‘Philly guy’ Matt Strahm gets a contract extension
The "grind-y, gritty" lefty pitcher identifies with the town after a career year in 2023
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Matt Strahm just loves Philly and he loves to pitch, and he wants to stay.
Entering a contract year, Strahm said he didn’t want his agents to nag him about pitching too much, so at the beginning of spring training the left-hander instructed them to start negotiating an extension.
“Get something done, because I don’t want to worry about being ‘protected,’ ” he told them. “Just let me be me.”
So, the Phillies extended Strahm’s contract through 2025 for $7.5 million, with a $7.5 million club option for 2026 that he can vest with 60 innings in 2025. Strahm, 32, landed last season with the Phillies as his fourth major-league club, and he enjoyed the best of his eight seasons.
“Philly just fits my personality,” said Strahm, who grew up in North Dakota. “It’s a grind-y, gritty city, and I feel like I match up pretty well. ... Tell me what I’m doing bad. I ain’t afraid to hear it.”
Twenty-one years removed from its height, with his scruffy beard, his long, blond hair shaved close on the sides, and a penchant for hoodies and gym shorts, Strahm looks like he belongs on Macho Row.
The extension potentially doubles the Phillies’ investment in Strahm. He is in the second year of a two-year, $15 million deal. He went 2-3 with a 4.05 ERA in 10 starts and 7-2 with a 2.82 ERA in 46 relief appearances, then did not give up a run in seven games and 5⅓ relief innings in the playoffs. He made Rob Thomson’s job a lot easier.
“To get him to an extension, that’s a really valuable move for us,” Thomson said.