Philadelphia Phillies still looking to add more pitching depth?
By David Esser
After what ended up being a pretty sweet week for the Philadelphia Phillies, re-signing the likes of both J.T. Realmuto and Didi Gregorius, it appears more moves could be on the way. According to MLB insider Bob NIghtengale, the Phillies have remained interested in adding both a starting pitcher and a relief pitcher.
Gregorius' deferred $28 million contract will slightly decrease the overall value just as catcher J.T. Realmuto's $115.5 million deal is valued at $114.9 million because of the deferrals. The #Phillies still looking for another starting pitcher and a relief pitcher on the market
— Bob Nightengale (@BNightengale) January 30, 2021
For starters, the extended interest in bolstering the bullpen is an obvious one. The Philadelphia Phillies had one of the worst bullpens in MLB history last year, and it’s pretty much the main reason the team wasn’t able to end their near-decade long playoff drought, even with the extended postseason format.
Dave Dombrowski has added a few pieces, bringing in the likes of Jose Alvarado and Sam Coonrod via trade, and Archie Bradley via free agency. While these are definitely steps in the right direction compared to what the team employed last season, there is still plenty of room for improvement.
The Philadelphia Phillies have plenty of bullpen options to choose from.
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The good news for the Phillies is that the free agent market remains ripe with standout relief pitching talent. Elite-level closers like Alex Colome and Trevor Rosenthal remain without a team, and there are a whole boatload of middle-relief arms like Jeremy Jeffress, Ian Kennedy, and Keone Kela that would instantly come in and be a go-to arm for Joe Girardi.
The Phillies were connected to the likes of Colome and Jeffress earlier in the offseason, so that could be the route that they end up going. Or, they could poke around the margins and look to snatch up one or two arms for around $2 million each. With how the Phils’ bullpen is currently constructed, having two steady arms in the middle – as opposed to one expensive closer – might be the way to go.
I also wouldn’t rule out another trade as an avenue to acquiring a more established bullpen piece.
Ultimately speaking, the likelihood of the Philadelphia Phillies adding at least one more reliever seems exceptionally high at this point in time