Braves sign reliever Evan Phillips to three-year, $35 million contract

The Atlanta Braves signed right-handed reliever Evan Phillips, 32, to a three-year, $35 million contract on Thursday, bringing him back to Atlanta after six seasons with the Dodgers. The deal pays $11 million in each of 2027 and 2028 and $13 million in 2029, and Phillips agreed to give 1% of his salary to the Braves' charitable foundation. He returned this season from Tommy John surgery and posted a 1.46 ERA over his last 14 regular-season appearances. The Dodgers had beaten the Braves in the NL Division Series before losing to the Milwaukee Brewers in the NL Championship Series. The signing comes before the collective bargaining agreement expires December 1, with a lockout expected and no end date set.

Right-leaning coverage, led by the New York Post, frames the deal as the Dodgers' first major offseason loss, and its headline calls the contract giant. It places Phillips among several Dodgers relievers testing free agency, cites his 2.21 ERA and 44 saves from 2022 to 2024, and recounts his shoulder injury and Tommy John surgery. The Los Angeles Times leads with the Braves' return and his late-season comeback, citing a 2.31 ERA over five years and the charity donation. Newsweek, the alternative outlet with a distinct angle, treats the contract as a benchmark for relievers before a possible lockout and salary cap, while ESPN's brief excerpt largely matches the basic terms. The sides agree on the figures, but the Post stresses the Dodgers' loss and the Times stresses the Braves. They also differ on 2024: the Times says Phillips won that World Series, while the Post says he missed the Fall Classic with a shoulder injury.