Philadelphia Phillies Acquire Right-Handed Pitcher from Blue Jays

The Phillies bolstered their pitching depth on Wednesday morning with the addition of 31-year-old right-hander Vinny Nittoli.

Author:
Leo Morgenstern
Aug 31, 2022 12:09 PM EDT

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Philadelphia Phillies

On Wednesday morning, the Philadelphia Phillies completed a trade with the Toronto Blue Jays for right-handed pitcher Vinny Nittoli. In exchange, Philadelphia will send minor leaguer catcher Karl Ellison to Toronto.

According to Jeff Passan of ESPN, Nittoli had been planning to opt out of his contract with the Blue Jays before the trade. Todd Zolecki of MLB.com reports the right-hander will be added to the big league squad on Thursday when rosters expand from 26 to 28.

If Nittoli is indeed added to the roster by September 1, he will be eligible to pitch for the Phillies in the postseason.

The 31-year-old Nittoli, who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in 2014, made his MLB debut last season, pitching one inning against the Colorado Rockies. He allowed two earned runs. He was demoted shortly afterwards and has not returned to the majors since.

While the right-hander does not come with much big league experience, he is in the midst of the best season of his minor league career. In 46.1 IP, he has a 3.30 ERA and 59 strikeouts. Clearly, Dave Dombrowski saw something he liked.

The Phillies will be Nittoli's sixth organization in the past four seasons, after stints with the Mariners, Diamondbacks, Blue Jays, Twins, and Yankees.

Karl Ellison, a 27-year-old catcher, signed a minor league contract with Philadelphia in March 2022. It was his first contract with an MLB organization. In 47 games across two levels, he has hit .123/.235/.192 with one home run.