With just a few days until spring training is set to start, the Philadelphia Phillies obviously aren’t done making offseason moves quite yet. On Saturday, they brought yet another arm into the mix, reportedly re-signing veteran right-hander Lou Trivino to a minor league deal, per The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal.
The signing also comes with an invitation to big league training camp, giving the local Pennsylvania product another chance at pitching in the majors this season. Trivino, who hails from Green Lane and pitched at Slippery Rock, signed a minor league contract with the Phillies last summer. After putting in his time in Triple-A Lehigh Valley, he made his Phillies debut late in the 2025 season.
Lou Trivino becomes latest addition to Phillies’ upcoming bullpen battle
After having his contract selected by the Phillies on Aug. 26, Trivino made a successful 10-appearance cameo, posting a 2.00 ERA with eight strikeouts in nine innings. That set the stage for his second chance this spring.
Trivino also played for the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers last season, pitching to a 4.42 ERA in 38 2/3 innings between his two stops. He does come with a sold track record overall however, with a career 3.87 ERA in 332 2/3 innings over six seasons in the majors.
The 34-year-old will head to camp as just one of the plethora of depth arms president of baseball Dave Dombrowski has added over the offseason that will be competing for a bullpen spot. But there are only so many Opening Day jobs up for grabs. With Jhoan Duran, José Alvarado, Brad Keller, Orion Kerkering, and Tanner Banks locked into five of the eight bullpen spots and newcomer Jonathan Bowlan likely claiming the sixth, the competition for the final two spots is going to be fierce.
Other names Trivino will be competing with include Rule 5 pick Zach McCambley, Zach Pop, Kyle Backhus, Seth Johnson, Chase Shugart, Max Lazar, and Nolan Hoffman who are all already on the 40-man roster. And that’s before you get to all the other non-roster invitees the Phillies are bringing to camp, including Michael Mercado, Tim Mayza, Génesis Cabrera, Trevor Richards, Jonathan Hérnandez, Daniel Robert, Andrew Bechtold, and Andrew Walling.
It’s anyone’s guess how the spring training battle will shake out. We’re still a month and a half away from finding out what the Phillies’ Opening Day roster will look like and who will start the year in the big league bullpen.
There’s every chance that Trivino, and a handful of the pitchers currently signed to minor league deals, begin the year in Triple-A. At least we know that with the depth of relief arms the front office has accumulated, the Phillies should be well equipped to cover any mid-season bullpen injuries and Trivino might be one veteran who will get the call.