Phillies’ new relief pickup could have sneaky playoff utility

PHILADELPHIA — On Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2024, this new Phillies pitcher closed out a World Series game at Yankees Stadium with a scoreless ninth inning.

No, it wasn’t Walker Buehler, who signed a minor-league deal with Philadelphia to eventually become the Phillies’ sixth starter. He did so a night later, finishing out the deciding Game 5 for the championship-winning Dodgers.

The end of Game 4 belonged to reliever Tim Mayza as he recorded the final three outs in a blowout victory for the Yankees. The Phillies claimed the left-hander off waivers from Pittsburgh on Sunday, adding two pitchers to the organization from that World Series in one day.

“It helps, because we’re looking for experience,” Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski said.

Mayza, 33, has some. He’s pitched in six games over the past three postseasons for the Blue Jays and Yankees. And after struggling during the regular season in 2024, he posted three scoreless outings during New York’s American League pennant run.

Signing with the Pirates before this season, Mayza had a 2.89 ERA in his first seven appearances, but he landed on the injured list with a strained lat muscle in his left shoulder on April 19. He made four rehab outings in the minor leagues before he was placed on waivers.

Dombrowski said Mayza will be activated and join the Phillies in Milwaukee when rosters expand to 28 players on Monday. If he proves to be healthy, he could play a role down the stretch. He’ll join José Alvarado, Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks as a lefty in the bullpen, but it’s worth remembering that Alvarado is not eligible to participate in the playoffs after being suspended for a performance-enhancing drug.

“In the Mayza case, when you start looking, a couple things happen,” Dombrowski said. “One is Alvarado cannot pitch in the postseason, so if he pitches as we anticipate — he’s been throwing the ball well in Triple-A in his rehab — he’s in a position where it could give us three left-handers in the bullpen.”

When the news first broke that Alvarado would be banned for 80 games and all 2025 postseason competition, Dombrowski noted that the Phillies could be in position to mitigate some of the damage by moving a starter into the bullpen once October rolled around. That isn’t something they’ve ruled out, Dombrowski said Sunday, but it’ll be more complicated now that Zack Wheeler is out for the remainder of the year.

“Without having Wheeler, I’m not sure how that’s going to sort of mesh,” Dombrowski said.

At one point, it seemed like one of Ranger Suárez or Jesús Luzardo could be destined for a spot in the bullpen in the postseason. Now, both left-handers seem likely to end up in the playoff rotation. Mayza could end up taking the relief role that one of those starters could have had.

“That’s all just looking ahead,” Dombrowski said. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in that regard, but it gives us potential to deal with those type of situations.”

Mayza made his major-league debut in 2017 for Toronto and has a 3.85 ERA in eight seasons. (He did not pitch in 2020.) He was a longtime teammate of Phillies reliever Jordan Romano, who’s currently on the injured list, while they were with the Blue Jays.

Back in 2023, Mayza had a 1.52 ERA in 69 games. Last year, he had a 6.33 ERA in 50 total appearances, but he was better with a 4.00 ERA in 15 games for the Yankees at the end of the regular season. He should be useful to the Phillies if he can limit left-handed batters to the tune of the .573 OPS that he has for his career.

“Unbelievable pitcher,” Romano said of Mayza. “I’ve been with him a long time, and he’s as steady as they come. Really reliable out there, especially in tough spots.”

A local product and graduate of Upper Perkiomen High School, Mayza is familiar with the Philadelphia area. Romano said Mayza always had “a big entourage of family and friends” come to Citizens Bank Park when he played there as a visitor.

Mayza will need to show he can remain on the field and perform, but there is a path toward relevance with the Phillies if he can do it. His audition for a potential role in the postseason will start Monday.

“He’s just a great guy and an awesome pitcher,” Romano said. “He’s really going to help us out.”