The Philadelphia Phillies are on the board!
Their first acquisition of the 2023–24 off-season was claiming veteran Josh Fleming from waivers on Monday afternoon. Fleming was previously with the Tampa Bay Rays, where he has spent his entire major league career.
Josh is a left-handed pitcher who has started games as well as been used out of the bullpen. The expectation is that the Phillies will have Josh compete for a roster spot in spring training.
His role will likely be an emergency starter and a long man out of the bullpen. This is a role that was held by Nick Nelson and Dylan Covey over the last couple of seasons.
Josh Fleming – Career
Josh Fleming is a 4-year veteran who has primarily been used out of the bullpen.
Tampa Bay has used him in a starting pitcher capacity, but these outings were few and far between. In his career, the lefty has accumulated 223.1 innings pitched, has a 19-13 record, and has pitched to a 4.88 earned run average.
Contract-wise, Josh Fleming is still in his arbitration-eligible window. This means he will likely get a deal worth roughly $750k for next season.
The Phillies can cut him at little to no cost if they feel as though he isn’t working out. They could also demote him to Triple-A if that is an option they wish to pursue.
Phillies Off-Season Tracker
So far, the Phillies have made the following moves in the 2023–24 off-season:
They extended a qualifying offer of $20.325 million to Aaron Nola and allowed Rhys Hoskins, Craig Kimbrel, and Michael Lorenzen to become free agents.
They declined Scott Kingery’s team option of $13 million for next season, and Scott will remain with the team in the minor leagues.
Finally, Josh Fleming is the first player to be added to the club. He will likely be joined by other players in the months to follow.
Photo Credit: (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm)
