Right-hander Zach Pop is heading to the NL East.
On December 22nd, the Philadelphia Phillies announced via their social media page that they had signed the Brampton, Ont. product to a Major League deal. He was added to the 40-man roster, and the financials of the deal are not known at this time.
A seventh-round pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2017, Pop made his big league debut with the Miami Marlins in 2021 and was later traded to the Toronto Blue Jays alongside Anthony Bass at the 2022 trade deadline that saw Jordan Groshans head the other way. With the Jays, Pop struggled to carve out a full-time role with the big league roster while riding the options bus over three seasons.
Across 81 innings, Pop pitched to a 4.89 ERA and a 5.09 FIP with a 6.4 K/9 and a 3.0 BB/9. The right-hander boasted a high 90s fastball that generated some significant groundball contact, but he also struggled with the long-ball, giving up 14 homers during that time to the tune of a 1.6 HR/9. He made a career high 58 appearances for the Jays in 2024, where he also collected his first and only big league save, while pitching to a 5.59 ERA and a 1.324 WHIP.
The Phillies have agreed to terms on a contract for the 2026 season with RHP Zach Pop.
— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) December 22, 2025
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Heading into the 2025 season, Pop was DFA’d and would later become a free agent after clearing waivers, later signing a MiLB deal with the Seattle Mariners in mid-April. He would spend the first couple of months returning from injury in the minor leagues before he was called up to the Mariners roster on June 13th. He would make four appearances, allowing 10 hits and eight earned runs through 5 1/3 innings of work before being DFA’d by the Mariners on June 28th.
Pop would finish the season splitting time with the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs, appearing in one game for the Mets (five hits and three ER through 1 1/3 IP) while spending the rest of the campaign in the minors.
The Canuck is out of MiLB options, so he will need to crack the Phillies’ Opening Day roster or risk being DFA’d again after spring training.