The Philadelphia Phillies are blowing up their bullpen.
With an average ERA north of 7.00, the Philadelphia Phillies had the worst bullpen in all of baseball last season. In fact, it was the second worst bullpen in MLB history, and the outright worst since the “modern era” began.
Had the ‘pen simply not self-imploded every other night, the Phillies likely would have scraped into the expanded playoffs as a Wild Card team, and at least had a shot at making a run of sorts.
Opening day roster members like Deolis Guerra and Trevor Kelley were out of the league just a few games into the 2020 season, and all of Matt Klentak’s trade acquisitions flopped emphatically.
More from Section 215
- 4 Eagles on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- Best Pennsylvania Sportsbook Promos: Win $650 GUARANTEED Bonus PLUS $100 off NFL Sunday Ticket
- 3 Punters the Eagles Must Target to Replace Arryn Siposs
- Cowboys Trey Lance Trade Proves How Screwed They Are With Dak Prescott
- Devon Allen Took Britain Covey’s Job on Eagles
With Klentak now out of the building and a complete overhaul needed, the Philadelphia Phillies wasted little time clearing out some of the dead weight.
They declined club options on three relievers, outright released another three, and then claimed a rookie off Miami’s waivers. Here’s all the moves that were made, starting first with the waiver wire claim.
RHP Johan Quezado
Claimed off waivers.
Due to the Miami Marlins’ COVID-19 roster struggles, they were forced to call-up Johan Quezado this season and have him debut. Even at 25 years old, the highest level he had pitched at prior to 2020 was single-A.
Quezado pitched 3.0 MLB innings this year, allowing four hits and three runs. He also posted two Ks and a walk.
Quezado’s best performance on the season actually came in September against the Phillies, which is likely what sparked the team’s interest in him. He stands at 6-9, and his fastball has been known to creep into the high 90s.
However, already 26 years of age with just three innings of major league experience under his belt, it’s hard to feel like he’ll play too much of a role for the Phils moving forward.
RHP David Robertson
Club option declined.
The Philadelphia Phillies marquee bullpen acquisition prior to the 2019 season, David Robertson is going to go down as one of the biggest “what ifs” in team franchise history. He pitched just 6.2 innings for the Phillies in 2019 before undergoing Tommy John surgery, and failed to make a comeback in 2020.
There were rumors that he was eyeing a return for the Phils following the trade deadline, but a few setbacks ultimately pushed him off that goal. He accounted for $23 million worth of salary over the two years that he was in Philadelphia, and then made an additional $2 million in way of his buyout.
Declining Robertson’s option was a no-brainer. He turns 36 years old in April and is coming off a nasty elbow injury. Even with the two years of rehab, it’s hard to imagine that he would come back anywhere close to his previous All Star caliber form.
It’s unfortunate that Robertson never got a chance to cement himself as a reliable bullpen arm for the Phillies, especially considering how desperately they needed one this past season. However, that can sometimes be the risk that GMs assume when they sign 30+ year old pitchers to lucrative free agent contracts.
RHP Hector Neris
Club option declined, arbitration eligible.
Ah yes, the enigma that is Hector Neris. Some people love him, and some people can’t stand him.
Whether you refer to him as “Hector the Protecter” or “Nervous Neris”, there’s no denying the fact that the Dominican born reliever had a pretty disastrous 2020 campaign. The team was banking on him to develop into a reliable closing option for Joe Girardi, and instead, he ended up posting the worst season of his career.
Neris recorded an unbelievable WHIP of 1.708 in 2020, by far a career worst for him. His 4.57 ERA wasn’t any less impressive either, as it was the second highest earned run average that he’s posted in a single season.
Neris also recorded 3 blown saves (compared to just 5 converted saves), tied for the third most in all of baseball.
Needless to say, Neris was extremely poor in 2020 and it ended up hurting his bank account. The Philadelphia Phillies chose to decline his $7 million team option for 2021, instead looking to arbitration instead. The Phillies will then ideally get Neris back on a discounted price for next season.
Neris could still be cut or traded, but at this point in time I would expect him to be on the 40-man roster come Opening Day next spring.
RHP David Phelps
Club option declined.
Matt Klentak’s big deadline day acquisition, veteran relief pitcher David Phelps was supposed to come in and steady the ship for the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen. Instead, the former Brewer somehow made things even worse.
