Phillies signing Spencer Turnbull

The Phillies have agreed to a one-year, $2 million MLB contract with Spencer Turnbull including $2 million in incentives, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post.

Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski was still running the Detroit Tigers’ front office when they selected Turnbull in the second round of the 2014 draft. 

The right-handed starter battled some shoulder problems during his minor league career, but made his MLB debut in 2018 and then tossed 148 1/3 innings in his sophomore season in 2019. Despite a league-high 17 losses that year, Turnbull was decent and looked like a potential building block for the rebuilding Tigers.

Turnbull only got better as he posted a 3.46 ERA over 106 2/3 innings from 2020-21. He pitched well for Detroit during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, and his 2021 season was highlighted by a no-hitter on May 18 of that year.

Unfortunately, Turnbull made only three appearances after his no-no before undergoing Tommy John surgery, which sidelined him for the rest of the 2021 season and all of 2022. When he returned in 2023, he recorded a 7.26 ERA in only seven starts.

The 31-year-old was solid before his surgery. If Turnbull can return to form he can be a very solid starter. This is a low-risk high-reward signing that I am a fan of.

Phillies spring training camp opens on Wednesday.