Philadelphia Phillies: Liam Hendricks emerging as #1 bullpen target?

The Philadelphia Phillies could make Liam Hendricks their #1 bullpen target in free agency.

For obvious reasons, the Philadelphia Phillies are expected to completely overhaul their bullpen this offseason. They had the worst performing reliever room in the league this past season, and the second worst in baseball history (in terms of ERA). The team has already started cleaning house of some of the dead weight, and now they’ll look ahead in hopes of adding to their depleted ‘pen.

One of the more exciting bullpen arms available on the market this winter is that of closer Liam Hendricks. A flame-throwing righty who possesses a nasty curve and a swooping slider, Hendricks has made a name for himself over the last two seasons with high strikeout numbers and low opponent on-base percentage.

Playing for the Oakland Athletics, Hendricks posted a 1.80 ERA and 0.965 WHIP across 75 games in 2019. In 2020; he posted a 1.78 ERA, a 0.671 WHIP, and a 12.33 K/BB rate across 24 games. He also logged 39 total saves over the last two seasons.

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Prior to his breakout 2019 season, Hendricks wasn’t really used in much of a closer role. However, once given the opportunity to own the ninth inning for Oakland in 2019 and 2020, he seriously thrived. He was an All Star in 2019 and likely would’ve been named one again in 2020 (had the season not been shortened due to COVID-19).

Needless to say, Hendricks is one of the best closers in all of baseball. At just 31 years of age too (turns 32 in February), there’s still reason to believe that he has plenty more left in the tank to offer. With the Philadelphia Phillies desperately needing bullpen help this offseason, Hendricks hitting the open market as an unrestricted free agent is what one could call: “perfect timing”.

Corey Seidman of NBC Sports Philadelphia has already pinned Hendricks as a likely target for the Phillies, and it makes a lot of sense. The Philadelphia Phillies obviously need to add multiple relievers this winter to fix their league-worst bullpen, but prioritizing the closer position is a necessity. Joe Girardi is old school, and he’s repeatedly made it known that he likes to have one designated closer. He tried making Hector Neris and Brandon Workman that guy in 2020, and both failed pretty spectacularly.

Giving Girardi a veteran of Hendrick’s ability would solidify the ninth inning role for Girardi, allowing him to have a little more leeway and flexibility when it comes to managing the rest of the ballgame. Having a closer that you can trust is crucial in today’s game, especially to a team like the Phillies who have prioritized starting pitching as of late.

Both Aaron Nola and Zack Wheeler repeatedly saw quality starts blown in the ninth inning last year, and that just can’t happen moving forward. It’s a waste of the two starters’ talent.

It’s tough to predict what Hendricks’ market will be in free agency due to COVID-19 (teams aren’t willing to spend), but a three-year deal in the range of $30 million seems appropriate. It’s a hefty price to pay for a reliever, but given what he could do for the Phillies, it makes perfect sense for the them to be eyeing him as a potential franchise closer.