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Report: Phillies Agree to Major-League Deal With Nestor Cortes
By Luke Arcaini
Published:
The Phillies and LHP Nestor Cortes have agreed on a major-league contract, pending a physical, according to Fansided’s Robert Murray.
Cortes, 31, has not pitched in a game since October of 2025 after undergoing surgery on his throwing arm. He spent the longest stretch of his career for the Yankees, and had stints with the Brewers and Padres in 2025, where he totaled a 6.29 ERA across 34.1 innings. Cortes reportedly threw for scouts and gauged interest from multiple teams, but ultimately agreed to sign with the Phillies for the last few months of the 2026 season.
The addition gives the Phillies some much-needed pitching depth. Both Aaron Nola and Andrew Painter have looked a lot better recently than they did at the beginning of the season, so there’s no guarantee of where the team will slot in Cortes. They could move to a 6-man rotation, or they could use Cortes out of the bullpen and deploy him as a long man or potential piggyback for Painter.
If somebody were to go down in the Phillies rotation right now, the next man up would’ve been Alan Rangel or Brian Keller. Now, the Phillies have a more established option, even if Cortes is coming off an injury and a bad 2025.
A 6-man rotation may not be the worst thing for the Phillies over the next few weeks. Zack Wheeler and Cristopher Sanchez haven’t looked themselves over the last month. The Phillies need both Wheeler and Sanchez at the top of their game if they want any chance to compete in October.
Even if the starting pitching hasn’t been at their best, the Phillies offense has carried the load of late. The team has won five games in a row and 12 of their last 17, scoring 5+ runs in each game across the win streak.
Luke Arcaini has been writing about the Phillies for 6 seasons, and is now in his 2nd year covering for Phillies down at Citizens Bank Park for Crossing Broad. Follow him on Twitter @ArcainiLuke