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Phillies Sue Zelus Analytics To Protect Exclusive Data Advantage

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Alvin Garcia | Last updated Mar 20, 2025 10:45 AM ET

The Philadelphia Phillies have taken legal action against Zelus Analytics and its parent company, Teamworks Innovations, to protect their competitive advantage. The lawsuit, filed last Friday, alleges that Zelus attempted to breach an exclusivity contract by selling elements of its Titan Intelligence platform to other teams within the National League East division.

The Phillies claim that their agreement with Zelus, made in 2022 and 2023, granted them exclusive access to Titan within the division. Titan Intelligence provides advanced analytical models for player evaluation, roster construction, and contract strategy, giving teams a crucial edge in decision-making. The Phillies argue that any breach of this agreement would cause "irreparable harm" that cannot be quantified in monetary terms alone.

In the lawsuit, the Phillies seek a temporary restraining order to block Zelus from making deals with any additional teams in the division. They are also demanding unspecified compensatory damages for the alleged contract violation. The team has invested over $1.75 million in the Titan platform since 2022 and is set to pay another $725,000 for the 2025 season.

Zelus Analytics, founded by former Los Angeles Dodgers front office members, was acquired by Teamworks Innovations in September 2024. While many analytics firms work with multiple teams across Major League Baseball, the Phillies maintain that their "division-exclusive license" was a fundamental part of their contract. They rejected a 2024 proposal from Zelus that would have allowed the company to sell individual Titan components to all 30 teams in exchange for a price discount.

The Phillies allege that Zelus and Teamwork continued to try to circumvent the exclusivity clause, potentially selling to their NL East rivals, which would undermine the franchise’s competitive edge. If allowed to proceed, the lawsuit states, this would give other teams in the division access to proprietary data the Phillies had exclusively relied upon for roster decisions and player evaluations.

Neither the Phillies nor Zelus have issued public statements regarding the lawsuit. The Phillies’ legal representative, Phillip Berger, declined to comment, while Teamworks and Zelus have not yet responded to media inquiries. The case now moves forward, with the Phillies hoping for court intervention to maintain their strategic advantage as they continue their push for postseason success.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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