Two Former Phillies Relievers Get Called Up to Major League Roster by Angels

The Philadelphia Phillies and Los Angeles Angels are no strangers to each other when it comes to making deals.

Just last year, the Phillies sent out two of their top prospects to bring in Carlos Estevez, and previously the two teams have been involved in different trades that featured Brandon Marsh, Noah Syndergaard, Logan O'Hoppe and Mickey Moniak.

Now, the two franchises have overlapped in a different manner.

Per Darragh McDonald of MLB Trade Rumors, the Angels have selected the contracts of both Hector Neris and Connor Brogdon in their latest set of roster moves.

The duo overlapped in Philadelphia during the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Neris, who was signed as a free agent out of the Dominican Republic in 2010, became a fantastic relief pitcher during his eight years with the team, posting a 3.42 ERA and 124 ERA+ across his 405 outings while racking up 95 saves.

He later bolted in free agency for the Houston Astros ahead of the 2022 campaign and was a major reason why the Phillies lost in the World Series that year.

Things haven't gone well for Neris the past few seasons.

The 35-year-old was released by the Chicago Cubs in August 2024 despite posting a 3.89 ERA with 46 strikeouts and 17 saves in 44 innings. He returned to the Astros that same season, but he wasn't effective during his second stint with the team.

It further devolved at the start of this campaign when the Atlanta Braves designated him for assignment after he allowed five earned runs in two outings.

Perhaps he can find his way again in Los Angeles.

Brogdon is hoping that's the case for him since he's just 30 years old.

Drafted in the 10th round of the 2017 draft by Philadelphia, he made his debut during the 2020 season and performed well enough in nine outings to make the Major League roster heading into the next year.

From 2021-22, it looked like the right-hander was going to be a star reliever for the Phillies.

He had a 3.36 ERA across 103 appearances and 101 2/3 innings pitched, posting an ERA+ that was 22 points above the league average both times.

Then, in 2023, he wasn't used as often at the Major League level, and after starting the season poorly in 2024, he was designated for assignment early during the year and traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers during that April.

It's unlikely Philadelphia has their eye on making a move for either of these two when it comes time for the trade deadline, but it will be interesting to monitor their performances nonetheless.

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