Philadelphia Phillies: Is Trevor Rosenthal worth a multi-year contract?

Should the Philadelphia Phillies splash on Trevor Rosenthal?

As discussed earlier this week in my coworker’s “5 free agent relievers the team should pursue“ article, the Philadelphia Phillies have to overhaul their bullpen quiteee a bit this offseason. That should come as no surprise to anyone, seeing as the 2020 Phillies literally had the second worst bullpen in MLB history.

The Phillies could obviously go quite a few different routes when it comes to improving their reliever room. They could snag a plethora of low-cost/high-upside guys, they could sign a handful of adequately priced veterans, or they could splash on one big name at the closer position. If they decide to go with something in between the “adequately priced veteran” and the “big name splash”, hard-throwing righty Trevor Rosenthal would be a name worth targeting.

Through the first six years of his pitching career, Rosenthal was regarded as one of the better relievers/closers in all of baseball. Playing exclusively for St. Louis during this time, Rosenthal pitched to the tune of a 2.99 ERA with 121 total saves. Known primarily for his violent fastball and his knee-buckling circle changeup, his strikeout numbers always ranked towards the top of the league.. His fourseam fastball hovered around 98 mph, and routinely lit up the radar gun with triple digits. Rosenthal’s elite velocity was his main claim to fame, even earning him an All-Star nod in 2015.

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Disaster struck in 2017 for Rosenthal, as he had to undergo the ever dreaded “Tommy John” surgery. The injury set him back a considerable amount, as he missed the entirety of the 2018 season to rehab. He returned to action in 2019, posting a 20.00+ ERA across 12 appearances with the Washington Nationals. He was eventually cut, and was relegated to minor-league deals with the Tigers and Yankees.

Heading into 2020, Rosenthal signed with the Kansas City Royals, and returned to form in a fiery way. He posted a 3.29 ERA across 14 appearances, recording 7 saves while also seeing his K/9 rate climb to a near career-high 13.8. He ended up being a big trade deadline acquisition for the San Diego Padres, where he would go on to pitch even better.

Rosenthal finished 9 games for the Padres after the trade, not allowing a single earned run in the process. His K/9 rate climbed even higher, all the way up to a 15.3.

Over two years later and it looks like Rosenthal has finally recovered from his elbow surgery. He’s routinely hitting 100 mph once again, and his control is much improved. He’s got the “stuff” to be a major league closer for the next couple of seasons, and he could command a bit of a payday during the offseason.

For the Philadelphia Phillies, they obviously need help in the closing department! Brandon Workman won’t be returning, and Hector Neris just ain’t it. Rosenthal would immediately become Joe Girardi’s go-to man in the ninth inning, solving that issue for the foreseeable future.

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Is Rosenthal worth a decently paying multi-year contract? I would argue yes. His insane velocity is a legit weapon regardless of the circumstance, and he’s got plenty of experience closing at a high level (2.40 postseason ERA). As long as he’s healthy (which I believe he is), him and his 100 mph fastball would be a welcome sight to the Phils’ league-worst bullpen.

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