This summer, the Philadelphia Phillies have made numerous changes to their bullpen. Brad Keller and Matt Strahm’s trade will drastically alter the Phillies bullpen’s appearance in 2026.
According to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic, the Phillies signed reliever Lou Trivino to a minor league contract, bringing back a familiar figure from the 2025 campaign.
Trivino bounced about a little throughout the 2025 season before ending the season in Philadelphia.
Trivino pitched to a 3.97 ERA with 37 strikeouts in 47 games against the San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Phillies. However, he improved over the season, recording a 2.00 ERA in 10 games with the Phillies.
What Will Trivino Bring to the Philadelphia Phillies?
The Oakland Athletics selected Trivino in the eleventh round of the 2013 Major League Baseball Draft. In the end, he would make his debut in 2018.
Trivino formed a strong 1-2 punch with Blake Treinen during the 2018 season, pitching to a 2.92 ERA in 69 games.
But he regressed in 2019, pitching to a 5.25 ERA in 61 games. He would recover in 2020, pitching to a 3.86 ERA in 20 games during the COVID-shortened season.
Trivino would assume a larger role in 2021, throwing in 71 games with 22 saves and a 3.18 ERA. He did not have the same luck the next year. Trivino got 10 saves and a 6.47 ERA in 39 games with the A’s.
At the Trade Deadline, he was later moved to the New York Yankees along with Frankie Montas.
He pitched to a 1.66 ERA in 25 games with the Yankees. When Tommy John surgery and shoulder issues kept him out of the 2023 and 2024 seasons, he was finally returning to his former glory.
His appearance changed after his injury, and his fastball velocity dropped a few ticks. According to Baseball Savant, his ground-ball rate also decreased significantly, from 52.3% in 2022 to 35.6% in 2025.
Now that he is 34 years old, Trivino has to overcome the difficulties he faced in 2025.
How Does Trivino Fit on the Phillies?
At the moment, Jose Alvarado and Keller serve as setup pitchers for Philadelphia, while Jhoan Duran is the closer. Tanner Banks and Orion Kerkering are expected to have some excellent innings outside of those arms.
Trivino will need to compete for innings in spring training against minor league arms, Tim Mayza, Zach Pop, Jonathan Bowlan, and Kyle Backhus in order to make the roster.
With a 3.86 ERA in 2025 while playing for the Kansas City Royals, Bowlan, who was acquired in the Strahm transaction, has a good chance of making the team.
Given that Backhus, Pop, and Mayza struggled the previous season, Trivino has a solid chance of beating out those arms if he does well in spring training.
The Phillies, who could use some assistance with their middle-relief arms, are making a high-reward, low-risk acquisition.
