The Philadelphia Phillies should “check in” with Trevor Rosenthal

Heading into the offseason, right-handed reliever Trevor Rosenthal was expected to be one of the most sought after free agent bullpen arms in all of baseball. He was coming off an absolutely dominant 2020 season, and is still just 30 years of age. Plenty of projections had him receiving a deal somewhere in the $10 million range, a price tag that would seemingly be too much for the Philadelphia Phillies to afford currently.

However, this year’s offseason process has not been a normal one. Contracts are being handed out a premium, and even when they are – they’re on the cheaper side.

For example, closer Alex Colome (who posted a 0.81 ERA in 2020!) got just $6.25 million to sign with the Minnesota Twins. Quite the low salary for a pitcher who’s definitively been one of the best closers in all of baseball the last couple of seasons.

Taking into account the relatively cheap reliever market that has transpired this winter, and the fact that Spring Training is just a few days away at this point, circling back to Rosenthal is something that would be in Dave Dombrowski’s best interest

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

The Philadelphia Phillies should be looking at Trevor Rosenthal.

While the additions of Archie Bradley and Jose Alvarado are steps in the right direction, the Philadelphia Phillies are still far from having a complete, MLB-caliber bullpen. They’re really banking on a guy like Hector Neris to bounce back in 2021, while simultaneously predicting huge breakout years from the likes of JoJo Romero and Connor Brogdon.

While the Phillies have definitely beefed up on starting pitching depth (which in turn takes some pressure off the ‘pen), they still need to add at least one more reliable reliever this offseason.

Despite Rosenthal’s struggles in 2019 (due to an injury he suffered in 2018), he really emerged as a top bullpen option this past season. He posted a 3.29 ERA across 14 games for the Royals, and then posted a 0.00 ERA across 9 games for the Padres following a trade at the deadline. His fastball routinely hit triple-digits, really showcasing that his arm was fully healthy again.

At the moment, it appears like Archie Bradley is lined up to be Joe Girardi’s closer in 2021, however, having Rosenthal as a go-to setup option for the eighth inning would be quite the luxury. With his fire blazing fastball, Rosenthal could close for most ball clubs. Slotting him in behind Bradley – while simultaneously taking Neris out of high-leverage situations altogether – would be quite the improvement from last year’s bullpen debacle.

Seeing as Colome got just $6.25 million to close for the Twins, it’s expected that Rosenthal will get even less that that. Picking up the right-hander on a one-year deal worth $3-4 million would be quite the steal all things considered. While the Phillies are primarily interested in adding yet another starting pitcher this offseason, pivoting towards Rosenthal might be better for them in the long run.