Bickford signed a minor-league contract with the Cubs on Friday, Jon Heyman of the New York Post reports.
Bickford spent the majority of 2024 with the Yankees' Triple-A affiliate, where he logged a 3.40 ERA and 1.14 WHIP over 50.1 innings. His minor-league success didn't translate to the bigs, however, as he gave up eight earned runs in just 8.1 frames with New York. Now with the Cubs, the 29-year-old righty will likely begin 2025 as bullpen depth at Triple-A Iowa.
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Yankees' Phil Bickford: Clears waivers
Rotowire
The Yankees outrighted Bickford to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Monday.
Bickford will stick around in the New York organization after clearing waivers. The right-hander has given up eight earned runs on 10 hits and one walk over 8.1 innings in eight appearances out of the big-league bullpen.
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Yankees' Phil Bickford: Pushed off 40-man
Rotowire
The Yankees designated Bickford for assignment Saturday.
With Clarke Schmidt (lat) and Ian Hamilton (lat) both returning from the 60-day IL, Bickford and Nick Burdi will both lose their spots on the Yankees' 40-man roster. Bickford appeared in three games for the Yankees after being selected to the active roster Aug. 25, striking out two batters across 3.1 scoreless innings, although he still owns an 8.64 ERA in the big leagues this season.
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Yankees' Phil Bickford: Selected from Triple-A
Rotowire
The Yankees selected Bickford's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.
He'll join the 40-man roster and 26-man active roster as a replacement in the bullpen for right-hander Michael Tonkin, who was designated for assignment. Bickford had previously made five relief appearances for New York earlier this season and was hit hard over five innings, yielding eight earned runs on eight hits and one walk.
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Yankees' Phil Bickford: Back with Yanks
Rotowire
Bickford re-signed Thursday with the Yankees on a minor-league contract.
After losing his spot on the Yankees' 40-man roster and clearing waivers earlier this month, Bickford elected free agency, only to re-sign with the Yankees on a minor-league deal one day later. He reported to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre and will continue to work in relief with the Yankees' top affiliate.
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Phil Bickford: Elects free agency
Rotowire
The Yankees released Bickford on Wednesday.
Bickford cleared waivers after being removed from the 40-man roster but has elected free agency rather than accepting an outright assignment. The veteran reliever should be scooped up by some team, but he might have to go to the minors first.
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Yankees' Phil Bickford: Dropped from 40-man roster
Rotowire
The Yankees designated Bickford for assignment Sunday.
New York selected Bickford's contract June 21, and he surrendered eight earned runs with a 4:1 K:BB over five innings. He was removed from the 40-man roster to make room for Josh Maciejewski, who was added to the big-league roster Sunday.
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Yankees' Phil Bickford: Contract selected
Rotowire
The Yankees selected Bickford's contract from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre on Friday.
Bickford inked a minor-league deal with the Yankees back in April and has received a call-up to the big club after holding a 2.93 ERA and 35:12 K:BB across 27.2 frames with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. He'll work the middle innings for the Yankees.
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Yankees' Phil Bickford: Inks MiLB deal
Rotowire
Bickford signed a minor-league contract with the Yankees on Tuesday, Conor Foley of YES Network reports.
The right-hander was let go by the Mets just ahead of Opening Day but will stick around the tri-state area as he reports to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Bickford made 61 appearances between the Dodgers and Mets last season and had a 4.95 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 76:39 K:BB over 67.1 innings.
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Phil Bickford: Let go by Mets
Rotowire
The Mets released Bickford on Tuesday, Mike Puma of the New York Post reports.
Bickford was designated for assignment over the weekend, and the Mets have now decided to cut him loose. The right-hander had a 4.95 ERA over 67.1 innings between the Dodgers and Mets last season.
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Mets' Phil Bickford: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
The Mets designated Bickford for assignment Saturday, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com reports.
Bickford will lose his spot on the Mets' 40-man roster in order to make space for J.D. Martinez, who officially signed with the team Saturday. Bickford gave up three earned runs over 4.2 innings during spring training and turned in a 4.95 ERA through 67.1 frames last season. He could receive attention on the waiver wire, but the 28-year-old reliever would almost certainly be limited to low-leverage work no matter where he ends up.
Bickford will make $900,000 in 2024 after winning his arbitration hearing against the Mets on Tuesday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Bickford walks away with an extra $85,000 compared to the Mets' offer and a $160,000 salary increase from last year. The 28-year-old righty logged a 4.95 ERA and 1.46 WHIP through 67.1 frames between the Dodgers and Mets in 2023, and he will likely be limited to low-leverage situations to begin the new season.
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Mets' Phil Bickford: Nabs first win with new team
Rotowire
Bickford (3-4) gave up a hit and struck out three over 1.1 scoreless relief innings Monday to pick up the win in a 10-4 victory over Atlanta.
Starter David Peterson failed to last five innings, and Bickford took over from the southpaw with the Mets already ahead 7-4 to get credit for the win. It's his first victory in 10 appearances since joining New York at the beginning of August, but his 8.38 ERA, 1.66 WHIP and 13:6 K:BB through 9.2 innings for his new team will keep him in a low-leverage role.
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Mets' Phil Bickford: Bags first save
Rotowire
Bickford earned a save against the Cubs on Wednesday, issuing one walk and striking out two batters over a scoreless inning.
Adam Ottavino got the call from the bullpen with the Mets up 4-2 heading into the ninth inning, but he allowed a solo home run followed by a single and a walk before being pulled without retiring any batters. Bickford came to the rescue, striking out a pair and preventing the tying run from crossing the plate. As a result, he earned the second save of his career and first since joining New York in a deadline deal. The Mets' closer role is unsettled with David Robertson recently being dealt to Miami, so it's not out of the question that Bickford could get additional ninth-inning opportunities down the line.
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Mets' Phil Bickford: Dealt over to Mets
Rotowire
The Mets acquired Bickford and Adam Kolarek from the Dodgers on Tuesday in exchange for cash considerations, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Los Angeles designated Bickford for assignment over the weekend, but the 28-year-old righty appears set to get another look in the majors with the Mets. Bickford has posted a 5.14 ERA, 1.53 WHIP and 48:26 K:BB through 42 innings of relief this season at the major-league level.
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Dodgers' Phil Bickford: Designated for assignment
Rotowire
The Dodgers designated Bickford for assignment Saturday.
The 28-year-old will lose his place on Los Angeles' 26-man and 40-man rosters in order to clear space for trade-acquisition Joe Kelly. Bickford had a 2.81 ERA during the 2021 campaign but has struggled over the past two seasons with a 4.89 ERA in 96 appearances. However, he's given up just two earned runs over his past 13 outings and could generate some interest on the waiver wire.
Bickford (2-2) earned the win over Houston on Saturday, striking out four batters over two perfect innings.
Bickford was impressive in his return from a back injury, striking out two Astros in each of his two frames and retiring all six batters he faced. The right-hander had been struggling mightily prior to going on the injured list June 3, allowing 12 runs over his prior 7.1 innings. The Dodgers bullpen has been among the worst in the NL this season, so Bickford could get a chance to work up to a high-leverage role if he shows the ability to consistently pitch well.
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Dodgers' Phil Bickford: Activated off injured list
Rotowire
Bickford (back) was activated off the 15-day injured list Friday, J.P. Hoornstra of the Los Angeles Daily News reports.
Bickford missed three weeks while dealing with tightness in his lower back. He'll return to a middle-innings role with the Dodgers. Alex Vesia heads back to Triple-A Oklahoma City in a corresponding transaction.
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