Philadelphia Phillies Sign Reliever Nick Vespi to Minor League Deal

The Philadelphia Phillies have made another pitching move, signing Nick Vespi to a minor league deal.

Jun 18, 2024; Bronx, New York, USA; Baltimore Orioles relief pitcher Nick Vespi (79) delivers a pitch during the eighth inning against the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Fans are waiting for the Philadelphia Phillies to make a splash this offseason.

After it looked like they could be active making roster changes that featured a trade of their All-Star third baseman Alec Bohm, it is now starting to seem like they won't move him after all.

If that turns out to be the case, the Phillies will have to become a lot more active in the free agency market after their lone move through the Winter Meetings was to bring reliever Jordan Romano into the mix.

Bullpen is certainly a need, but signing the right-hander after an injury-plagued year doesn't exactly quell the concerns that this roster isn't good enough to win a World Series title as currently constructed.

If the front office is feeling pressure to pull off a headlining move, they aren't showing it.

Per Matt Gelb of The Athletic, Philadelphia has signed reliever Nick Vespi to a minor league deal, giving him an invite to big league Spring Training camp.

The left-hander was taken in the 18th round of the MLB draft by the Baltimore Orioles in 2015, and he didn't make his Major League debut until 2022 when he appeared in 25 games and pitched to a 4.10 ERA across 26.1 innings.

That was the most work Vespi got in a singular campaign with the Orioles, only getting into 20 contests combined the following two years.

Signing him to this contract is a low-risk move for the Phillies.

Despite only appearing in 11 games this past season, he produced his best results with a 2.92 ERA and 132 ERA+, suggesting he could be ascending at this point in his career at just 29 years old.