The Philadelphia Phillies are currently in the early stages of the 2026 MLB free agency period, looking to add to their team after a frustrating 2026 season. One of the areas where the Phillies struggled last year was in the pitching department, as the team's losses from the prior year came back to bite them at times throughout the season.

Now, the team has poached a free agent to help out in that department from within the NL East.

“Right-hander Max Kranick and the Philadelphia Phillies are in agreement on a deal, league sources said. It's a NRI/split contract that will give Kranick, 29, the opportunity to work as a starter,” reported MLB insider Will Sammon of The Athletic on X, formerly Twitter.

Last year, Kranick didn't exactly distinguish himself with the Nationals, giving up a 9.33 ERA across 17 games played with Washington.

He fared much better during the 2025 season with the New York Mets, recording a .600 winning percentage during his one season in the Big Apple

As Sammon mentioned, Kranick figures to get an opportunity to work as a starter for the Phillies this year. It's unclear how much money he will be making on this new deal, but it's a new opportunity on his third NL East team.

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Meanwhile, the Phillies could also use some more offensive firepower in free agency this offseason after their bats went cold at the wrong time down the stretch of the regular season and in their playoff loss to the Atlanta Braves in the NL East.

In any case, the Phillies will look to keep adding players before the CBA expires in early December.