It was one of the best — and most under-the-radar — Phillies stories of 2026.
Tim Mayza signed a minor-league contract in January, went to spring training as a nonroster invitee, made the team out of camp with a restructured contract, and was the only reliever to remain on the Phillies’ active roster from opening day through the postseason. In between, the 34-year-old lefty had a 3.48 ERA in 60 appearances, including six as an opener, and achieved career-highs with 67⅓ innings and 64 strikeouts.
It was little wonder, then, that Mayza and the Phillies rushed to a one-year agreement for next year. Rather than testing free agency, Mayza will make $2.75 million, according to league sources, in 2027 to stay with the Phillies, his favorite team growing up in Lancaster County.
Mayza, who lives in Montgomery County and trains in the area in the offseason, joined Phillies Extra, The Inquirer’s baseball podcast, to discuss his solid season.
Watch the full interview below and subscribe to the Phillies Extra podcaston Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
Q: You’re a local guy through and through. You could have waited until after the World Series and filed for free agency and taken a quick look around the market to see what might have been out there for you. Can you take me through the process of choosing to re-sign with the Phillies?
A: The negotiations didn’t really start until after the season. I think just, from both sides, I wanted to finish out the season and really didn’t have any type of idea what next season was going to hold. And I can’t speak for the organization, but I feel like from their side they also wanted to take some time and evaluate kind of where they stood in terms of the bullpen and what pieces they wanted to go after and bring back. Obviously, fortunate and grateful that they called and we were able to get something done so soon.
Obviously, I feel very strongly and I think very highly of the organization as a whole. They’ve treated me great. They’ve treated my family fantastically. So, being home is kind of the cherry on top, and being able to kind of get a deal done and be able to move past that and not hit free agency, and now I can really get to work on the offseason and kind of start that dialogue with the Phillies on where they see me and what I need to improve going into the offseason. So, that was another plus. I get to have that communication with them early and often, and be able to have an offseason where I could tailor things on where they think that I need to improve on for next year.
Q: This season you really reestablished yourself as the guy that you were for several years in Toronto. How much of it was being healthy again? How much of it was rediscovering your fastball?
A: … I think when you speak to anybody, as long as they’re healthy, they feel like they can let their abilities kind of shine and go out there and just worry about competing and not worry about the health side of things. When I came over here [as a waiver claim] in ’25, I had just gotten done a rehab assignment. I just missed four months, so I felt like I was trying to reestablish form in the big leagues and also remain healthy for the end of the season, for that final four to six weeks. But yeah, having a full offseason where health wasn’t an issue — I knew I was healthy at the end of ’25 when I got claimed by the Phillies, and that month I really liked the organization, and so signing the minor league deal, I kind of had to go in and prove myself, which to me is not out of the ordinary.
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I think as any bullpen guy or really any player in the big leagues is going to say, ‘Hey, if I want a job, I have to perform,’ and that’s just the nature of the game. And so, I went [to] prove myself. I think I surprised myself a little bit with the fastball velo and kind of reestablishing that. I’ve always leaned on the sinker. It’s always been kind of a primary pitch for me, so being able to move that sinker around and work arm side/glove side and then have the extra velo on it made it a little more effective going into this year. So, [I] just ran with it, and still tinkering a little bit with an off-speed pitch, and kind of figuring out what direction I want to go with the slider. Toyed around a little bit with a split midseason. So, it’s one of those things: Do we want to revisit that this offseason [now] that there’s some time to really dive in and work on those things? But I was pleased with the way the sinker played and the results I was able to get with it.
Q: Can you share a little bit about how you got the Sheriff nickname? Who gave it to you, and why did it stick throughout the season?
A: I think it kind of gained popularity when [Phillies reliever] Chase Shugart had his postgame in Miami, and they asked him who he felt like was the leader. Brad Flanders, one of the bullpen catchers, ran with it as well, and then kind of — I think he might have came up with it. But I hold myself to a high standard. … At times it’s sarcastic in the way I approach the leadership style. At times I’m sarcastic, but it’s like, ‘Hey, when it’s time to stretch and it says 2:40 on the schedule, it’s 2:40.’ There’s small things that I think are good in terms of a bullpen culture, and it’s more just holding guys accountable. It’s a long season and just keeping guys on the straight and narrow.
So, it really came about because I’m a stickler with the rules. The rules and guidelines I like. It goes to another level with me and [fellow reliever Jonathan] Bowlan because usually we’re bouncing off each other in the training room and he’ll have a time, I’ll have a time, so if he’s like five minutes late, I might be like, ‘Hey Bowlan, that five minutes that you’re late now cuts into my five minutes in the training room getting ready for the game.’ … It’s sarcasm, it just holds us accountable and making sure that we stay focused and on track. And I think if you do the small things right and you prep the right way, then a lot of things on the field will take care of themselves. But you got to take care of what you need to on a daily basis first.
Phillies Extra is your deep dive into all things Phillies on Gameday Central! Hosted by Scott Lauber, each episode brings you insider analysis, exclusive interviews with players and experts, reader emails, and more to cover the hottest topics with the Phillies and across Major League Baseball. Don’t miss it — the conversation starts here!
You can also subscribe to the podcast version of Phillies Extra on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
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