Philadelphia Phillies bullpen now headlined by a closer’s competition

The addition of Corey Knebel on a one-year deal didn’t do it for me. The Philadelphia Phillies needed a lot more for their bullpen. Once they added Jeurys Familia for a single season, I began to agree with the plan.

Unwilling to stop there, the Phillies inked Brad Hand to a one-year deal as well. They now have three relief pitchers signed for only a single season. All three have something in common, too.

Knebel, Familia, and Hand will not get the Phillies to the World Series alone. However, if at least one of them performs well, the Phillies may finally solve the issue in the ninth inning they’ve been trying to cure for years. The team is rolling the dice on three relievers with previous success as closers. Given their lack of resources to make a trade for a closer, it’s not a half-bad plan.

The Philadelphia Phillies have a season-long closer competition or at least a few places to turn in times of trouble.

Knebel is making the most money out of these three and he was the first one to sign with the club. With this in mind, I’d say he’s the frontrunner for the closer job. But I wouldn’t put it past either of the other two to steal the job away.

Knebel’s closer experience is the least of these three. His 39 saves back in 2017 represent his one full season in this role. Injuries got in the way of him getting back to that same place when he was an All-Star for the Milwaukee Brewers pitching to a 1.78 ERA and striking out 14.9 batters per nine.

The year prior that, Familia was an All-Star for the New York Mets doing similar things. And for the last few seasons, Hand has been the closer for a couple of clubs. He finished the 2021 campaign as a teammate of Familia’s pitching middle innings rather than the final frame.

The Phillies bought low on all three of these ex-closers; albeit the low coming from expectations and not so much salary. Yes, they’re quite expensive. As long as it doesn’t become the limiting factor in adding more help to the roster, what’s to be upset about?

There’s something new in Philadelphia. They’re options. Joe Girardi can let these three battle it out for supremacy. When one fails, another can take over without a thought.

Some may propose the Phillies even try a closer-by-committee. I’m not a fan of this. But I’m less of a fan of blown saves.

The Phillies may remain flawed but the steps they’ve taken are wise ones. And perhaps they have one more left in them. Make room for Richard Rodriguez.