Phillies Make Sneaky Offseason Signing With Veteran Pitcher

The Philadelphia Phillies have reached an agreement with right-handed pitcher Max Kranick on a non-roster invitee split contract, according to The Athletic’s Will Sammon.

“Right-hander Max Kranick and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a deal, league sources said. It’s a NRI/split contract that will give Kranick, 29, the opportunity to work as a starter,” Sammon reported.

The deal gives the Scranton, Pennsylvania, native a chance to compete for a starting role in spring training. Kranick, drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 11th round in 2016 out of Valley View High School in Archbald, Pennsylvania, has four seasons of major-league experience.

He spent the 2026 season with the Washington Nationals after signing with them in May. In 17 appearances, all in relief, Kranick posted a 9.33 ERA with 11 strikeouts and 13 walks over 18 1/3 innings. He also threw 16 2/3 innings in the minors with a 4.32 ERA.

Before joining the Nationals, Kranick had not pitched since June 2025 because of an elbow injury that required surgery. He returned to the majors in July 2026 after the procedure.

In 2025 with the New York Mets, Kranick recorded a 3.65 ERA with 25 strikeouts and five walks across 37 innings in 24 relief appearances. That marked his first full major-league season after spending 2024 in the Mets’ minor-league system.

Earlier, Kranick made his major-league debut with the Pirates in 2021. Over nine starts and two relief outings in 2021-22, he posted a 5.56 ERA in 43 2/3 innings. He missed most of 2023 with an injury and made no major-league appearances that year.

Over his major-league career, Kranick has a 5.55 ERA with 72 strikeouts and 40 walks in 99 innings. In the minors, he holds a 3.65 ERA with 360 strikeouts and 116 walks across 434 innings.

Kranick relies primarily on a mid-90s four-seam fastball (used about 37% of the time), a high-80s slider (29%), and a low-80s curveball (24%). He mixes in a low-80s sweeper and a mid-90s sinker less frequently.

The Phillies enter the offseason with a set major-league rotation of Cristopher Sánchez, Zack Wheeler, Jesús Luzardo, Andrew Painter and Aaron Nola under contract for 2027. Depth options behind that group remain limited, and Kranick provides an additional arm who can work as a starter in Triple-A if he does not make the Opening Day roster.

Kranick was designated for assignment by the Nationals in early September and later elected free agency. The split contract structure typically includes different salaries for major-league and minor-league time, along with a spring training invitation that does not initially count against the 40-man roster.

Philadelphia has made several low-cost pitching additions in recent weeks as it builds organizational depth ahead of the 2027 season. The team has not yet announced the signing officially.