Inside The Phillies

Philadelphia Phillies Take Flyer on High-Upside Flamethrowing Reliver

The Philadephia Phillies have signed an intirguing minor league pitcher.

Brad Wakai

A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove
A detailed view of a Philadelphia Phillies hat and glove / Brett Davis-Imagn Images
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There won't be a whole lot done by the Philadelphia Phillies before Opening Day.

While that's hard for many people within the sport and this fan base to wrap their minds around considering the playoff eliminations this team has suffered the last two years, the reality is there isn't a whole lot of financial room for the front office to operate with.

It's not like the pantry is bare, though.

This Phillies roster is plenty good enough to win a World Series title, and after adding some complimentary pieces this winter instead of going after another splash, this could be the season they get it done if everything clicks.

But, there are some worries the window is closing for this group.

With multiple star players reaching the wrong side of their 30s, the sentiment outside of the building is they need to win the World Series now or else it might take even longer for Philadelphia to secure their first championship since 2008.

However, Dave Dombrowski isn't buying into that notion.

Despite pipeline rankings suggesting the Phillies don't have a good farm system, there are some high-upside prospects coming up through the ranks who could be top-end players in The Show.

Hopefully, their latest signing becomes one of those guys.

While nothing has officially been announced at the time of writing, this post makes it clear that Andrew Bechtold has inked a deal with Philadelphia. Steve Potter reports it's a minor league deal.

This is absolutely worth the flyer the Phillies are taking.

Bechtold was drafted as an infielder by the Minnesota Twins in 2017. That's what he played until 2023 when he converted into a two-way player, and after he signed with the Toronto Blue Jays ahead of the 2024 campaign, he officially became a pitcher full time.

Now, after another offseason of work, the right-hander has already reached the upper-90s on the radar gun, per the Baseball Performance Center.

It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

Philadelphia has showcased their ability to develop pitchers in their pipeline, and if everything goes well, the local Chadds Ford product could be starring for this franchise out of the bullpen one day.

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Brad Wakai
BRAD WAKAI

Brad Wakai graduated from Penn State University with a degree in Journalism. While an undergrad, he did work at the student radio station covering different Penn State athletic programs like football, basketball, volleyball, soccer and other sports. Brad currently is the Lead Contributor for Nittany Lions Wire of Gannett Media where he continues to cover Penn State athletics. He is also a contributor at FanSided, writing about the Philadelphia 76ers for The Sixers Sense. Brad is the host of the sports podcast I Said What I Said, discussing topics across the NFL, College Football, the NBA and other sports. You can follow him on Twitter: @bwakai

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