José Alvarado is officially returning to the Phillies, as the team did what Dave Dombrowski hinted at last month and picked up the lefty reliever’s $9M option for 2026. Alvarado had a nightmare 2025 that
featured an 80-game suspension for performance enhancing drugs and an injury that ultimately cut his season short. Nevertheless, it makes a lot of sense to bring Alvarado back, as he would have been one of the better lefties on the market and the Phillies bullpen needs more leverage arms. It’s a gamble to be sure, but it seems like one worth taking.
On to the links.
Phillies news:
- More on Alvarado returning to the Phillies from Matt Gelb ($).
- The 2026 Spring Training schedule was officially released yesterday.
- The Inquirer’s Lochlann Marsh continued their series on each position group on the Phillies and their 2026 outlook with a breakdown of the bullpen. ($)
- Hitting coach Kevin Long sat down with Phillies Extra to discuss Bryce Harper’s future and Kyle Schwarber’s free agency.
- 2025 first round pick Gage Wood could move fast through the Phillies system. Could he move Trey Yesavage fast?
MLB news:
- Here is that early schedule for the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
- Chris Sale will remain in Atlanta, as his $18M option was picked up for 2026.
- Remaining with Atlanta, new manager Walt Weiss has added a pair of ex-Mets coaches to his staff.
- The Yankees made a decision on a pair of relievers, exercising Tim Hill’s option but declining Jonathan Loasiga’s.
- Mike Trout was once the best baseball player in the world and primed to be the face of the sport. Now, he’s an afterthought. ($)
- What lessons can be learned from this year’s postseason? ($)
