The Phillies made some notable moves Thursday morning, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced. In addition to re-signing the left-handed reliever Tim Mayza In a one-year deal, the Phillies have hired former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza as third base and infield coach (via Matt Gelb of The Athletic).
Mayza debuted with the Blue Jays in 2017 and was a regular in their bullpen until they released him in July 2024. After brief runs with the Yankees and Pirates, he joined the Phillies on waivers from Pittsburgh in August 2025. Mayza only pitched 7 1/3 innings with the Phillies last year, but they brought him back on a minor league pact. The 34-year-old eventually earned a spot in the Opening Day relief corps and had one of the most productive seasons of his career.
Over a career-high 67 1/3 frames, Mayza posted a 3.48 ERA with above-average strikeout, walk and ground ball numbers. He fanned batters at a 23.6% rate, posted a 6.6% walk rate and induced grounders 48.1% of the time. Mayza was effective against both left-handed and right-handed hitters along the way, as he held the former to a .271 weighted on-base average and the latter to a .302 wOBA. Righties have generally given Mayza a much tougher time, as evidenced by the .340 wOBA he’s given up against them during his career. Nonetheless, he managed a useful 3.80 ERA with even stronger peripherals (3.35 SIERA, 3.48 xFIP, 3.63 FIP) in 385 2/3 innings in the majors.
Mayza, who had just two catches in 2026, is expected to continue in a middle relief role in 2026. The Phillies are otherwise light on left-handed options at the moment. Tanner’s Banks is also still in the mix, but he dealt with a forearm strain this year and posted an inflated 6.19 ERA in 36 1/3 innings. Banks will no longer have access to the minor leagues in 2027, while Jose Alvarado and trade deadline pickup Brooks Raley are on their way to free agency.
Alvarado’s stock is down after pitching to a 5.86 ERA in 58 1/3 innings this year. Soft pitcher Raley had a much better 3.25 rating in 52 2/3 frames, but the majority of his success came with the Mets. While Raley pitched well in August, the wheels came off in six appearances in September. He recorded 3 2/3 innings of 10 hits and seven runs and totaled more walks (four) than strikeouts (three) in the final month of the season. Therefore, the Phillies left Raley off their roster for their Wild Card Series loss to the Braves.
Thanks in part to Raley’s struggles, Phillies relievers ranked 21st in majors in ERA this season. Dombrowski will likely do more to improve the unit in the coming months, but we now know that Mayza is poised for a season-opening spot.
Mendoza, 46, had been out of work since the Mets fired him during a 34-47 start on June 26. In over two seasons in New York’s dugout, Mendoza went 206-199 with just one playoff appearance. He guided the Mets to the NLCS in 2024, but they lost to the Dodgers and haven’t returned to the postseason since. Prior to his tenure with the Mets, the longtime minor leaguer spent the 2009-23 period in various coaching positions within the Yankees organization. Mendoza dominated the Yankees as Aaron Boone’s bench coach from 2020-23.
Now joining Don Mattingly’s staff in Philadelphia, Mendoza will replace Anthony Contreras as the team’s third base coach and Bobby Dickerson as the infield coach. Contreras remains with the organization in a different capacity, but the Phillies parted ways with Dickerson on Wednesday after their infield had a rough defensive year.
More to come…
Gn sports
