Phillies Sign Phil Bickford After Bullpen Breakdown

After the Philadelphia Phillies' latest bullpen meltdown out in San Francisco on Tuesday night, the team has added another veteran arm to its organization on Wednesday.

Jordan Romano’s Rough Ninth Inning

On Wednesday, the team added some organizational depth, adding right-hander Phil Bickford, who has pitched with four different big league teams (Yankees, Mets, Dodgers, Brewers) and was most recently pitching for Triple-A Iowa with the Cubs organization.

Who Is Phil Bickford?

In five big league seasons, Bickford is 11-8, with a 4.62 ERA, 1.243 WHIP, and 210 strikeouts in 189 innings pitched in 187 games pitched.

Bickford's 2025 Triple-A Numbers

This season with Iowa, in 20 games, he has a 2.60 ERA, 0.75 WHIP, and 36 strikeouts in 27.2 innings pitched.

The Phillies could use all the bullpen help they can get with lefty Jose Alvarado out due to a PED suspension; the team is very limited on bullpen arms. Lefties Matt Strahm and Tanner Banks have done a solid job, with Orion Kerkering pitching well recently.

Romano, who was an All-Star closer with Toronto, has struggled, with his ERA now sitting at 7.44 with a 1.53 WHIP in 36 games this season.

Painter Struggles Continue at Triple-A Lehigh

Phillies top pitching prospect Andrew Painter allowed five runs on eight hits (three home runs) in 5.1 innings, striking out three and walking one. After his most recent outing, Painter now has a 4.97 ERA in 11 starts at Triple-A.