The Phillies and reliever Lou Trivino are reuniting on a minor-league deal, according to Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic. The deal includes an invite to major-league Spring Training.
Trivino, 34, returns to Philadelphia after spending the end of the 2025 season with them. The club signed him to a minor-league deal in early August and selected his contract at the end of that month. In ten appearances down the stretch, Trivino had a shiny 2.00 ERA in nine innings despite some less-than-encouraging peripherals, including a 4.06 xERA and a 25.0% groundball rate. The same was true of his season overall. In 47 2/3 innings split between the Giants, Dodgers, and Phillies, Trivino posted a 3.97 ERA against an expected figure of 5.10 and a below-average 33.8% groundball rate.
The fact that he was pitching at all was a positive development considering he missed the 2023-24 seasons entirely. He underwent Tommy John surgery in 2023 and attempted to rehab in 2024 before suffering a shoulder injury. Prior to that, he had been a steady reliever since debuting with the Athletics in 2018. In 284 2/3 innings with the A’s and Yankees from 2018-22, Trivino had a 3.86 ERA with a solid 24.5% strikeout rate against a 10.6% walk rate. He was predominantly a fastball pitcher and got positive grades on his cutter and four-seamer early on in his career, including a run value of 14 on the cutter in his debut season.
Trivino’s stuff wasn’t as sharp in his first year back from injury. While his four-seam velocity of 94.8 MPH in 2025 was still above-average, it was down from 95.6 MPH in 2022. His cutter velocity of 91.8 MPH was his lowest since the 2020 season, while his sinker velocity also declined slightly. Meanwhile, his 17.9% strikeout rate and 33.8% groundball rate were both career-worst marks. The latter was troubling compared to his 47.4% groundball rate from 2018-22, including a 52.6% rate in 2022.
The deal is a no-risk flier for the Phillies. While his performance in 2025 was rusty overall, Trivino excelled at limiting hard contact. His average exit velocity allowed and hard-hit rate were both in the 93rd percentile or better according to Statcast. Those qualities alone won’t return Trivino to peak form, but they will play up if he can induce more strikeouts and groundballs. The Phillies have Jhoan Duran, José Alvarado, and Brad Keller headlining their bullpen. If Trivino performs well in Spring Training, he might vie for a middle-relief role alongside Tanner Banks, Jonathan Bowlan, and Orion Kerkering.
Photo courtesy of Eric Hartline, Imagn Images
very impressive longevity for a middling pitcher that is not left-handed. usually only lefties get these unlimited chances.
Because I know something you don’t know….
Phillies got their guy! Off-season saved. Huge impact bat, they are gonna run away with it this year.
itz, The only running the Phillies are going to be doing in 2026 is out of town after the season gets out of control real quick.
Mets too after they realize Bichette cant play 3rd base
itz, If Bichette could play SS and 2B, I’m sure he’ll be able to play 3B. If not, the Mets will find a place he can play defensively, and the manpower to move someone else over to third. Face it, the Mets should be one of the most improved teams in baseball this year. If they stay healthy, so will the Braves. Because of the players they lost, the ridiculous money they wasted on a DH, and all the players they needed to become better than the 2025 team, the 2026 Phils could become an afterthought very early in the season. Even a wild card seems out of their reach right now.
Ridiculous. Bichette can barely play second, nobody denies this. He cannot even be a passable shortstop and has no chance at being a decent 3B. Anything else is just pure optimism. Reality will sink in hard.
No single minor league deal will make anyone jump for joy, but the reality is that the teams that are smart in how they approach the edges of the roster will end up with a pleasant surprise or two when it is needed.
Trivino is a higher floor and higher ceiling potential signing than most, given his previous track record, and that is why they brought him in last year…so they had a shot for this one when he might be far enough along in his recovery to find his older form.
I like your thoughts on signing a minor league contract with Lou Trivino. If healthy, he can play
Trivino and Matt Adams are the pride of Slippery Rock University.
Love it⚾️. I played at the Rock in another lifetime and hope Lou is healthy and gets a fair shot. He can pitch
Drive for Show and Putt for Doe
Wasn’t he a golfer?
Phillies now have 20 guys trying out for eight bullpen spots. And six of those spots are locked in. I think their depth is good. Why not bringing in a couple of extra outfielders where the depth is lacking? What happened to the Dave Dombrowski of 10 years ago?
He traded himself away during a playoff run…
8 bullpen spots equates to 12 or more arms over the course of a season. DD has steadily improved the pen, and for the first time I see legitimate potential with depth in the system.
Our commenters are the ones that are lacking depth…of understanding. One needs to grasp that the budget is real, and that the Phils are spending more and paying more in luxury taxes by a huge amount than we ever thought that we would see. We need to acknowledge that no team can buy an All-Star at every position – not even the bloated Dodgers. And that a team that has won 90 / 95 / 96 wins the past three seasons is hardly a recipe for us to call them stupid, or accuse them of not trying. They clearly went out of budget for Bichette as the RH bat was a clear upgrade, and only circumstance derailed what was a verbal agreement.
You have to look around the league to see that there are fewer solid OF than there are outfield spots, as is the case at many positions. And one also needs to allow room for them to bring up the youngsters, as that is what will extend the window. Painter / Crawford / Miller plus others could dramatically reshape the narrative for this team if they can make a positive impact and they have been pointing towards this moment.
How about some starting pitching? I don’t trust Nola or Walker. Painter hasn’t proven anything and who knows what Wheeler is going to look like.
What does he think of happy tho?
Waiting on the Castellanos news….still …
You’ll be waiting til they make their final roster cuts at the end of training camp