in a big league game in general in 2025. Manning appeared in 31 games in the Tigers’ farm system, including four starts. He made just two appearances in the Phillies’ farm system down in Double-A.
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