Former Dodgers Reliever Joins Yankees on Minor League Deal
Phil Bickford’s Dodgers career wasn’t especially long or distinguished, but it has at least catapulted the right-handed reliever into a useful MLB player. That’s not insignificant.
Bickford, 28, was released by the New York Mets on March 26 and didn’t have to wait long to find a new team — and a pretty good one, at that. The New York Yankees signed Bickford to a minor league contract Tuesday and assigned him to their Triple-A affiliate.
Although Bickford will begin his next stop in baseball with the Scranton RailRiders, his contract will pay him seven figures if he gets recalled to the Bronx, according to Jon Heyman of the New York Post:
When the Dodgers claimed Bickford off waivers from the Milwaukee Brewers in May 2021, he was a veteran of exactly two major league games. He already had burned through chances with his first two organizations; the Toronto Blue Jays picked Bickford 10th overall out of Oaks Christian High School but he didn’t sign. The San Francisco Giants picked him 18th overall out of the College of Southern Nevada in 2015, but he never appeared in a game for them, either.
After parts of six seasons in the Brewers’ organization, Bickford had a 27.00 ERA at the major league level (six runs allowed in two innings). With the Dodgers, he would go 8-6 with a 4.11 ERA in 152 games from 2021-23.
Dodger fans might remember Bickford best for his flowing blonde hair and dependability in low-leverage situations. Bickford’s six losses are largely testament to the fact that he rarely pitched in a close game with a lead on the line.
A starter in the minors, Bickford threw a career-high 48 pitches in a game against the Minnesota Twins on May 15, 2023. In that game, Bickford pitched the 10th, 11th, and 12th innings of a game the Dodgers ultimately won 9-8. Bickford did not allow an earned run while facing 14 batters.
That would prove to be the high point of Bickford’s career in Los Angeles. He was traded to the Mets on Aug. 1, 2023 along with reliever Adam Kolarek for cash.
Bickford was 3-2 with a 4.62 ERA in 25 appearances last season with the Mets.
Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
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