Phillies Trade for "Vinny Nittoli," who May Have Been an Extra on The Sopranos

Welcome to Philadelphia, Vinny Nittoli:

The Phillies traded for right-handed reliever Vinny Nittoli and plan to add him to their big league roster tomorrow, sources tell ESPN. Nittoli intended to opt out of his minor league deal today, but Toronto shipped him to Philadelphia first. He has excelled at AAA this year.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) August 31, 2022

Jim Salisbury says the Phils are giving up minor league catcher Karl Ellison in the deal.

However, I’m not convinced this guy is real. Vinny Nittoli sounds like a peripheral character from The Sopranos, like when Tony Siragusa was Frankie Cortese in a couple of episodes. Vinny Nittoli sounds like a rival gang member or even a former associate-gone-bad who is accused of stealing from the family, so they send Furio to take care of him.

Anyway, Nittoli is 31 years old and has pitched a grand total of one game in the Majors, which was for Seattle in 2021. He’s got a 3.30 combined ERA this season and has thrown 46 innings with a 0.99 WHIP and some good overall numbers, so let’s see what this guy can do, yeah?