Phil Maton Bio
Phillip Louis Maton III (born March 25, 1993) is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chicago Cubs of Major League Baseball (MLB). A right-handed reliever, he has spent his MLB career moving through several organizations, including the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Indians, Houston Astros, Tampa Bay Rays, New York Mets, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers. He won a World Series championship as a member of the 2022 Houston Astros.
Maton attended Glenwood High School in Chatham, Illinois, before playing college baseball for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The San Diego Padres selected him in the 20th round of the 2015 MLB draft, and he made his major league debut with the Padres in 2017. In November 2025, he signed a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, bringing him to his eighth major league club.
Early Life and Background
Phillip Louis Maton III was born on March 25, 1993, in Chatham, Illinois. He grew up in central Illinois and attended Glenwood High School, the same town where he was raised. As a young fan, Maton followed the St. Louis Cardinals, a team that would later play a role in his professional journey.
Maton comes from a baseball family. His two younger brothers also play the sport. Nick Maton has reached the major leagues, and Jacob Maton is a pitcher who was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 2018 MLB draft and later played college baseball at Coastal Carolina. Phil Maton eventually took his game to Louisiana Tech University, where he pitched for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and developed into a professional prospect.
Path to Professional Baseball
At Louisiana Tech, Maton built the resume that led to professional baseball. The San Diego Padres selected him in the 20th round, with the 597th overall pick, of the 2015 MLB draft. He made his professional debut that summer with the Low-A Tri-City Dust Devils, posting a 4-2 record with a 1.38 ERA and 58 strikeouts across 32 2/3 innings in 23 relief appearances.
Maton moved quickly through the Padres’ system. In 2016, he pitched for the Single-A Fort Wayne TinCaps, High-A Lake Elsinore Storm, and Triple-A El Paso Chihuahuas, combining for a 5-3 record and a 1.74 ERA with 78 strikeouts in 51 2/3 innings across 38 games. He also pitched in the Arizona Fall League for the Peoria Javelinas that offseason. He opened 2017 with Triple-A El Paso before receiving his first big league call-up.
Phil Maton Career
Early Career with the San Diego Padres (2017-2019)
The San Diego Padres called Maton up on June 11, 2017, after Jake Esch was designated for assignment, and he remained in the big leagues for the rest of that season. Working in a middle relief role, he finished 2017 with a 4.19 ERA and 46 strikeouts in 43 innings across 46 games. He began 2018 in Triple-A El Paso, but was quickly recalled when Wil Myers went on the disabled list on April 4.
Maton’s 2018 season was interrupted by a strained lat that sent him to the disabled list on May 13, but he returned on June 21 after a rehab assignment. He was optioned back to Triple-A on June 24 and recalled again on July 9 after posting a sub-1.00 WHIP in six appearances for El Paso. He finished 2018 with a 4.37 ERA and 55 strikeouts in 47 1/3 innings. On July 12, 2019, the Padres traded him to the Cleveland Indians in exchange for international bonus pool allotments, closing his first chapter in the big leagues.
Cleveland Indians Era (2019-2021)
Maton joined the Cleveland Indians in the middle of the 2019 season and pitched in nine games for the club, posting a 2.92 ERA in 12 1/3 innings. Across his full Indians tenure, he appeared in 23 games and compiled a 3-3 record with a 4.57 ERA and 32 strikeouts in 21 2/3 innings. Cleveland used him primarily out of the bullpen as a left-handed matchup option, giving him a platform to refine his relief craft.
On July 30, 2021, the Indians traded Maton to the Houston Astros along with minor league catcher Yainer Díaz in exchange for outfielder Myles Straw. He finished 2021 in Houston, going 4-0 with a 4.97 ERA in 27 games and 25 1/3 innings, leaving the Indians with two seasons of late-inning work in the American League.
Houston Astros Era (2021-2023)
Maton avoided salary arbitration with the Astros on March 22, 2022, agreeing to a $1.55 million contract for the season. He became a steady middle reliever for a contender, and on June 15, 2022, he threw an immaculate inning in the seventh inning versus the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field, striking out Nathaniel Lowe, Ezequiel Durán, and Brad Miller. In the second inning of that same game, teammate Luis Garcia had also struck out the same three batters for an immaculate inning, making this the first occasion in major league history of two immaculate innings pitched in a single game, on the same date. Maton’s immaculate inning was the ninth in Astros history.
On October 5, 2022, Maton faced his younger brother, Nick, in the major leagues for the first time, yielding a single. After the game, Maton punched a locker, which resulted in a fractured fifth metacarpal area on his right hand. He underwent surgery a day later and was ruled out for the playoffs, although the Astros still won the World Series, giving Maton his first World Series championship. He signed a one-year, $2.55 million contract on January 13, 2023, avoiding arbitration, but his 2023 season was cut short when the Astros placed him on the 15-day injured list on August 12 due to a right elbow contusion, sustained on a line drive comebacker hit by Eduardo Escobar.