In just 7.2 innings of work for the Phillies in 2020, Phelps allowed 12 hits, 11 runs, and 5 home runs. Phelps couldn’t locate his pitches to save his life, and batters were routinely dumping his fastballs over the outfield wall. It was a brutal stretch of baseball for Phelps, and he finished his 2020 tenure with the Phils with an outstanding 12.91 ERA.
Even with his horrendous play, declining the option on Phelps did come as a bit of a surprise. Prior to his arrival in Philadelphia, Phelps had been a steady reliever for a handful of different teams, and a 2021 salary of $4.5 million wasn’t all that unreasonable.
At 34 years of age there’s a half decent chance that he’s just cooked at this point in his career, but he was a name that I thought would sneak onto the 2021 roster based on resume alone.
For example, I would’ve much rather seen Phelps pitch for the Phillies next year as opposed to Neris.
Nevertheless, the Philadelphia Phillies declined Phelps’ option and he’s now a completely unrestricted free agent. Cleaning house definitely isn’t the worst of strategies to employ in this situation.
RHP Heath Hembree
Outrighted off the 40-man roster.
Another one of Klentak’s infamous midseason bullpen “upgrades”, Heath Hembree‘s time in Philadelphia was a complete and utter disaster.
He wasn’t having the best season with the Boston Red Sox prior to his trade to Philly, but he was still viewed as a reliable veteran arm with tons of high-leverage experience. He had solid years with Boston between 2016 and 2019, playing a key role for the club as they captured a World Series two years ago.
At just 31 years of age, there was plenty of belief that he still had some gas in the tank to help a team like the Philadelphia Phillies end their respective playoff drought.
However, Hembree turned out to be a flat out train-wreck. He allowed 13 runs and 7 home runs in just 9.1 innings of work, routinely blowing late-game leads for the Phils. He finished the year with a 12.54 ERA, by far the worst single season number of his career.
Hembree also missed the last couple of games with an “injury”, as it looked like Joe Girardi simply had zero intentions of using him anymore.
Hembree was outrighted off the 40-man roster and he elected to test free agency. His time in Philadelphia is over.
LHP Adam Morgan
Outrighted off the 40-man roster.
A member of the Philadelphia Phillies pitching staff for the last six seasons, lefty Adam Morgan saw himself outrighted as well. He’s coming off a brutal 2020 campaign where his ERA spiked all the way up above 5.50, and he just recently underwent elbow surgery as well.
Morgan will enter free agency as an unrestricted free agent, but it’s honestly really had to imagine him finding a suitor. Not only did he really struggle this past season, but his elbow surgery will likely cause him to miss at least part of the 2021 season.
Considering his less-than-ideal track record and his age (31 in February), Morgan definitely doesn’t have the makeup of someone who garners a lot of interest on the open market.
Morgan was a valuable bullpen arm for the Phillies at times, as his previous work as a starter allowed him to stretch out over multiple innings when asked to do so. However, the biggest drawback to someone like Morgan is just his overall lack of velocity. His fastball rarely hits above 92 mph, and in a league that’s quickly becoming dominated by 100 mph flamethrowers, he’s on the outside looking in.
Replacing Morgan with a legitimate high-velocity lefty would be a great first step to fixing the Phillies bullpen.
RHP Blake Parker
Outrighted off the 40-man roster.
One of the very few Philadelphia Phillies relievers who actually got outs on a consistent basis in 2020, right-hander Blake Parker also saw himself outrighted off the team’s 40-man roster. Initially signed to a minor league deal to start the season, Parker was called up to the majors rather quickly and instantly made his presence felt.
He finished the season with a 2.81 ERA across 14 appearances. Parker also recorded a win-loss record of 3-0.
Despite Parker’s impressive ability to keep runs off the scoreboard (compared to the rest of the team’s bullpen), letting Parker go should be viewed as another no-brainer of a decision. He just turned 35, his velocity is below average, and his WHIP last season still clocked in over 1.300.
He was solid, and I applaud him for his ability to not allow an exuberant amount of runs. However, the idea that he can still be a plus bullpen arm at this stage in his career likely wouldn’t hold up over a 162 game season.
Parker could be a minor league contract candidate once more, but at some point, if you’re going to clean house then just clean house. I’d expect Parker’s time with the Phillies organization to be over.
Like previously stated, the Philadelphia Phillies beginning to overhaul their bullpen shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. On top of the above stated names; Brandon Workman, Tommy Hunter, and Jose Alvarez are all set to be unrestricted free agents as well. That’s potentially eight relievers that the team will be moving on from this offseason.
Cleaning. House.