All season long, the Phillies have had a dazzling starting rotation and a bullpen unit that lags far behind. The Jordan Romano signing has been a failure to date and the team’s lack of other additions to replace Jeff Hoffman and Carlos Estévez has hurt quite a bit — especially because José Alvarado was given an 80-game suspension which also makes him ineligible to participate in the postseason.
The Phillies have already done some work to bolster their bullpen, signing veteran David Robertson to a contract for the remainder of the season. Robertson is expected to enter the fray in early August after a 15-day minor-league assignment.
This bullpen has several weak links. Relying on Alvarado being around for the final six weeks of the season and a 40-year-old Robertson stepping into a featured role from August through the end of October would not be wise. There is still work to do to make this unit one that people can have confidence in when October arrives.
With a seemingly infinite collection of relievers with major velocity and a dazzling secondary pitch these days, the possibilities are endless. Whether the Phillies hope to get a surefire closer or a reliever capable of stepping into any situation, there are many options on the table:
Give them the ninth inning
• Emmanuel Clase, Cleveland Guardians
It was going to be impossible for Clase to replicate this year what was one of the best seasons of any reliever in recent baseball history last season, but Clase, still only 27, remains one of the most prolific relief pitchers in the majors. There has been plenty of noise about whether or not a struggling Cleveland team would move him. Clase will make $11.3 million between 2025 and 2026, and his contract has $10 million team options in 2026 and 2027. As hard as it is to not dream about a Clase and Steven Kwan package, the cost might just be too extreme.
• Ryan Helsley, St. Louis Cardinals
Helsley, who infamously struggled as the Phillies mounted an epic come-from-behind victory in Game 1 of the 2022 Wild Card Series, appears to finally be on the verge of getting dealt a few months ahead of free agency. Helsley’s fastball, once as good as any in the game, has not been as effective this season. But he remains considered one of the more reliable ninth-inning weapons in baseball.
• Mason Miller, Athletics
There will probably be trade rumors surrounding Miller for as long as he is on the Athletics and is cruising past 100 miles per hour on his fastball. How realistic it is that he actually will get traded remains unclear. The sell is obvious: nobody has a fastball like his, and Miller also has an incredible slider. The case against it — namely the injury risk that presumably comes with that sort of velocity — is also compelling.
• Jhoan Duran, Minnesota Twins
Duran is one of the premiere closers in the game, but Minnesota has the bullpen infrastructure to survive moving the 27-year-old and his famous “splinker” (more on the Twins’ other bullpen arms later). From a pure stuff perspective, there is quite possibly no better option in baseball than Duran, but the price to acquire him would undoubtedly be steep for that very reason.
• Cade Smith, Cleveland Guardians
Smith would probably be the obvious closer on at least 25 teams in the majors. But he shares a bullpen with Clase, so Smith only has four career saves despite being 119 games into what has been a dominant career so far. Smith is one of the absolute best arms in the majors, and trading Clase could be viable for the Guardians because Smith is under team control until 2030 and can step into the closer role there. But they have reportedly fielded calls about the 26-year-old fireman, too.
• Kenley Jansen, Los Angeles Angels
Jansen is old and he is not perfect, but he is still getting the job done. One of the most accomplished closers of all time, Jansen’s strikeout stuff has deteriorated a bit this year. There is no doubt he remains an effective relief pitcher, but does he still have enough ability to be trusted implicitly in the ninth inning?
Leverage arms
• Griffin Jax, Minnesota Twins
Jax, who comes with two more years of team control after this one, has some of the best strikeout stuff among relievers conceivably available. He has not gotten the chance to close because of Duran, but maybe Jax would have that opportunity in Philadelphia. Or, manager Rob Thomson could utilize him in “dirty innings” in a similar fashion to Jeff Hoffman during his two seasons with the Phillies.
• David Bednar, Pittsburgh Pirates
Bednar had a rocky beginning to the year — the only thing keeping him out of the first tier on this list — but he would likely be given the chance to close if he joined the Phillies. A surprising demotion to the minors seemed to do the trick for the 30-year-old whose electric fastball comes with a slow curveball and nasty splitter. Perhaps Bednar can come in a package deal…
• Dennis Santana, Pittsburgh Pirates
…Because Pittsburgh’s set-up man, Santana, has had a breakout year in his own right. Unlike Bednar, the 29-year-old Santana comes with years of team control. His outstanding 1.49 ERA and .803 WHIP may not quite hold up for the remainder of the year, but his results have been undeniable. A pairing of Bednar and Santana would do wonders for this bullpen.
Middle-inning righties
• Kyle Finnegan, Washington Nationals
The Nationals surprisingly non-tendered Finnegan last offseason, but ultimately brought him back on a one-year deal for his final season of team control. He has not had a good enough season to be considered one of the prizes within the bullpen market as he might have been last year, but Washington should be motivated to trade him. Finnegan throws a hard fastball with a splitter and slider as his secondary pitches.
• Phil Maton, St. Louis Cardinals
While Helsley will be the most interesting member of St. Louis’ bullpen to monitor, Maton is one of a few other rental pieces available. The older brother of former Phillies infielder Nick Maton and a member of the 2022 Houston Astros, Maton is striking out nearly as many batters as he ever has per inning. Maton has been nearly as effective against lefties as righties despite not having much velocity.
• Jake Bird, Colorado Rockies
Bird was one of the best relievers in baseball early in the season, but as nightmarish three-appearance stretch earlier this month brutalized his statistical profile. There is something to be said for the massive success he has had in the vast majority of outings, particularly because of his home ballpark. Bird, 29, has not even hit arbitration yet — if he continues to blossom with a new team, he can be a bullpen fixture for years to come.
• Shelby Miller, Arizona Diamondbacks
Once a starter, Miller’s move to the bullpen took a few years to pan out. Now it has in spades, as the 34-year-old has a 1.98 ERA in 37 appearances this year. Miller started the season with 13.2 shutout innings and has remained one of the more effective right-handed relievers in the National League. Miller is only making $1 million this season and is a pure rental. He has performed like a leverage arm, but treating him more like a luxury than a necessity would probably be prudent.
• Brock Stewart, Minnesota Twins
Duran and Jax are generating all of the bullpen buzz in Minnesota, but Stewart, 33, is having an outstanding season. He has four secondary pitches behind a great fastball; his sweeper is the most devastating component of his arsenal. Stewart has completely absurd numbers against right-handed hitters right now — they are slashing .163/.226/.163 against him — despite him being better against lefty bats last season.
• Seranthony Domínguez, Baltimore Orioles
Is a reunion actually possible here? It is not as crazy as it sounds: Baltimore is clearly selling, and Félix Bautista just went on the injured list with a shoulder injury that might keep him out of trade talks. The Orioles traded old friend Gregory Soto to the New York Mets on Friday, a clear indication of their direction. Most importantly: Domínguez is pitching well, arguably better than he was at this time in 2022 when he found his footing at the perfect time and authored a remarkable stretch of pitching in October.
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