Philadelphia Phillies: Incoming 40-man roster spot for this veteran reliever?

Last year, the Philadelphia Phillies not only had the worst bullpen in all of baseball, but they also had one of the worst bullpens in major league history. The midseason acquisitions of Brandon Workman, Heath Hembree, David Hale, and David Phelps only made things worse, meaning improving the position was one of Dave Dombrowski’s biggest goals this past offseason.

While the additions of Jose Alvarado, Sam Coonrod, and Archie Bradley (forget about Brandon Kintzler, he’s bad), have settled things down a bit in the Philly relief room, the group still has a long ways to go. The Phillies currently rank 21st in terms of team bullpen ERA – a noticeable improvement compared to 2020, but still not good enough to justify a lack of future moves.

While the trade deadline is the main spot Dombrowski will be looking to add arms at, he could first look internally. The call-ups of Ranger Suarez and Bailey Falter have already proven beneficial, and there could be more minor leaguers following suit.

One name that MLB.com reporter Todd Zolecki pointed out was that of Neftali Feliz. A nine-year veteran who took a minor league deal with Philadelphia this past winter, Feliz has done nothing but impress down in Lehigh Valley. He has a 1.35 ERA and a 1.05 WHIP across 13.1 innings for the Iron Pigs this season, and his strikeout total is already up to 21. For a Philadelphia Phillies team that is expected to be in the market for further high-leverage arms this summer, Feliz feels like a prime candidate to at least get a shot over the next few weeks.

Here’s what Zolecki had to say about the veteran closer:

"Two players at Lehigh Valley worth watching are outfielder Matt Vierlingand closer Neftalí Feliz.Feliz has not pitched in the big leagues since 2017, but he is 2-1 with a 1.42 ERA and four saves in 13 appearances [he’s since made another appearance, hence the aforementioned 1.35 ERA]. He can exercise an opt-out clause on July 11, so the Phillies have time to make a decision on him.Girardi said Feliz has not come up recently in discussions. If that time comes, the Phillies will need to clear a spot for him on the 40-man roster. The same holds true for Vierling."

Veteran reliever Neftali Feliz could have a role in the Philadelphia Phillies bullpen.

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With that July 11th opt-out clause date looming, the Phillies are going to have to make a decision in regards to Feliz’ future with the organization rather soon. His production in AAA is sure to intrigue other bullpen-needy teams, so one can only assume that Feliz will exercise said opt-out.

If the Phillies do end up pulling the trigger on Feliz, and promote him to the main roster (which is what I personally believe they should do), a 40-man roster spot will in fact have to be cleared, as Zolecki stated. Someone like Kintzler – who has an 8.50 ERA this season – could be a prime candidate to be removed, or the team could opt to cut ties with one of their failed starting pitching signings, Chase Anderson and Matt Moore.

Regardless of who ends up getting the axe, it definitely feels like Feliz is the type of guy worthy of taking a chance on. At only 33 years of age, he could potentially stick around past 2021 as well.