The Phillies, like most contending teams, could use extra help in the bullpen at the trade deadline. The unit came into Friday’s game ranking 20th in ERA and 18th in FIP. It’s not as bad as it was in year’s past, but the bar is low.
It’s not necessarily all doom and gloom. Seranthony DomÃnguez has a 1.69 ERA and looks the part of a shutdown closer. Connor Brogdon has also stepped up after struggling with velocity at the beginning of the season.
Ironically, the Phillies bullpen issues stem from a lack of homegrown arms. The two most reliable relievers, however, were developed in-house.
Outside of DomÃnguez and Brogdon, the Phillies bullpen is full of red flags. Corey Knebel is still trying to find his curveball, Jeurys Familia is prone to giving up the crushing home runs and Brad Hand has allowed almost half of all inherited runners to score. The Phillies are paying the trio a combined $22 million this season.
The Phillies will likely address the issue at the deadline. Good left handed relievers are hard to find, but the Phillies should at least be in the market for one with Hand and José Alvarado being the only two options in the bullpen for the time being.
The team acquired Ryan Sherriff off waivers from the Tampa Bay Rays in the offseason and has not pitched at all this season. He’s currently rehabbing from a shoulder injury and could contribute out of the ‘pen in July. Dido for JoJo Romero, who is still rehabbing from Tommy John surgery and is reportedly hitting 95-96 mph. It looks like the Phillies are trying to stretch out Cristopher Sánchez and keep him as a depth starter.
If the time comes and the Phillies still need an extra lefty, here are four relievers they could target at the deadline.
Embed from Getty ImagesAndrew Chafin — Detroit Tigers
Andrew Chafin was a free agent last season and the Phillies could have had him for $13 million over two years if they were willing commit multiple years to a setup man. That was not the case this offseason and that resulted in the Phillies pivoting to Hand and Familia.
Chafin has a 3.44 ERA and 2.04 FIP with the Detroit Tigers this season. He spent time on the injured list at the beginning of the season with a groin injury. Last offseason, the Phillies prioritized stuff over command. The bullpen is top 10 in K/9, but has the highest walk rate in the National League. Chafin has only walked 11 hitters since the beginning of 2021, so he could be the guy who throws strikes in tough spots.
Embed from Getty ImagesJoe Mantiply — Arizona Diamondbacks
Joe Mantiply is quietly having an All-Star season for the Arizona Diamondbacks. He owns the second-lowest ERA among all qualified relievers. He’s thrown 25 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing a walk.
Regression is coming for any reliever with a 0.34 ERA in late June, but the Phillies would be thrilled to land a pitcher that provides anywhere close to that level of production in the back of the bullpen.
The 31-year-old has multiple years of team control left and could be highly coveted if Arizona makes him available at the deadline. Mantiply was selected by Dave Dombrowski’s Tigers in the 27th round of the 2013 draft.
Embed from Getty ImagesSam Moll — Oakland Athletics
If the Oakland Athletics are in complete teardown mode, they should be looking to sell off any decent reliever they have. Enter the 30-year-old rookie Sam Moll, who was acquired by Oakland in a deal for cash considerations last July. He now has a 1.27 ERA in 26 games in 2022.
He was designated for assignment four times and selected in the minor league portion of the Rule 5 draft. Guys like Moll usually don’t get a proper chance to carve out a role on a big league team, but that’s exactly what he’s done this year thanks to a terrific slider that hitters are batting just .120 against.
Embed from Getty ImagesGregory Soto — Detroit Tigers
If the Phillies want to make a splash for a closer with three arbitration years left after this season, they could target Detroit’s Gregory Soto. He has a 2.88 ERA in 2022. The issue is that Soto is the embodiment of many things that are currently wrong with the Phillies bullpen. He’s got high end stuff, but does have trouble limiting walks and his fly ball rate has creeped up to 46% this year. The peripherals are not great, but the results have been there for Soto, who has thrown 21 scoreless outings out of 26 in 2022.
For a former All-Star with 13 saves this season, you’d expect a closer like Soto to be dealt for a high price, but a rival general manager suggested to Jon Heyman of the New York Post that Soto’s asking price may not be that high considering he’s somewhat “erratic.”
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