Phillies re-sign Tim Mayza to one-year, $2.75MM deal for 2026

What happened

The Philadelphia Phillies have re-signed left-handed reliever Tim Mayza to a one-year deal, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced Thursday morning. Per The Athletic's Matt Gelb, the contract is worth $2.75MM — a raise over the $1.75MM Mayza earned this past season. The move was reported by Connor Byrne of MLB Trade Rumors.

The same announcement brought another notable addition to the organization: former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza has reportedly been hired as the Phillies' third base and infield coach, per Matt Gelb of The Athletic.

Why it matters

Mayza's path to this contract is the kind of story that makes the waiver wire worth watching. He debuted with the Blue Jays in 2017 and spent years as a reliable piece of their bullpen before Toronto released him in July 2024. Brief stints with the Yankees and Pirates followed, and the Phillies claimed him off waivers from Pittsburgh in August 2025. He threw just 7 1/3 innings for Philadelphia that year, and the club brought him back on a minor league deal — the sort of arrangement that rarely makes headlines and occasionally makes rosters.

Mayza earned a spot in the Phillies' Opening Day relief corps and proceeded to have one of the most productive seasons of his career. That minor league pact turned into a $2.75MM guarantee. The bullpen economy rewards results, and Mayza delivered them.

The Mendoza hire fills a vacancy that opened days earlier. The Phillies parted ways with third base coach Bobby Dickerson after the 2026 season, and Mendoza — who managed the Mets before this — steps into that role alongside infield responsibilities. The staff reshaping also follows the club's decision to move on from hitting coach Kevin Long, and comes a few days after Don Mattingly was officially named full-time manager on a two-year deal, removing the interim designation he had carried.

The numbers

Over a personal-best 67 1/3 innings in 2026, Mayza posted a 3.48 ERA with what MLB Trade Rumors described as above-average strikeout, walk, and ground-ball numbers. He struck out hitters at a 23.6% clip, walked them at a 6.6% rate, and induced ground balls on 48.1% of batted balls. Those are tidy peripherals for a middle reliever, and they held up against both sides of the plate — Mayza limited left-handed hitters to a .271 wOBA and right-handed hitters to a .302 wOBA.

That right-handed number is worth pausing on. Over his career, Mayza has allowed a .340 wOBA against righties, a gap that has historically defined his usage. The 2026 season represented a meaningful departure from that pattern, though one year of data against a career-long trend is the kind of thing front offices note and then quietly continue monitoring.

Across 385 2/3 career major league innings, Mayza carries a 3.80 ERA alongside a 3.35 SIERA, a 3.48 xFIP, and a 3.63 FIP — peripherals that have consistently painted a more flattering picture than his surface numbers. He had two holds in 2026, per the report, and is expected to continue in a middle relief role.

The Phillies finished 88-74 (.543), second in the NL East and 6 games back, eliminated from the division race.

Where the club stands

Philadelphia's 88-74 record placed them second in the NL East, 6 games back, and eliminated from the division race. The club enters the offseason with a bullpen that needs reshaping on the left side, a managerial situation now settled with Mattingly on a two-year deal, and a coaching staff in the middle of a transition.

The Mayza re-signing addresses one piece of the left-handed reliever puzzle, but the broader picture is unsettled. José Alvarado, who pitched to a 5.86 ERA in 58 1/3 innings this year, is heading to free agency with diminished market value. Brooks Raley, the trade deadline pickup from the Mets, is also bound for free agency after a 3.25 ERA in 52 2/3 innings — though the report notes that the majority of his success came with New York, and that his six September appearances with Philadelphia produced 3 2/3 innings of 10-hit, seven-run ball, with more walks (four) than strikeouts (three).

Tanner Banks remains in the mix, but he dealt with a forearm strain in 2026 and posted a 6.19 ERA in 36 1/3 innings. The report also notes that Banks will be out of minor league options in 2027, which adds a layer of roster-management complexity to whatever role the club envisions for him going forward.

What we don't know yet

The Alvarado and Raley situations remain open. Both are reportedly heading to free agency, and neither's return to Philadelphia appears settled. Whether the club pursues additional left-handed bullpen depth beyond Mayza — and what that market looks like given Alvarado's down year and Raley's September — is unresolved.

On the coaching side, the Mendoza hire fills the third base and infield coaching vacancy, but the full shape of Mattingly's staff is still coming into focus following the departures of Long and Dickerson.

What to watch

The left side of the Phillies' bullpen is the most pressing open question heading into the offseason. Mayza is re-signed and Banks is in the mix, but the report makes clear that Philadelphia is otherwise light on left-handed options at the moment. How aggressively the club addresses that in free agency or via trade will define the relief corps Mattingly inherits on a full-time basis.

Alec Bohm's free agency is also worth tracking in the broader Philadelphia context — his return to the organization was described as uncertain but possible in earlier reporting. The Phillies' offseason is moving, and Thursday's announcements suggest Dombrowski is not waiting for the calendar to turn before making decisions.