The Dodgers did not tender a contract to former closer Evan Phillips ahead of Friday’s deadline.
Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic was the first to report that Phillips, who made seven scoreless appearances for the Dodgers in 2025 before undergoing season-ending elbow surgery in June, will now head to free agency.
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As noted by Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic, Phillips was projected to make $6.1 million in arbitration by MLB Trade Rumors — a high price to pay for a pitcher who might not be healthy until 2027.
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Phillips, 31, helped the Dodgers win the 2024 World Series and was set to be part of the team’s bullpen picture as they looked to repeat in 2025.
Without Phillips, who was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in May, the Dodgers struggled to hold leads in the late innings all season.
By Game 7 of the World Series, the Dodgers were forced to rely on starting pitchers — Tyler Glasnow, Emmet Sheehan, Blake Snell and Yoshinobu Yamamoto — to close out the final 7.1 innings of their victory over the Toronto Blue Jays.
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Phillips saved 24 games for the Dodgers in 2023, and 18 in 2024. But his injury woes began when he suffered a shoulder injury during Game 6 of the 2024 National League Championship Series against the New York Mets.
Not only did that injury sideline Phillips for the Dodgers’ World Series victory against the New York Yankees, it forced him to begin the 2025 season on the injured list.
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Phillips was activated on April 19 and recorded a save in his sixth appearance of the season, on May 2 in Atlanta. But the right-hander made just one more appearance before landing on the injured list again, this time because of his right UCL.
The typical timetable for Tommy John surgery recovery is 12 to 18 months. The Dodgers are willing to wait for Phillips to return to health — just not at the price he was expected to be awarded in arbitration.
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“We had a number of back and forth discussions with Evan and his agent,” Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman said, via Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times. “It is challenging with him coming off surgery so he is going to take some time and look to sign after he throws off the mound with his rehab allows. Evan has been a big part of our past success and we will continue the conversation about bringing him back. We respect that he is taking this time to decide what is best for him and his family.”
Phillips joined the Dodgers in a midseason trade with the Tampa Bay Rays in 2021. He went 15-9 with a 2.22 ERA in 201 appearances for the Dodgers from 2021-25, striking out 221 batters in 195 innings while converting 45 saves.
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