Done deal: Phillies has announced the signing of an incredible, fantastic player

Phillies Sign Austin Brice To Minor League Deal

According to Matt Gelb of The Athletic, the Phillies signed right-hander Austin

Brice to a minor league contract this morning. An invitation to major league Spring Training is included in the deal.

Brice, who turns 32 in June, last played for the Pirates in the major leagues in

2022. The right-hander joined the Marlins in 2016 and made his major

league debut; however, he would only pitch 14 innings with the team before

being traded to Cincinnati in exchange for Luis Castillo. Before the team

designated him for assignment at the end of

ERA with a matching FIP across two seasons with the Reds. Following a

sequence of Because to waiver claims, Brice was able to return to Miami prior

to the 2019 season and had his finest season to date with the Marlins, pitching

to a respectable 3.43 ERA in 44 2/3 innings of action.

Sadly, Brice’s success in the major leagues was fleeting, as he finished the

2023 season pitching for the Twins and Diamondbacks in the minor leagues,

recording a combined 6.92 ERA in 40 1/3 innings. Since the 2020 season began,

Brice has recorded a 5.85 ERA in 40 innings of work. Even with such horrific

results from the previous season, Brice still has respectable numbers throughout

his Triple-A career. Over the course of six seasons and 170 1/3 innings pitched at

the level, Brice has recorded a 4.54 ERA, a respectable 25% strikeout rate, 10.3%

walk rate, and a robust 47.4% groundball rate.

Brice’s issues with the longball, however, cut down those respectable peripheral

figures. Throughout his major league career, Brice has allowed an astounding

17.6% of his fly balls to go out of the yard for home runs. Last year, he allowed an

even higher proportion to occur at the Triple-A level. If Brice can handle his

home run concerns, it’s easy to see how he may be a useful big league reliever

with his strong peripherals and preference for grounders.

The right-hander will get an opportunity to demonstrate his abilities in that area this spring when he plays for the Phillies,

where he will compete for a spot in the congested bullpen with fellow NRIs like

Ryan Burr and Nick Snyder. If Brice is not selected for the major league squad

during camp, he will probably be used at Triple-A to provide depth behind right-

handers Michael Rucker and Kaleb Ort, who are already on the 40-man roster.