Philadelphia Phillies Sign Veteran Righty Bullpen Option to Minor League Deal
The Philadelphia Phillies have added to their bullpen depth by agreeing to a minor league contract with a free agent reliever.
According to MLB Trade Rumors, the Phillies agreed to terms on a minor league deal with right-handed pitcher Joel Kuhnel, a deal which includes an invitation to spring training as well. Kuhnel, who was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Rays in July, was waived by the team at the beginning of the offseason despite his strong five appearances for them at the MLB level.
Appearing in 13 minor league games for Triple-A Durham, Kuhnel was average with a 4.30 ERA in just over 14 innings of work. But for the Rays, he threw eight very solid innings over those five appearances and had a 1.13 ERA, but struck out just four batters.
Kuhnel was originally drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 11th round of the 2016 MLB Draft after playing his college ball at the University of Texas at Arlington, but he has spent time in numerous organizations since then.
The last two years in particular have been a roller coaster for the righty, spending time with six different franchises including four in 2024 alone.
Recording statistics in five different MLB seasons, Kuhnel has posted a 5.86 ERA over 82 appearances and 93.2 innings. In that time, he has struck out 76 batters and has put up a 1.356 WHIP.
In addition to the Reds and Rays, he has pitched at the big league level for the Houston Astros and reached Triple-A both for the Toronto Blue Jays and Milwaukee Brewers. A true ground ball contact pitcher, Kuhnel does not strike many batters out but he does keep the ball on the ground at a fairly high rate.
The spring training invitation is certainly not a guarantee of anything, especially with the way he has performed in limited MLB action throughout his career. But with a very thin bullpen which is only going to grow thinner, having more depth is not going to hurt as Philadelphia tries to figure out their pitching staff for this season.
In all likelihood, if Kuhnel does make it through spring training, it will likely be in a Triple-A at-best type of role, but if he can perform at least half decently throughout the season, perhaps he could be called up when injuries and attrition inevitably rear their ugly head for the Phillies.
At a minimum, Kuhnel becomes a name to watch in spring training.