The Phillies have reportedly exercised José Alvarado’s $9M option, officially returning him to the roster for 2026.
Dave Dombrowski
hinted that this move was likely back in his end of season press conference, so it doesn’t come as much of a surprise. Still, it is putting faith in Alvarado that he can return to form after a disastrous 2025.
The season started out well for Alvarado, as he had a 1.84 ERA through 14 appearances in April with 21 strikeouts to 2 walks in 14.2 innings pitched. He seemed to be rebounding from an uneven 2024 as his velocity was back to normal levels after seeing a full average mile per hour drop from 2023 (98.7) to 2024 (97.8). But all of that hope went out the window when Alvarado was handed an 80-game suspension for violating MLB’s performance enhancing drug policy on May 18th after testing positive for a banned substance.
That suspension kept Alvarado out of MLB action until August 19th. He would pitch six more innings with the Phillies in 2025, allowing five runs and three home runs, before a left forearm strain landed him on the IL on September 12th. The Phillies elected to shut him down for the season then, as his suspension had made him ineligible for the postseason. He finished 2025 with a 4-2 record and 3.81 ERA in 26 appearances with 32 Ks, 7 walks, and four home runs surrendered.
Alvarado will turn 31 in May and is coming off of back-to-back disappointing seasons. But it’s likely that $9M would have been around the market rate for his services if he went to the open market. The Phillies are betting that a clean and healthy Alvarado can return to his pre-2024 form where he was one of the best left-handed relievers in the sport.
