2025 Phillies player review: Lou Trivino

There was a time when Lou Trivino was considered a rising relief star. Drafted by the Athletics in 2013, after an inconsistent start to his career, the righthander eventually became the A’s closer and was named American League Reliever of the Month in June 2021.

Things quickly went downhill after that. He lost effectiveness to the point where he was demoted from the closer role, and in August 2022, he was traded to the Yankees. He pitched well for the Yankees down the stretch of that season but then suffered an elbow strain which would eventually require Tommy John surgery.

The surgery essentially cost him two years, and he signed with the Giants in February 2025 in an attempt to make a comeback. It didn’t go well, although to be fair, his poor ERA (5.84) was skewed by a particularly bad outing in which he allowed five runs in 0.2 innings.

Regardless, the Giants placed him on waivers, and Trivino opted to become a free agent, quickly signing with the Dodgers. His numbers with LA were better, but still unspectacular, and when they faced a roster crunch at the end of July, the Dodgers also placed him on waivers. He once again opted to be a free agent and signed with the Phillies.

He joined Lehigh Valley until the end of August when the Phillies called him to the majors. He appeared in ten games in September, generally pitching effectively in mop-up duty.

The stats (with the Phillies)

10 games, 9 IP, 0-1 W-L, 2.00 ERA, 5.0 BB/9, 8.0 K/9, 0.3 bWAR

The good

Just making it back to the majors after a two-year absence is a victory in itself. And as mentioned, Trivino pitched well for the Phillies, albeit in a small sample size of lower-leverage innings. He didn’t strike out a lot of hitters but did have a solid ground ball rate.

The bad

Trivino’s biggest problem was allowing too many walks, which is not especially surprising for a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery. He was also prone to the home run ball with the Giants, surrendering four in twelve innings, but that issue improved in his next two stops.

His future with the Phillies

Trivino is a free agent. He’s 34 years old and was placed on waivers by two different organizations in 2025, so there’s not going to be a high demand for his services. He is now another year removed from surgery and pitched well enough for the Phillies that some team will likely offer him a minor league invite to camp. If both parties thought he was a good fit, then it seems possible that he’ll be back with the Phillies in spring.