PHILADELPHIA, PA – DECEMBER 08: President of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski of the Philadelphia Phillies talks to the media during the introductory press conference for Trea Turner at Citizens Bank Park on December 8, 2022 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
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The Philadelphia Phillies grabbed headlines from the Major League Baseball Winter Meetings on Tuesday when news surfaced that they had reached an agreement to re-sign designated hitter Kyle Schwarber.
Now the team’s focus will shift to catcher JT Realmuto. But in the meantime, the team has reportedly traded for a 23-year-old pitcher out of the American League East’s Tampa Bay Rays system who could become a factor for their big-league roster.
“Phillies are acquiring righty Yoniel Curet from the Rays for minor-league reliever Tommy McCollum,” The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reported. “Curet, 23, had been (designated for assignment) by Tampa Bay. Plus fastball, but control issues. Could be reliever. Goes on 40-man roster. Has a minor-league option.”
MLB insider Mike Rodriguez confirmed the news of the trade acquisition in a previous report.
Now the Phillies have a compelling arm that could compete for a bullpen spot as the team looks to fortify things ahead of closer Johan Duran.
Across three minor-league levels this past season, Curet posted a 3.90 ERA with 62 strikeouts in 55 and one-third innings. This was a bit of a step back from 2024, when he logged a 2.95 ERA in 119 innings across Single-A and Double-A.
He was on the injured list to start this past season with a shoulder problem, and the Phillies are likely banking on him recovering and capturing some of the more promising form he had as an amateur.
“The Rays signed him as an amateur out of the Dominican Republic,” Darragh McDonald reported for MLB Trade Rumors. “By the end of 2023, he was eligible for the Rule 5 draft. He hadn’t even climbed as high as Double-A yet and had shown clear control problems, but he also racked up strikeouts. From 2021 to 2023, he logged 197 innings across various levels with a 2.97 earned run average. He walked 15.3% of batters he faced but also punched them out at a 31.7% clip.”
Given his strikeout ability and his struggles with command, the Phillies could shift him to a relief role. And if he takes that on well, he could have the chance to join the big-league bullpen next season.
Aside from Duran, the Phillies’ right-handed relievers include Orion Kerkering and Taijuan Walker. Kerkering experienced a brutal playoff outing against the Los Angeles Dodgers in his most recent appearance, while Walker has been a starter throughout most of his career. So there could be a spot for the newly acquired youngster.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterchawaga/2025/12/10/phillies-land-strikeout-pitcher-in-trade-with-al-east-club/
