Phillies sign LHP Tanner Banks

Tanner Banks' one-year, $1.2M signing earns an **A Contract Value Index (CVI)** — a textbook league-minimum deal for a relief arm on a contending roster. At $1.2M AAV on a pre-arbitration LHP, this transaction reflects precisely the kind of low-cost depth signing that doesn't stress a payroll but provides genuine roster utility; the Phillies, currently 37-31 and fighting for playoff position with 108 days remaining in the regular season, have no luxury in overpaying for bullpen support. Banks' contract is structured as pure lottery-ticket upside — if he performs at even a replacement-level contribution down the stretch and into October, the Phillies extract value far exceeding the minimal financial outlay. The risk is equally binary: at this salary floor, there is no downside concern; even a complete washout costs the team roughly what a utility infielder depth piece might command. For a franchise in the thick of a competitive window, this is exactly how you build bullpen depth without sacrificing financial flexibility — low-cost, high-leverage acquisition that passes the CVI efficiency test with ease.