January 5th, 2026: According to the Associated Press, Pop will make $900K in the majors and $250K in the minors.
December 22nd, 2025: The Phillies announced that they have signed right-hander Zach Pop to a major league deal. Their 40-man roster count jumps to 39. Salary figures haven’t been reported.
It’s a bit surprising to see Pop command a big league deal. He bounced around during the 2025 season. He opened the year with the Blue Jays but was released shortly after Opening Day. Pop got to the big leagues for four appearances with the Mariners and pitched one time as a member of the Mets. He allowed 12 runs (11 earned) in just 6 2/3 MLB innings. That pushed his career earned run average to 4.88 over 162 1/3 frames spanning five seasons.
The Canadian-born righty made 20 appearances in the minors this year. He allowed a 4.19 ERA over 19 1/3 innings. His underlying numbers were more encouraging. Pop fanned more than a quarter of opponents against a manageable 8.9% walk rate. He got ground-balls at a massive 75% clip while sitting in the 96-97 MPH range with his sinker. Pop has always done a good job keeping the ball down, running a career 55% grounder percentage in the big leagues.
Philadelphia was intrigued enough by the stuff to give Pop one of their two vacant roster spots. Assuming he remains on the 40-man into Spring Training, he’ll get an opportunity to battle for a middle relief job in camp. Pop has exhausted his minor league option years, so the Phils cannot send him down without running him through waivers.
Philly has six bullpen spots accounted for if everyone gets through camp healthy. Jhoan Duran, Brad Keller, José Alvarado, Tanner Banks and the out-of-options Jonathan Bowlan are locks. Right-hander Orion Kerkering should pretty safely be in there as well unless he has a terrible Spring Training. Pop and Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley either need to stick in the big leagues or be taken off the 40-man (and offered back to the Marlins after clearing waivers, in McCambley’s case).
Zach Pop must have a really awesome agent representing him
Jays fan here. Enjoy him…he sucks.
That is too much information!
Phillies are continuing the trend of taking the Jays crappy relievers and turning them into even worse relievers. First Romano. Then Pop.
So they have a plan…
okay
Hop on Pop
“Snap, Crackle, and Pop.”
Pop is the little mischievous one.
Which one the cereal killer
Count Chocula and Tony the Tiger are calm dudes compared to Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Nice deep cut CTC is pure homicidal rage. We should compile a list: Sugar Bear a pimp, Lucky Charm dude has anger mgmt issues, Trix Rabbit is all arms and legs, Toucan Sam and Sonny the cuckoo bird are too batty
Pop goes the weasel?
It’s hard to believe this guy has not a single nickname listed on his BBREF profile.
If he were a hockey player hed have a creative moniker, popr
What about his brother Snap Crackle Pop?
Sorry Phillies fans 🙁
He’s gotta be better than that other Canadian slob, Romano
Slob LOL!
Zach Pop Pop and Mom will be happy hearing the good news.
Signing all these right handed relievers makes me believe Kerkering is going to be traded somewhere along the way.
Which I feel might be in the best interest for Kerkering to get him over the playoffs malfunction play…. with a change of scenery.
Or not.
Are you suggesting that Phillies fans won’t be understanding and supportive? [displays shocked face]
sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/trea-turner-standing-…
There is a Good Alec Bohm story as well….He had a terrible game with many horrific errors and dissed the fans afterward. He quickly apologized and got a standing ovation, which turned his season and career around.
No, I’m suggesting with him being young and with his season ending as it did it will be wearing on his mind all offseason. Which may give him mental issues to return to his best form next season.
If that game happened earlier in the playoffs or during the season he could have cleared his mind the next night or two and gotten back on track. But to end a playoff run like that it has to be tough on him agonizing on it all offseason.
I wish him a great return no matter whether he still is with the Phillies or if he does go to another team. I believe in him.
Kerkering would have to actually have value to be traded.
Was it just me, and if so that’s totally fine, but every time I was watching a game and Kerkering came in he always gave up the lead. No I don’t get to watch every game but is it really just a weird coincidence?
Unless your question is rhetorical in nature; then yes, it really is just a weird coincidence. I hope this helps.
Yes, just a coincidence. My wife says Alvarado is always bad every game he is in that she watches, and the same with Duran… that he was always bad except for his first game as a Phillie.
You both are just watching the wrong fourth or fifth game. That’s what I noticed with playing in fantasy baseball leagues. That relief pitchers have a bad game every fourth or fifth game they pitch in.
