Thursday, October 1, 2026
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In need of starting pitching depth, the Phillies have come to an agreement on a Major League contract with left-handed pitcher Nestor Cortes, according to MLB Insider Robert Murray.
Cortes underwent surgery on his throwing arm in October last year after spending the 2025 campaign with Milwaukee Brewers and San Diego Padres. He went 2-4 with a 6.29 ERA in eight total starts for both teams.
The veteran posted a video on his X account of him throwing a bullpen.
The 31-year-old had quite the journey to the big leagues. Originally being drafted by the New York Yankees in the 36th round in 2013, he was then drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft, only to be returned to the Yankees. New York then traded him to Seattle in 2019 for cash considerations before signing the southpaw in 2021.
Cortes enjoyed most of his success with the Yankees from 2021-2024 where he was named an All-Star in 2022 going 12-4 with a 2.44 ERA in 28 starts with 163 strikeouts in 158 ⅓ innings. During his tenure with the Bronx Bombers, he posted a 3.61 ERA and had 564 punchouts in 555 ⅔ innings.
He was traded to Milwaukee in the Devin Williams trade in 2024 then sent to San Diego in a trade that netted the Brewers Brandon Lockridge.
According to MassLive.com’s Chris Cotillo, the Boston Red Sox expressed interest in Cortes as well.
It’s unclear how Cortes will fit in the Phillies rotation plans with Andrew Painter seemingly figuring it out at the big-league level in his second stint this season. Perhaps there is a piggyback situation coming in the near future for the rotation which would seem more likely than a six-man rotation due to Zack Wheeler’s unfavorable opinion regarding that option.
Cortes does have experience as a reliever, but he has not pitched out of the bullpen regularly since the 2021 season. in 49 total relief appearances, he owns a 4.93 ERA in 100 1/3 innings with 108 strikeouts and 44 walks allowing 23 home runs.
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