Last offseason, the Philadelphia Phillies made an under-the-radar signing when they inked veteran pitcher Nabil Crismatt to a minor league contract. Having five years of MLB experience under his belt entering the 2025 season while maintaining a mid-3.00 ERA and striking out close to a batter per inning throughout his career, the addition of Crismatt provided valuable pitching depth to the Phillies organization.
The 30-year-old veteran put up some strong numbers during spring training. He also put up respectable numbers with the Triple-A Lehigh Valley IronPigs this season. However, despite some of the Phillies’ bullpen woes and injuries that occurred over the course of the season, he somehow never got the call to the big leagues.
Instead, Crismatt requested his release and is now with the Arizona Diamondbacks organization. He quickly impressed in his debut for the club this past Sunday, according to José M. Romero of the Arizona Republic.
Will Phillies regret letting depth pitcher Nabil Crismatt go after first start with Diamondbacks?
Against the Colorado Rockies, the right-hander went five strong innings, giving up just one earned run on three hits, along with one walk and five strikeouts. Despite pitching mainly as a reliever throughout his MLB career, the Phillies had Crismatt stretched out and pitching as a starter in the minors this year. As a result, he was able to convert seamlessly to the role for the Diamondbacks right away.
With such a result, perhaps the Phillies should have thought twice before letting Crismatt go. After all, he compiled a decent 5-6 record with a 4.40 ERA and 1.24 WHIP in 100 1/3 innings pitched over 19 starts with the IronPigs. Especially now that Phillies’ ace Zack Wheeler is sidelined due to a blood clot, Crismatt could have been an invaluable emergency replacement in the rotation for the time being.
The Phillies had the chance to retain the veteran, as Crismatt was actually granted his release from the organization twice this year. That included re-signing with Philadelphia to a minor league deal once again when he failed to find a suitor during his first release in July. However, Crismatt finally found his new home upon his second release in August by going back to the Diamondbacks organization that he was a part of during the 2023 campaign.
On the bright side, Crismatt is now a part of the National League West division with a non-contender, so he won’t directly come back to haunt the Phillies in their playoff path to the World Series. However, he could end up hurting Philadelphia indirectly if the Phillies fail to find a suitable internal option to fill any voids in their rotation or bullpen going forward. Crismatt could have been the one they eventually turned to.
