Phils bring in another 'pen arm in RHP Marte

January 9th, 2023

PHILADELPHIA -- The Phillies continue to stockpile manpower for the bullpen.

They announced Monday afternoon that they acquired right-hander  from the Giants for left-hander Erik Miller. Marte, who will turn 28 next month, split last season between Triple-A Sacramento and San Francisco. He went 1-1 with a 5.44 ERA in 39 appearances over six stints with the Giants, which included his big league debut on April 12. He struck out 44 and walked 22 in 48 innings.

Marte is another hard-throwing reliever on the Phillies’ 40-man roster. His fastball averaged 97.8 mph, which put him in the 94th percentile among all pitchers, per Statcast. Hitters barreled the ball only 3.5 percent of the time against him, which put him in the 97th percentile.

Marte went 30-34 with a 3.79 ERA in 260 appearances (37 starts) in a nine-year Minor League career within the Kansas City and San Francisco organizations.

Marte could compete for a job with the Phillies this spring, but he most likely slots behind Seranthony Domínguez, José Alvarado, Craig Kimbrel (who they signed last week), Gregory Soto (who they traded for Saturday), Matt Strahm, Connor Brogdon, Andrew Bellatti, Nick Nelson, Sam Coonrod and possibly others.

Miller, 24, was the Phillies’ No. 7 prospect according to MLB Pipeline and was somebody the club thought might make his big league debut this season. A fourth-round pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Miller was 2-1 with a 2.51 ERA in 48 appearances in the Minors.