Phillies Sign Former Rays, White Sox Pitcher Nicholas Padilla to Minor League Deal

The Philadelphia Phillies signed right-handed relief pitcher Nicholas Padilla to a minor league contract on Friday, according to the team's official transaction log.

Padilla spent the past two seasons in the Chicago White Sox's organization, although he has not taken the mound at the MLB level since July 6, 2023. The 27-year-old spent all of 2024 in the minors, going 1-3 with a 2.92 ERA, 1.216 WHIP and 11.2 strikeouts per nine innings across 29 outings.

That marked a major step up for Padilla compared to his production in Triple-A in 2023. That season, he went 2-3 with a 5.52 ERA, 1.927 WHIP, 10.6 strikeouts per nine innings and five saves in 44 appearances.

Padilla spent 2021 and 2022 on the other side of town with the Chicago Cubs. He made just one MLB appearance for the Cubs, but posted a 2.59 ERA across 34 minor league appearances within their organization.

Prior to his time in Chicago, Padilla came up through the Tampa Bay Rays' farm system. The Rays selected the teenage Padilla in the 15th round of the 2015 MLB Draft, then lost him to the Cubs in the 2020 Rule 5 Draft.

Padilla is 20-20 with a 3.47 ERA, 1.401 WHIP and 9.6 strikeouts per nine innings in his minor league career. In four MLB outings, Padilla has gone 0-1 with a 5.68 ERA, 2.211 WHIP, 9.9 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.0 WAR.

The Phillies are likely bringing in Padilla to fill out some organizational depth, but with Jeff Hoffman, Carlos Estévez and Spencer Turnbull currently on the free agent market, it wouldn't hurt for them to build in a contingency plan or two.

Padilla's minor league contract presumably includes an invitation to major league Spring Training come February. The righty put up a 0.93 ERA, 0.828 WHIP and 9.3 strikeouts per nine innings in Spring Training with the White Sox the past two years.

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