Another former Philadelphia Phillies player has found a new home just over a month into the offseason. On Tuesday, former top prospect Scott Kingery landed with the Chicago Cubs. Now, less than 24 hours later, one-time Phillies postseason hero Connor Brogdon has reportedly signed with the AL Central Cleveland Guardians.
The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal broke the signing on Wednesday afternoon. Zack Meisel, also of The Athletic, confirmed that the right-hander's contract is a one-year, $900,000 deal. The Guardians will also get one more year of control in 2027, technically Brogdon's third arbitration year, before he hits free agency in 2028.
Connor Brogdon joins his fourth MLB team after agreement with Guardians
Phillies fans can be forgiven if they haven't thought about Brogdon for a while. The Phillies' 2017 10th-round draft pick is now joining his fourth organization with the move to Cleveland.
The 30-year-old was last seen with the Phillies to begin the 2024 season before being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers, where he only pitched one inning in the majors before going on the IL.
The former Phillies bullpen stalwart signed a minor league deal with the Los Angeles Angels last offseason and had a couple of stints on the big league roster in 2025. Around being DFA'd, electing free agency, and then re-signing, he posted a 5.55 ERA and 1.34 WHIP with 49 strikeouts in 47 relief innings for the Halos. However, he had a 9.82 ERA in 22 Triple-A innings.
While Cleveland has that extra year of team control, Brogdon is out of minor league options, so he could face a quick designation for assignment if he can't pull things together early in 2026.
The Guardians obviously think there's something there they can work with to sign him to a major league deal. Whether Brogdon lives up to that belief is another matter entirely.
It’s a major-league deal for Brogdon worth $900,000 for 2026, per source, and then the Guardians would have one more year of control of him in 2027 before he can become a free agent. https://t.co/5PbhC1R9Ev
— Zack Meisel (@ZackMeisel) December 3, 2025
Connor Brogdon trying to recapture 2022 postseason form that helped Phillies reach World Series
Brogdon debuted out of the Phillies bullpen in 2020 with 17 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings before putting together impressive seasons in 2021 and 2022. In 101 2/3 innings over those two years, he ran a 3.36 ERA and 1.18 WHIP with 100 strikeouts (8.85 K/9) and 29 walks (2.57 BB/9), with a particularly nice 10.23 K/9 in 2022.
But it was in the 2022 postseason that Brogdon made a real name for himself in Philadelphia and on the national stage. He threw 8 2/3 innings during the Phillies' run to the World Series, with just two earned runs, 13 strikeouts and two walks.
In the World Series alone, the then 27-year-old struck out seven Houston Astros in four innings. He finished that playoff run with a 2.08 ERA and 0.92 WHIP with a 39.4 percent strikeout rate.
Unfortunately, Brogdon faltered in 2023, posting a 4.03 ERA in 29 innings before being optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. He suffered a full implosion early in 2024, surrendering nine runs (eight earned) in just three innings to start the year.
The last Phillies fans saw of Brogdon in red pinstripes was watching him serve up an extra-inning grand slam to the Cincinnati Reds on April 1, 2024. He was designated for assignment and traded by the end of the week.