Report: Phillies sign one-time All-Star reliever Jeurys Familia

The Phillies have a new bullpen arm with plenty of closer experience, and it's face familiar to many in Philadelphia.

Jeurys Familia is signing a deal with Philadelphia, reported by Robert Murray of FanSided. Familia must first pass a physical before the deal can be made official.

Phillies fans likely are already familiar with Familia, who has been a high-leverage reliever for the division-rival Mets for virtually his entire career. He will likely come to Philadelphia with the ability to compete for the closer role, though the team already also signed Corey Knebel this offseason, who will also be in the mix for closing duties.

Familia has plenty of closer experience in his career but not so much recently. After finishing seventh in Rookie of the Year voting in 2014, he became a staple of the Mets' bullpen during the 2015 season in which New York won the NL Pennant before losing to the Royals in the World Series. Familia famously gave up the go-ahead home run to Alex Gordon in Game 1 that allowed Kansas City to jump out to an early lead in the series.

The closer role belonged to Familia at least in part until the 2018 season, when he was traded to the Athletics near the trade deadline for a prospect, a reliever and cash. He returned to the Mets the following offseason in free agency but took on more of a middle relief/setup role. He finished the 2019 season with a 5.70 ERA over 25 appearances.

Familia bounced back over the next two seasons, however, returning to being at least a somewhat reliable option out of the bullpen. He logged a 3.71 ERA over 25 games in the shortened 2020 season and a 3.94 figure across 65 appearances in 2021.