Tampa Bay Rays and New York Mets (2024)
On February 14, 2024, Maton signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Rays that included a club option for the 2025 season. In 40 relief outings for the Rays, he compiled a 4.58 ERA with 30 strikeouts and 2 saves across 35 1/3 innings. On July 9, 2024, the Rays traded him to the New York Mets in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations.
With the Mets, Maton was at his sharpest, posting a 2.51 ERA with 30 strikeouts across 28 2/3 innings in 31 appearances. On November 4, 2024, however, the Mets declined the 2025 option on Maton, making him a free agent and ending his second-half run in New York.
St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers Era (2025)
On March 13, 2025, Maton signed a one-year, $2 million contract with the St. Louis Cardinals, the team he had grown up cheering for as a child. He made 40 relief appearances for the Cardinals, logging a 1-3 record and a 2.35 ERA with 48 strikeouts and two saves across 38 1/3 innings. His stay in St. Louis ended on July 31, 2025, when the Cardinals traded him to the Texas Rangers in exchange for Skylar Hales, Mason Molina, and international bonus pool money.
In 23 appearances for the Rangers, Maton compiled a 3-2 record and 3.52 ERA with 33 strikeouts and three saves over 23 innings of work, providing back-end relief help down the stretch. After the season, he reached free agency and landed with another National League contender.
Chicago Cubs Era (2025-Present)
On November 25, 2025, Maton signed a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the Chicago Cubs, joining his eighth major league organization. The deal runs through the 2026 season and represents the longest commitment of his career, signaling the Cubs’ belief in his late-inning upside. He entered spring camp as a key veteran in the Chicago bullpen.
Driving Style and Strengths
Maton works primarily as a middle and late-inning reliever, relying on a sharp breaking ball to generate swings and misses against same-side hitters. His best results have come when he limits free passes, as seen during his 2.51 ERA stretch with the Mets in 2024. He has also shown a knack for stepping up in big moments, such as his historic immaculate inning in 2022.
Notable Events and Milestones
Maton’s 2022 immaculate inning against the Texas Rangers is one of the signature moments of his career and part of the first pair of immaculate innings ever recorded in a single major league game. He also captured a World Series championship that same season with the Houston Astros, and he reached a personal milestone in October 2022 by facing his brother Nick in the major leagues for the first time.
Phil Maton Career Wins
Across his MLB career, Phil Maton has compiled win totals with the San Diego Padres, Houston Astros, and Texas Rangers, while also logging strong ERA marks with the Cleveland Indians, New York Mets, and St. Louis Cardinals. He has yet to record a multi-win season at the major league level, with his deepest impact coming in high-leverage relief rather than in traditional win columns.
MLB Highlights
Maton’s most decorated individual stretch came with the Houston Astros, where he went 4-0 in 2021 and helped the club to a World Series title in 2022. He added a 3-2 record with the Texas Rangers in 2025, reinforcing his value as a late-inning option.
Other Performances
Outside the win column, Maton posted a 1.38 ERA in 23 relief appearances for the Low-A Tri-City Dust Devils in 2015, and a 1.74 ERA across three minor league levels in 2016. He also delivered a 2.51 ERA in 31 appearances for the New York Mets in 2024 and a 2.35 ERA across 40 relief outings for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2025, showing the consistency that has kept him in major league bullpens for nearly a decade.
Phil Maton Family
Family Background and Baseball Lineage
Phil Maton comes from a tight-knit baseball family, and his two younger brothers, Nick and Jacob, have also played the sport. Nick has reached the major leagues, while Jacob, a pitcher, was drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 2018 MLB draft and later played college baseball at Coastal Carolina. Phil faced his brother Nick in a major league game for the first time on October 5, 2022, while pitching for the Houston Astros.
Personal Life
Phil Maton is married to Katelynn Cook, a four-year player for the Louisiana Tech softball team who graduated in 2016. The two have been together since their college days at Louisiana Tech University. Maton grew up a St. Louis Cardinals fan, a connection that came full circle when he signed with the Cardinals in March 2025.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season began for Maton with a one-year, $2 million contract signed with the St. Louis Cardinals on March 13, giving him a fresh start with a franchise he grew up admiring. In 40 relief appearances for the Cardinals, he posted a 1-3 record and a 2.35 ERA with 48 strikeouts and two saves across 38 1/3 innings, anchoring a National League bullpen before the trade deadline.
On July 31, 2025, the Cardinals traded him to the Texas Rangers, where he finished the year with a 3-2 record and 3.52 ERA in 23 appearances, adding 33 strikeouts and three saves over 23 innings. The strong closing stretch helped him reach free agency on a high note, and on November 25, 2025, he signed a two-year, $14.5 million contract with the Chicago Cubs.
With the Cubs, Maton steps into a veteran relief role as the club builds toward 2026, bringing experience from seven previous major league stops. His 2025 performance, marked by strong ERA numbers in both leagues and durable innings, has positioned him as a trusted late-inning arm in Chicago. Heading into the new season, he is expected to play a key role in the Cubs’ bullpen plans.