I guess extra depth doesn’t hurt
He’s so frustrating to watch. His stuff looks good, then he hangs it or can’t locate it. If he learned to harness his stuff he’d be solid, just don’t know if he’ll ever find that.
He needs a strikeout pitch. His hard sinker is great but not when that’s all you got.
Yeah
No tellin when he might Pop
Jordan Romano’s replacement
Batting practice gopher ball pitcher.
What are we doing….. Just leave the 40 man spots open as they are more valuable than these bums.
That 2.5 WHIP should come in handy
14.85 ERA. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
Dunce Dave strikes again.
Your Phillies just brought 2025 version of Jordan Romano
The inside scoop is our Phillies signed him because they think he has a cool name.
He’s a very poor man’s Taijuan Walker.
Hopefully this is a misprint and it’s a minor league contract . This guy sounds awful.
Depends on how much they pay him. Worth a shot. Phillies pitching coach has helped pitchers open to it. Sanchez did and Romano wasn’t open to changes.
As a Philly fan, we just have to look at these kind of signings as depth pieces. He’s got no shot to make the bullpen barring an injury, but won’t be terrible as a depth piece. Most teams go through 20 pitchers per season so it’s just about depth. Expect a few more of these.
He is out of options so has to make the roster and stay on it. Seems like depth pieces should be able to be stowed on the Iron Pigs if someone else goes down. The only way he makes it on the team is if he has an amazing Spring Training and others falter.
Agreed, but you’d expect a minor league or split contract.
Phillies wanted to add some pop to every opposing teams lineup.
Well, maybe the only non-Dean Kramer piece of the Manny Machado deal with the Dodgers can finally pony up with some career WAR to offset that epic losing deal. I wholly get that the Baltimore ownership at the time would have never inked Manny to an extension but seeing Pop’s name bubble up after all this time still reminds me of that there really was little to show for that trade.
As a sidenote, when a player comes from say Wyoming, is it notable in MLBTR? So why does it matter than he’s originally from Canada? Like if he couldn’t make it with the Jays, he’s extra cooked because they give extra points for Canadians?
That turned out to be an awful trade for the Orioles. I remember at that time they were waiting to make a trade, trying to find just the right deal they passed up opportunity after opportunity to deal Machado. Yeah they thought they were getting something but wow, what a horrible move that ended up being.
This is POP! – XTC
I have been surprised he keeps getting work, but the lack of flyballs makes sense. I wish he’d stayed in Baltimore for 2022-23.
Initially i thought Pop must be a power bat. When I saw he was a pitcher, he was skilled on getting popups. Really confused he was just a ground b all pitcher.
Rob Thomson must like him because he’s a Canadian as well.
I don’t really get this one, but I’m sure people smarter than me can explain it.
I expected him to get a MiLB deal easy as pie, then get a call up.. maybe. But a MLB deal, never saw that.
He may be Zach Pop coming in but Philly is going to turn him into Zach Metal!
Why are they signing so many RHP??
Just keep him away from Jon Voigt’s car
Mike Ehrmantrout’s favorite player.
Since he’s now playing in the Eastern US,
Zach is changing his name from POP,
To SODA !!
Wonder how many people will get this reference.
Plus if he was in Texas, he’d be coke….
Yeah I met some chicks from Oklahoma. What do you want? We’ll just have a Coke. For some reason they insisted on Dr Pepper or Pepsi maybe. They call all Pop Coke
Its a split contract so it wont hurt much
99% he starts in the minors unless there is an unusual rash of Spring Training Health issues.
As usual, our bullpen is going to suck.
Darn dude is gonna make 250k in minors or 900k in majors for a lifetime ERA of 14.85…I should have focused in pitching.
Mariners Legend Zach Pop!
Collectors want to know if there will be a Zach Pop POP figure.
Everyone making Rice Krispies jokes but his nickname should be Canada Dry. (His interviews are about as good as his command is)
Zack Pop? Parents must be Hippies. Sgt Joe Friday wouldn’t approve
Phillies Marketing Department: K-Pop Demon Hunter bobblehead night
Pop now. Don Mattingly today. Bo Bichette to Phillies next! we will throw in fellow hoser Rob Thomson. Hes the Log Cabin syrup of MLB managers. Darn im ready for some French toast
Anthony, its a split deal, not a major league deal.
Well Dave has a Time Machine to go back and pluck those 39 innings from 2022 and drop them into 2026.