José Alvarado has been suspended 80-games by the league for testing positive for a banned substance. Alvarado's selfish decision is a brutal blow to a Philly pen that needed reinforcements, not the loss of one of its most reliable pieces.
Losing Alvarado demands the Phillies attempt to make a trade for a late-inning option. Looking at the current market, one potential fit is Chicago Cubs reliever Ryan Pressly.
Ryan Pressly's Recent Struggles Could Open the Door to the Phillies Solving Bullpen Concerns
Despite the Cubs' great start, Pressly has been continually speculated as a potential trade target after the reliever's recent struggles. It was only January that the Cubs added Pressly in a surprise deal with the Houston Astros. Still, it is worth Philly reaching out to see if the veteran's recent struggles have the team open to shedding his salary.
Pressly currently sports a 6.46 ERA that exploded primarily when giving up 8 earned runs to the Giants the first week of May. Since that failure, the Cubs have used Pressly very sparingly and have far more trust in other options.
For Philly, this is a buy-low scenario with the belief that the terrible outing inflating Pressly's stats is the outlier. It is at least worth reaching out to the Cubs to see if the club is open to a potential trade.
The price shouldn't be considerable, looking at the reliever's contract and considering where we are in the season. It is a question Philly shouldn't hesitate to ask with their newfound desperation to add to the position.
Alvarado's selfish decision hurts his team and isn't something that should be easily forgiven by the organization. It is hard to believe in today's league, this is still a problem with the rules incredibly clear.
Alvarado's choice leaves the veteran ineligible for any postseason games as well. All of this adds up to a healthy level of desperation for Philly to quickly add to a suddenly shaky bullpen.