Phillies Sign Zach Pop to Add Another Contender to Back of Bullpen

The Philadelphia Phillies haven’t been shy about bringing in new arms for 2026 and the signing of Zach Pop is the latest.

Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Zach Pop (35) delivers a pitch against the Minnesota Twins in the eighth inning at Target Field. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

The Philadelphia Phillies announced on Monday that they signed reliever Zach Pop to a Major League deal. Terms were not disclosed.

The Phillies were not required to make a move because they had two spots open on their 40-man roster. Signing Pop gives them 39 players. The 29-year-old is out of minor league options so if he’s unable to make the opening-day roster the Phillies will have to get him through waivers to send him to the minor leagues. With five years in the league, he can refuse an assignment and become a free agent.

He’s the fourth reliever with Major League experience to join the team this month and he’ll likely compete for one of the final spots in the bullpen.

About Zach Pop

Reggie Hildred-Imagn Images

Pop is coming off the worst numbers of his career, though they came in a career-low five appearances in 2025. With the Seattle Mariners and the New York Mets, he went 0-1 with a 14.85 ERA in 6.2 innings.

He’s dealt with soaring ERAs since 2023, when his ERA ballooned to 6.59 in 15 games with the Toronto Blue Jays. He brought the ERA down nearly a point in 2024 with the Blue Jays, going 5.59 in 58 games with 33 strikeouts and 19 walks in 48.1 innings.

He enjoyed his best season in 2022, in which he played for Miami and Toronto. He pitched in 35 games and went 4-0 with a 2.77 ERA, with 25 strikeouts and four walks in 39 innings.

Pop is a right-hander from Canada who was a seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2017 MLB draft. He was included in the 2018 trade with the Baltimore Orioles for Manny Machado, was selected in the 2020 Rule 5 draft by Arizona and then traded to Miami. With Miami, he made his MLB debut in 2021, where he pitched for parts of two seasons before he was traded to the Toronto Blue Jays in 2022.

The Phillies have been moving bullpen pieces the past week. Philadelphia acquired right-hander Jonathan Bowlan in a trade with the Kansas City Royals in exchange for one of their most reliable relievers, Matt Strahm. It was a move reportedly driven by friction between Strahm and the organization. At the same time, the Phillies acquired left-handed reliever Kyle Backhus from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a trade for center fielder Avery Owusu-Asiedu. The Phillies also made their free agent signing of former Chicago Cubs reliever Brad Keller official.

They join a group of holdover relievers headed by closer Jhoan Duran, who Philadelphia acquired from Minnesota last season. Other bullpen pieces include Orion Kerkering, Tanner Banks, Jean Cabrera, Moisés Chace, Yoniel Curet, Seth Johnson and Max Lazar. José Alvarado is also back after he missed part of last season and the postseason for violating MLB’s performance-enhancing drug program

Taijuan Walker is also back as a swing starter and reliever who could be in the rotation to start the season depending on the health of Zack Wheeler.