The Phillies have a pivotal offseason ahead, as they try to make some changes and tweaks to a roster that won 96 games but stalled out in the NLDS. Much of the focus of discussion to this point has been
on the lineup, and rightly so, as it has arguably been the biggest culprit for the last few postseason exits and is ripe for a shakeup.
One area that’s flown under the radar so far though has been the bullpen. Four spots are already locked in with Jhoan Duran, Matt Strahm, Orion Kerkering, and Tanner Banks. Dave Dombrowski has seemed to indicate that the Phillies will pick up José Alvarado’s $9M option this offseason despite his suspension and injury filled 2025. That move would make five spots, which still leaves at least two more spots available.
Max Lazar could be an early favorite for one of those spots. The young righty had an up-and-down season and finished with a 4.79 ERA across 36 games. Lazar showed enough to be a depth piece, but perhaps he shouldn’t be a lock for the Opening Day roster, as he still has two option years remaining and wasn’t exactly consistent.
You wouldn’t be alone in thinking that the Phillies were one or two relievers short in the postseason. They were not able to find a successful path to Jhoan Duran as Strahm, Kerkering and David Robertson were not able to sufficiently bridge the gap from the starting pitcher to Duran. It would behoove the Phillies to get another high leverage arm, especially a right-handed one to pair with Strahm as set-up men. It would be wise to bump Kerkering especially down in the leverage order for the time being.
Devin Williams and Ryan Helsley will surely be popular this offseason as prime buy low candidates in the hope for a return to form. However, it’s unlikely that either would consider a team where they wouldn’t be getting any save opportunities such as the Phillies. The acquisition of Duran has put the Phillies in an interesting spot this offseason that they haven’t been in for a long time; they already have a bona fide closer locked in but need to get more depth behind him. Many of the top arms on the free agent market will fall into the same category as Williams and Helsley and will be in the market for saves that they won’t get in Philadelphia. That will likely force the Phillies to get creative if they want to find upgrades.
So, what would your plan be for the Phillies bullpen this offseason? Do you believe they are an arm or two short? What players would you target to fill those spots? Is there an under the radar free agent or trade candidate that could be a project for Caleb Cotham and the Phillies pitching lab?
