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Phillies: Low Cost Closing Pitchers in Free Agency

By Joe Piazza

Jul 3, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Santiago Casilla (46) pitches during the eleventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Giants won 5-4 in 11 innings. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 3, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco Giants relief pitcher Santiago Casilla (46) pitches during the eleventh inning against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Chase Field. The Giants won 5-4 in 11 innings. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /
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Phillies 2016 Closer Jeanmar Gomez (Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports)
Phillies 2016 Closer Jeanmar Gomez (Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports) /

The Phillies need an upgrade at the closer position heading into 2017. Several low-cost free agent closers are out there on the market.

For a while, it appeared that the Phillies had struck gold with Jeanmar Gomez. Gomez cruised to the All-Star break with 24 saves and a 2.59 ERA. At times, he was actually leading the league in saves.

The remainder of the season was not nice to Gomez, and he got progressively worse as the year went on (8.33 ERA post All-Star). In the end, Gomez’s stats for 2016 – 4.85 ERA, 37-for-43 in save chances, .289 batting average against – make it clear that he shouldn’t  close games.

Is it time for the Phillies to get a new closer? Heck yeah it is.

Closers are certainly low on the priority list for a rebuilding team such as the Phillies, but there’s no reason they can’t sift through the clearance bins. Let’s take a look at some of the free agent relievers that could be closing in Philly next year:

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