The Phillies made a couple of notable moves Thursday morning, president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski announced. In addition to re-signing left-handed reliever Tim Mayza to a one-year deal, the Phillies hired former Mets manager Carlos Mendoza as their third baseman 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 he was released in July 2024. After brief runs with the Yankees and Pirates, he joined the Phillies off 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 deal. The 34-year-old ended up earning a spot on the Opening Day relief corps and enjoying one of the most productive seasons of his career. In 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% clip, posted a 6.6% walk rate, and induced ground balls 48.1% of the time. Mayza was effective against 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. Right-handers have generally given Mayza a much tougher time, as evidenced by the .340 wOBA he has surrendered against them during his career. However, he has posted 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 saves in 2026, hopes to continue in a middle relief role in 2026. Otherwise, the Phillies have few left-handed options at the moment. Tanner Banks is also still in the mix, but this year he dealt with a forearm strain and posted an inflated 6.19 ERA in 36 1/3 innings. Banks will run out of minor league options in 2027, while trade deadline draftee José Alvarado and Brooks Raley are headed for free agency. Alvarado’s stock has fallen after he pitched to a 5.86 ERA in 58 1/3 innings this year. The soft-throwing Raley had a much better 3.25 mark in 52 2/3 frames, but most of his success came with the Mets. While Raley pitched well in August, the wheels spun out of control during six appearances in September. He recorded 3 2/3 innings of 10 hits and seven runs and totaled more walks (four) than strikeouts (three) during the final month of the season. Consequently, 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 the majors in ERA this season. Dombrowski will likely do more to address the unit in the coming months, but we now know Mayza is in line for a season-opening role. Mendoza, 46, had been out of a job since the Mets fired him in the middle of a 34-47 start on June 26. In two-plus seasons in the New York dugout, Mendoza went 206-199 with one playoff appearance. He led the Mets to the National League Championship Series in 2024, but they lost to the Dodgers and have not returned to the playoffs since. Prior to his tenure with the Mets, the veteran minor league infielder spent 2009-23 in various coaching positions in the Yankees organization. Mendoza rose to the top with the Yankees as Aaron Boone’s bench coach from 2020 to 2023. Now joining Don Mattingly’s staff in Philadelphia, Mendoza will replace Anthony Contreras as the team’s third base coach and Bobby Dickerson as 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 difficult year defensively. More to come…
