Report: Pat Neshek, Phillies Agree to Contract After July Trade to Rockies

Free-agent reliever Pat Neshek and the Philadelphia Phillies reportedly agreed to terms on a new deal Monday, per Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports. 

The deal is reportedly worth about $16 million over two years, with Heyman previously noting the pitcher had two similar offers.

After making several moves around the league over the past few years, Neshek now returns to a squad where he had significant success.

The 37-year-old was traded from the Houston Astros to Philadelphia last November, and he was one of the few bright spots for the National League East cellar dwellers before he was shipped to the Colorado Rockies. 

Prior to getting dealt at the trade deadline, Neshek sported a 1.12 ERA, 0.818 WHIP and 9.00 strikeout-to-walk rate over 40.1 innings. Thanks to those numbers, Neshek earned his second All-Star nod and boosted his trade value to the point where he was able to land with a postseason contender. 

During his half-season stint in Colorado, Neshek recorded a 2.45 ERA, 0.955 WHIP, 24 strikeouts and one walk through 22.0 innings. 

According to FanGraphs, those efforts propelled him to a career-high 2.5 wins above replacement.  

It also can't be overlooked that Neshek posted year-over-year improvements in left on base percentage (82.3%), ground ball percentage (36.4%) and home run-to-fly ball rate (4.2%). 

And while Neshek isn't going to blow away batters with velocity—his fastball averaged 90.3 mph last season—a bread-and-butter slider allows him to baffle opposing hitters on a regular basis. 

Look for the Phillies to implement Neshek as part of their revised bridge to closer Hector Neris in the months ahead as they continue to fortify their bullpen in advance of the 2018 season. 

Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs unless noted otherwise.