Phillies sign Max Kranick to non-roster invite contract
Photo by Ed Delany of Metsmerized
The Phillies are on the board in free agency.
The team has agreed to a deal with right-handed pitcher Max Kranick. It’s a non-roster invite/split contract for Kranick, as he will join the Phillies in spring training and will work as a starter, with the hope of making the team in a long-reliever/potential sixth starter role.
The Athletic’s Will Sammon first reported the news.
Kranick, 29 a Pennsylvania native, growing up in the Scranton area, was selected back in 2016 by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 11th round of the MLB Draft. Five years after signing with Pittsburgh, Kranick made his MLB Debut in July of 2021 and ended up making nine starts for the Pirates that season, going 2-3 with a 6.28 ERA over 38.2 innings pitched.
Tommy John surgery at the start of the 2022 season knocked him out of baseball for well over two years, eventually being DFA’d by Pittsburgh and claimed by the New York Mets. Kranick ended up making the Mets’ opening day roster in 2025 and had his best season as a pro that year.
In the bullpen, Kranick tossed 37 innings, going 3-2 with 25 strikeouts and just five walks. To open that season, Kranick also retired 21 of the first 22 batters he faced that season. While the season started strong, things took a turn for the worse as, in July of that year, it was announced that Kranick would require Tommy John surgery for the second time, ruling him out for the remainder of the year.
Kranick would undergo a flexor tendon surgery instead of a Tommy John procedure, allowing him to return in half the amount of time, and he managed to pitch in 2026, throwing 18.1 innings for the Nationals last year, totaling a 9.33 ERA.
Long man depth has been a point of emphasis for the Phillies and Dave Dombrowski this offseason as they plan to even out the number of starts their starting pitchers make this season. Kranick is someone who, if he has a good spring, can provide early-season spot starts or clean-up duty if starts go short.
Multiple championship-aspirant teams have used this approach over the past number of seasons, mainly the Dodgers and Brewers, who have used the depth of multiple starter-capable arms to get their way through postseason games.
While the Phillies have depth at starting pitcher, the playoffs this past season showed that, after the starters, the bullpen had not one reliable depth arm. While Kranick will be a long shot to make the team and make an impact, Caleb Cotham and Co. will have their chance to revitalize an injury-plagued player’s career.
Matt Brown
Matt has been a Philadelphia sports fan all his life and spent four years at Penn State University majoring in Broadcast Journalism and minoring in Sports Studies. He previously covered Penn State’s field hockey, men’s and women’s basketball, and baseball teams while writing for a Penn State blog called Onward State. He has now covered the Phillies, Eagles, and Sixers for Philly Sports Reports since October 2024 and wants to pursue a career in Sports Journalism.
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