As they often try to do, the Atlanta Braves struck quickly and with nobody expecting it, signing Evan Phillips to a three-year, $35 million deal to fortify what was already a good bullpen. This is a reunion for Phillips, who was drafted by the Braves in 2015 and debuted with the franchise in 2018 before being traded to the Baltimore Orioles in the deal that brought Kevin Gausman (a top free agent in this year's offseason class) to Atlanta.

Since then, Phillips has been one of the most underrated relievers in the National League when healthy for the Dodgers, posting a 2.36 ERA in parts of six seasons with L.A. While the Braves are certainly adding a talented reliever to the mix with an excellent postseason track record, this deal is a bit of a baffling one, and one that brings some questions to the table.

The Braves are taking a serious risk by signing Evan Phillips

The reliever position has long been the most volatile in the sport. Even the best relievers in the game can struggle in an eye blink without warning, which is why it's always risky to give them long-term deals. Just this past season, we saw Edwin Diaz, arguably the best closer in the sport, look like a shell of himself during the regular season. We also saw Dylan Lee, an All-Star, become unusable down the stretch for this Braves team.

Even beyond the volatility of the position, though, Phillips has other risks in his profile, like his age (32) and his injury history. Since the start of the 2025 season, Phillips has missed time due to injuries to his pitching shoulder, forearm and elbow. He's been effective when healthy, and was even throwing harder upon his return from Tommy John surgery this season, but how durable can he be? He was limited to seven appearances in 2025, and made 31 appearances this past season. He's thrown a combined 31.2 regular-season innings since the start of the 2025 campaign.

Clearly, the Braves think he can stay on the field. They're paying him like an elite arm capable of giving them 60+ appearances annually. Given how they operate, they better be right.

Prioritizing bullpen help is an interesting strategy for a Braves team with other needs

Even without Phillips and with Raisel Iglesias hitting free agency, the Braves' bullpen was in pretty good shape, with the aforementioned Lee, Robert Suarez and Didier Fuentes all in the mix. That's a pretty dynamic back end of the bullpen already. I have no issue when it comes to fortifying an existing strength, and I'm not going to say Atlanta didn't need relievers this winter, but it's not like this team is willing to spend money hand over fist. This is almost certainly going to be one of the biggest moves they make this offseason. Did the bullpen need to be prioritized?

After all, the lineup is what failed them in the postseason, and is what has routinely failed them in October since they won the World Series in 2019. And forget the postseason — the Braves were tied for 21st in runs scored and ranked 26th in wRC+ and 24th in OPS from May 1 through the end of the regular season. They had a great April, but for the remaining five months, this was one of the worst offenses in the sport. Will clear needs in left field and at shortstop be addressed properly now that Phillips received a deal that'll pay him eight figures for the next three years?

If I were to pick a second need for the Braves to address, how about the rotation? Chris Sale remains at the top of his game, but he's also a 37-year-old with an extensive injury history, so who knows what to expect from him in 2027? Atlanta has some talent behind Sale, but can guys like Spencer Schwellenbach and Spencer Strider stay healthy? What can they really expect from Reynaldo Lopez? Can youngsters like JR Ritchie, AJ Smith-Shawver and Hurston Waldrep take a leap? I don't love the makeup of this rotation.

Again, I have no issues when it comes to fortifying a strength, and Phillips is very good when healthy. It's just that not only do I have trouble believing that Phillips will be more durable as he ages, but with the Braves never splurging much in free agency, I now have doubts that far more pressing needs will be addressed this offseason, and that's a major issue.