Philadelphia Phillies: 5 free agent relievers the team should pursue
1. RHP Keone Kela
2020 Team: Pittsburgh Pirates
2020 Salary: $3.7 Million
As we reach the final name on our list, we also reach the guy with the highest upside. Keone Kela is a flame-throwing right-hander who is coming off essentially a lost season in 2020. After testing positive for COVID-19 and missing all of Summer Camp, Kela only appeared in three games in 2020 before being shelved for good due to forearm inflammation. While that certainly raises some red flags, it is to be noted that the Pirates were very encouraged with his recovery process and the likelihood of a return would have been much higher had Pittsburgh been in contention.
With this being said, the one good thing that could come of this lost season for the Philadelphia Phillies is Kela may come at a discounted price. When he has been available, Kela has been an absolutely dominant right-handed arm with overpowering stuff. His fastball routinely sits in the high 90’s, and he has a tendency to miss bats as evidenced by his career 11.0 K/9. The righty also does possess limited experience closing out ball games with 24 career saves. However, due to his overpowering stuff, he would be a prime candidate to tote the bump in the ninth inning.
Kela also has limited post season experience, as he has appeared in four career playoff games with the Texas Rangers, holding a post season ERA of 1.93.
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At just 28 years old, you would think Kela would be seeking a multi year deal. However, as mentioned that he essentially lost an entire season in 2020, I would expect the right hander to seek a one-year “prove it” kind of deal, looking to re-establish his value so he can cash in on a nice pay day next offseason. With that in mind, Philadelphia would be a fantastic spot to do this; and a one-year deal worth between $6-8 million dollars may be enough to secure Kela’s services.