Philadelphia Phillies: 5 free agent relievers the team should pursue

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Sep 5, 2020; San Francisco, California, USA; San Francisco Giants pitcher Tony Watson (56) reacts after recording the final out against the Arizona Diamondbacks in the ninth inning at Oracle Park. Mandatory Credit: Cody Glenn-USA TODAY Sports /

2. LHP Tony Watson

2020 Team: San Francisco Giants

2020 Salary: $3 Million

This may be the first name on the list where casual baseball fans may look and say, Who? Well, I promise you this, Tony Watson is a darn good relief pitcher. The 35 year old left-handed reliever is coming off a very strong 2020 season in the Bay Area which saw him post an ERA of 2.50 in 18 innings pitched across 21 appearances.

When the three batter minimum rule was announced (a relief pitcher must face three batters before coming out of game), Watson was a guy many people believed would be negatively impacted. Throughout his career, he was known as one of, if not the best left-handed specialist in baseball. The reason he is sort of an unknown is due to the fact he has spent the bulk of his career in Pittsburgh as well as San Francisco; which are not exactly New York or Boston (sorry San Fran.)

Don’t let the numbers from the shortened 2020 season fool you into thinking this guy may be a one hit wonder. Through ten major league seasons, Watson holds a career ERA of 2.80 in nearly 600 innings of work. Yes, he has been that good in his career. He may be best known for his brief stint with the Los Angeles Dodgers, when he won two World Series games in that 2017 Fall Classic against the Houston Astros. With that being said, Watson also holds a career postseason ERA of 2.25 in 16 appearances; so he has that on his resume as well.

He has never been one to overpower many hitters as he holds a career K/9 of 8.0; but what he has been successful at is inducing weak contact and keeping the ball in the ball park as evidenced by his career 0.9 HR/9. While this would be a move that wouldn’t turn a ton of heads, it could be one of those under the radar type moves we look back on a year from now and say “yeah, the Philadelphia Phillies got that one right.”

Considering he will turn 36 years old during the 2021 season, a huge investment should not be required to sign Watson. I’m thinking a two-year deal worth about $10 million total, with the second year potentially being a club option should be enough to get a deal done.

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