Phillies Agree to Contracts With 18 Young Players, Most of Whom Should Help

It's a mere formality, but the Phillies officially agreed to terms on Tuesday with all 18 of their pre-arbitration-eligible players.

These are players with less than three years of big-league service time, with a year defined as at least 172 days on a major-league roster. They will make close to the league minimum of $780,000 in 2026.

A bonus pool for pre-arbitration players was also added in the 2022 Collective Bargaining Agreement, giving players a chance to earn more through performance. Last season, for example, Cristopher Sanchez earned just under $2.7 million through the bonus pool, second in all of MLB to Paul Skenes.

The group of 18 includes:

• Right-handed relievers Jonathan Bowlan, Yoniel Curet, Nolan Hoffman, Seth Johnson, Orion Kerkering, Max Lazar, Zach McCambley and Chase Shugart

• Lefty reliever Kyle Backhus

• Right-handed starting pitchers Jean Cabrera, Moises Chace, Alex McFarlane, Andrew Painter and Alan Rangel

• Infielder/outfielder Otto Kemp

• Outfielders Pedro Leon, Gabriel Rincones Jr. and Johan Rojas

All of them except Chace and McFarlane could contribute in the majors this season. For Chace, it's the first year back from Tommy John surgery. McFarlane was added to the Phillies' 40-man roster the same day as Painter but has yet to start a game above Single A.

The relievers

Bowlan and Kerkering will be in the Opening Day bullpen. Bowlan came over from the Royals in the Matt Strahm trade. He figured things out last season in Kansas City and will be one of the primary relievers the Phillies turn to if they need more than an inning.

Kerkering has been a bit behind in camp because of a right hamstring strain, but he has a bullpen session under his belt and should be good to go as long as he appears in a few games by the final day, March 23.

The other seven relievers listed above are among the competitors for the Phillies' final two relief spots.

Backhus, a submarining lefty, seems to have a good shot at one of them.

Lazar has the most experience of the group with the Phillies, having made 47 appearances covering 55 innings with them over the last two seasons.

The ones who don't make the team will open the season with Triple A Lehigh Valley. The lone exception could be McCambley because of his Rule 5 status. If the Phillies don't break camp with him and he isn't injured, they would have to pass him through waivers and offer him back to the Miami Marlins for $50,000 if he clears.

These guys have pitched a lot early in camp. Johnson enters Wednesday leading the team with 4⅔ innings and has allowed one run. Hoffman has given up nine hits and three runs over 4⅓ innings with seven strikeouts. And McCambley has allowed a run on two hits over four innings but walked five.

The starters

Painter, obviously, will open the season at the back of the Phillies' rotation. He makes his second spring training start of the year Saturday against the Blue Jays.

Cabrera, 24, and Rangel, 28, will likely open the season as two-fifths of the Triple A rotation, with 28-year-old vet Bryse Wilson filling another spot.

Rangel, a pitcher for whom spring training does matter, has not fared well in any of his three Grapefruit League appearances to this point. He allowed a run on a double and two walks in a one-inning start on Feb. 23, gave up five hits (including a homer and double) over two innings of relief on Feb. 27 and allowed another double with two more walks in a start Tuesday that lasted 1⅔ innings and 43 pitches.

Cabrera is coming off a strong season at Double A and will make his second start of the spring on Friday in Bradenton against the Pirates.

Wilson expects to be stretched out to at least three or four innings this month.

The position players

Kemp will have the largest role with the Phillies of the four aforementioned position players. If he hits lefties, he could spend most of the year in a left field platoon with Brandon Marsh.

Leon suddenly becomes a much more important figure in the Phils' organization after the news this week of Rojas testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug and facing an 80-game suspension. The only MLB-ready, right-handed hitters the Phillies have who would be capable of manning center field for more than a few days if needed are Rojas and Leon, who had nearly 1,800 innings at the position in the Astros' farm system.

Rincones Jr. is a lefty-hitting corner outfielder with power who would have had a real chance to crack the roster out of camp, but he hasn't participated because of lingering soreness in both knees that dates back to the offseason.