Phillies have upstaged the Yankees with laughable former NY Mets player signing

Stop laughing for a moment, New York Mets fans. It’s not just the New York Yankees picking up ex-Mets who did very little for the team. Paul Blackburn on a major league deal along with Zack Short and Ali Sanchez on minor league deals completely shifts the narrative about the team in Queens cleaning up after the one in the Bronx.

Your laughter can resume after you have one about what the Philadelphia Phillies did. On a major league contract, the Phillies have signed Colin Poche. It could very well be a split contract, the same way the Mets reunited with Richard Lovelady with the intention to DFA him and pass him through waivers. Regardless of the details, taking any sort of significant financial chance on Poche seems problematic days after you traded Matt Strahm.

Like the Yankees, Phillies are picking up the Mets scraps

Poche ended up appearing in only 1 game for the 2025 Mets. He retired two batters, walked a pair, and allowed two runs in a 9-2 loss against the Pittsburgh Pirates in late June. It was around this time when the Mets were in full freefall.

Poche was one of several left-handed relievers the Mets tried to get the most out of and failed with. The troubling signs were already there. He became available when the Washington Nationals DFA’d him after having an 11.42 ERA in 8.2 innings across 13 games.

Along with the Mets, the Phillies have been one of the more aggressive clubs this offseason. They re-signed Kyle Schwarber. Adolis Garcia is going to be their new right fielder as they take a chance on him for a year. They signed Brad Keller to the same contract the Mets gave Luke Weaver.

As with many relievers, there’s always some sense of the unknown. Poche certainly fits the bill as someone who might need a minor change to get back on track. He’s also someone who may burn out quickly.

In Triple-A last season, Poche had a 4.82 ERA in 18.2 innings. He has gotten lit up in the Puerto Rican Winter League, allowing 6 earned runs in 6.2 innings thus far. We understand Poche isn’t about to camp out on the Phillies roster without first winning a battle. Nevertheless, we can grab a quick chuckle seeing another Mets rival reach into the bottom of the barrel in an attempt to build a championship-caliber ball club.